Jean-Louis Duport (4 October 17497 September 1819), sometimes known as Duport the Younger to distinguish him from his older brother (and teacher) Jean-Pierre (1741-1818), was a

cellist The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...

, pedagogue, and composer. He is perhaps best known today for his 21

étude An étude (; ) or study is an instrumental musical composition, usually short, designed to provide practice material for perfecting a particular musical skill. The tradition of writing études emerged in the early 19th century with the rapidl ...

s for solo

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

that constitute the final part of the "Essai sur le doigté du violoncelle et sur la conduite de l'archet" ("

Essay on the fingering of the violoncello and on the conduct of the bow Jean-Louis Duport (4 October 17497 September 1819), sometimes known as Duport the Younger to distinguish him from his older brother (and teacher) Jean-Pierre (1741-1818), was a cellist, pedagogue, and composer. He is perhaps best known today fo ...

") (1806), a seminal work of cello technique. He also wrote six cello concertos and his '' Études pour violoncello''. In 1812, Jean-Louis returned to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, where he encountered

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, who insisted on trying out Duport's

Stradivarius A Stradivarius is one of the violins, violas, cellos and other string instruments built by members of the Italian family Stradivari, particularly Antonio Stradivari (Latin: Antonius Stradivarius), during the 17th and 18th centuries. They are co ...

cello, exclaiming, "How the devil do you hold this thing, Monsieur Duport?" Duport was so obviously afraid that Napoleon would damage it, that Napoleon laughingly returned it to the cellist's more careful hands. Actually, Napoleon had made a small dent in the ribs of the cello, which may still be seen in the instrument. It was later owned by

Auguste Franchomme Auguste-Joseph Franchomme (10 April 180821 January 1884) was a French cellist and composer. For his contributions to music, he was decorated with the Légion d'honneur in 1884. Life and career Born in Lille, Franchomme studied at the local conse ...

and also

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. He is considered by many to be the greatest cellist of the 20th century. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was wel ...

"Essay on the fingering of the violoncello and on the conduct of the bow"

"Essai sur le doigté du violoncelle et sur la conduite de l'archet" (''"Essay on the fingering of the violoncello and on the conduct of the bow"'') is a seminal work of

technique, by Duport, published by Imbault in Paris in 1806. The French text of 175 pages discusses in detail a wide range of aspects of cello technique, and is followed by 21 Etudes for two cellos, of various difficulty levels. The work has been translated into English and German, and is widely accepted as the most influential pedagogical work for the instrument.

References

External links

Jean-Pierre and Jean-Louis Duport
A biography of the Duport brothers at the Internet Cello Society * French classical cellists French composers French male composers 1749 births 1819 deaths Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery {{Cellist-stub