Alfred Denis Cortot (September 26, 1877 – June 15, 1962) was a French pianist and conductor. He is one of the most popular 20th century musicians, renowned for his poetic insight in Romantic period piano works. September 26 is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 96 days remaining. ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... June 15 is the 166th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (167th in leap years), with 199 days remaining. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... A pianist is a person who plays the piano. ... See Conductor for other possible uses of the word. ... Romantic music is defined as the period of European classical music that runs roughly from the early 1800s to the first decade of the 20th century, as well as music written according to the norms and styles of that period. ...

Born in Nyon in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, Cortot studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Emile Decombes (a pupil of Chopin) (as did Maurice Ravel), and with Louis Diémer, taking a premier prix in 1896. He made his debut at the Concerts Colonne in 1897, playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3. Between 1898 and 1901 he was a choral coach, and subsequently assistant conductor, at the Bayreuth Festspiele, and in 1902 he conducted the Paris premiere of Götterdämmerung by Wagner. He formed a concert society to perform Wagner's Parsifal, Beethoven's Missa solemnis, Brahms' German Requiem, and new works by French composers. Nyons flag has a fish over red and blue stripes. ... Conservatoire de Paris, or Paris Conservatoire, has been central to the evolution of music in France and Western Europe. ... Joseph-Maurice Ravel (March 7, 1875 – December 28, 1937) was a French composer and pianist, known especially for the subtlety, richness, and poignancy of his music and generally considered to be one of the major composers of the 20th century. ... Louis-Joseph Diémer (February 14, 1843 - December 21, 1919) was a French pianist and composer. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized December 17, 1770 – March 26, 1827) was a German composer of Classical music, the predominant musical figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras. ... Ludwig van Beethovens Piano Concerto no. ... Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods – see Notes) is the last of the four operas that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), by Richard Wagner. ... Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813 in Leipzig – February 13, 1883 in Venice) was an influential German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his groundbreaking symphonic-operas (or music dramas). His compositions are notable for their continuous contrapuntal texture, rich harmonies and orchestration, and elaborate... Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813 in Leipzig – February 13, 1883 in Venice) was an influential German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his groundbreaking symphonic-operas (or music dramas). His compositions are notable for their continuous contrapuntal texture, rich harmonies and orchestration, and elaborate... Amalie Maternam Emil Scaria and Hermann Winkelmann in the 1882 premiere production of Parsifal Parsifal is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner. ... Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized December 17, 1770 – March 26, 1827) was a German composer of Classical music, the predominant musical figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras. ... Ludwig van Beethovens Missa Solemnis in D Major, Op. ... Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (May 7, 1833 – April 3, 1897) was a German composer of classical music. ... Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) is a large-scale choral work written by Johannes Brahms in 1868; it is Brahms Op. ...

In 1905, Cortot formed a trio with Jacques Thibaud and Pablo Casals, which established itself as the leading piano trio of its era, and probably of any era. From 1907 to 1923 Cortot taught at the Paris Conservatoire, where his pupils included Haskil, Lipatti, and Perlemuter. In 1919 he founded the École Normale de Musique de Paris. His courses in musical interpretation were legendary. He toured as a pianist all over the world, also appearing as guest conductor of many orchestras. He died in Lausanne. 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Jacques Thibaud (September 27, 1880 - September 1, 1953) was a French violinist. ... Pau Carlos Salvador Casals i Defilló (December 29, 1876 – October 22, 1973), commonly known as Pablo Casals, was a virtuoso Catalan cello player (and later conductor). ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Former Conservatoire building (until 1911), still used as Théâtre du Conservatoire The Conservatoire de Paris, full contemporary name Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, has been central to the evolution of music in France and Western Europe. ... Clara Haskil (January 7, 1895 - December 7, 1960) was a classical pianist. ... Dinu Lipatti Dinu Lipatti (March 19, 1917 – December 2, 1950) was a Romanian pianist whose career was tragically cut short by his death from Hodgkins disease at age 33. ... Born in Kowno, Poland on May 26 1904, Vlado Perlemuter came to Paris as a child to study at the Conservatoire, first with Moszkowski then, later, with Cortot. ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... École Normale de Musique de Paris - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Location within Switzerland Lausanne (, ) is a city in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, situated on the shores of Lake Geneva (French: Lac Léman), and facing Évian-les-Bains (France). ...

Controversially, he supported the Vichy regime (he played in Nazi-sponsored concerts, for example) in France during the Second World War, which led to him being declared persona non grata after the end of the war. His motivations for doing this have been disputed, but he was banned from performing publicly for a year, and his public image in France suffered greatly (though he continued to be well received as a recitalist in other countries, notably England). Presidential flag of Vichy France Vichy France, or the Vichy regime was the de facto French government of 1940-1944 during the Nazi Germany occupation of World War II. Now known in French as the Régime de Vichy or Vichy, during its existence it referred to itself as L... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Persona non grata (Latin, plural: personae non gratae), literally meaning an unwelcome person, is a term used in diplomacy with a specialized and legally defined meaning. ...

As a pianist, Cortot was particularly noted for his interpretations of Frédéric Chopin and Robert Schumann, and he made editions of both those composers' music, editions notable for his own meticulous commentary on technical problems and matters of interpretation. Many connoisseurs consider him to be the greatest interpreter of those two composers' works. He had famous memory lapses - particularly notable from the 1940s onwards, when non-musical matters were very much on his mind - and occasionally left wrong notes on his records, as did other celebrated pianists of his time (e.g. Fischer, Schnabel, and Grainger). This was in stark contrast to his impeccable student, Dinu Lipatti. Frédéric-François Chopin as portrayed by Eugène Delacroix in 1838. ... Robert Schumann (June 8, 1810 – July 29, 1856) was a German composer and pianist. ... Edwin Fischer (October 6, 1886 – January 24, 1960) was a Swiss classical pianist and conductor. ... Artur Schnabel (April 17, 1882 – August 15, 1951) was a classical pianist, who also composed and taught. ... Percy Aldridge Grainger (8 July 1882 – 20 February 1961) was an Australian-born pianist, composer, and champion of the saxophone. ... Dinu Lipatti Dinu Lipatti (March 19, 1917 – December 2, 1950) was a Romanian pianist whose career was tragically cut short by his death from Hodgkins disease at age 33. ...

His technical flaws notwithstanding, Cortot was among the very greatest musicians of the century, and represented the end of an era. He is considered the last exponent of a personal, subjective style that deprecated precise technique in favor of intuition, interpretation and authentic spirit. This approach was replaced by the modern "scientific" way of playing, which places logic and precision at the forefront and equates authenticity with metronomic and literal "interpretations". Cortot's recordings are highly valuable documents.

Bibliography

• Cortot, Alfred, La musique française de piano, 1930–48
• —, Cours d’interprétation, 1934 (Studies in Musical Interpretation, 1937)
• —, Aspects de Chopin, 1949 (In Search of Chopin, 1951)
• Gavoty, Bernard Alfred Cortot, 1977 (French)
• Manshardt, Thomas, Aspects of Cortot, 1994