Boucher, Alexandre |
| VIOLONIST (FRANCE) |
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BORN 11 Apr 1778, Paris - DIED 29 Dec 1861, Paris GRAVE LOCATION Paris: Cimetière de Montmartre, 20 Avenue Rachel (division 25) |
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Alexandre Boucher was the son of the musician Jean-François Boucher. His mother was Jeanne-Madeleine Guiard. His father gave him his first music lessons and Subrin de Sainte-Marie introduced him to the violin. He was admitted to the free conservatory, where Guillaume Navoigille was his teacher. In 1795 he was possible involved in the royalist resurrection, causing him to leave France. In Spain he was introduced to King Charles and he was advised by Luigi Boccherini, but the climate didn´t suit him and he returned to France. In 1801 he gave two concerts in Paris with the famous singer Grassini. He married the harpist and pianist Céleste Gallyot and in 1807 they had their first child. In 1808 he visited Charles IV when Charles was kept prisoner at Fontainebleau by Napoleon. After the restoration Boucher toured in Europe and often performed with his wife. His physical resemblance to Napoleon was noted by Louis Spohr, who met him in Brussels in 1819 but noted his ´ornaments of bad taste´. In 1819 Girodet painted him, but the original portrait was lost. In 1821 he played in a concert in Berlin that was conducted by Carl Maria von Weber. In 1822 he visited Beethoven who wrote a piece for him. In 1827 he returned to Paris but his star was fading by that time and he settled in Spain. He spent some years in Madrid but by 1836 he was in Bordeaux. In 1839 he joined Don Carlos in Bourges. His wife died in Paris in 1841 and in 1842 he married Marie Montagnon who was then 30 years old. He lived in Paris and Orleans and died in Paris in 1861. Related persons • visited Beethoven, Ludwig van • was painted by Girodet de Roussy-Trioson, Anne Louis • met Spohr, Louis |
| Images |
 The grave of Alexandre Boucher at the Montmartre Cimetière, Paris. Picture by Androom (05 Nov 2017) |
