Auguste Franchomme

Auguste-Joseph Franchomme was a French cellist and composer, born on April 10, 1808, in Lille. He studied at the Paris Conservatory under Jean-Henri Levasseur and Louis-Pierre Norblin. In 1828, he was among the founding musicians of the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire.

He performed extensively in chamber ensembles, particularly with violinist Jean-Delphin Alard; the musical evenings organized by Franchomme and Alard attracted the elite of the Parisian public. The piano part in their trio was often performed by Charles Hallé, Francis Planté, or Frédéric Chopin. Franchomme shared a close friendship with Chopin, and their collaboration resulted in the Grand Duo Concertant for cello and piano, based on themes from Meyerbeer's opera 'Robert le diable'. Specialists also suggest Franchomme made a significant contribution to the cello writing in Chopin's Cello Sonata Op. 65, which was dedicated to him and premiered by the duo. Franchomme later served as a pallbearer at Chopin's funeral.

Among Franchomme's compositions, works for the cello naturally predominate. His Twelve Caprices Op. 7 and Twelve Etudes Op. 35 remain significant in the repertoire to this day. He also composed a cello concerto and various sets of variations on themes from popular operas (including Bellini's 'Norma', Rossini's 'Semiramide', and Mozart's 'Don Giovanni') as well as on Spanish, Scottish, and Tyrolean folk songs.

From 1846, Franchomme served as a professor at the Paris Conservatory. He was an influential teacher whose students included Lajos Hegyesi, Jules Delsart, Ernest Gillet, Gerhard Schjelderup, Jules Bernard Lasserre, Cros Saint-Ange, Hippolyte Rabaud, and Alfred Bruneau.

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