Baillot, Pierre, French violinist and music teacher (1771-1842). Autograph letter signed.

N. p., "Mercredi 11. Janvier" [ca. 1836-1842].

8vo. 1 p. on bifolium.

 350,00

To the Polish pianist Antoine de Kontski, thanking him for tickets to a concert of the brothers Kontski but declining the invitation due to scheduling conflicts: "J'ai reçu hier la lettre que Monsieur de Kontsky m'a fait l'honneur de m'écrire le 7. du Ct. en m'addressant des billets pour le concert qu'il doit donner ce soir; Je le prie de m'agréer tout mes remerciements; il m'aurait été bien agréable d'aller l'entendre ainsi que Messieurs ses frères, mais je ne suis point libre aujourd'hui; je ne pourrais donc profiter de son aimable prévenance, Je lui en exprime tous mes regrets sincères et je saisirai la plus favorable occasion de m'en dédomager [!] en allant applaudir à ses talens [...]".

Originating from Kraków, the family of Antoine de Kontski had moved to Paris in 1836. The eldest brother Karol (1815-67) was a violinist, later joining the orchestra of the Opéra comique. Stanislaw (b. 1820) was a pianist, while the youngest, Apollinaire (1825-79), was an internationally acclaimed virtuoso violonist and composer who had studied under Paganini and later became the first director of the Warsaw Institute of Music.

One of the foremost violinists of his time, Pierre Baillot is today best remembered as a violin teacher. Together with Pierre Rode and Rodolphe Kreutzer he co-authored the highly influential official violin method for the Paris conservatory. Baillot is considered the last distinguished representative of the great classical school of violin playing in Paris. In his instructional "L'Art du violon" (1834) he acknowledges the transition to the virtuoso style of interpretation, most famously embodied by Niccolò Paganini, and characterizes the specific differences in style and technique. Antoine and Apollinaire de Kontski, the most successful of the brothers, were famous for their virtuoso style, though sometimes criticized for their showmanship.

Well preserved. Traces of former mounting and minor browning to the upper border.

Art.-Nr.: BN#56611 Schlagwort: