Theodore Latour

Francis Tatton Latour, né Corneil François Taton (3 March 1767, Saint-Omer — 26 April 1845, Paris), also known as "Jean Théodore Latour" or "Theodore Latour," was a French pianist, composer, arranger, pedagogue, music publisher, and entrepreneur who flourished in London between 1792 and 1837. He was one of the founding members and a former director of the Philharmonic Society of London. Theodore Latour/Taton is perhaps best known as one of three co-founders of the renowned Chappell & Co./Chappell Piano Company, along with Samuel Chappell (ca.1782—1834) and renowned pianist and composer, Johann Baptist Cramer (1771—1858), which remained in business today, over 210 years later, as Warner/Chappell. Name variations and pseudonyms: Jean Theodore Latour, T. Latour, Corneil François Taton Corneil Taton began his career in France, serving as an organist at his hometown's Sainte-Marguerite cathedral in the mid-1780s. He got married in October 1786, at which point, evidently, Corneil already began using the "Francis Theodore Latour" pseudonym. (Its meaning and etymology are uncertain; 'Latour' was a fairly common French surname, meaning "tower" and also referring to various toponyms. Occasionally, Francis included Tatton as a middle name, with a double "𝓉𝓉," for unknown reasons.) By 1792, Francis Latour had already settled in London, fleeing the societal unrest caused by the French Revolution. With a massive "diaspora" of French immigrants in Britain, Latour soon got introduced to noble families and aristocratic houses, offering his services as a piano tutor. Theodor excelled in teaching, as well as diplomacy, and was eventually appointed as a court pianist by Prince Regent, George Augustus Frederick (1762—1830), later King George IV. In 1811, F.T. Latour accepted the offer of Sam Chappell, an aspiring entrepreneur who had barely turned 30, and joined his newly established company. With a luxurious two-storied showroom on Bond Street, Chappell & Co carried a selection of fortepianos and other musical instruments from leading European makers, available for sale and rent, and a broad selection of piano sheet music and relevant literature. Théodore Latour joined alongside J.B. Cramer, a distinguished pianist and composer, and they both primarily focused on the publishing branch. Over the next decade, Latour and Cramer built an impressive catalog and brought Chappell & Co. to significant critical and commercial success, with the house hailed as the best London publisher. In 1826, Theodor parted ways with Chappell and pursued a solo career in publishing, launching his "F.T. Latour" imprint. (Similarly, John Cramer left the venture to establish his Cramer & Co. publishing house and piano manufacturer.) Meanwhile, Chappell Music kept strengthening its dominant market position. Between 1834 and circa 1843, Samuel's oldest son William Chappell (1809—1888) managed the company. (Curiously, it was J.B. Cramer who convinced William to step away from the family business to join his firm.) Despite achieving certain success and acclaim, neither Cramer nor Latour even came close to Chappell's triumphant growth. Led by William's younger brother, Thomas Patey Chappell (1819—1902), and later by Louis (1877—1967) and Max Dreyfus (1874—1964), the publishing house became a forerunner to one "big three" labels that still dominate the record industry: purchased by PolyGram in 1968 for £20 million, and then acquired in 1987 by US conglomerate Warner Bros. for over $200 million, it is now part of Warner Music Group, the third-largest record company after Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment. Sometime after 1830, Theodor Latour closed his London firm and re-expatriated to France, spending the rest of his life in Paris.