Concert Life in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans: A Comprehensive Reference

11. Gustave D’Aquin

233 11 Gustave D’Aquin Flutist and Band Conductor G ustave D’Aquin was born in New Orleans about 1857. By the time he was a teenager he was studying flute with the leading flutist in the city, Leopold Carrière, who was a graduate of the Paris Conservatoire and had been first flutist in the French Opera Orchestra since at least 1841. D’Aquin debuted on November 28, 1872, in the second of two concerts led by Gustave Collignon and featuring the young violinist Camille Urso. The reviewer in L’Abeille felt that D’Aquin did honor to his teacher.1 D’Aquin’s debut was so successful that Carrière presented his prize student in a separate concert at Lyceum Hall on December 11.2 The Abeille writer described D’Aquin as a Creole, and this term referred to his French background. The ulterior reason for this concert was to raise funds so that D’Aquin could go to Paris to study at the Paris Conservatoire. Also on the program was the young violinist, Henri Joubert, who was a pupil of Vieter Caulier and who was D’Aquin’s closest friend. The following April 16, 1873, D’Aquin and Joubert performed together a trio for flute, violin, and piano by Godfrey at a grand vocal and instrumental concert given by Mlle Helene le Roux at Harmony Hall.3 The violinist and flutist each played several solos as well, accompanied at the piano by M Cartier of the French Opera. The two were not yet ready to go to Paris, so they continued to work with their local teachers and gave concerts in New Orleans into the spring of 1874. On November 4, 1873, for the opening of the new Grunewald Hall, Professor Van Hufflen presented a concert featuring Mme Nelville Mercier-Bier as vocal soloist.4 D’Aquin played Tulou’s Fantasie on themes from Domino Noir “with correctness and sentiment.” Joubert played an air by Vieuxtemps “with a sentiment and style that indicated much improvement since his last public performance.” The following spring the two were very busy. On Friday, May 1, 1874, there was a concert at Grunewald Hall for the benefit of Saint Augustin Church featuring the singers Mercier-Bier, Le Blanc, and Van Hufflen and the 234 | Concert Life in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans instrumentalists G. D’Aquin, H. Joubert, and Cartier.5 Joubert played Elegie by Page and Romance without Words by Sivori. Exactly what D’Aquin played is uncertain; the reviewer in L’Abeille states that Joubert, D’Aquin, and Schaffer played a trio for piano, violin, and organ which was an arrangement of a Christmas song, but he probably meant flute, violin, and organ. A week later, on May 8, 1874, there was a concert of amateurs at Grunewald Hall for the benefit of the first Baptist Church (Magazine and Second streets). D’Aquin played a Fantaisie sur un Air Russe by Heinmeyer, while Joubert played Sivori’s Solo sans les Paroles and the obbligato of a song sung by Mlle Grüneberg, the only singer on the program not of the French Opera.6 Before their farewell concert on May 11, 1874, the critic of L’Abeille paid special homage to the two promising musicians: The two young Louisianians . . . have been honorably assured a place in the orchestra of our Opera. There is not any attentive listener who has not remarked that all their practice, preceded by serious work, has helped them on their way to progress, since the beginning of the theatrical season. But these young virtuosi have not ignored the fact that they still have very much to do to achieve the summit of art, and it is in their intention to find a way to study with the great masters in Paris that they propose to give a concert whose profit will facilitate their trip. Our entire population, we are convinced, will find pleasure in assisting our two compatriots in executing their project. New Orleans has the noble ambition to become the first lyrical city in the United States, and to justify this pretention which will give it great honor, it ought to second all young artists like Mr. Gustave D’Aquin and Mr. Henri Joubert who give proof to the talents which are not lacking, to give them all flight as encouragement and necessary resources for the continuation of their work.7 Joubert and D’Aquin had the support of their fellow musicians...