Étienne André Joseph Calvet (8 October 1897 – 3 May 1984 ) was a famous French classical violinist. In 1919 he founded the celebrated Calvet Quartet. Calvet died in the

17th arrondissement of Paris The 17th arrondissement of Paris (''XVIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as ''le dix-septième'' (; "the seventeenth"). The arrondissement, known as Batignoll ...

at age 86.

Biography

;Musical studies Born in

Valence, Tarn-et-Garonne Valence (; oc, Valença d'Agen), also known as Valence-d'Agen, is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Geography Valence is located from Agen, from Montauban, from Cahors, 90 km from T ...

, Calvet began studying the violin at the Conservatoire of

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

, where he obtained a First Prize in 1904, then continued his studies 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 ...

, and also obtained a First Prize in 1919. Calvet was trained at the which developed between the second half of the 19th and the first half of the 20th. ; The Calvet Quartet In 1919, he created his

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...

with Georges Mignot (2nd violin), replaced by Daniel Guilevitch in 1929), Léon Pascal on viola and Paul Mas on cello. Less than ten years later, the Calvet Quartet's fame was made, and it is with the support of

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

that the Quartet gave the complete Beethoven Quartets in Paris. At the same time, Joseph Calvet and his quartet ardently defended the

French music ''French music'' may refer to: * Music of France, music of the French people in France ''French music'' may also refer to the music of French-speaking countries: *Music of Quebec, music of the French-Canadians in Canada, most often Québécois or ...

of their contemporaries, notably playing and recording the quartets of Fauré, Debussy and Ravel. This first formation was to end at the beginning of the Second World War with the departure of Daniel Guilevitch - who was Jewish - to the United States (where he was to adopt the name Daniel Guilet), and it was only at the end of the war that Joseph Calvet somehow resurrected the quartet with new partners: violinist Jean Champeil, violist Maurice Husson and cellist Manuel Recasens. This new formation was a great success after the war, and created quartets of the French repertoire, notably that of

Florent Schmitt Florent Schmitt (; 28 September 187017 August 1958) was a French composer. He was part of the group known as Les Apaches. His most famous pieces are ''La tragédie de Salome'' and ''Psaume XLVII'' (Psalm 47). He has been described as "one of the ...

in 1948,Schmitt made the Calvet Quartet the dedicatee of his quartet as the previous formation had done with Guy Ropartz and Jean Françaix. The Calvet Quartet was finally disbanded in 1950.

Historical recording

* Beethoven's String quartet n° 1 Op. 18 and n° 14 Op. 131 (1936, 1938); Teldec Telefunken Legacy 3984-28413-2 * Fauré's Piano Quartet in C minor * Schubert's String Quartet No. 14 (''Death and the Maiden'')

References

Sources

Dictionnaire de la Musique, éditions Larousse

External links

Calvet String Quartet - Mozart SQ #14, KV387
(YouTube) {{DEFAULTSORT:Calvet, Joseph 1897 births 1984 deaths People from Valence, Tarn-et-Garonne 20th-century French male classical violinists Conservatoire de Paris alumni