Jules Garcin
Encyclopedia
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
violinist, conductor and composer of the 19th century.
He was born in Bourges
Bourges
Bourges is a city in central France on the Yèvre river. It is the capital of the department of Cher and also was the capital of the former province of Berry.-History:...
. His maternal grandfather, Joseph Garcin, was director of a travelling company playing opéra comique in the central and southern provinces of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Having entered the Paris Conservatoire in adolescence, studying under Clavel and Alard, Garcin took the premier prix for violin in 1853, and entered the Opéra orchestra in 1856.
He became solo violinist, then third conductor in 1871 and finally chief conductor in 1885. His long and successful teaching career at the Conservatoire de Paris
Conservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris is a college of music and dance founded in 1795, now situated in the avenue Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France...
began in 1875.
Among his notable students were Henri Marteau
Henri Marteau
Henri Marteau was a French violinist and composer.-Life and career:He was born in Reims, France. He was of German-French mixture. His father was a well known amateur violinist of that city, and took a great interest in musical affairs. His mother was an excellent pianist, who had studied under...
(1874–1934) who was a child prodigy and Jules Boucherit
Jules Boucherit
Jules Boucherit was a French violinist and renowned violin pedagogue.Jules Boucherit was born in Morlaix. He attended the Paris Conservatoire studying under Jules Garcin...
(1877–1962).
Garcin’s association with the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire
Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire
The Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire was a symphony orchestra established in Paris in 1828. It gave its first concert on 9 March 1828 with music by Beethoven, Rossini, Meifreid, Rode and Cherubini....
began in 1860, again as orchestral and then as solo violinist.
In 1885 he was elected principal conductor of the Conservatoire concerts. In this post he actively promoted German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
choral and symphonic masterpieces, from Bach’s Mass in B Minor (in 1891) to works of Brahms and Wagner (Brahms’s music was then the object of much adverse criticism in Paris during the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
). He was a founder-member of the Société Nationale de Musique
Société Nationale de Musique
The Société Nationale de Musique was founded on February 25, 1871 to promote French music and to allow young composers to present their music in public...
in 1871. He wrote some music (including a violin concerto and viola concertino), a certain amount of which was published by Lemoine (some now in US-Bp).
Franck’s Symphony in D minor
Symphony in D minor (Franck)
The Symphony in D minor is the most famous orchestral work and the only symphony written by the 19th-century Belgian composer César Franck. After two years of work, the symphony was completed 22 August 1888. It was premiered at the Paris Conservatory on 17 February 1889 under the direction of ...
premiere took place on February 17, 1889 at the Paris Conservatoire under the direction of Jules Garcin.
This Symphony was dedicated to Henri Duparc, who was a member of “la bande á Franck” at the Conservatoire, along with Vincent d’Indy, Emmanuel Chabrier, and Paul Dukas. Three years later in 1892, Garcin retired and relinquished the post due to illness, but continued teaching. He died in Paris in 1896.
Performed on violins by Antonio Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari was an Italian luthier and a crafter of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas, and harps. Stradivari is generally considered the most significant artisan in this field. The Latinized form of his surname, Stradivarius, as well as the colloquial, "Strad", is...
"Il Cremonese" 1715 (now known as the Ex-Joachim
Joseph Joachim
Joseph Joachim was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant violinists of the 19th century.-Origins:...
), Antonio Stradivari, Cremona 1731 (now known as the Ex-Garcin),
as well as "Le Messie"
Messiah Stradivarius
The Messiah-Salabue Stradivarius of 1716 is a violin made by Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari of Cremona. It is considered to be the only Stradivarius in existence in as new state....
copy of 1868 by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume.
Accomplishments
2d prix, solfège, 1843; 1r prix 1844. 2d prix, violin, 1851; 1r prix 1853. Orch. Opéra (later solo; 3e chef 1871; chef 1885). Prof. au Conservatoire (violon, 1875). Acad. 1880. 1889. Founding member, Société Nationale de Musique, 1871. Founded an annual prize for the Conservatoire laureat in violin. Composer of violin solos, études, etc.Quotes
Selected compositions
- Chanson de Mignon, Op. 11
- Concerto for violin and orchestra, Op.14
- Concertino for viola (or cello) and orchestra, Op.19 (1870)
- Villanelle for violin and piano, Op.26
- Impromptu valse for violin and piano, Op.29
- Canzonetta
- Fantasie concertante (Coppelia)
- Scherzo for violin and piano
- Suite symphonique