GALLAY
" Jacques-Francois Gallay (1795-l864), was born at Perpignan, France (Eastern 
Pyrenees) 8th December 1795. He was professor 
of horn at the Paris Conservatoire following Dauprat, and thought of as a virtuoso.
At the age of ten years, he commenced the study of 
solfege under the direction of a musician named Artus. Two years afterwards, 
his father, a very good amateur horn player, gave him the first lessons on the 
horn, but it was above all by his own efforts that he came to develop his happy 
inclination for this instrument. An indisposition of the first horn of the 
Theatre de Perpignan afforded him the opportunity to play in public. In a production of the Visitandines of Devienne, he played the solo. By this performance he obtained at the age of fourteen years a success that gave him an in-
sight into what could be accomplished by continuing his career. Unhappily, being more or less on his own responsibility, and deprived of good teachers, he
 was uncertain as to how his musical studies should be pursued. The distinguished artists who visited Perpignan advised him to go to Paris so that he could take the courses offered in the Conservatoire, but his father's attachment to him caused Gallay to reject all propositions of this kind. In 1818 a musical society was organized in Perpignan, and Gallay was named the director. At about the same time, Ozi, son of the former professor of Bassoon, established himself in this city. He was trained as a pianist and harmonist. Young Gallay followed Ozi's courses and six months later, performed at La societe de
musigue a horn concerto of his own composition, which was applauded with enthusiasm. At last, in the month of June, 1820, it was possible for him to go to Paris. Scarcely had he arrived in this city when he became acquainted with
 Dauprat who received him with benevolence and recommended him to Perne, then
 inspector of the Conservatoire. He experienced difficulty regarding admittance to an instrumental class because of his advanced age, but finally Perne yielded and
 placed Gallay under the direction of Dauprat. After a year of study, the first 
prize was conferred on him, and since then his success has placed him in the
 ranks of the most skilful and celebrated instrumentalists. A good quality of
 tone, likewise in the stopped tones, great certainty of attack and clearness in
the execution of rapid passages, are the qualities by which M. Gallay is recommended.

He is considered by some to be the "last great hand horn virtuoso in France," but he received mix criticism such as: "he went up like an angel, but could not go down". The only adverse criticism of Gallay's playing which appeared justified was in regard to the limited range which he used on the horn. He seemed to wish, like Frédéric Duvernoy, to circumscribe himself within the limits of the Cor
mixte, which resulted in a certain monotony which the greatest perfection of detail could not obliterate.
 In 1825, M. Gallay entered the orchestra of the Theatre Italien, after
having been some time at the Odeon. About the same time he became a member of
the band of the Royal Chapel. In the month of July 1830, this chapel was sup-
pressed and M. Gallay, with all the other artists, lost his place; but in 1832
he joined the chamber music ensemble of King Louis-Philippe.

His Préludes mesurés et non-mesurés, Op. 27 had appeared only a few years before this appointment to the Paris Concevatory. Approximately three years later, in 1845, he produced his Méthode pour le Cor, "the last major hand-horn tutor in France."
Gallay died October 18 1864 while still engaged in his position at the Conservatoire. It was not until 1903 that the valve horn became the officially recognized horn at the Paris
Conservatoire and many authors attribute the remarkable delay in its acceptance to
Gallay and his excellent hand horn playing and teaching.
Despite the fact that Morley-Pegge regards Gallay's Méthode to be outdated and
subordinate to Dauprat's Méthode, Gallay's etudes remain of great value even to modern valve horn players, and his natural horn works pose different technical difficulties that his predecessors at the Paris Conservatory

Gallays work is very extensive. In addition to didactic works, etudes, and a horn school, he composed two horn concertos and several other works for horn and orchestra.

Opus	Title	Publisher/ date
1
2	12 duets for two French horns	Southern Music Co., [19--]
3	Twelve duos concertants for two horns (nocturnes)	Paris, Pacini
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13	Thirty studies for solo horn preceded by an enharmonic scale with some signs indicating the movements of the hand in the bell
14	12 duos faciles : pour deux cors	H. Pizka, ©1983.
15
16	Twenty-four duos for two horns
17
18	First concerto (in F)	Paris, and Leipzig.
19
20
21
22	Three recreations for horn
23
24	Three Grand Trios
25
26	Grand quatuor : pour quatre cors en différents tons = Grand quartet : for four horns in different crooks	G. Billaudot, ©1995.
27	40 preludes for horn : opus 27	International Music, ©1968.
28	Second concerto for horn and orchestra
29
30
31
32	12 grand caprices : opus 32 : for horn solo	International Music Co., ©1968
33
34
35	Trois nocturnes pour cornet à pistons et piano sur les motifs des opéras La Juive, l'Eclair et les Huguenots	M. Schlesinger [184-?] Paris
36	Nocturne concertant for horn & piano
37	Excercises in all major and minor keys
38
39
40
41	6 Duos Faciles pour deux cors	Paris-Bruxelles Henry_Lemoine
42
43	12 etudes brillantes : opus 43, for horn	International Music Co., ©1967
44	Recreations musicales sur des motifs italiens	Paris__Schonenberger
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52	11th solo, opus 52, for horn and piano	Hornseth, ©1979.
53
54	Complete moethode for horn
55
56
57	12 etudes for second French horn	Southern Music Co., [196-?].
58
59
60

Unknown opus number:

Une larme furtive : de L'elisire damore ; Fuis laisse moi, de Roberto Devereaux : piano, ténor ou soprano, cor in Mi♭

Author:	Jacques François Gallay; Daniel Bourgue; Gaetano Donizetti
Publisher:	Paris : I.M.D. Diffusion, ©1995.

 

6 mélodies favorites : pour cor en fa ou en sol et piano = 6 favourite melodies

Author:	Franz Schubert; Jacques François Gallay; Michel Garcin-Marrou
Publisher:	Paris : Billaudot, cop. 1999.
Series:	Collection Michel Garcin-Marrou.

Rondeau pastorale for horn and orchestra