Eugène Léon Vivier (1821–1900)[1] was a French horn player, admired by Napoleon III.

Life

He was born in 1821 in Ajaccio, Corsica; his father was a tax collector. He moved to Paris, where he became a member of the orchestra of the Théâtre-Italien.[2][3]

He studied under Jacques-François Gallay. He became a successful soloist, and played for Louis Philippe I at the Château d'Eu. On his recommendation, Vivier visited London in 1848, where he appeared at the Wednesday Concerts at Exeter Hall. From 1870 he was a favourite of Napoleon III, who gave him sinecures, including an inspectorship of mines.[2][3][4]

With a secret device, he was able to play up to four notes at once on the horn.[1][2] He was known for playing practical jokes: an obituarist wrote that "in their day they were the talk of Europe".[3] He published in 1900 an autobiography, said to be largely fictitious, La Vie e les Aventures d'un Corniste.[5]

Vivier died in Nice in 1900.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Percy A. Scholes. "Vivier, Eugène Léon" in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. Oxford University Press, 1964.
  2. 1 2 3 "Vivier, Eugene Leon" Grande Musica. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 "Vivier, the Horn Player: Practical joking which was in vogue under Napoleon III" Daily Journal (Telluride, Colorado), May 1, 1900.
  4. ↑ Chitty, Alexis (1900). "Wednesday Concerts" . In Grove, George (ed.). A Dictionary of Music and Musicians. London: Macmillan and Company.
  5. ↑ "Vivier, Eugène-Léon" The Diaries of Giacomo Meyerbeer: 1791–1839. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1999. Page 241.
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