Martin Berteau (2 February 1691 in

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...

– 23 January 1771 in

Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

) was a French classical

cellist The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

teacher, and

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 ...

. He is widely regarded as the founder of the French school of cello playing.

Life

Descriptions of Berteau's life are often unreliable and exaggerated. As a result, little is certain about his life. He probably studied

viola da gamba The viola da gamba (), or viol, or informally gamba, is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played (i.e. "on the leg"). It is distinct from the later violin family, violin, or ; and it is any one of the earlier viol family of bow (m ...

in Germany with the

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

n Kozecz. F.-J. Fétis, who wrote a ''Biographie universelle des musiciens'' (1835-1844), said that Berteau made his debut on the cello in 1739 at the ''

Concert Spirituel The Concert Spirituel () was one of the first public concert series in existence. The concerts began in Paris in 1725 and ended in 1790. Later, concerts or series of concerts with the same name occurred in multiple places including Paris, Vienna ...

'', playing his own concerto. However, his name is not mentioned in any

media Media may refer to: Communication * Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Interactive media, media that is inter ...

of the time, and neither his concerto nor sketches of it have been found. The only reference of his name was made by

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Republic of Geneva, Genevan philosopher (''philosophes, philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment through ...

who mentioned having heard Berteau perform in Paris in 1753.

Works

With the exception of a few

cello sonatas A cello sonata is piece written sonata form, often with the instrumentation of a cello taking solo role with piano accompaniment. Some of the earliest cello sonatas were composed in the 18th century by Francesco Geminiani and Antonio Vivaldi, and ...

, much of Berteau's work has been lost. For many decades Berteau's well known Cello Sonata in G major, Op. 25 was credited to the Italian composer

Giovanni Battista Sammartini Giovanni Battista Sammartini (c. 1700 – 15 January 1775) was an Italian composer, violinist, organist, choirmaster and teacher. He counted Gluck among his students, and was highly regarded by younger composers including Johann Christian ...

Teaching

Among his students were Louis, Dauphin of France (son of Louis XV); The Valencian brothers Jean-Baptiste Janson (1742-1804) and Louis Auguste Joseph (1749-1815); Joseph Rey (1738-1811); Jean-Pierre Duport, known as "l'Aîné" (1741-1818), or Joseph Tillière, "ordinary cellist of the Royal Academy of Music", author of a "Méthode pour le cello" published in 1764, François Cupis de Renoussard, cellist and composer, and

Jean-Baptiste Bréval Jean-Baptiste Sebastien Bréval (6 November 1753 – 18 March 1823) was a French cellist and composer. He wrote mostly for his own instrument, including pedagogical works as well as virtuoso display pieces. Life Bréval was born in Paris, ...

(1753-1823), most certainly his last student.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berteau, Martin French classical cellists French Baroque composers French male composers 1691 births 1771 deaths People from Valenciennes 18th-century French composers 18th-century French male musicians