Lucien Louis Capet (8 January 1873 – 18 December 1928) was a French violinist, pedagogue and composer.

Career

Capet came from the Paris proletariat. By the age of fifteen, he had to maintain himself by playing in bistros and cafes. He studied at the

Conservatoire de Paris 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 ...

where he was a pupil of Jean-Pierre Maurin and later appeared as soloist with French orchestras. Between 1896 and 1899, he was the concertmaster of the orchestra of the

Concerts Lamoureux The Orchestre Lamoureux () officially known as the Société des Nouveaux-Concerts and also known as the Concerts Lamoureux) is an orchestral concert society which once gave weekly concerts by its own orchestra, founded in Paris by Charles Lamoureu ...

. He also taught violin at the Société Sainte-Cécile de Bordeaux (1899–1903). His notable students include

Jascha Brodsky Jascha Brodsky (June 6, 1907 – March 3, 1997) was a Russian-American violinist and teacher. Born in Kharkiv, in the Kharkov Governorate of the Russian Empire (in present-day Ukraine), he began his violin studies with his violinist father at the ...

and

Ivan Galamian Ivan Alexander Galamian ( hy, Իվան Ղալամեան; April 14, 1981) was an Armenian-American violin teacher of the twentieth century who was the violin teacher of many seminal violin players including Itzhak Perlman. Biography Galamian w ...

, both of whom became influential violin teachers of the latter part of the twentieth century. Lucien Capet had a successful career as a soloist and chamber musician, forming the Capet Quartet in 1893. The quartet went through many changes of personnel and made several recordings of

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

string quartets and Romantic and Classical works. Capet was also a well-regarded teacher, known especially for his bow technique. With the violinist and chamber musician

Suzanne Chaigneau Suzanne Chaigneau (14 June 1875 – 13 April 1946) was a French violinist and chamber musician, and a noted violin teacher. She spent her childhood between Barbizon and Paris, receiving her musical education from her mother and family friends inclu ...

, Capet founded the ''Institut moderne du violin'' in 1924. Capet wrote a book on "Superior Bowing Technique" which is an essential treatise on all aspects of bowing technique for the violin; reprints are available (including translations into English by Margaret Schmidt and Stephen Shipps). Lucien Capet also worked closely with bowmaker

Joseph Arthur Vigneron Joseph Arthur Vigneron (b. Mirecourt, 1851; d. Paris, 1905) was an important French Archetier / Bowmaker. He served his apprenticeship with his stepfather Charles Claude Husson in Mirecourt, where he studied side by side with Joseph Alfre ...

to develop a Lucien Capet model bow (modele Lucien Capet was often stamped on such bows). Vigneron's concept/design for these bows was a sort of rounded triangular cross section, which added stability to the bow (lower centre of gravity)."

Quotes

Encyclopedia of the Violin - Alberto Bachmann

Selected compositions

* ''Le Rouet'', symphonic poem * ''Prélude religieux'', for orchestra * ''Devant la mer'', for voice and orchestra * ''Poème'', for violin and orchestra * 5 string quartets * 2

sonata Sonata (; Italian: , pl. ''sonate''; from Latin and Italian: ''sonare'' rchaic Italian; replaced in the modern language by ''suonare'' "to sound"), in music, literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''cant ...

s for violin and piano * 6 études for violin * ''Aria'' in A minor for violin, viola and piano, Op. 5 (1908)

Recordings by the Quatuor Capet

(Made c.1925-1930) *

: Quartet in A major, Op. 18 No. 5 (Columbia Records, D 1659-62). * Beethoven: Quartet in F major, Op. 59 No. 1 (Col. D 15065-70). * Beethoven: Quartet in E-flat major 'Harp', Op. 74 (Col., L 2248-51). * Beethoven: Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 131 (Col., L 2283-87). * Beethoven: Quartet in A minor, Op. 132 (Col., L 2272-76). *

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

: Quartet in C major, K. 465 (Col., L 2290-93). *

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

: Quartet in A minor, Op. 41 No. 1 (Col., L 2329-31). *

Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...

: Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 (1893) (Col., D 15085-8). * Franck: Quintet in F minor, with

Marcel Ciampi Marcel Paul Maximin Ciampi (29 May 1891 – 2 September 1980) was a French pianist and teacher. He held the longest tenure in the history of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris and also became head of piano classes at the Y ...

(pno) (Col., D 15102-6). *

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...

: Quartet in D major, Op. 64 No. 5 'Lark' (Col., D 13070-2). *

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

: Quartet in F major (Col., D 15057-60). *

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

: Quartet in D minor, D. 810 'Death and the Maiden' (Col. D 15053-6).

Sources

* A. Eaglefield-Hull, ''A Dictionary of Modern Music and Musicians'' (London: Dent, 1924) * L. Capet, ''Technique de l'Archet'' * R.D. Darrell, ''The Gramophone Shop Encyclopedia of Recorded Music'' (New York, 1936) * Memoirs of Carl Flesch * Alberto Bachmann, ''Encyclopedia of the Violin''

Notes and references

External links

Capetmusic.com
*
Portrait et document Young Lucien Capet Lucien Capet Quartet Robert Casadesus & Lucien Capet
"Robert (Casadesus) then entered the class of Lucien Capet, who had exceptional influence. Capet had founded a famous quartet that bore his name and in which two of Robert's uncles played: Henri and Marcel. The Quartet often rehearsed in the Casadesus home, and so it was that Robert was initiated into chamber music. The Beethoven Quartets held no secret for him—he knew them backwards and forwards without ever having played them! " * {{DEFAULTSORT:Capet, Lucien 1873 births 1928 deaths 19th-century French male classical violinists 20th-century French male classical violinists Academic staff of the Conservatoire de Paris Knights of the Legion of Honour Conservatoire de Paris alumni French male classical composers French music educators French Romantic composers Musicians from Paris Violin pedagogues