Pierre Gaviniès (1728-1800) - Second concerto a Violino principal (1764)

Joyeux anniversaire Pierre Gaviniès! 🎻🍷

Composer: Pierre Gaviniès (1728-1800)
Work: Second concerto (en Fa majeur) a Violino principal, Op.4 (1764)
Performers: Claire Bernard (violin); Orchestre de chambre de Rouen; Albert Bеaucamp (1921-1967, conductor)

Painting: Alexandre-Jean Noël (1752-1834) - La pointe de l’île de la Cité, vue du port Saint-Nicolas
Image in high resolution: https://flic.kr/p/2njKQok

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Pierre Gaviniés [Gaviniès, Gaviniez, Gavigniès, et al.]
(Bordeaux, 11 May 1728 - Paris, 8 September 1800)

French violinist and composer. He was Leclair’s successor as leader of the French violin school. The esteem with which he was regarded is indicated by his inclusion in Fayolle’s Notices sur Corelli, Tartini, Gaviniés, Pugnani et Viotti (Paris, 1810) and by Viotti’s having labelled him (according to Pipelet) ‘the French Tartini’. He was admired as a performer, composer, teacher and philanthropist. Gaviniés was the son of François Gaviniés, a violin maker, and Marie Laporte. Accurate information about his early training is limited, though his talent was undoubtedly nurtured by the artists who frequented his father’s violin shop. By 1734, possibly to further Pierre’s musical education, his father moved the family and business to Paris. At the age of 11 he appeared in private concerts, and at 13 he made a successful Concert Spirituel début, performing a Leclair duet with L’abbé le fils, a pupil of Leclair; there is no evidence to suggest that Gaviniés was also one of his pupils. Later in 1741 he performed ‘Spring’ from Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ at the Concert Spirituel, after which his activities are not known for several years; some believe that he was employed by the Duke of Orleans during this period. From 1748 Gaviniés performed frequently at the Concert Spirituel, playing both alone and with others, including the violinist Guignon, the flautist Blavet and the singer Marie Fel. His whereabouts from 1753 to 1759 remain a mystery except for the fact that one year was spent serving a prison sentence for an illicit affair with a young countess. In prison he composed his famous ‘Romance’ – a work which appeared in numerous versions during his lifetime. In 1759 he returned to the Concert Spirituel, and on 6 November 1760 his Le prétendu, an intermède in three acts, was presented by the Comédie-Italienne.

The early 1760s were perhaps the apex of Gaviniés’s career. He published three sets of sonatas for violin and basso continuo, one set for two violins and six concertos. Several symphonies were performed at the Concert Spirituel, where he conducted the orchestra from his position as leader. In the winter of 1763-64, the Mozart family attended some of his concerts. After 1765 he performed little, perhaps because of his envy of Antonio Lolli, a phenomenal virtuoso who had become popular for a novel effect involving scordatura. Between 1769 and 1772, Gaviniés organized five benefit concerts for a free school of design. With Simon Leduc and Gossec, he directed the Concert Spirituel from 1773 to 1777, during which time the orchestra was enlarged and the quality of performance improved remarkably. After this he remained in Paris but seldom played in public. A wealthy benefactress bequeathed him an annuity of 1500 livres in 1788; the annuity may not have survived the Revolution, however, for Gaviniés took a position playing in the orchestra of the Théâtre de la rue de Louvois in the 1790s. When the Paris Conservatoire was established in 1795, Gaviniés accepted the position of violin professor. He is reported to have been an enthusiastic and well-liked teacher. Although physical infirmities eventually forced him to remain in his home, his fabulous technique was not affected and he remained active until his death. In 1800 (or possibly 1794) he published his famous Vingt-quatre matinées, a series of difficult études. Gaviniés was a charming and affable humanitarian. He never married, but he had numerous female admirers and friends. Partly due to his generous nature – he favoured pupils who were less affluent, in some cases giving them free lessons or even supporting them – he died in relative poverty.