Violinist and Composer Giovanni Battista Viotti Died in 1824

The composer of 29 violin concerti, Viotti is thought to be the founder of the nineteenth-century French violin school

March 3 marks the 199th anniversary of the death of Giovanni Battista Viotti. The son of a blacksmith, Viotti was born in northern Italy in 1755 and learned to play the violin by the time he was about nine years old. Upon moving to Turin at age 11, the young Viotti began to learn from Gaetano Pugnani, who could trace his teaching lineage back to Corelli and was strongly influenced by the Italian school.

After many years of earning a low salary sitting near the back of an orchestra in Turin, Viotti's career took off in 1782, when he made his solo debut at the Paris-based public concert series known as the Concert Spirituel. Following this he regularly appeared in esteemed Parisian salons, as well as giving concerts at the house he shared with Luigi Cherubini — who was later to become the director of the Paris Conservatoire.

The unrest caused by the French Revolution forced Viotti to flee to London in 1792, where he also developed a stellar reputation as a performer. However, this period was cut short when the British government exiled him from the country on suspicion of Jacobin loyalties, possibly at the encouragement of his rival Wilhelm Cramer.

Following this, Viotti took refuge near Hamburg, and eventually, he quietly returned to Britain to live with friends. By this point, Viotti had essentially retired from solo playing and spent much of his time on a wine business in which he had previously invested.

The bulk of Viotti's output as a composer centered around his 29 violin concerti, though he also wrote violin duos and other chamber music.

He was also highly influential as a pedagogue despite his few students. In particular, he was a great influence on Pierre Rode and Pierre Baillot, as well as a strong influence on Rodolphe Kreutzer — and is thus remembered as the founder of the French violin school.