Aline van Barentzen

Aline van Barentzen (17 July 1897 – 30 October 1981) was a Franco-American classical pianist.

Biography

Born in Somerville, van Barentzen gave her first concert at the age of four, after which her mother moved from Boston to Paris for her musical training. At seven, she played Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 and, at nine, she entered the Conservatoire de Paris.[1] There, her teachers were Marguerite Long, Mrs. Marcou and Mr. Delaborde.[1] In 1909, at only eleven years of age, she was awarded a First Prize at the Paris Conservatory piano competition, a record that still holds today (Le Matin 10 July 1909):

Of all, Miss Van Barentzen indisputably distinguished herself by her age (eleven years eleven months) and her impeccable technique. It is assured that for the comprehension of musical texts, she still has much to learn, but that this being acquired outside the Conservatory, it is only justice that she left it without more dwelling on it. (Georges Cochet).

She then continued her training with Heirich Barth and Ernst von Dohnanyi[1] in Berlin where she met young Arthur Rubinstein and Wilhelm Kempff, completing her training in Vienna with Leschetizky.[1]

But she ended up settling in Paris, surrounded by all the elite of music of the time and playing works by Enesco, Poulenc, Messiaen, Roussel and Villa-Lobos. Thus, she created Chôros No. 8 by Villa-Lobos, composed in 1925 for two pianos and orchestra and premiered on 24 October 1927 at the Concerts Colonne in Paris with Tomás Teran, under the direction of the composer.

She gave concerts all over Europe and recorded for His Master's Voice.

In the early 1930s, she applied for and obtained French nationality. Moreover, throughout the Occupation, she remained faithful to Paris.

Van Barentzen very early engaged into an educational activity, teaching at the University of the Arts (Philadelphia)[1] and the Conservatorio Nacional Superior de Música (Argentina).[1] Finally, in 1954, she was appointed professor of piano at the Paris Conservatory, a position she held until 1967.[1] Among her pupils were Jean-Philippe Collard, Bernard Job[2] and Cyprien Katsaris.

She created works by Henri Martelli (Fantaisie sur un thème malgache, 1946), Florent Schmitt (Hasards, 1943), and Hector Villa-Lobos' (A prole do bebe n°2, Chôros No. 8, 1925).[3]

She also composed for piano under the name Aline Hoyle, her real birth name.

Discography

Selected recordings:[4]

Sound documents:

Bibliography

  • Alain Pâris (2004). Dictionnaire des interprètes et de l'interprétation musicale depuis 1900. Bouquins (in French). Paris: Éditions Robert Laffont. p. 1289. ISBN 2-221-10214-2. OCLC 300283821. BnF=39258649x.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (Pâris 2004, p. 895).
  2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCU9mqr7H0E Seville (Corpus Christi en Sevilla) by Bernard Job (YouTube)
  3. ↑ (Pâris 2004, p. 896).
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ Villa-Lobos, O Polichinelo on YouTube
  6. ↑ archive
  7. ↑ André Lavagne, Cortège Burlesque on YouTube
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