Théophile Tilmant, (Tilmant aîné) was a French violinist and conductor born on 9 July 1799 in Valenciennes

Valenciennes

Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...

, France and died on 7 or 8 May 1878, Asnières

Asnières

Asnières is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Asnières, Eure, in the Eure département* Asnières-en-Bessin, in the Calvados département* Asnières-en-Montagne, in the Côte-d'Or département...

.

Tilmant was a founding Sociétaire of the Société des Concerts

Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire

The Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire was a symphony orchestra established in Paris in 1828. It gave its first concert on 9 March 1828 with music by Beethoven, Rossini, Meifreid, Rode and Cherubini....

 in 1828, becoming a Chef and Vice-President on 5 May 1860, retiring from the Société on 17 November 1863.

He was a student of Kreutzer

Rodolphe Kreutzer

Rodolphe Kreutzer was a German violinist, teacher, conductor, and composer of forty French operas.-Biography:...

 and played in the orchestra of the Opéra-Comique and the orchestra of the Opéra (viola from 1824 and violin from 1826-38). He also led the orchestra at the Théâtre-Italien and the Concerts du Gymnase.
He was principal conductor of the Opéra-Comique

Opéra-Comique

The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...

 from 1849-68. Tilmant received the Légion d'Honneur in 1861.
Tilmant conducted the premieres of Le caïd by Ambroise Thomas

Ambroise Thomas

Charles Louis Ambroise Thomas was a French composer, best known for his operas Mignon and Hamlet and as Director of the Conservatoire de Paris from 1871 till his death.-Biography:"There is good music, there is bad music, and then there is Ambroise Thomas."- Emmanuel Chabrier-Early life...

 on 3 January 1849, Le toréador

Le toréador

Le toréador, ou L'accord parfait is an opéra comique in two acts by the French composer Adolphe Adam with a libretto by Thomas-Marie-François Sauvage. It was first performed at the Opéra-Comique, Paris on May 18, 1849. It was a huge success and the work regularly appeared in the repertoire of the...

by Adolphe Adam

Adolphe Adam

Adolphe Charles Adam was a French composer and music critic. A prolific composer of operas and ballets, he is best known today for his ballets Giselle and Le corsaire , his operas Le postillon de Lonjumeau , Le toréador and Si j'étais roi , and his Christmas...

 on 18 May 1849, Galathée by Victor Massé

Victor Massé

Victor Massé was a French composer.-Biography:...

 on 14 April 1852, Le Sourd ou l’Auberge Pleine by Adam on 2 February 1853, Les noces de Jeannette

Les noces de Jeannette

Les Noces de Jeannette is an opéra comique in one act by Victor Massé to a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré...

by Massé on 4 February 1853, and Mignon

Mignon

Mignon is an opéra comique in three acts by Ambroise Thomas. The original French libretto was by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on Goethe's novel Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre. The Italian version was translated by Giuseppe Zaffira. The opera is mentioned in James Joyce's The Dead,...

by Thomas on 17 November 1866.