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François Servais and Joseph Ghys

In 1835 Servais performed in Londen together with the violinist Joseph Ghys (1801-1848) of Ghent (B). Together they composed variations on the famous theme God Save the King.

Joseph Ghys
Born at Ghent in 1810 [sic], died August 22nd, 1848. He studied the violin at a very early age and ultimately became a pubil of Lafont. On the termination of his studies he went to Amiens and became a teacher, and subsequently removed to Nantes, where he remained several years also as a teacher. In 1832 he undertook a series of concert tours, performing at Paris, Lyons and other French towns. In 1835 he visited Belgium, after which he came over to England in company with the celebrated 'cellist, Servais, where the playing of both was much admired. Ghys then returned to the continent, revisited Paris, and performed at several concerts with great success. In 1837 he travelled into Germany, giving concerts at Berlin and other principal towns. He then proceeded to St. Petersburg, and died there from cholera in the year 1848. His compositions consisted of variations with pianoforte or orchestral accompaniment; Etude “L'orage” for violin alone; Caprice “Le mouvement perpetual” with stringed quartet; Violin concerto in D, and some romances, etc.
From: CLARKE, A. MASON, A Biographical Dictionary of Fiddlers, London, 1895, p. 101.

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Recent edition:
A. F. Servais – J. Ghys, Variations brillantes sur God save the King.
Fingering and bowing: Gautier en Renaud Capuçon
Gérard Billaudot Editeur, 2005, GB7882
www.billaudot.com

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The belgian violinist Henri Vieuxtemps (1820-1881) was a student of Charles-Auguste de Beriot at the Brussels Conservatory. Later on Eugène Ysaÿe became one of his students.
Vieuxtemps and Servais knew each other well and they performed regularly together. During a concert tour in Russsia in 1839 they composed together the variations on themes from the opera Les Huguenots by Meyerbeer.

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The violinist and composer Hubert Léonard (Liège: 1819-1890) was a colleague of F. Servais at the Brussels Conservatory form 1853 to 1866. Afterwards Léonard taught in Paris. A few times they performed together and composed four duos.

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With the pianist Jacques Mathieu Joseph Gregoir (Antwerp: 1817-1876) Servais composed many duos on famous opera themes. For the last compositions Gregoir asked Servais’ son Joseph for assistance.

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Recent edition:
Le violoncelle de salon. Transkriptionen von berühmten Cellisten des 19. Jahrhunderts für Violoncello und Klavier herausgegeben von Johannes Degen, Hug Musikverlage, Zürich, 1990, p. 29-31 (score) and p. 10 (cello solo)

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Recent edition:
Bravo! Bravissimo! Encores dor Violoncello and Piano. Edited by Jürgen Wolf.
Frankfurt, Zimmermann, ZM 30560, 1999
www.zimmermann-frankfurt.de
This book contains the Nocturne op. 9 no. 2 by Chopin, arranged by Servais for cello and piano: on p. 18-19 (cello part) and p. 43-45 (piano part)

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The Duch tenor Willem Pasques de Chavonnes Vrugt (1798-1873) compsed with Servais a ‘melodie voor stem en cello’. In the winter of 1842-1843 thay made a concert tour through the Nederlands and in the winter of 1843 they went together to Roubaix in France.

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In December 1833 Servais made his first appearence in Paris. Among others he played a concert with the pianist Jules Déjazet (1812-1846) and the violininst Antoine Bessems (1806-1868). Servais and Jules Déjazet played the ‘Grand Duo de piano et violoncelle’, a work that they composed together.