hiː wʌz bˈɔːɹn ɪn kˈɔːɹbi, pˈɪkɚdi ɪnðə sˈɑːm vˈæli ˌɔn mˈɑːɹtʃ sˈɛvəntˌiːn, wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd sˈɛvənhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi ˈeɪt bˌʌt mˈuːvd ɐwˈeɪ fɹʌm hɪz hˈoʊm ɹˈiːdʒən tə pˈæɹɪs, wˌɛɹ hiː tɹˈeɪnd ˌʌndɚ ɡˈæbɹiːəl fɹˈænswɑː ænd pɪˈɛɹ dˈɔɪən ænd ɹᵻsˈiːvd ɐ stˈaɪpənd fɹʌmðə kˈɑːɹdɪnəl ʌv lˈaɪnz.
He was born in Corbie, Picardy in the Somme Valley on March 17, 1748 but moved away from his home region to Paris, where he trained under Gabriel François and Pierre Doyen and received a stipend from the Cardinal of Luynes.