Henri Valentino

Henri Valentino (14 October 1785 – 28 January 1865) was a French conductor and violinist. From 1824 to 1832, he was co-conductor (with François Habeneck) of the Paris Opera, where he prepared and conducted the premieres of the first two grand operas, Auber's La muette de Portici and Rossini's Guillaume Tell. From 1832 to 1836, he was First Conductor of the Opéra-Comique, and from 1837 to 1841, conductor of classical music at the Concerts Valentino in a hall on the rue Saint-Honoré in Paris.

Born Henri-Justin-Armand-Joseph Valentino in Lille, his father was an Italian army pharmacist, who wanted his son to become a soldier. But Henri exhibited such a great talent for music, he was allowed to pursue that instead. At twelve he was playing violin in the local theatre (probably in Lille), and at fourteen was asked to substitute for a conductor on short notice, thereafter mainly dedicating himself to conducting. Later he conducted in Rouen.

In 1813 in Metz, Valentino married the niece of the composer Louis-Luc Loiseau de Persuis, who at that time was also the chief conductor of the Paris Opera Orchestra. Persuis died on 20 December 1819, and Rodolphe Kreutzer, who had been a deputy conductor since 1816, was named chief conductor in January 1820. Valentino was appointed deputy conductor under Kreutzer on 1 April. Valentino was "rewarded with the reversion of the title of first conductor conjointly with [François] Habeneck" in August. The decree did not take effect until Kreutzer's resignation on 1 December 1824, "when the two deputies had long been exercising the function of conductor in turn." Each of them was responsible for different new productions, that is, the conducting of the rehearsals and performances needed to bring a new work before the public.

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