François Devienne: Quartets

Fertile but forgotten:

Until around 1960, François Devienne remained one of the best-kept secrets in French music history. He was celebrated in late-eighteenth-century France as a virtuoso bassoonist and flautist. While early lexicographers like Ernst Ludwig Gerber and François-Joseph Fétis highlighted his significance in French music, his reputation slowly faded in the shadow of his Austrian counterparts Haydn and Mozart. Unfortunately, along with his reputation, the memory of Devienne's immense body of work also fell into obscurity. He composed no fewer than 7 concertante symphonies, 14 flute concertos, 5 bassoon concertos, 25 quartets and quintets for various ensembles, 46 trios, 147 duos, 67 sonatas, in addition to over a dozen comic operas and approximately 50 songs. All of this remarkable output was composed within a relatively short span of time, as Devienne passed away at the early age of forty-three.

The contrast between Devienne's scant documentation and the well-documented lives of Haydn and Mozart is striking. In his old age, Haydn had his life story written down, while Mozart was an avid letter writer, and his father meticulously recorded their travels. In Devienne's case, however, there is little more than a handful of known facts about his life, leaving behind significant gaps and question marks. Unfortunately, this was the fate shared by many of his contemporaries.