Félix Battanchon (9 April 1814 – 1893) was a French cellist, composer, and one of the venerated teachers at the

Paris Conservatory The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

Life

He studied at the Conservatory with Olive Charlier Vaslin (1794–1889) and Louis Pierre Martin Norblin (1781–1854). In 1840 he entered the orchestra of the

Grand Opéra Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterized by large-scale casts and orchestras, and (in their original productions) lavish and spectacular design and stage effects, normally with plots based on o ...

. He applied for second teacher of cello in 1851.Rémy Campos: ''Instituer la musique: Les premières années du Conservatoire de ...'' (2003), p. 358: "En homme avisé, Félix Battanchon, candidat spontané au poste de deuxième professeur de violoncelle, avait agencé en 1851 un double système de références favorables: une homologation institutionnelle complétée par une liste d'emplois prestigieux et, d'autre part, des appuis personnels judicieux (un homme d'église et le directeur de . ...". Little is known about his life until his death in Paris in 1893.

Selected works

Battanchon wrote some sixty compositions, mainly salon pieces and studies for cello. ;Orchestral * ''An-Ini-Goz'', Fantaisie caractéristique sur des airs bretons in D minor for 2 violins, viola, cello and double bass, Op. 14 * ''Ronde des veilleurs de nuit'' for chamber orchestra, Op. 48 (1885) ;Concertante * Concerto No. 1 in E minor for cello and orchestra, Op. 20 * ''Caprice'' in E minor for cello and orchestra (or piano), Op. 28 ;Chamber music * ''2 Mélodies'' for cello and piano, Op. 3 * ''Souvenir de la Sérénade de Beethoven'' for cello and piano, Op. 8 * ''Une Barcarolle et deux romances sans paroles'' for cello and piano, Op. 9 * ''25 Préludes dédiés aux artistes'' for cello solo, Op. 10 * ''Une Sérénade et deux pensées fugitives'' for cello and piano, Op. 11 * ''Solo de Concert'' in D major for cello and string quartet (or orchestra, or piano), Op. 12 * ''3 Duos dédiés aux Amateurs'' for 2 cellos, Op. 15 * ''Rêverie'' for cello and piano, Op. 16 * ''6 Duettinos faciles et progressifs'' for 2 cellos, Op. 18 * ''Chants du Soir'', Trio for cello with viola and double bass, Op. 19 * ''Fantaisie sur un thème de Beethoven'' for cello and string quintet (or piano), Op. 22 (1862) * ''Souvenir d'un bal'', Fantaisie for cello and piano, Op. 23 * ''Élégie'' in G major for cello and piano, Op. 24 * ''Valse brillante'' in A major for cello and piano, Op. 26 * ''La Primavera'', Pastorale for cello and piano, Op. 27 * ''Pensées des champs'' for cello and piano, Op. 29 (1863) * 3 Duos for 2 cellos, Op. 31 * ''Les Regrets'', 2 Rêveries for cello and piano, Op. 32 (1867) * ''Réminiscences de Beethoven'', Caprice for cello and string quartet (or piano), Op. 33 * ''2 Romances sans paroles'' (2 Songs Without Words) for cello and piano, Op. 34 * ''Les Rêves dorés'', 3 Pensées fugitives for cello and piano, Op. 35 * ''Boléro'' in E minor for cello and string quartet (or piano, or orchestra), Op. 36 * Trio No. 1 in G major for 3 cellos, Op. 38 * Sonata in G major for cello and piano; transcription of the Trio, Op. 38 * ''Souvenirs d'enfance'', 3 Pieces for cello and piano, Op. 39 * Trio No. 2 in C minor for 3 cellos, Op. 40 (1869) * ''Les matinées du printemps'', Idylle for cello and piano, Op. 42 * ''Spanische Serenade'', Duo for violin and cello, Op. 43 (1880) * ''Gavotte dans le style ancien'' for cello or violin and piano, Op. 45 * ''Berceuse et chanson d'enfant'' for cello or violin and piano, Op. 46 * ''La Gioventu!'', 3 Pièces for cello and piano, Op. 50 * ''Romance et scherzetto'' for cello or violin and piano, Op. 51 (published 1888) * ''Barcarolle'' for cello and piano, Op. 52 (1887) * ''Prière du matin'' for cello and piano, Op. 53 (1887) * ''Élégie'' for cello or violin and piano, Op. 55 (1888) * ''Dans les près'', Chansonnette for cello (or violin, or oboe) and piano, Op. 57 * ''3 Pièces mélodiques et faciles'' for cello or violin and piano (1891) :# ''Souvenirs'', Op. 60 :# ''Dis-moi pourquoi'', Op. 61 :# ''Une nuit à Grenade'', Op. 62 * ''2 Pièces caractéristiques'' for cello or violin and piano (1892) :# ''Le Rêve'', Op. 63 :# ''Gavotte préférée'', Op. 64 * ''4 Pièces caractéristiques'' for cello solo (published 1895) ;Pedigogical works for cello * ''3 Études en double cordes'' (3 Etudes in

Double-Stopping In music, a double stop is the technique of playing two notes simultaneously on a stringed instrument such as a violin, a viola, a cello, or a double bass. On instruments such as the Hardanger fiddle it is common and often employed. In performin ...

), Op. 1 (1843?) * ''24 Études adoptées pour l'enseignment dans les classes du Conservatoire de Musique à Paris'', Op. 4 * ''6 Études-caprices'', Op. 5 * ''12 Pièces faciles ou petites études de style mélodique'' for 2 cellos, Op. 6 * ''50 Études méthodiques'' for 2 cellos, Op. 7 * ''Études des doubles cordes'' (Etudes in

), 2 Thèmes variés en forme d'études, Op. 13 * ''18 Études sur les compositions de J. Stiastny'', Op. 21 (1862) * ''12 Études aux positions du pouce'' (12 Etudes in

Thumb Position In music performance and music education, education, thumb position, not a traditional position (string technique), position, is a string instrument playing Musical technique, technique used to facilitate playing in the upper register (music), reg ...

), Op. 25 * ''6 Études artistiques'', Op. 30 (1863) * ''12 Études dans le manche précedant les 12 études aux positions du pouce'' (12 Etudes on the Neck Preceding 12 Studies in

), Op. 49 (published 1885) * ''6 Études sur des difficultés nouvelles'' (Etudes on New Challenges), Op. 56 (1888) ;Piano * ''6 Pièces faciles et caractéristiques'', Op. 54 (1887) ;Vocal * ''Le Rêve'', Mélodie for baritone, cello and piano with chorus ad libitum, Op. 17 (1859)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Battanchon, Felix 1814 births 1893 deaths 19th-century French composers 19th-century French male musicians French classical cellists French male composers French music educators