Auguste Franchomme was a French composer and cellist. Franchomme trained with Mas and Pierre Baumann at the Lille Conservatoire, then with Levasseur and Norblin at the Paris Conservatoire, where he won the premier prix in his first year. He worked as a cellist in numerous opera houses until becoming the Royal Chapel's solo cellist in 1828. He was also a founder member of the Conservatoire's Société des Concerts. Norblin replaced him as the first cello professor at the Paris Conservatoire in 1846. Among his students were Jules Delsart, Louis Hegyesi, and Ernest Gillet. He was a founding member of the Alard Quartet and performed in widely influential chamber music concerts with violinist Delphin Alard and pianist Charles Hallé. Franchomme, regarded as the greatest French cellist of his day, advanced Duport's graceful, simple, light 3French2 bow technique, mixing it with a facile, precise left hand to produce an articulate, singing note. Duport's great 1711 Stradivari, which he bought from Duport's son in 1843 for the then-record amount of 22,000 francs, aided him in this. Rostropovich purchased this instrument in 1974. During Mendelssohn's visit to Paris in 1831, Franchomme developed a near friendship with him. Franchomme was a close associate of Chopin's; the two worked on a Grand Duo Concertante in 1833, and Franchomme rewrote the cello section of Chopin's Introduction et Polonaise BrillanteI Op. 3. Chopin's Cello Sonata op. 65 is devoted to Franchomme.