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The above signature is written on the inside back cover of a copy of the first edition (1803) Méthode pour le Cor by Frédéric Duvernoy. |
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| Also written on the same cover is what appears to be a tally of Leçons, presumably pertaining to studies made perhaps by M. Dolivot. It should be noted that there are no markings throughout this copy of the Méthode which might indicate that it was little used, or that no additional comments by the teacher were needed. Most well-used copies of etude books will contain at least occasional pencil markings for dynamics, articulation, etc. It is also true that this Méthode was intended by its author as an introduction for beginners. The Méthode de Premier et Second Cor by Heinrich Domnich (1767-1844) of 1808 was much more comprehensive and is generally considered to supercede that of Duvernoy, especially for advancing students. It was adopted as the offical tutor of the Paris Conservatoire. So perhaps M. Dolivot advanced quickly beyond the Méthode of Duvernoy or abandoned altogether this instrument trè borné, in the words of Duvernoy after sixteen lessons. |
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So who was this M. (ou Mlle.) Dolivot? The name does not appear among the students
who achieved first or second prizes at the Conservatoire. Is also not very
common in France but there are to be found several references from the time period
(1803 to after 1830) that this Méthode was being used.
A search of Ancestry.com restricting the surname to exactly "Dolivot" as it appears here retrieves only 61 references (out of the hundreds of millions of records in the Ancestry.com database), all of which occur from the late seventeenth century to the early nineteenth century and which astonishingly all come from the same small locale of Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne, France. Note, also that these references do not represent 61 individuals, rather there are separate entries for birth, death, marriage, or witnesses to these events several of which will pertain to a single person. As a result, the pool of available candidates for the owner of this copy of the Duvernoy Méthode appears to be limited to a single family in Chalon-Sur-Saône, Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne, France: At the time the Méthode was published (1803), the youngest son, Nicolas Philibert Dolivot, was eleven years old, certainly an appropriate age for taking up the study of the horn. At the same time it is also important to keep in mind that Napoleon depended heavily on conscription as a means to build his massive armies, and that Duvernoy was his favorite horn player. So, it is certainly possible that any of the Dolivot fils would have been inducted and, if showing any musical talent, issued a horn and a copy of the Méthode for service in one of the military bandsAntoine Dolivot (6 juil. 1745- ) By coincidence Antoine D'Olivot [Dolivot] was the Godfather of Antoine Duvernois (17 avr. 1752 - ) son of Antoine Duvernois, manoeuvre [unskilled worker, laborer], and Claudine Laforge. Françoise Payriault was the Godmother. Chalon-Sur-Saône (St Jean-de-Maizel). Note, however, that Frédéric-Nicolas Duvernoy was born in 1765 at Montbéliard which is about 200 km. west of Chalon-Sur-Saône, so there is probably no connection since the name Duvernois/Duvernoy is fairly numerous throughout France. [source: Naissances, Saône-et-Loire, France, 1546 1905 Saone-et-Loire, France Births, 1546-1905] This copy of the Méthode was found in 2010 at an antiques fair in the small village of Simandre which is about 25 km. south east of Chalon-Sur-Saône, further supporting the theory that it was once owned by someone related to the family of Antoine Dolivot. |
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