Jacques Ibert (1890 - 1962) studied under Paul Vidal at the Paris Conservatoire. From 1937 he was director of the French Academy in Rome, and from 1955 to 1957 directed Paris's Opéra-Comique. Ibert's music is considered to be typically quite "light" in character, often witty, colourfully orchestrated with attractive melodies. His best known work is probably the orchestral Divertissement (1930), based on his incidental music for Eugène Labiche's play, Un Chapeau de paille d'Italie (The Italian Straw Hat). Other prominent pieces include Escales (1924) for orchestra, the symphonic poem La Ballade de la geôle de Reading (based on the poem by Oscar Wilde), his concerto for flute and Le petit âne blanc for solo piano. He composed a number of operas, some together with Arthur Honegger. Among his film scores is the one for Orson Welles' version of Macbeth (1948).