Huguette Dreyfus facts for kids
Pauline Huguette Dreyfus (born November 30, 1928 – died May 16, 2016) was a famous French harpsichordist. She was known for bringing back the harpsichord in France. She also taught music to many students.
About Huguette Dreyfus
Huguette Dreyfus was born in Mulhouse, Alsace, France. This was on November 30, 1928. Her parents were Fernand and Marguerite Dreyfus. When she was born, her name was written incorrectly as Pauline Huguette. But everyone always knew her as Huguette.
Early Music Life
Huguette started playing the piano at age four. She played duets and made up music with her cousin Nicole and her older brother Pierre. Her family was quite wealthy. Her father owned factories in Mulhouse and Vichy.
When World War II began, many families had to leave the Alsace region. Huguette's family moved to Vichy. There, young Huguette studied at the Clermont-Ferrand conservatory. She used a different name to stay safe. She finished her studies there with a top prize in piano. She later said she started teaching music when she was just 14 years old.
In December 1942, Huguette and her family went to Switzerland. They settled in Lausanne, where they had relatives. She continued her piano studies at a high level at the Conservatory of Lausanne. She stayed there until the war ended.
Becoming a Harpsichordist
In 1945, Huguette began working with a famous piano teacher, Lazare Lévy. She studied at the Ecole Normale de Paris. She learned about music theory and counterpoint there.
In 1949, she found out that a music historian, Norbert Dufourcq, was teaching special classes. These classes were about the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. This was to celebrate 200 years since Bach's death. Huguette joined these classes at the Conservatoire de Paris. She studied there for four years.
From 1953 to 1958, Huguette learned to play the harpsichord. She studied at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy. Her teacher was Ruggero Gerlin. He had been a student of the very famous harpsichordist Wanda Landowska.
Her Career and Influence
In 1958, Huguette Dreyfus won a medal at the Geneva international music competition. She was the only harpsichordist to win. This made her the most famous French harpsichordist of her time.
She loved playing Baroque music and music from the 20th century. She was a key person in bringing the harpsichord back into popularity in France. Her favorite instrument was a harpsichord made by Johann Heinrich Hemsch. He was an 18th-century harpsichord maker from Germany who worked in Paris.
Huguette Dreyfus also taught the harpsichord at many important schools in France. These included the Schola Cantorum, the Sorbonne, and the National Conservatory of Music and Dance of Lyon. She also taught at the National Conservatory of Music at Rueil-Malmaison and the Villecroze Academie de Musique. She helped many future musicians learn and grow.
Huguette Dreyfus passed away in 2016 in Paris.
