Dancla, (Jean Baptiste) Charles

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Dancla, (Jean Baptiste) Charles

Dancla, (Jean Baptiste) Charles , French violinist, teacher, and composer, brother of Arnaud Phillipe Dancla and (Jean Pierre) Léopold Dancla; b. Bagnères-de-Bigorre, Dec. 19, 1817; d. Tunis, Nov. 9, 1907. He studied violin with Dussert in Bagnères-deBigorre, then entered the Paris Cons. (1828), where he studied violin with Guerin and Baillot (premier prix, 1833), counterpoint and fugue with Halévy, and composition with Berton (graduated, 1840). He joined the orch. of the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire in 1834, serving as its principal violinist (1841–63). He also taught at the Paris Cons, (from 1855), where he was prof. of violin (1860–92). His quartet soirées were famous. Besides 4 syms., he composed some 130 works for violin, 14 string quartets, and 4 piano trios.

Writings

Méthode élémentaire et progressive pour le violon; École du mécanisme; L’École de la mélodie; École de I’expression; and (with Panseron) L’Art de moduler sur le violon; also books of essays, Les Compositeurs chefs d’orchestre (1873) and Miscellanées musicales (1876).

Bibliography

C. D., Notes et souvenirs (Paris, 1893; 2nd ed., 1898).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire