Jean-Baptiste Brval
Breval redirects here. For another person with the
same surname, see Lucienne Brval. For the commune
in France, see Brval.
Jean-Baptiste Sebastien Brval (6 November 1753
Jean-Baptiste Brval, ca. 1790, Bibliothque nationale de
France.
18 March 1823) was a French cellist and composer. Brval wrote symphonies, seven cello concerti, 4 cello
He wrote mostly pieces for his own instrument, and per- sonatas, various chamber music including ve sets of
formed many world premires of his own pieces.
1 Life
Brval was born in Paris, and went on to study with virtuosity on the instrument.
Franois Cupis (1735-1810) and Martin Berteau. By
1774, he was an active cello teacher. In 1775, he pub-
lished his opus 1, six concertante quartets. In 1776, he
became a member of the Socit Acadmique des En-
fants d'Apollon. Kicking o his career by performing
one of his sonatas at a Concert Spirituel in 1778, he be-
came a member of their orchestra from 1781 to 1791,
and from 1791 to 1800 he played in the orchestra of the
Thtre Feydeau.
Later he became involved in the administration of the
Concerts de la rue de Clry and a member of the Paris
Opera orchestra. He retired from the orchestra in 1816.
The Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung states that Brval
taught at the Conservatoire although this can not be ver-
ied by Conservatoire documents. However, Brvals
compositions were denitely used for instruction at the
Conservatoire. Brval died in Colligis, Aisne.
2 Compositions
Brval compositions written between 1775 and 1805
consisted mostly of instrumental pieces. His music re-
ected the Parisian love for graceful melodies and ener-
getic rhythms. Before 1784 his works were usually two
or three movement compositions employing sonata and
rondo form, or a one movement work using variations.
His later works, such as Symphonie concertante for clar-
inet, horn and bassoon, Op. 38 (c1795), show diversity
and experimentation. His concertos, written for his own
performance, were inuenced by Giovanni Battista Viotti
who utilized a precise thematic organization interjected
with virtuosic passages.
Brval is most well known for his Sonata in C major Op.
40, No. 1, which is one of the classics of student cello
literature, and often one of the rst full sonatas a cello
student will learn. The original version is available from
several dierent publishers. Versions have also been pub-
lished transcribed for other string instruments, including
the viola, and for bass clarinet.
cello duets, as well as a comic opera. Perhaps his most
important and inuential work was Trait du Violoncelle
(1804), a cello method. It was probably the rst sys-
tematic treatise on the cello. However, it was not well-
received as it overlooked the increasing technical ad-
vances in the design of the cello that allowed for greater
2.1 Orchestral
Symphonies concertantes (only solo instruments listed):
2 as Op. 4 (1777), No. 1, 2 violins, viola obbl, cello
in Andante, No. 2, 2 violins, cello obbl;
1
2 2 COMPOSITIONS

2 as Op. 11 (1783), No. 1, 2 violins, No. 2, 2 violin,
cello;
Duets:
1 as Op. 30, oboe, horn (c1789), lost;
1 as Op. 31, ute, bassoon (c1790), ?arr. by Devi-
enne of Op. 30;
1 as Op. 33, violin, viola (c1792), lost;
1 as Op. 38, clarinet, horn, bassoon (c1795);
3 for violin, cello obbl, doublebass, Op. 39 (c1795)
1 violins: 6 as Op. 6 (1780), arr. 2 violins/violin,
cello (London, n.d.);
6 as Op. 10 (1783), arr. 2 violins/violin, cello (Lon-
don, n.d.);
6 for 2 violins/violin, cello, Op. 19 (1785);

1 for violin, cello, perf. Paris, Concert Spirituel, 6 for 2 violins/violin, cello, Op. 23 (1786), lost, arr.
1787; 2 violins/violin, cello (London, n.d.);

1 for 2 cello, performance Paris Conservatoire, 1800 6 as Op. 29 (c1783), lost; 6 as Op. 32 (c1791);
6 as Op. 34 (c1794), ?lost, arr. 2 violins/(violin,
Cello Concertos: cello)/2 cello as Op. 35 (London, n.d.);
6 as Op. 37 (c1795), lost;
No. 1, A, Op. 14 (1784);
6 duos concertantes, 2 violins/violin, cello, Op. 41
No. 2, D, Op. 17 (1784); (c1798), nos.3, 5, 6 as duets (London, n.d.)

No. 3, F, Op. 20 (1785); Other duets:

No. 4, C, Op. 22 (1786); 6 for 2 cellos, Op. 2 (1783);
No. 5, Op. 24 (1786); 6 for violin, viola, Op. 15 (1784);
No. 6, C, Op. 26 (1786); 6 for 2 utes, Op. 16 (1784);

No. 7, A, Op. 35 (c1794) 6 duos faciles, violin, cello/bn, Op. 21 (1785), ? also
as 6 duos, violin, cello, Op. 1 (Berlin, n.d.);
6 duos pour faciliter ltude des direntes clefs, 2
2.2 Chamber cellos, Op. 25 (1786)
Quartets: Sonatas:

6 quatuors concertants, 2 violin, viola, bass, Op. 1
(1775);
6 quatuors concertants et dialogus, violin/ute, vi-
olin, viola, bass, Op. 5 (1778);
6 quatuors concertants et dialogus, 2 violins, viola,
bass, Op. 7 (1781);
6 quatuors concertants et dialogus, 2 violins, viola,
bass, Op. 18 (1785);
Quatuors in dis, bassoon, viola, cello, doublebass,
CZ-Pnm
Cello, b: 6 for cello/violin, b, Op. 12 (1783), also
as Op. 2 (Berlin and Amsterdam, n.d.), ? also as 6
solos, Op. 10 (London, n.d.);
6 as Op. 28 (1787);
6 as Op. 40 (c1795)
---Other works---
Ins et Lonore, ou La sur jalouse (oc, 3, Gautier,
after Caldron), Versailles, 14 Nov 1788 (1789);
ov. arr. pf, J.B. Cramer (1790) ma marraine, air
populaire avec paroles nouvelles, 1v unacc., F-Pn

Trios: Airs varis: Les nocturnes, ou 6 airs varis, violin,

6 trios concertants et dialogus, violin, viola, cello,
Op. 3 (1777);
6 for (ute, violin, cello)/(2 violins, bass), Op. 8
(1782);
6 trio concertants et dialogus, violin, viola, cello,
Op. 27 (c1786), ? 3 as Op. 32 (London, n.d.);
cello, Op. 9 (1782), as 6 Favorite Airs with Varia-
tions (London, n.d.);
Air de Marlborough (cello, doublebass)/(violin,
cello) Op. 13 (1783);
Petits airs varis, hpd, Op. 36 (c1795), lost;
12 petits airs, cello (1799), ?arr. of Op. 36
Allegro First Movement from Concertino
 3

3 Treatises
Trait du violoncelle, Op. 42 (1804), partial English
translation (?1810)

4 References
http://www.cello.org/heaven/wasiel/18france.html

http://www.grovemusic.com/

5 External links
Free scores by Jean-Baptiste Brval at the
International Music Score Library Project
4 6 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

6 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

6.1 Text
Jean-Baptiste Brval Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Baptiste_Br%C3%A9val?oldid=742260047 Contributors: JackofOz,
Leonard Vertighel, Defrosted, Methegreat, Espoo, Kmill, Gurch, Gerdthiele~enwiki, JuJube, Crystallina, SmackBot, Delldot, Frinck51,
Ser Amantio di Nicolao, Rigadoun, Igoldste, CmdrObot, Charvex, Thijs!bot, Bencherlite, Waacstats, Mokgamen, M-le-mot-dit, CA387,
Karl ruser, ClueBot, Addbot, Mmgalitz, Jan eissfeldt, Bellerophon, RjwilmsiBot, EmausBot, ClueBot NG, Braincricket, Periglio, VIAFbot,
No1inparticularhere, 23saa, KasparBot and Anonymous: 24

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Contributors: <a data-x-rel='nofollow' class='external text' href='http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b7720311z/'>Bibliothque nationale
de France</a> Original artist: Thrse Elonore Linge ne Hmery

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