Sauret, Emile

1852-

French violinist, who ranks among the best of living artists. He was born at Dun-le-Roi in the department of Cher, France, and entered the Conservatory at Strasburg at the age of six, after having received some instruction in music at home. At eight he began to appear as a violinist in public recitals and was taken up by De Beriot, who interested himself in the boy's career and gave him lessons. Sauret studied later under Vieuxtemps in Paris and in 1872, when twenty years of age, was one of the musicians engaged for the tour organized by President Thiers of France for the relief of the sufferers of the FrancoPrussian War. He studied composition at Leipsic under Dr. Jadassohn and then made a tour of Sweden, Denmark and Portugal. His German debut was made at a Gewandhaus concert, when he played Mendelssohn's concerto, and every year since 1876 he has appeared in that city. He played in London at the Crystal Palace and with the Philharmonic Society, and has played before the French Court many times. Sauret was first married to Teresa Carrefio, the famous pianist, and was later divorced from her. He married in 1879 Miss Emma Hotter of Dusseldorf. He was appointed a teacher at Kullak's Academy in Berlin, and in 1879 was given the appointment of instructor in the Stern Conservatory in that city, a post which he left to take a position at the Royal Academy of Music, London, left vacant by the death of Sainton, a position which he filled with much credit. At present he is violin instructor at the Chicago Musical College, having accepted the position in 1903. Sauret has made a great many successful tours  and is as popular in the United States as in Europe. He first visited America in 1872, and later in 1874, when he traveled with his wife, Teresa Carrefio, and the singer, lima di Murska. He returned to this country again in 1896. It was here that he first became acquainted with von Bülow, on whose advice he went to Germany to continue his studies. He is also very popular in England and in other countries. He has great individuality and has been well called a representative of the extreme French School. His tone is firm and beautiful. Sauret has composed a good deal of music of more than ordinary merit, about fifty works in all and most of them for the violin. His chief compositions are a concerto in G minor; ballade; legende; serenade in G, all for solo violin and orchestra; caprice de concert; scherzofantastique, and other drawing-room pieces, besides transcriptions from Rubinstein, Mendelssohn and Wagner and eighteen studies for the violin. His concert repertory consisted of about seventy concertos and four hundred other works. His Gradus ad Parnassum du yioloniste was published in Leipsic in 1894.