| Biography | Jules Levy was perhaps the most celebrated cornetist of the 19th century. He created a great popularity for the cornet in USA as a solo instrument from 1870 to his death in 1803. His fame grew through the rivalry that Patrick Gilmore fostered with Matthew Arbuckle (1828 - 1883). Each stood on opposite sides of the conductor and would alternate with improvised variations on a particular melody as well as entering into other similar challenges.
Levy was born in London, England, on April 24, 1838.
He obtained a cornet at the age of 17 . A year later, Dan Godfrey, leader of the Grenadier Guards Band, sent for him to play in one of his bands. He often played in the theatre and for the Royal Opera House Orchestra. It was the performance of his composition 'Whirlwind Polka", played between theatre scenes, that created a sensation. In 1865 he travelled with a troupe to America. His debut was at the Boston Music Hall on October 9, 1865. He returned to England and appeared on programs with the great opera singers of the time. On his return engagement to the U.S. in 1869, Levy was hired by Theodore Thomas to play solos in his summer concerts on Central Park, New York City. Levy's life continued full of engagements in Europe and the U.S.
In the early 1870's Gilmore lured him back to the U.S. With and without Gilmore, Levy was constantly travelling the U.S. and Canada during the 1880's and 1890's.
Jules Levy died in Chicago, on November 28, 1903 |