Baillot, Pierre Marie François (EN)

Baillot Pierre Marie François de Sales, *1 October 1771 Passy (near Paris), †15 September 1842 Paris, French violinist, teacher and composer. He studied music with F. Polidori in Passy, then with F. Sainte-Marie in Paris and with F. Pollani, a pupil of P. Nardini, in Rome. Thanks to the support of G.B. Viotti, in 1791 he became the first violinist at the Théâtre Feydeau in Paris. Numerous concerts brought him fame as an excellent violinist. After studying music theory and composition with Ch.-S. Catel, A. Rejcha and L. Cherubini, Baillot became a professor at the newly established conservatory in Paris in 1795, a position he held until his death. After 1802, he undertook numerous concert tours, including to Russia, Belgium, England and Italy. In 1814, he organised the first regular chamber music concerts in Paris. Between 1821 and 1832, he was the first violinist at the Paris Opera, and from 1827, he was a soloist with the royal band.

Baillot was one of the most outstanding French violin virtuosos of the first half of the 19th century. He was an excellent teacher; his students included Ch. Beriot, J.B.Ch. Dancla and J.F. Mazas. For decades, his Kart du violin was considered an indispensable violin teaching method.

Baillot’s work represents the virtuoso tendencies of the Romantic era.

Literature: A. Pougin Pierre Baillot, “Le Ménestrel” 1872-73; W.J. von Wasielewski Die Violine und ihre Meister, Leipzig 1869, 71927; P. Soccanne Un maître du quatuor: Pierre Baillot, in: Le guide du concert, Paris 1938; Z. Jahnke, Z. Sitowski Literatura skrzypcowa. Rys historyczny, Krakow 1962.