Rastros de Paul Julien: a itinerância de um virtuose do violino no século XIX

Abstract

This work aims to study the trajectory of Paul Julien, a French violinist, and composer who lived between the years 1840 - 41 until 1867. He was known as a prodigy artist in his time, but no research allows us to know his life trajectory. The main sources that reveal traces of his existence as an artist were found in Brazilian periodicals and in countries where he was in his itinerant life. From these sources, we will approach his artistic life with a sensitive view of the musical context, his biography, and another look to understand the genius attributed to this artist through some narratives of these periodicals. The dialogue with musicology and the use of a technically musical language will also serve as an important tool to understand in-depth topics such as musical and aesthetic life, as for compositional analysis. This research will demonstrate that there are patterns of musical tastes in societies, and it was no different in the 19th century. The European taste for music was transported to culturally colonized regions through itinerant artists like Paul Julien, with the role of reproducing the news of European music to the ears of the elites. The attribution of genius to the virtuoso also became an aspect linked to the romantic concept, as it elevated the artist to a superhuman state. It is possible to conclude that Paul Julien survived, produced, and performed under these qualifications.