Marguerite Long facts for kids
Marguerite Marie-Charlotte Long (born November 13, 1874 – died February 13, 1966) was a famous French pianist and teacher. She also gave many lectures and helped share French music around the world. She was a very important person in classical music.
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Marguerite Long: A French Piano Star
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Marguerite Long was born in Nîmes, France, on November 13, 1874. Nîmes is an old Roman town in the south of France. Her parents were not musicians. But her mother thought music was very important. She made sure young Marguerite played notes correctly.
Marguerite's older sister, Claire, helped her get into music. Claire was eight years older. In 1883, Claire became a piano teacher at the Nîmes conservatory. Marguerite joined her sister's class. In 1886, at age eleven, Marguerite played her first public concert. She performed a Mozart concerto with an orchestra.
After this concert, a composer named Théodore Dubois visited her family. He encouraged Marguerite to study music in Paris. She finally entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1889. There, she studied with Henri Fissot. She won the top prize from the Conservatoire in 1891.
After Fissot died, Marguerite took lessons from Antonin Marmontel. He became a close friend to Marguerite and her husband.
A Life with Music and Love
Marguerite met Joseph de Marliave in 1902. He was a young officer. After her concert, Joseph asked her to play music by Gabriel Fauré. Fauré was not well-known then. Marguerite learned Fauré's music after that concert.
Marguerite and Joseph got married on February 26, 1906. Marmontel and Fauré were their best men.
Facing Loss and Finding Strength
Sadly, Marguerite's husband, Joseph de Marliave, died in 1914. He was killed in World War I. This loss made her stop performing for three years. But she believed in moving forward. She said, "What is important is not to spoil your life." She felt it was important to say, "I did all I could."
Composer Maurice Ravel dedicated part of his music, Le tombeau de Couperin, to Marliave. Marguerite Long played this piece for the first time in 1919.
Working with Famous Composers
Marguerite Long and Gabriel Fauré
After her concert in Castelnaudary, Marguerite learned more of Fauré's music. She played for him in 1903. Fauré then asked her to work on another of his pieces. This started many musical collaborations between them.
In 1904, Long planned a concert of only Fauré's music. Fauré sent her a letter praising her playing. He called it "most ideal perfection." In 1906, Fauré appointed Long as a professor. He was the Director of the Paris Conservatoire at that time.
Many people said Long "best understood Fauré’s music." They felt her playing captured its special feeling. Long taught at the Conservatoire until 1940.
Marguerite Long and Claude Debussy
Marguerite Long admired composer Claude Debussy. She felt nervous about playing his piano music. Debussy was often a judge at the Paris Conservatoire. He found out about her fear.
Eventually, Debussy invited Long to work with him. In 1917, Long studied Debussy's way of playing piano. She played his works very faithfully. This earned her great respect. Even after Debussy died in 1918, his wife recognized Long's talent.
Marguerite Long and Maurice Ravel
Long and Ravel became very good friends in 1932. They toured Europe together. Ravel conducted and Long played his G Major Piano Concerto. They performed in many countries like Belgium, Austria, and Poland.
In Vienna, Long met Richard Strauss. He later became a judge for a music competition Long started. This competition was named after Gabriel Fauré.
Long also toured South America. This trip to Brazil showed her role as a musical ambassador. She helped share French music with the world.
Long also worked with composer Darius Milhaud. In 1933, Milhaud asked Long to play his first piano concerto for the first time. He also dedicated other smaller pieces to Long and her students.
In the 1930s, Long received many national awards. She was given the Rosette de la Légion d'Honneur. In 1938, she was promoted to Commandeur de la Légion d'Honneur. This honor was rarely given to a performer, especially a woman.
Eight French composers wrote music for her. Nine foreign composers also wrote pieces to thank her. This showed her international importance.
A Leading Piano Teacher
Long left her teaching job at the Paris Conservatoire in 1940. Around this time, she started a close friendship with violinist Jacques Thibaud. With the help of Marcelle Lyon, they opened a school. This school focused on teaching violin-piano sonata playing.
Thibaud believed violin teaching needed piano coaching. Madame Lyon became the director of their school. She later directed the Concours Marguerite Long- Jacques Thibaud.
Even during World War II, Long stayed positive. She told her students, "My joy in life is work." She worked hard to help young artists. She wanted them to achieve their dreams, even in tough times.
After the war, Long was in her 70s. She focused on teaching. Her public masterclasses attracted pianists from all over the world. In 1949, she helped plan the 100-year celebration of Frédéric Chopin's death. She also judged the Chopin Competition in Poland.
Last Years and Legacy
In 1956, the French government honored Long. She was 81 years old. She played Gabriel Fauré's Ballade with the Orchestre National de France. Eight French composers wrote a special orchestral suite for her.
In 1959, after teaching for over 60 years, Long published her piano teaching book, Le Piano. It had exercises and directions for students.
Marguerite Long died in Paris in 1966, at age 91. Before she passed away, she received another national honor.
Spreading French Music Worldwide
In 1932, Long began touring overseas. She went to South America, especially Brazil. These tours showed her role as an ambassador for French music. She was important as an artist, teacher, and lecturer.
After World War II, she was invited to perform and judge competitions internationally. She was a jury member for competitions in Warsaw, Naples, and Brussels. In 1954, she returned to Brazil. She gave lectures on French music. She also performed in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Long performed in many countries. But she always wished she had traveled to the United States.
The Long-Thibaud Competition
In November 1943, Long and violinist Jacques Thibaud started a competition. It was called the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud International Competition. It was for violinists and pianists. The competition happens every year in Paris.
They wanted to give young artists a chance to perform. This was especially important during the war. Winners received cash prizes, concert chances, and recording contracts.
The competition became very successful. It was reorganized to happen every two years. It became one of the main piano and violin competitions in Europe. In 1957, the French government started supporting it. In 1961, Long gave the competition to the French state.
Since 1983, the competition happens every three years. One year is for piano, one for violin, and one for a special concert. Since 2011, singers have also joined. It is now called the Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition. This honors the singer Régine Crespin.
Books by Marguerite Long
- Le Piano, Salabert, 1959
- Au piano avec Claude Debussy, Julliard, 1960
- Au piano avec Gabriel Fauré, Julliard, 1963
- La petite méthode de piano, Salabert, 1963
- Au piano avec Maurice Ravel, Julliard, 1971
Music Written for Long
- Three Etudes for Piano and Orchestra— Germaine Tailleferre
- Gabriel Fauré— Fourth Impromptu, Op. 90 (1906)
- Gabriel Fauré— Fifth Impromptu, Op. 102 (1909)
- Variations sur le nom de Marguerite Long in 1956— eight French composers
Music First Played by Long
- Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin (1919)
- Ravel's Piano Concerto in G (1932)
- Philippe Gaubert's Sonata for Flute and Piano (1919)
- Debussy's Douze Études (1917)
See also
In Spanish: Marguerite Long para niños
