Dancla, Jean Baptiste Charles

1818-

Violinist, composer and teacher and the last surviving representative of the old French School of violin-playing. He was born at Bagneres de Bigorre, France, and studied at the Conservatory, Paris, being a pupil in violin of Baillot. Halevy and Berton were also his teachers. In 1834 he entered the orchestra of the Paris Opera Comique as second solo-violinist, and in 1857 was appointed professor of the violin at the Conservatory. His quartet soirees enjoyed a high reputation and he was also successful as a soloist in the Societe des concerts. In his soirees he was assisted by his two brothers, Leopold, a violinist, and Arnaud, a violoncellist. Dancla composed, in all, about one hundred and fifty works, mostly for the violin, but including some chamber-music, violin concertos and quartets for strings, trios. He received the Chartier prize for his chambermusic in 1861, jointly with Mme. Farrenc. He wrote several educational works, among them, a method for violin and other studies which are of the greatest value to teachers. His minor compositions for the violin are widely popular.