Photo: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain · credits
Tier 3 · vertical & regional
Auguste Franchomme
Person · male · France · Lille · born 1808 · died 1884 · recording since 1994
French musician (1808-1884)
Also known as Auguste-Joseph Franchomme · 奥古斯特·弗朗肖姆
Timeline
8 events▣ Album 5◦ Birth 1† Death 1★ Debut release 1
1800s
1880s
1990s
· Debut release
Debut release: Grand Duo Concertant and other works
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
2010s
· Album
Album: The Franchomme Project: Newly Discovered Works by Auguste Franchomme
Album
source: musicbrainz
2020s
Biography
English biography513 words · 4 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1364749487
Biography
Auguste-Joseph Franchomme [fʁɑ̃.kɔm] (10 April 1808 – 21 January 1884) was a French cellist and composer. In addition to his work in Paris, he collaborated with Spanish cellist Víctor Mirecki Larramat and Belgian cellist Adrien-François Servais in founding what is considered the Spanish school of cellists, influencing future generations there. For his many contributions to music, he was decorated with the French Légion d'honneur in 1884.
Life and career
Born in Lille, Franchomme studied at the local conservatoire with M. Mas and Pierre Baumann. He moved to continue his education with Jean-Henri Levasseur and Louis-Pierre Norblin at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he won the first prize in his first year.
Franchomme began his career playing with various orchestras and was appointed solo cello at Sainte-Chapelle in 1828. Along with violinist Jean-Delphin Alard, teacher of Pablo de Sarasate, and pianist Charles Hallé, creator of the Hallé Orchestra, he was a founding member of the Alard Quartet. The Quartet was rare for a chamber ensemble of its time because it consisted of professional musicians. Franchomme also belonged to the founding ranks of the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire.
Franchomme forged close friendships with Felix Mendelssohn, when the latter visited Paris in 1831, and with Franz Liszt as well as Frédéric Chopin. In 1833, Chopin and Franchomme collaborated to write a Grand Duo concertant for piano and cello, based on themes from Giacomo Meyerbeer's opera Robert le diable. Franchomme also rewrote the cello parts for Chopin's Polonaise Brillante, Op. 3, and was the dedicatee of Chopin's Cello Sonata, Op. 65.
With the exception of a trip to England in 1856, Franchomme hardly left Paris, where he became a central figure of the city's musical life. In 1843, he acquired the Duport Stradivarius from the son of Jean-Louis Duport for the then-record sum of 22,000 French francs. He also owned the De Munck Stradivarius of 1730. Franchomme succeeded Norblin as the head professor of cello at the Paris Conservatory in 1846, and his class included Jules Delsart (who succeeded his master), Louis Hegyesi, and Ernest Gillet.
He died in his sleep of heart attack on 21 January 1884 at the age of 75, four days after he received the Légion d'honneur.
Legacy
Franchomme was among the most celebrated cellists of his time and contributed to the refinement of the bowing technique—elegant, sweet, and light—which distinguished the French school developed by Jean-Pierre and Jean-Louis Duport. His left hand was renowned for its deft, precise, and expressive powers of execution. On 3 May 1856, the Weekly Chronicle and Register noted that he "carefully abstains from all abuse of the tremolo and of the exaggerated expression which are the distinguishing features in most modern violoncello playing".
As a composer, Franchomme published some fifty-five works for cello, including the Twelve Caprices, Op. 7, and the Twelve Études, with optional second cello, Op. 35; one cello concerto, Op. 33; as well as numerous other pieces with piano, orchestral, or chamber accompaniment.
Recordings
The Complete Caprices and Études (Clay Ruede, cello), Koch International 3-7226 (1994)
The Franchomme Project (Louise Dubin et al., cello), Delos International DE3469 (2015)
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 19 | 79.7th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 5 | 78.9th |
| Studio albums | 5 | 84.6th |
| Awards recorded | 1 | 89th |
| Timeline events | 8 | 84.1th |
| Recording span (years) | -110 | 4.9th |
| Genres | 6 | 91th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (5 release groups · 5 studio albums)
Albums · 5
Grand Duo Concertant and other works
1994 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 1:03:35
1Air auvergnat varié, op. 2611:292Caprice, op. 7 no. 74:383Nocturne in G5:474Grande Valse, op. 348:255Grand Duo Concertant12:366Caprice, op. 7 no. 42:477Nocturne, op. 15 no. 34:478Caprice, op. 7 no. 23:179Air russe varié no. 2, op. 329:491997 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 12 tracks · 1:08:31
1Variations sur des thèmes russes et écossais, op. 610:132Caprice pour deux violoncelles en Ré majeur, op. 7 no. 62:413Etude pour deux violoncelles en ut dièse mineur, op. 35 no. 115:284Etude pour deux violoncelles en ut mineur, op. 35 no. 52:035Fantaisie sur une mélodie de Schubert, op. 396:336Nocturne pour deux violoncelles en La bémol majeur, op. 15 no. 35:127Nocturne pour deux violoncelles en ut mineur, op. 15 no. 15:188Deuxième Air russe varié, op. 3211:109Caprice pour deux violoncelles en Ré majeur, op. 7 no. 94:0410Caprice pour deux violoncelles en Ut majeur, op. 7 no. 75:4211Caprice pour deux violoncelles en sol mineur, op. 7 no. 112:0112Fantaisie sur "Le Chant d'adieux", op. 98:06The Franchomme Project: Newly Discovered Works by Auguste Franchomme
2015 · studio album
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Tracklist · 14 tracks · 1:07:05
1Ballade no. 2, op. 382:192Caprice pour le violoncelle sur Preciosa de Weber, op. 24 no. 25:433Nocturne, op. 15 no. 14:474Nocturne, op. 14 no. 14:295Ten Italian Melodies, op. 17: No. 6. La Norma de Bellini5:316Caprice, op. 7 no. 12:087Prelude, op. 28 no. 91:418Caprice, op. 7 no. 93:569Solo pour le violoncelle, op. 18 no. 36:5810Marche funèbre from Piano Sonata no. 2, op. 357:4411Mazurka, op. 33 no. 32:4812Nocturne, op. 15 no. 24:3413Nocturne, op. 15 no. 35:2514Introduction et polonaise brillante, op. 39:02À Mon Ami: Works for Cello and Piano
2015 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:15:05
1Sonata for Piano and Cello in G minor, op. 65: I. Allegro Moderato10:472Sonata for Piano and Cello in G minor, op. 65: II. Scherzo5:213Sonata for Piano and Cello in G minor, op. 65: III. Largo3:294Sonata for Piano and Cello in G minor, op. 65: IV. Finale6:515Three themes with variations, op. 22: No. 1. Donizetti4:416Three themes with variations, op. 22: No. 1. Beethoven4:247Three themes with variations, op. 22: No. 3. Bellini5:438Grand Duo from themes of Meyerbeer's “Robert le diable” in E Major12:599Gran duo from a motive of Anna Bolena, op. 2311:1610Introduction and Polonesa Brillante in C major, op. 39:34The Chopin Project: The Franchomme Legacy
2023 · studio album
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Tracklist · 16 tracks · 54:43
124 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 4 in E Minor (Arr. for Cello) [Adapted for 4 Cellos]2:1723 Nocturnes, Op. 14: No. 1, Andante4:36324 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 15 in D-Flat Major ''Raindrop'' (Arr. for 4 Cellos)6:114Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35: III. Marche funèbre (Arr. for 4 Cellos)8:1453 Nocturnes, Op. 15: No. 1, Larghetto3:45624 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 13 in F-Sharp Major (Arr. for 4 Cellos)3:09712 Etudes for Cello, Op. 35: No. 11, Adagio espressivo5:26812 Etudes for Cello, Op. 35: No. 7, Andante con moto1:339Air russe varié for Violoncello and String Quartet, Op. 32: I. Poco lento2:0110Air russe varié for Violoncello and String Quartet, Op. 32: II. Andante sostenuto2:5411Air russe varié for Violoncello and String Quartet, Op. 32: III. Allegro moderato2:5312Air russe varié for Violoncello and String Quartet, Op. 32: IV. Lento2:0413Air russe varié for Violoncello and String Quartet, Op. 32: V. Allegro moderato1:561424 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 9 in E Major (Arr. for 4 Cellos)1:421524 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 20 in C Minor (Arr. for 4 Cellos)1:3816Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65: III. Largo "Souvenir" (Arr. for Cello and String Quartet)4:24
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Auguste Franchomme head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 19 | 79.7th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 5 | 78.9th |
| Studio albums | 5 | 84.6th |
| Awards recorded | 1 | 89th |
| Timeline events | 8 | 84.1th |
| Recording span (years) | -110 | 4.9th |
| Genres | 6 | 91th |
Awards & honours
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Knight of the Legion of Honour | won |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Auguste_Franchomme.pngaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/3d7e9b73-b6af-42bb-8218-78bca0165713discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/3d7e9b73-b6af-42bb-8218-78bca0165713core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q517132seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Franchommebiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Franchomme
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q517132 · MusicBrainz: 3d7e9b73-b6af-42bb-8218-78bca0165713
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