the famous Sonata, Op. 47, which was first played by Beethoven and the
violinist Bridgetower, at the Augarten, in May, 1803, either the 17th
or the 24th. This is the sonata the name of which Count Leo Tolstoi took
for his famous book, though to the vast majority of hearers it will
always remain a mystery how the classical harmonies of the sonata could
have aroused the passions which form the _raison d'être_ of the book.

Kreutzer was noted for his style of bowing, his splendid tone, and the
clearness of his execution.

With three such masters as Baillot, Rode, and Kreutzer, besides Viotti,
who was frequently in Paris, the French school of violin playing had now
superseded the Italian.

Pierre Marie François de Sales Baillot, who was associated with Rode and
Kreutzer in the compilation of the celebrated "Methode du Violon," was
born at Passy, near Paris, in 1771, and became one of the most excellent
violinists that France ever produced. His eminence in his profession
was not obtained without a long struggle against great difficulties, for
at the age of twelve he lost his father, who had kept a school, and
became dependent upon friends for his education. His musical talent was
remarkable at an early age, and he received his first instruction from
an Italian named Polidori. At the age of nine he was placed under a
French teacher named Sainte-Marie, whose training gave him the severe
state and methodical qualities by which his playing was always
distinguished.

His love for his instrument was greatly augmented when, at the age of
ten, he heard Viotti play one of his concertos, and from that day the
great violinist became his model.