Antoine Elwart


Antoine Aimable Elie Elwart was a French composer and musicologist.

Biography

Childhood

Elwart was born in Paris in the family home. At the age of ten, he became a chorister at the mastery of the Saint-Eustache church: Antoine Ponchard ensured his first musical training. This teaching marked him for all his life, and spiritual music remained one of his great influences.
Curious to discover the activity of professional musicians, he escaped from the work of manufacturer of crates where his parents had sent him and managed to become second violin in a street orchestra. In 1823, at the age of fifteen, a mass with four voices and a large orchestra of his composition was given at St-Roch Church.

Training

In 1825, the singer Cambon interpreted a scene by Elwart on the motif of the "Exiled". This year marked especially his entrance to the École royale de musique in counterpoint, harmony and fugue and music composition classes. His professors were François-Joseph Fétis, Jean-François Lesueur, Berlioz. Elwart was awarded the First Fugue Prize in 1830. In 1835, he performed a new Mass for Saint Cecilia.
He attempted the Grand prix de Rome in 1831 with the cantata La Fuite de Bianca Capello but only won second prize.

[Prix de Rome]

He had to wait until 1834 to win the Grand Prix with L'Entrée en loge, a cantata composed on a text by Jean François Gail. He thus became a boarder at the Villa Medici. He left his post as a tutor for the composing class of Antoine Reicha during his stay at Villa Medici.
Already known to the Parisian public, he played in France his compositions that he sent from Rome. He produced a Deuxième messe solennelle in 1835 dedicated to the Duchess of Orleans, an Italian opera and the funeral Omaggio alla memoria di Vincenzo Bellini in hommage to the famous opera composer who died shortly before. He presented an Ouverture on 20 October 1838, badly received by a skeptical jury and against possible innovations: the three voices of men on the second motif in E minor probably left a bitter taste.

Career at the Conservatoire

Back in Paris in 1837, he returned to the Conservatoire, but became assistant professor of Reicha, then holder of his own class created by Cherubini, the director of the Conservatoire de Paris. Elwart held the post until his retirement in 1871. Among his pupils were Louis-Aimé Maillart,, Théodore Gouvy, Jean-Baptiste Weckerlin, Émile Prudent, Olivier Métra, Edmond Hocmelle, Adolphe Blanc, Albert Gisarn, Victor Frédéric Verrimst and Oscar Comettant who described him as "an ingenious and witty scholar". It seems that he had a good relationship with his pupils, the latter ironically calling him "little father Elwart".
In parallel with his classes, Antoine Elwart was a prolific composer: he wrote a Messe solennelle in 1838 for the baptism of the Comte de Paris, and presented on 24 August. On 4 February, he had a mass played at the église St. Eustache, with Pierre-Louis Dietsch as the organist and Ambroise Thomas as the conductor.
Elwart died in the 18th arrondissement of Paris.

Decorations

He received the Cross of Spain by Charles III. The King of Prussia decorated him with the cross of the red eagle. He was awarded the Légion d'honneur in 1873 in the, a distinction to which he responded in the tone of humour: Vive la République!

Works