Born in Paris, he received his first lessons from his mother. He later studied with
Rodolphe Kreutzer and
Pierre Rode. His teachers taught him the classical technique of the
Viotti school, which he made more brilliant. As early as 1792, he toured Germany and other parts of Europe giving successful concerts. On the outbreak of the
French Revolution, he left France, travelling through Europe. In 1808, he became
chamber violinist to
Tsar Alexander I of Russia. In 1815, he returned to France to become first violinist of the royal chamber musicians of
Louis XVIII and musical accompanist to the
Duchess of Berry. In 1816, he participated in a contest with
Niccolò Paganini, in which neither won. However, the contest was held in
La Scala, where the audience was more sympathetic to Paganini. Few of his compositions have survived. In c. 1837,
Franz Liszt wrote a
Grand Duo concertant sur la Romance de M. Lafont "Le Marin", for violin and piano, S. 128 (revised c. 1849). He was also a singer, but he is mostly remembered as a virtuoso violinist. He died in an accident in 1839, when a carriage transporting him overturned. ==Notes==