16 Facts About Alfred Cortot

Alfred Cortot studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Emile Decombes, and with Louis Diemer, taking a premier prix in 1896.

Alfred Cortot made his debut at the Concerts Colonne in 1897, playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 3.

Alfred Cortot formed a concert society named Societe des Concerts to perform Wagner's Parsifal, Beethoven's Missa solemnis, Brahms' German Requiem, and new works by French composers.

In 1905, Alfred Cortot formed a trio with Jacques Thibaud and Pablo Casals, which established itself as the leading piano trio of its era.

Alfred Cortot continued to teach at the Paris Conservatoire until 1923, where his pupils included Yvonne Lefebure, Vlado Perlemuter, Simone Ple-Caussade, Magdeleine Brard, Marguerite Monnot, and Rodica Sutzu.

In 1919, Alfred Cortot founded the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris.

Alfred Cortot conducted several orchestras and was often called upon to provide piano accompaniment for touring artists when in Paris.

Alfred Cortot was involved in music until his health failed, and taught master classes in piano in his advanced years.

On 21 March 1925, Alfred Cortot made the world's first commercial electrical recording of classical music for the Victor Talking Machine Company in Camden, New Jersey: Chopin's Impromptus and Schubert's Litanei, issued on Victor's Red Seal label.

Alfred Cortot had to leave this position after Petain's appointment and exerted his energy instead into writing reports about cultural propaganda and defending French musical styles.

Alfred Cortot was charged with musical reform by the Petain government, and the Vichy took control of musical activities.

Alfred Cortot became part of the comite d'organisation professionelle de la musique in 1942 and worked with Laval and Petain.

Alfred Cortot participated in official concerts in Paris during the occupation as well as in Germany in 1942.

Alfred Cortot died on 15 June 1962, aged 84, of uremia from kidney failure in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Alfred Cortot suffered from memory lapses in concert and often left wrong notes on his later records.

Alfred Cortot wrote a good deal of didactic prose, including a piano primer: Rational Principles of Pianoforte Technique.