Virtuoso Pianist

I experience great joy from learning about and exploring composers who generally fly under the radar. In that spirit, I was thrilled to explore the life and music of Nineteenth Century French composer and virtuoso pianist, Louise Farrenc. I’ve become a huge fan of her music and pedagogical impact, so much so that I'm in the process of trying to get my hands on as much of her piano music as I can!

Farrenc was born 1804 and died in 1875, having spent her entire life in Paris. Her father, Jacques Ednais Dumont, and brother, Auguste, were well known and highly regarded sculptors, allowing Louise a very arts rich background and family history. She began to express precocious musical talents at an early age. This led to her study of the piano, eventually securing her place in the pianistic and musical firmament.

She first studied music with Cecile Soria, a former student of Muzio Clementi. Farrenc worked with her for several years. Later, she went on to work with leading pianistic virtuosi of the day: Ignaz Moscheles, and, more importantly, Johann Nepomuk Hummel. I think Hummel had a tremendous influence on Farrenc, both pianistically and compositionally. Hummel’s florid pianistic style took full advantage of the quickly evolving capacities of the piano, especially in terms of a significantly quicker action and more singing tone quality.

One of the leading composition teachers at the time was Anton Reicha. Reicha’s understanding of contrapuntal writing was unmatched at the time in Paris. Because she was a female student, Farrenc was not entitled to study formally at the Paris Conservatoire. Nevertheless, Farrenc studied composition privately with Reicha for several years. It's interesting how the wheel would eventually turn.

In 1821 Louise married flutist Aristide Farrenc and toured with him for a little over a year as a flute/piano duo. He later became burned out from touring and opened Farrenc Music Publishing House. It became one of the primary music publishers in Paris, continuing for almost forty years. This was a significant and mostly successful venture on his part and we have him to thank for a lot of Louise's music that was then published. Luouise built a concert performing career as a pianist and generated significant notoriety throughout the 1830’s. Her music career eventually resulted in an appointment as Professor of Piano at the Paris Conservatoire where she remained for thirty years. She was the only woman during the Nineteenth Century to hold that post.

Initially, she was compensated for her work at the Conservatoire at a lesser rate than her male colleagues. Her financial situation began to change when she published her Opus 38, Nonet, for Mixed Instruments, it was championed by the German violinist Josef Joachim, who took Johannes Brahms as his protégé and toured with him. Brahms was a young. up and coming pianist and composer, and Joachim simultaneously championed Farrenc’s compositions. Farrenc’s Nonet became wildly popular and began to be played all across Europe. This put her on the map as a composer and it was enough leverage to raise her pay to the level of her male colleagues.

Louise Farrenc’s Manual on piano instruction

As a professor, Louise wrote a significant book about piano instruction and and how she approached piano pedagogy and music education in general. Her book was titled Le Tresor des Pianistes and became an important resource for piano instruction in Nineteenth Century Paris. In 1861 and 1869 she was awarded the Prix Chartier of the Académie des Beaux Arts by the French government.

Farrenc was a significant figure in French literature, musical life and culture during much of the Nineteenth Century and, as teacher, performer and composer, was a real trailblazer. She was a prolific composer, composing no less than forty-nine opus numbers. Throughout the 1820s until about 1834, she wrote solely for the piano, very much in the vein of Chopin and the afore-mentioned Hummel, but eventually she wrote three symphonies, two significant overtures, two sets of variations for piano and orchestra, eight songs, three major choral works, and thirteen chamber works.

I've come to especially adore the first movement of her final chamber work, her Sonata for Cello and Piano, Opus 46, written in 1857.

Farrenc’s Cello Sonata is a three movement work and is a treasure trove of beautiful melodic writing . The work is harmonically interesting and, as a pianist, I find that it falls very well in the fingers. It's so enjoyable and much of the keyboard figuration is reminiscent of Hummel's style, especially at this time where the development of the piano as an instrument was undergoing such incredible change and evolution.

Piano virtuosi and composers took advantage of all kinds of innovations in piano building at this time. Farrenc was no different. A lot of her keyboard figuration is certainly reminiscent of Hummel, but is very much Farrenc as well. I love her music. There is one lovely tune in particular that the first movement of her cello sonata is based on. You'll hear this tune appearing several times in both instruments, somehow different each time. She incorporates some creative counterpoint into her writing, no doubt vestiges of studying with Reicha. Her harmonic language is accessible but not patronizing in any way. And there are some interesting harmonic twists and turns, especially during the course of this first movement. I have also become very fond of her first symphony in particular.

A review appeared in 1847 in the Revue et Gazette Musicale, a weekly French publication dedicated to classical music happenings and concerts of the day. A reviewer noted that Ferrenc symphonies, in particular, embodied “the highest symphonic talent among women. Not only the first of her sex to approach the genre, but one whose symphonies a great many male composers would be proud to have written.” Very much a statement of archaic Nineteenth Century French and European culture, but also a testament to Farrenc’s importance in French musical life.

Louise Farrenc did attract significant notoriety for herself, all extremely well-deserved. I’m deeply impressed by her output, her legacy of teaching, and her place in French musical culture for such an extended period of time. She needs to be celebrated, and in my own small way, I'm trying to do that here. Let me know how you feel about this first movement of her cello sonata which I perform with cellist David Caplan in the accompanying video.

Rick Ferguson