Jules Danbé (16 November 1840 – 30 October 1905) was a French

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 ...

ist,

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 ...

and conductor, mainly of

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

Biography

Danbé was born in

Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...

, Calvados. Trained as a violinist, he was a pupil of Narcisse Girard and Marie Gabriel Augustin Savard, in 1859 winning a first prize for violin. He gained much experience playing in the orchestras of the Vaudeville,

Théâtre Lyrique The Théâtre Lyrique () was one of four opera companies performing in Paris during the middle of the 19th century (the other three being the Paris Opera, Opéra, the Opéra-Comique, and the Théâtre-Italien (1801–1878), Théâtre-Italien). ...

and with the Concerts Pasdeloup, and in 1871 founded the Concerts Danbé at the Grand-Hôtel 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 ...

, as well mounting concerts at the

Salle Herz The Salle des Concerts Herz, usually referred to simply as the Salle Herz, was a concert hall in Paris, located at 48, rue de la Victoire. It was built in 1838 by the French pianist-composer Henri Herz. The hall was used for public performances ...

in 1874 and the Salle Ventadour in 1875.''Cinquante Ans de Musique Française de 1874 à 1925.'' Les Éditions Musicales de la Librairie de France, Paris, 1925. Danbé was principal conductor at the Théâtre de la Gaîté-Lyrique in 1876, conducting ''Dimitri'', ''Les Erynnies'' and ''Paul et Virginie'' (whose premiere at the Opéra-Comique he also conducted). Appointed conductor at the

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...

on 2 June 1877, he took up his duties on 1 September that year, remaining until April 1898. His tenure, assisted by Henri Vaillard and Giannini, was considered to have improved the quality of the orchestral playing; in 1889, a performance of the Verdi Requiem drew the comment that the orchestra was probably the best in Paris. As well as conducting the central repertoire at the Opéra-Comique he conducted the premieres of the following operas:Wolff S. ''Un demi-siècle d'Opéra-Comique.'' André Bonne, Paris, 1953. *'' Le timbre d’argent'' (Saint-Saëns) 23 February 1877 *''

The Tales of Hoffmann ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died in ...

'' (Offenbach) 10 February 1881 *'' Lakmé'' (Delibes) 14 April 1883 *''

Manon ''Manon'' () is an ''opéra comique'' in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel '' L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut'' by the Abbé Prévost. It was f ...

'' (Massenet) 19 January 1884 *'' Le roi malgré lui'' (Chabrier) 18 May 1887 *''

Esclarmonde ''Esclarmonde'' () is an opéra () in four acts and eight Tableau vivant, tableaux, with prologue and epilogue, by Jules Massenet, to a French libretto by Alfred Blau and Louis de Gramont, Louis Ferdinand de Gramont. It was first performed at th ...

'' (Massenet) 14 May 1889 *'' La Basoche'' (Messager) 30 May 1890 *'' L'attaque du moulin'' (Bruneau) 23 November 1893 *'' Le flibustier'' (Cui) 22 January 1894 *''

Le portrait de Manon ''Le portrait de Manon'' is an opéra comique in one act by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Georges Boyer. It is related to Massenet's 1884 opera ''Manon'', widely regarded to be his masterpiece. However ''Le portrait de Manon'' is rarely ...

'' (Massenet) 8 May 1894 *'' Sapho'' (Massenet) 27 November 1897 He also conducted an early revival by the Opéra-Comique of '' Les Troyens à Carthage'' (in the same theatre as its premiere) in June 1892 which witnessed a triumphant début for the 17-year-old Marie Delna. Danbé was Director of Music of the Foundation Beaulieu (1888-1905). A member of the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Danbé resigned in May 1884 but re-joined on 3 June 1884 and took the Second chair, First Violins, on 14 October 1884, joining Jules Garcin, concertmaster, becoming 2nd chef (and concertmaster) on 2 June 1885, replacing Garcin, and retiring from the Société on 3 June 1892. He was a mentor and teacher for

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 ...

, whom he presented for entry at the Conservatoire. After leaving the Opéra-Comique, in 1899 he moved to the Théâtre Lyrique de la Renaissance, where he conducted a rare production of '' Iphigénie en Tauride'' in December of that year, and also conducted classical concerts at the casinos of Néris-les-Bains and

Vichy Vichy (, ; ) is a city in the central French department of Allier. Located on the Allier river, it is a major spa and resort town and during World War II was the capital of Vichy France. As of 2021, Vichy has a population of 25,789. Known f ...

. He composed works for violin and was author of a violin method. He received the Légion d'Honneur in 1885. Danbé died in Paris on October 30, 1905, and is buried at

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (, , formerly , ) is the largest cemetery in Paris, France, at . With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Buried at Père Lachaise are many famous figures in the ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Danbe, Jules 1840 births 1905 deaths 19th-century French violinists 19th-century French male musicians French male classical violinists 20th-century French conductors (music) 20th-century French male musicians French Romantic composers French male composers French male conductors (music) Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Music directors (opera) Recipients of the Legion of Honour Musicians from Caen