Joseph Jean-Baptiste Laurent Arban (28 February 1825 – 8 April 1889) was a

cornetist The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopra ...

, conductor,

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

, pedagogue and the first famed virtuoso of the '' cornet à piston'' or valved cornet. He was influenced by

Niccolò Paganini Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (; 27 October 178227 May 1840) was an Italian violinist and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His 24 Caprices fo ...

's virtuosic technique on the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

and successfully proved that the

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a so ...

was a true solo instrument by developing virtuoso technique on the instrument.

Life

Arban was born in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, one of ten children of Simon Arban, artificier. An older brother was the balloonist

Francisque Arban Francisque Arban, also known as Francesco Arban di Lione (1815 – ''disappeared'' 7 October 1849), was a French balloonist. In 1849, he was the first person to cross the Alps in a balloon, a feat not repeated until 1924. He disappeared over th ...

. He studied

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

with

François Dauverné François Georges Auguste Dauverné (16 February 1799 – 4 November 1874) was a French trumpeter who in 1827 was the first to use the new F three-valved trumpet in public performance. Dauverné was amongst the first to realise the potential of th ...

at the

Paris Conservatoire 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 ...

from 1841 to 1845. After graduating from the Conservatory with honors, Arban began to master the cornet. He was appointed professor of

saxhorn The saxhorn is a family of valved brass instruments that have conical bores and deep cup-shaped mouthpieces. The saxhorn family was developed by Adolphe Sax, who is also known for creating the saxophone family. The sound of the saxhorn has a ...

at the

École Militaire École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savo ...

in 1857, and became professor of cornet at the Conservatoire in 1869, where

Merri Franquin Merri Jean Baptiste Franquin (b. 19 October 1848, Lançon, Bouches-du-Rhône, France, d. 1934) was a French trumpeter, cornetist, and flugelhornist who was professor of trumpet at the Conservatoire de Paris from 1894 until 1925. Franquin was a t ...

was among his students. In 1864, he published his influential '' Grande méthode complète pour cornet à pistons et de saxhorn''. In 1876, at the invitation of Alexander II, Arban conducted some concerts in Pavlovsk. Arban apparently made a

phonograph cylinder Phonograph cylinders are the earliest commercial medium for recording and reproducing sound. Commonly known simply as "records" in their era of greatest popularity (c. 1896–1916), these hollow cylindrical objects have an audio recording engra ...

recording for the

Edison Company The Edison Manufacturing Company, originally registered as the United Edison Manufacturing Company and often known as simply the Edison Company, was organized by inventor and entrepreneur Thomas Edison and incorporated in New York City in May 188 ...

shortly before his death. In the Finnish newspaper ''Hufvudstadsbladet'' (no. 96, of 11 April 1890, page 2), Arban's recording is mentioned: ''Among the phonograms a particular one must be mentioned: solo on cornet à piston, played by the famous French virtuoso monsieur Arban called "Fanfare d'Edison".'' Arban died in Paris.

The Arban Method

Arban's trumpet method of 1864 is often referred to as the "Trumpeter's Bible". It is still studied by modern brass players. The Arban Method book is available by various publishers, with Carl Fischer and Alphonse Leduc being the most prominent. In 1982 Carl Fischer released a version that is annotated by

Claude Gordon Claude Eugene Gordon (April 5, 1916 - May 16, 1996), nicknamed the "King of Brass", was an American trumpet player, band director, educator, lecturer and writer. Life Claude Gordon was born on April 5, 1916 in Helena, Montana. His father, James Au ...

, noted pedagogue. The 1982 Carl Fischer version restores the original text and designates the previous revisions by Walter Smith and

Edwin Franko Goldman Edwin Franko Goldman (January 1, 1878 – February 21, 1956) was an American composer and conductor. One of the most significant American band composers of the early 20th century, Goldman composed over 150 works, but is best known for his marches. ...

. Then, Claude Gordon makes comments in the footnotes for clarification and cross referencing supporting material. Arban's original text did not advocate many things that are purported by recent teachers and this edition is useful for historical accuracy. His variations on ''

The Carnival of Venice The "Carnival of Venice" is based on a Neapolitan folk tune called "O Mamma, Mamma Cara" and popularized by violinist and composer Niccolo Paganini, who wrote twenty variations on the original tune. He titled it "Il Carnevale Di Venezia," Op. 1 ...

'' remains one of the great showpieces for cornet soloists today. "Fantasie Brilliante" also continues to be frequently performed and recorded.

External links

*
Short biographyLonger article on O. J.'s Trumpet Page
1825 births 1889 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century conductors (music) 19th-century French composers Conservatoire de Paris alumni French classical musicians French conductors (music) French cornetists French male classical composers French male conductors (music) French Romantic composers Musicians from Lyon {{brass-musician-stub