Habeneck, François Antoine (EN)

Habeneck François Antoine, *22 January 1781 Mézières, †8 February 1849 Paris, French violinist and conductor of German origin. Initially, he learned to play the violin with his father (a musician from Mannheim), then with F. Baillot at the conservatory in Paris, where in 1804, he received the first violin prize. In the same year, he joined the Opéra Comique orchestra, but in 1805, he moved to the orchestra of the Paris Opera, with which he remained for many years. From 1806 to 1815, he was the supervisor and conductor of the conservatory’s student orchestra, whose regular concerts were commonly called Exercices. Habeneck introduced Beethoven’s works into their repertoire (in 1807, a Parisian performance of the First Symphony, shortly afterwards the Second, and in 1811? – the Third). In 1815, Habeneck became concertmaster of the Paris Opera orchestra and assistant to the bandmaster (R. Kreutzer). From 1821 to 1824, he was director of the Opera; in 1824-46, after Kreutzer’s departure, bandmaster (1824–31 with H. Valentino). He conducted premiere performances of many operas, including William Tello by Rossini, Robert the Devil and The Huguenots by Meyerbeer, and Benvenuto Cellini by Berlioz. In 1808–15 and 1825–48, Habeneck taught violin at the conservatory; his students included, among others, D.J. Alard, E. Deldevez and H. Léonard. He is the author of the pedagogical work Méthode théorique et pratique de violon (published in 1835). Habeneck also composed, mostly for violin: 2 concertos, Airs variés and Grande polonaise for violin and orchestra, caprices, duets, etc.

Habeneck’s greatest achievement was creating the Société des Concerts du Conserv orchestra in 1828 and conducting it for 20 years (he conducted it 186 times). The activities of the Société were a continuation of what Habeneck had started with Exercices; Mozart, Haydn, Weber, Méhul, Mendelssohn were played, but most often Beethoven, whose symphonies Habeneck introduced to the French for many years, initially meeting with some reluctance and, over time, with increasing enthusiasm from Parisian audiences. The Habeneck Orchestra quickly gained popularity and very good reviews; became one of the most outstanding European orchestras. Composers and critics (including Wagner, Mendelssohn, J.Ch. Lobe, H.F. Chorley, J. Ella, F.J. Fétis, A. Elwart) highly appreciated Habeneck as a conductor, emphasising the extraordinary precision and expressiveness of the playing of the Société orchestra. Habeneck conducted traditionally – with a bow, from the place of the first violinist. However, his way of working with the orchestra was modern. Habeneck studied each score, striving to fully understand the work, and demanded the same of every musician in the orchestra; public presentations were always preceded by multiple rehearsals. Regarded by many critics as an example of an excellent conductor, Habeneck significantly raised the level of orchestral playing in the first half of the 19^th century.

Literature: P. Smith Habeneck, “Revue et Gazette Musicale de Paris” XVI, 1849; A. Elwart Histoire de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire Impérial de Musique, Paris 1860, 2^nd extended ed. 1864; H. Berlioz Mémoires…, Paris 1870, 2. Published in 1878, Polish ed. entitled Z pamiętników, selection and translation by J. Popiel, Kraków 1966; M. Murland Antoine François Habeneck. Ein Beethovenapostel in Paris, “Allgemeine Muzikzeitung” XXXVII, 1910; A. Carse The Orchestra from Beethoven to Berlioz, Cambridge 1948; N. Demuth Habeneck and La Société de Concerts, “Music-Survey” I, 1948.