Jean-Louis Duport

Jean -Louis Duport, also Duport Duport le cadet or le jeune called, ( born October 4, 1749 Paris, † September 7, 1819 ) was a French cellist and composer.

Life

Jean -Louis Duport began to dance and violin lessons before he received from his older brother Jean -Pierre Duport (1741-1818) cello lessons. His first appearance at the Concert spiritual in 1768 was so successful that he was now on demand in the major Parisian salon, for example, when Baron de Bagge, where he met Luigi Boccherini, the Prince Henri Louis Marie de Rohan - Guéménée, at the Loge Olympique, the Concert des amateurs or at private concerts of Queen Marie - Antoinette. Giovanni Battista Viotti, to whom he was acquainted, composed three divertissements for him. The Englishman John Crosdill (1751-1825) was one of his students.

After 1780 Duport made ​​numerous concert tours that took him to England, Spain and Germany. After the outbreak of the revolution Duport fled to his brother to Berlin, where he took over his position as principal cellist at the Opera and also had appearances at court.

After 1806 Duport came back to France, but was unable to obtain employment in Paris. Instead, he found a job in the court orchestra of the exiled Spanish king Charles IV in Marseille. 1812 Duport returned back to Paris, where he gave several concerts and was hired as principal cellist in the imperial chapel and the chamber orchestra of the Empress Marie- Louise. From 1813 to 1816 he taught at the Conservatoire de Paris.

Jean -Louis Duport was a member of the Paris Masonic lodges Saint Jean d' Écosse du Contrat social ( 1781 ) and the Loge Olympique de la Parfaite Estime (from 1786).

Work

Duport composed six concertos for cello and orchestra ( 1785-1788 ) and numerous chamber music works with cello in different occupations.

Instrument

Jean -Louis Duport played a cello by Antonio Stradivari in 1711, which in 1842 by Duport son ( cellist and later piano manufacturer ) for 25 000 francs, was sold to the cellist Auguste -Joseph Franchomme. From 1974, it was played by Mstislav Rostropovich and is under the name Duport one of the most valuable cellos.