he number of gifted pupils who graduated from his teachings and
gathered an inspiration from an artist-master, in whom were united
splendid gifts as a player, an earnest musical spirit, depth and
precision of science, the chivalry of high birth and breeding, and
a width of intellectual culture which would have dignified the
_litterateur_ or scholar. De Beriot was for many years the chief of the
violin department at the Brussels Conservatoire, where, even before the
revolution of 1830, there was one of the finest schools of instruction
for stringed instruments to be found in Europe. When in the full
ripeness of his fame as a virtuoso and composer, De Beriot was called on
to take charge of the violin section of this great institution, and his
influence has thus been transmitted in the world of art in a degree by
no means limited to his direct greatness as an executant.

De Beriot was born at Louvain, in 1802, of a noble family, which
had been impoverished through the crash and turmoil of the French
Revolution. Left an orphan at the age of nine years, without inheritance
except that of a high spirit and family pride, he would have fared badly
in these early years, had it not been for the kindness of M. Tiby, a
professor of music, who perceived the child's latent talent, and he
acquired skill in playing so rapidly that he was able to play one of
Viotti's concertos at the age of nine. His hearers, many of whom were
connoisseurs, were delighted, and prophesied for him the great career
which made the name of De Beriot famous. Naturally of a contemplative
and thoughtful mind, he lost no time in studying not only the art of
violin-playing but also acquiring proficiency in general branches of
knowledge. His theories of an art ideal even at that early age were far
more lofty and earnest than that which generally guides the aspirations
of musicians. De Beriot, in after years, attributed many of the elevated
ideas which from this time guided his life to the influence of the
well-known scholar and philosopher Jacotot, who, though a poor musician
himself, had very clear ideas as to the aesthetic and moral foundations
on which art success must be built. The text-book, Jacotot's "Method,"
fell early into the young musician's hand, and imbued him with the
principles of self-reliance, earnestness, and patience which helped to
model his life, and contributed to the remarkable proficiency in his
art on which his fame rests. Two golden princi