A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Artôt, Alexandre
ARTÔT, Alexandre Joseph, born Jan. 25, 1815, at Brussels, was the son of Maurice Artôt[1] (1772–1829) first horn-player at the theatre there, by his wife Theresa Eva, daughter of Adam and cousin of Ferdinand Ries. He received instruction in music and on the violin from the former, and at the age of seven played at the theatre a concerto of Viotti. He received further instruction from Snel, principal first violin at the theatre, and afterwards at the Paris Conservatoire from Rodolphe and August Kreutzer, and in 1827 and 1828 he obtained the second and first violin prizes respectively. According to Fétis, Artôt then played in concerts in Brussels and London with the greatest success, and became for a time player in the various Parisian orchestras. He became famous as a soloist, and made tours through Belgium, Holland, Italy, Germany, etc. On June 3, 1839, on the same occasion that Mario first appeared in England, Artôt played at the Philharmonic a fantasia of his own for violin and orchestra, and was well received, rather on account of the delicacy and feeling of his playing and his remarkable execution, than from his tone, which was very small.[2] We do not find that he played at any other public concert, and this is borne out by a letter of August 6 of the same year from Berlioz to Liszt, wherein details are given concerning musical taste in London at the time, received from Batta, who had just returned from there, and whose mutual conversation he reports at length: 'I arrived too late, and it is the same with Artôt, who, despite his success at the Philharmonic, despite the incontestable beauty of his talent, has a tedious time of it.'[3] In 1843 he went to America, Cuba, etc., on a concert tour with Mme. Cinti-Damoreau, and while there he received the first symptoms of a lung disease. He never recovered, but died July 20, 1845, at Ville d'Avray near Paris.
Artôt's compositions for the violin include a concerto in A minor, various fantasias and airs with variations with piano or orchestral accompaniment, and, in MS. string quartets, and a quintet for piano and strings. 'He was, perhaps, the most finished and the most elegant of all the Rubini school of players; one of the handsomest men in our recollection; and much beloved, we are told, among his comrades for his gentleness and amiability.' (Athenæum, Aug. 2, 1845.)