Claude-Jean-François Despréaux was a French musician and revolutionary, born in the 1740s and died in Paris on 11 August 1794.

Biography

The son of Jean-François Despréaux,

oboist An oboist (formerly hautboist) is a musician who plays the oboe or any oboe family instrument, including the oboe d'amore, cor anglais or English horn, bass oboe and piccolo oboe or oboe musette. The following is a list of notable past and pres ...

of the

Académie royale de musique The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...

who retired in 1767, and Marie-Anne d'Arras, Louis-Félix's older brother (1746-1813) and

Jean-Étienne Despréaux Jean-Étienne Despréaux (31 August 1748 – 26 March 1820) was a French ballet dancer, choreographer, composer, singer and playwright. Biography The son of an oboist of the orchestra of the Académie royale de musique, he made here his début ...

, Despréaux made his debut in 1759 as

violinist The following lists of violinists are available: * List of classical violinists, notable violinists from the baroque era onwards * List of contemporary classical violinists, notable contemporary classical violinists * List of violinist/composers, ...

. After he became head of the

concertmaster The concertmaster (from the German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (U.K.) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (or clarinet in a concert band). After the conductor, the concertmaster is the second-most signifi ...

s in 1771, he retired in 1782. A pensioner of the Republic, he was a civil commissioner and a member of the popular society of the , and juror at the

Revolutionary Tribunal The Revolutionary Tribunal (french: Tribunal révolutionnaire; unofficially Popular Tribunal) was a court instituted by the National Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders. It eventually became one of the ...

in 1793. Desperate following the

Fall of Maximilien Robespierre The Coup d'état of 9 Thermidor or the Fall of Maximilien Robespierre refers to the series of events beginning with Maximilien Robespierre's address to the National Convention on 8 Thermidor Year II (26 July 1794), his arrest the next day, and ...

, he committed suicide with a shotgun in his apartment, at 20 rue du Sentier, on 24

thermidor Thermidor () was the eleventh month in the French Republican Calendar. The month was named after the French word ''thermal'', derived from the Greek word "thermos" (''heat''). Thermidor was the second month of the summer quarter (''mois d'ét ...

an II (11 August 1794). He is the author of several sonatas for violin and harpsichord.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Despreaux, Claude Jean Francois French male classical violinists Maximilien Robespierre Year of birth missing 1794 deaths Suicides by firearm in France 18th-century suicides Concertmasters 18th-century French violinists 18th-century French male musicians