Colette Maze facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Colette Maze
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Maze, c. 1934
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Colette Saulnier
16 June 1914 Paris, France
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| Died | 19 November 2023 (aged 109) Paris, France
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| Education | École Normale de Musique de Paris |
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Colette Maze (born June 16, 1914 – died November 19, 2023) was a talented French classical pianist. She learned from very famous teachers like Alfred Cortot and Nadia Boulanger. Colette Maze started recording music when she was in her 90s! She especially loved the music of Claude Debussy, who was still alive when she was born. In 2023, she released her seventh album. This made her possibly the oldest recording pianist ever. When she turned 100 years old, she became very popular on social media.
Her Life Story
Colette Saulnier was born in Paris, France, on June 16, 1914. Her father, Léon Pierre Saulnier, managed a fertilizer factory. Music was important in her family. Her grandmother played the piano, and her mother, Denise Claire Piollet, played the violin. They often held concerts at their home.
Colette started playing the piano when she was just five years old. She studied at home until she was a teenager. At 15, she began studying piano at the École Normale de Musique in Paris. Her teachers included Alfred Cortot, Nadia Boulanger, and Jeanne Blanchard. For her 18th birthday, she received a Pleyel piano, which she kept for her entire life.
Colette wanted to become a professional concert pianist. However, her parents did not agree with this idea. She also did not pass her final exam for concert playing. Instead, she completed her studies to become a piano teacher. She taught piano for many decades at both the École Normale de Musique and the conservatoire in Bagneux, Hauts-de-Seine.
After World War II, Colette raised her son, Fabrice, as a single mother. She lived in a small apartment and was not in touch with her family for a while. On December 29, 1958, she married Émile Fernand Maze, who was also a musician.
Colette loved music by composers from the Romantic period, like Robert Schumann and Claude Debussy. She once said:
I always preferred composers who gave me tenderness, like Schumann and Debussy. Music is an affective language, a poetic language. In music there is everything — nature, emotion, love, revolt, dreams; it's like a spiritual food.
She was also very fond of the love story between Schumann and his wife, Clara. Colette recorded music from her 90s until she was 109 years old. She played the piano for four hours every day to keep her memory sharp.
Colette Maze passed away at her home in Paris on November 19, 2023. She was 109 years old.
Her Recordings
When Colette Maze was already in her 90s, her son encouraged her to record her music. He wanted to save the special way she played and the teaching style of Alfred Cortot, as Colette was one of his last students. At first, she wasn't sure, but then she started recording on a Steinway piano in her apartment.
She released seven classical music albums. One of her CDs was completely dedicated to the music of Claude Debussy. In 2021, when she was 107 years old, she released her sixth album. Then, in 2023, at 109, she released her seventh album. This album included music by George Gershwin, Astor Piazzolla, Schumann, and Debussy again. Some of these songs were played with guitarist and arranger Bertrand Cazé.
Colette Maze became very popular on social media once she turned 100 years old.
What She Recorded
Here are some of the pieces Colette Maze recorded:
- Ryuichi Sakamoto: "Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence"
- Debussy: Images oubliée, No. 1
- Piazzolla: Oblivion
- Gershwin: The Man I Love, Prelude, No. 2
- Schumann: Fantaisie, Op. 111, Kinderszenen
See also
In Spanish: Colette Maze para niños
