Jean-Baptiste Arban (1825-1889) Biography

Little is known about Joseph Jean-Baptiste Laurent Arban’s activities right after he obtained his prize in 1845. It looks as if, for a short while, he did some military service with the marine band (on the ship called «La Belle Poule») under the direction of a certain Paulus, who afterwards became Chief of the Guard in Paris, under Napoléon II.

There is no doubt however that Arban often performed in public during the period between 1845 and 1860, which as a matter of fact laid the foundation to his later fame.

The only witnesses of his musical life during that period are to be found in the press: advertisements and reviews of his concerts, of which we here quote some: La France Musicale, 15 February 1846, page 54:

«Arban works in the service of Adolph Sax [the famous maker of wind instruments] whose instruments he will demonstrate in public.»

La France Musicale, 9 April 1848, page 109:

«Arban and the compensator cornet»

«At the last Conservatoire concert we heard Mr. Arban execute on a compensator cornet an Air Varié for flute by Bochin. Phrasing the Andante more beautifully is impossible; also his double and triple tonguing could not have been done with more brilliancy, which was fully appreciated by the enthusiastic audience. It was a complete triumph for the artist. As to the instrument: it was the first time that one could hear Sax’s Compensator Cornet in public. It has not only a beautiful tone, but also the great advantage of absolute accuracy in the changed intervals and of holding the tone like a violin or the human voice. We need not add, that the great artist Arban was the right man to demonstrate Sax’s new instrument to the public. On the poster of the Conservatoire the work to be performed was called «Air Varié for chromatic trumpet». It seems odd that the Concert Society should not be able to discern between a trumpet and a cornet.»

The style of this review is rather amusing and shows a certain mannerism.