Louis-François-Philippe Drouet (14 April 1792 – 30 September 1873) was a 19th-century French flutist and composer.

Biography

Born of a French father expatriated in the Netherlands and barber by profession, Louis Drouet began learning to play the flute as a self-taught man before entering 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 ...

at the age of seven. At 16, he was first flutist and teacher of

Louis Bonaparte Louis Bonaparte (born Luigi Buonaparte; 2 September 1778 – 25 July 1846) was a younger brother of Napoleon, Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. He was a monarch in his own right from 1806 to 1810, ruling over the Kingdom of Holland (a French c ...

Napoléon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led a series of mi ...

's brother, and King of

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

. After touring trips to England, the United States and Europe, in 1840 he became director of music by the Duke of Saxe-Cobourg-Gotha. Drouet was a great friend of

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions inc ...

. William Gordon, co-inventor of the

Boehm system The Boehm system is a system of keywork for the flute, created by inventor and flautist Theobald Boehm between 1831 and 1847. History Immediately prior to the development of the Boehm system, flutes were most commonly made of wood, with an inv ...

, and were among his pupils. He was often referred to as the " Paganini of flute".

Works

The musicologist

Arthur Pougin Arthur Pougin ( 6 August 1834 – 8 August 1921) was a French musical and dramatic critic and writer. He was born at Châteauroux (Indre) and studied music at the Conservatoire de Paris under Alard (violin) and Reber (harmony). In 1855 he becam ...

wanted to attribute to Louis Drouet (apparently wrongly) the melody of the unofficial hymn of the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...

, "", although considered as having been composed by

Hortense de Beauharnais Hortense Eugénie Cécile Bonaparte (; , ; 10 April 1783 – 5 October 1837) was Kingdom of Holland, Queen of Holland as the wife of King Louis Bonaparte. She was the stepdaughter of Emperor Napoléon I as the daughter of his first wife, Joséphi ...

, Queen of Holland from 1806 to 1810, and

Napoléon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

's mother. ;Compositions * 10 concertos * more than 20 duets, trios, solos and fantasies * more than 300 studies ;Pedagogic method * ''Méthode pour la flûte, ou Traité complet et raisonné pour apprendre à jouer de cet instrument'', Paris : A. J. Pleyel et fils aîné, 1828, Mayence & Anvers : B. Schott, 1829 translation into English under the title ''Drouët's Method of Flute Playing'', London: R. Cocks, 1830 reissued in French by Arlette Biget and Michel Giboureau in '' Flûte traversière : méthodes, traités, périodiques'', vol. III, Courlay : J. M. Fuzeau, 2005.

References

Bibliography

* * András Adorján, Lenz Meierott (Hrsg.): ''Lexikon der Flöte'', Laaber-Verl., Laaber 2009,

Biography

Works

References

Bibliography

External links