Duport, known as the Younger, laid down the bow to take up the pen: the essay he published in 1806 on fingering and bowing founded the modern technique of the cello. The Revolution sent him to Berlin, where the King of Prussia protected him, and he did not return until 1812. Napoleon is said to have tried his Stradivarius and left a mark on it that can still be seen. A single word remains legible.
The story
Known as “Duport le Jeune”, Jean-Louis Duport set down the bow and took up the pen: his Essai sur le doigté du violoncelle et sur la conduite de l'archet, published in 1806, became a founding text of cello technique.
The Revolution drove him abroad: he settled in Berlin under the protection of Frederick William II of Prussia, and did not return to Paris until 1812.
One story stays attached to his name: Napoleon is said to have tried his Stradivarius cello and left a mark on it still visible today. Born in 1749, he died in 1819.
The grave
On the chemin Méhul, fourth row, the inscription is wearing away: the cemetery association's survey recovers a single word from it, “DUPORT”. Nothing there speaks any longer of the cellist, nor of the Essai sur le doigté du violoncelle et sur la conduite de l'archet — his essay on cello fingering and bowing — written during his Berlin exile, which fixed the technique of the instrument, nor of the chair at the Conservatoire, nor of the first desk at the Chapelle royale. Division 11 is the musicians' division: Chopin lies on the chemin Denon.
On site, do not miss
The inscription is almost entirely worn away: the survey records only one legible word, “DUPORT”. A few steps further on, the chemin Méhul leads to Chopin's grave.
Visitors' questions
Where is Jean-Louis Duport's grave at Père-Lachaise?
In Division 11, Chemin Méhul, fourth row. It is the musicians' division: Frédéric Chopin rests only a few steps away. Duport's own inscription, though, is almost entirely worn away.
Frédéric CHOPINWhy does Jean-Louis Duport matter for the cello?
Because he codified its technique. His Essai sur le doigté du violoncelle et sur la conduite de l'archet, written during his exile in Berlin, became the foundation for teaching the instrument and is still studied today. Back in France, he became a professor at the Conservatoire and principal cellist of the Chapelle Royale.
Georges BIZETWhy was he called “Duport the Younger”?
To distinguish him from his elder brother. Jean-Pierre Duport was also a cellist, and a musician at the Prussian royal chapel from 1773. It was to him that Jean-Louis fled in Berlin, escaping the Revolution under the protection of Frederick William II, himself a cellist.
Tony AUBINDid Napoleon really damage Duport's cello?
The story clings to his name without being proven. Napoleon is said to have tried out his Stradivarius and left a mark on it, still shown on the instrument today.
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