A French composer known for his work The Sorcerer's Apprentice (L’apprenti sorcier). He possessed a spirit of severe self-criticism, publishing fewer than 20 works, while destroying over 70 unfinished and unpublished pieces in his later years. He began composing around the age of 13, studying piano with Mathias, harmony with Théodore Dubois, and composition with Guiraud at the Paris Conservatoire. Although he left the Conservatoire after failing to win the Prix de Rome, he was able to meet Debussy and d'Indy there. He served as a professor in the orchestral and composition departments at the Paris Conservatoire, and in the composition department at the École Normale, teaching figures such as Messiaen. In addition to writing reviews for magazines, he also conducted research presentations and edited and arranged works by other composers. The composers he addressed included Couperin, Rameau, Scarlatti, Beethoven, and Saint-Saëns. Dukas, who was unsociable and had little interest in honor or fame, was elected a member of the French Académie in his later years. Although he did not sympathize with contemporary musical trends such as Stravinsky, Les Six, or Viennese Expressionism, Dukas's unique style influenced Schoenberg and Berg.

His piano works include the lengthy Piano Sonata in E-flat minor and Variations, Interlude and Finale on a Theme by Rameau.