Fernand Jacquot

Life and Work

Fernand Jacquot was not an innovator, nor were his ancestors. His views on violin making were deeply rooted in the Mirecourt tradition. He was born in 1884 in Nancy, where his parents had lived since his grandfather, Charles Jacquot (1804–1880), had settled there in 1823. His father, Etienne Charles Albert (1853–1929), was a well-educated man. At a young age, he had gone to Augsburg to study German and music. After completing his studies, he went to Paris, where his grandfather had a workshop. There, he developed an interest in the craft and became fascinated by old instruments and the differences in their sound. Back in Nancy, he continued his training with his father, and to broaden his knowledge of how materials affect the sound of instruments, he joined the renowned piano maker Erard in 1858.

By then, Fernand’s grandfather had made a name for himself by winning prizes for his instruments at the Paris exhibitions in 1862, 1867, 1878, and 1889—four years after Fernand’s birth. Two years later, he won a major prize in Moscow. The Imperial Conservatory had also been impressed by his instruments and purchased several violins from him.

As an eight-year-old boy, Fernand must undoubtedly have looked up to his grandfather when he was awarded France’s highest honor for his contributions to French violin making: the Cross of the Legion of Honor. The Jacquot family name was thus associated with honorable and often remarkable achievements. This undoubtedly put some pressure on Fernand, who also wanted to become a violin maker, but he remained modest and steered clear of grandiosity.

Fernand began an apprenticeship with his father at the age of twelve, continued his studies with Frébinet and Mougenot-Gauché in Mirecourt, and completed his training with his father two years later. Together, they built instruments that were sold not only in Nancy but also at their Paris location. His great-grandfather had opened this business back in 1853, and it had remained in the family ever since.

The year 1900—when he was sixteen—proved to be a momentous year for Fernand Jacquot: both of his grandparents died, and his father was knighted in the Order of St. Anne of Russia for his contributions to violin making. That year, his father began work on a comprehensive biography of French violin makers that would become a standard reference on their lives and work. Regarding the workshop in Paris during his grandfather’s time, he wrote that “it was an important place for great violinists such as Maurin, Sivori, and Jacquart, as well as for many connoisseurs.” He continued to devote much of his time to his research on the sound of stringed instruments and served on various committees and juries both at home and abroad. Amid all these additional activities, he still found time in 1900 to send several instruments to exhibitions in Hanoi and Saint-Louis, for which he won silver medals. He is still regarded as one of the leading figures in nineteenth-century French violin making. He was called an “erudite music historian” when he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1903.

Thanks to all the side projects undertaken by his father—with whom he shared the studio in Nancy—Fernand was given the freedom to continue developing his own artistic style.

Fernand did not have the same competitive spirit as his father and grandfather. He focused on his craft; only in 1905 did he compete in an international competition in Liège. There, he won a gold medal.

Starting in 1900, many wealthy French people from Alsace had moved to Nancy. In the space of ten years, the population doubled. They refused to live under German occupation and had lavish homes built and furnished in Nancy in a new style: Art Nouveau. Until the war broke out, the city thrived on mass production based on art objects in that style. Nancy became a hub of hope and interest for artists, merchants, and industrialists. Art Nouveau in the “Nancy School” became a worldwide phenomenon. Music, however, was not included in this renewed interest in art.

Encouraged by his father, he capitalized on this new trend by incorporating Art Nouveau decorative elements onto the backs of some of his instruments. A cello he had decorated in this way was purchased for the collection of Emperor Nicholas II of Russia.

Although there was a conservatory in Nancy, for years it had focused on piano, woodwinds, and brass. String players therefore chose to study in nearby Metz or Paris. The conservatory’s symphony orchestra performed only rarely. That didn’t change until Guy Ropartz (1864–1955) became director.

To the extent that classical music was performed, German music had been banned as early as 1880 due to the Franco-German conflict, which was particularly intense in the region where Nancy is located. Beethoven, Haydn, and Mozart were no longer featured on any program. Around the turn of the century, musical ensembles in Nancy were predominantly focused on the new light music that the Art Nouveau movement had brought with it. Fernand Jacquot was the only violin maker left in the city.

In 1910, he married Germaine Collière (1885–1949). The following year, their son Honoré was born, and a year later, their daughter Denise.

World War I hit Nancy hard. The front line was only a few kilometers from the city. Starting as early as 1914, the Germans made futile attempts to capture the city, only to bomb it heavily afterward. The city center, where Fernand and his family lived, did not escape the violence. Hundreds of houses were damaged, and daily life came to a virtual standstill. Music was no longer being played, and there was no interest in Fernand’s instruments during those years. His work consisted mainly of repairs. In the spring of 1915, he was mobilized as a reservist for active military duty and stationed in Metz. Ultimately, he could not escape the war; the front was nearby, and there, in 1816, he was deployed to help tend to the wounded.

In 1918, Fernand resumed his work and, shortly thereafter, took on Gustave Vuillaume (1899–1960) as an apprentice. Gustave had started out young in Mirecourt and decided to complete his training with Jacquot. Until 1924, they built violins, cellos, and the occasional double bass together. His commitment to continuing to make all instruments entirely by hand—without using machine-made parts from factory workshops—proved to be economically unviable. He did, however, enter into a brief partnership with Léon Mougenot of Mirecourt and purchased some of his instruments, though most of these were not sold until after his death by his heirs. The label on them read: “built under the direction of Fernand Jacquot.”

This resurgence did not last long; in 1924, he ultimately went bankrupt. The space that this left in the city was filled by Gustave Vuillaume, who started his own business. Not for long, however, as he, too, saw little future for himself in Nancy and left for Mirecourt. Although Fernand’s shop and workshop were closed, he did build a few instruments between 1924 and 1928.

Gustave Vuillaume would later say of his mentor that he built instruments that, “in terms of elegance of form and appearance, can be counted among the best of the modern French school.” In his opinion, their sound quality is exceptionally good and only improves as they age, according to the man who worked with him for years.

The Work and Influence of Fernand Jacquot

The Jacquot family built instruments in the tradition of their great predecessors from Cremona, such as Stradivari and Guarneri, though not in the Italian style, but according to the techniques of Lupot and, later, Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume. In this, Fernand followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. By making small modifications to these models, their instruments acquired a distinctive character of their own.

Since Fernand’s records have been lost, the exact size of his body of work cannot be determined. It is estimated to consist of about 300 instruments. He built mainly violins, a few violas and cellos, and two double basses.

The label read: Fernand Jacquot / Luthier / 19 Rue Gambetta 19 / Nancy.

The instrument in the collection of the Musical Instrument Fund is the last one he built before World War I broke out and he was called to arms. Experts consider this to be his best period.

Sources

Jacquot, A., 1912, La Lutherie Lorraine et Française, Paris.

Henley W., 1959 Universal Dictionary of Violin and Bow Makers. Amati Publications. London.

Vannes, R., 1999, *Universal Dictionary of Instrument Makers*, Spa.

Thöne J, 2008, Italian & French Violin Makers, Dubai.

Tarisio; the Cozio archives, accessed in 2020.

Geneanet, accessed in 2020.

Archives Nationales de France, accessed in 2020.