Théophile Édouard Laforge (6 March 1863 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

– 31 October 1918 in Paris) was a French

violist The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the v ...

and first professor of

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or 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 Jean Ja ...

. Laforge studied

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

at the Conservatoire de Paris with Eugène Sauzay and was awarded first prize in 1886. From 1883, he was a violinist at the

Opéra de Paris 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 kn ...

and in 1887 became principal violist. Furthermore, from 1887 he was viola soloist with the

Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire The Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire () was a symphony orchestra established in Paris in 1828. It gave its first concert on 9 March 1828 with music by Beethoven, Rossini, Meifreid, Rode and Cherubini. Administered by the phi ...

. In 1894, he was selected as the first professor of viola of the Conservatoire de Paris. Indeed, 99 years after the implementation of the violin and cello programs, a class entirely reserved for viola players was created. Laforge devoted himself to his post until his death after a short illness in 1918. During his career at the Conservatoire, Théophile Laforge initiated works for viola from composers of the time, also setting them as a requirement in partial fulfillment of a degree. More than a dozen works would be dedicated to him as well, of which the ''Concertpiece'' by

George Enescu George Enescu (; – 4 May 1955), known in France as Georges Enesco, was a Romanians, Romanian composer, violinist, pianist, conductor, teacher and statesman. He is regarded as one of the greatest musicians in Romanian history. Biography En ...

is the most widely performed. In his 22 years of teaching, Laforge created a generation of new violists; notable students include

Maurice Vieux Maurice Edgard Vieux (14 April 1884 in Savy-Berlette near Valenciennes – 28 April 1951 in Paris) was a French violist whose teaching at the Conservatoire de Paris plays a key role in the history of the viola in France. Vieux received his 1st ...

(who succeeded him at the Conservatoire),

Henri Casadesus Henri-Gustave Casadesus (30 September 1879 – 31 May 1947) was a violist, viola d'amore player, composer, and music publisher. Early life Born in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, Casadesus received his early musical instruction with Albert L ...

, Louis Bailly,

Paul-Louis Neuberth Paul-Louis is a masculine French given name. Notable people with the name include: * Paul-Louis Carrière (1908-2008), French prelate of the Roman Catholic Church * Paul-Louis Couchoud (1879-1959), French author and poet * Paul Louis Courier (1773 ...

and

Pierre Monteux Pierre Benjamin Monteux (; 4 April 18751 July 1964) was a French (later American) conductor. After violin and viola studies, and a decade as an orchestral player and occasional conductor, he began to receive regular conducting engagements in 1 ...

Dedications

Henri Büsser Paul Henri Büsser (16 January 1872 – 30 December 1973) was a French classical composer, organist, conductor and teacher. Among his teachers were César Franck, Charles Gounod and Jules Massenet. In addition to his own compositions Büsser edi ...

– ''Appassionato'' in C minor for viola and piano, Op. 34 (1910) * Eugène Cools – ''Poème'' in G minor for viola and orchestra, Op. 74 (1909) *

– ''Concertpiece'' for viola and piano (1906) *

Hélène Fleury-Roy Hélène-Gabrielle Fleury-Roy (21 June 1876 – 18 April 1957) was a French composer and the first woman to gain a prize at the prestigious Prix de Rome for composition. Background Fleury was born in Carlepont, Department Oise, France. She studi ...

– ''Fantaisie'' for viola and piano, Op. 18 (c.1906) * Léon Honnoré – ''Morceau de Concert'' for viola and orchestra or piano, Op. 23 (1890) *

Désiré-Émile Inghelbrecht Désiré-Émile Inghelbrecht (17 September 188014 February 1965) was a French composer, conductor and writer. Life and career Inghelbrecht was born in Paris, the son of a violist. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire and made his debut as a ...

– ''Prélude et Saltarelle'' for viola and piano (1907) * René Jullien – ''Concertstück'' in C minor for viola and orchestra, Op. 19 (1912) *

Henri Marteau Henri Marteau (31 March 1874 – 3 October 1934) was a French violinist and composer. Life and career Marteau's debut was made when he was 10 at a concert given by the Vienna Philharmonic Society conducted by Hans Richter. A tour through Switze ...

– ''Chaconne'' in C minor for viola and piano, Op. 8 (1905) *

– ''Arabesque'' in D major for viola and piano (1920) *

Paul Rougnon Paul-Louis Rougnon (; 24 August 1846 – 11 December 1934) was a French composer, pianist and music educator. Biography Paul Rougnon was born in Poitiers the son of Louis Rougnon and Claire Clotilde Robin. A student at the Lycée Bonaparte (now ...

– ''Concertino romantique'' for viola and piano, Op. 138 (1895)

References

* Laine, Frédéric (1998). "La classe d'alto de Théophile Laforge au Conservatoire", ''Bulletin 1998 de l'Association des Amis de l'Alto'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Laforge, Theophile 1863 births 1918 deaths Musicians from Paris French classical violists Academic staff of the Conservatoire de Paris Conservatoire de Paris alumni 19th-century classical musicians Players of the Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris