Aubert
Aubert
Aubert, family of French musicians:
(1) Jacques Aubert , violinist and composer, known as le vieux and le père; b. Paris, Sept. 30, 1689; d. Belleville, near Paris, May 17 or 18, 1753. He was a pupil of Senaillé. After working as a dancing-master and violinist, he entered the service of Louis-Henri, Duke of Bourbon and Prince of Condé, in 1719, and wrote music for the stage. He was a member of the 24 Violons du Roi (1727–46), 1st violinist in the Opéra orch. (1728–52), and a performer at the Concert Spirituel (1729–40). In his instrumental works, the Italian influence is revealed but he retains French-style dance forms. His violin concertos were the first to be printed in France, although they may not have been the first composed in that country. Among his works are 12 stage pieces, 5 books of [10] sonatas for Violin and Basso Continuo (1719, 1721, 1723, 1731, c. 1738), 12 suites entitled Concert de simphonies (1730, 1731, 1733, 1735-37), 6 concertos for 4 Violins, Cello, and Basso Continuo (1734), 4 concertos for 4 Violins, Cello, and Basso Continuo (1739), sonatas for 2 Violins (1738), and other instrumental pieces. He had 2 sons:
(2) Louis Aubert , violinist and composer, known as le jeune and le fils; b. Paris, May 15, 1720; d. after 1783. He received training from his father and played in the Opéra orch. while still a child. At age 12, he was nominated a member of the 24 Violons du Roi, a position he officially assumed in 1746. By 1756 he also was 1st violinist in the Opéra orch., where he also was active as a conductor. He was pensioned in 1774. He publ. 6 sonatas for Violin and Basso Continuo (1750), 6 simphonies a quatre for 3 Violins and Basso Continuo (1755), and 6 trios for 2 Violins and Cello (n.d.).
(3) Jean-Louis Aubert , writer on music, dramatist, and abbé; b. Paris, Dec. 15, 1732; d. c. 1810. He is known for his celebrated reply to Rousseau’s Lettre sur la musique françoise during the Querelle des Bouffons which he publ. as Refutation suivie et détaillée des principes de M. Rousseau de Geneve touchant la musique françoise (1754).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire