Jean-Baptiste Davaux

A French composer and violinist who held public office for much of his life. Davaux was not only recognized for his public service but his compositions as well. Many of his works appeared in Germany, England, the Netherlands and even the United States as early as 1782. His music was greatly appreciated by the people for its elegant motifs and simple structures. Compositions included operettas, arias and instrumental symphonies, concertos and chamber pieces. Davaux's vocal stage works were praised for their music but highly criticized because of their lack of dramatic merit. Instrumental music by Davaux enabled the solo artist to display their skills without succumbing to the despotic virtuoso. Davaux also invented a "chronometre" well before Maelzel (predecessor to the `metronome' which was the name patented by Maelzel in 1815), and wrote a treatise discussing its use. ~ Keith Johnson