Blandine Verlet (27 February 1942 – 30 December 2018) was a French

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

ist and a harpsichord teacher, who is known internationally for her recordings of works by

François Couperin François Couperin (; 10 November 1668 – 11 September 1733) was a French Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was known as ''Couperin le Grand'' ("Couperin the Great") to distinguish him from other members of the musically talented ...

Career

Born in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

into a musical family of art historians and conservators, she was the seventh of ten children, and in 1957, gained admission to the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

, studying piano and harpsichord. Having decided on her specialty, she studied harpsichord with

Huguette Dreyfus Pauline Huguette Dreyfus (30 November 1928 – 16 May 2016) was a French harpsichordist. Biography Dreyfus was born in Mulhouse, Alsace, France, on 30 November 1928 to Fernand and Marguerite Dreyfus. The doctor incorrectly wrote Pauline Hugu ...

in Paris,

Ruggero Gerlin Ruggero Gerlin (5 January 1899 – 17 June 1983) was an Italian harpsichordist. Life Born in Venice, Gerlin studied the piano at the Milan Conservatory then moved to Paris in 1920 to study harpsichord with Wanda Landowska. He continued to w ...

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...

and with

Ralph Kirkpatrick Ralph Leonard Kirkpatrick (; June 10, 1911April 13, 1984) was an American harpsichordist and musicologist, widely known for his chronological catalog of Domenico Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas as well as for his performances and recordings. Life ...

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

. A significant competition prize in Paris in 1963 led to engagements in Italy and Germany. Verlet was widely praised for her recordings of Bach's music, including the ''

Goldberg Variations The ''Goldberg Variations'', BWV 988, is a musical composition for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of 30 variations. First published in 1741, it is named after Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, who may also have ...

''. She is perhaps best known for having played the music of her compatriot

, displaying exceptional sensitivity and imagination. Verlet recorded Couperin's complete works in the 1970s and '80s, and in late 2011 she returned to re-record five 'ordres' on the period

Henri Hemsch Jean-Henri Hemsch, in German Johann Heinrich Hemsch (alternate spelling: Johannes Heinrich Hembsch; 21 February 1700 – September 1769), was a French harpsichord maker of German origin. Biography Hemsch was born in Kastenholtz, near Cologne, an ...

harpsichord. Verlet wrote a poem in celebration of Couperin which accompanied the release, the closing lines of which exemplify her great imaginative empathy with this key French composer: During the 1980s Verlet taught at the Conservatoire Claude Debussy in Paris, the Conservatoire Gabriel Fauré de GrandAngoulême, and the

Conservatoire de Bordeaux The Conservatoire de Bordeaux is an arts conservatory that offers higher education in music, dance and drama in Bordeaux, France. It is one of the leading schools in France for singers and saxophonists. Founded in 1821, the school is operated by ...

. Verlet died at the age of 76.

Personal life

Blandine Verlet's father,

Pierre Verlet Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

, was the head of the decorative arts department of the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

from 1933 to 1972; her mother, Nicole Verlet-Réaubourg, was an art historian; and her sister, Colombe Samoyault-Verlet, was also a historian and conservator. Her husband, Igor B. Maslowski, was the director of

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...

France as well as a Russian translator and mystery writer.

Discography

* 1973

Frescobaldi The Frescobaldi are a prominent Florentine noble family that have been involved in the political, social, and economic history of Tuscany since the Middle Ages. Originating in the Val di Pesa in the Chianti, they appear holding important posts ...

: ''Toccate d'intavolatura di cimbalo.'' Das Alte Werk, Telefunken-Decca * 1975

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

: ''16 Sonatas pour violon et clavecin with

Gérard Poulet Gérard (Georges) Poulet (born 12 August 1938) is a French classical violinist. Biography Born in Bayonne the son of conductor Gaston Poulet, Poulet started studying the violin at age five. At 11 he entered the Conservatoire de Paris in André ...

''. Philips 6599 993 * 1975 Scarlatti: ''Sonates''. Philips *1976 Scarlatti: ''15 Sonates pour clavecin''. Philips * 1978 Duphly - Balbastre: ''Musiques pour les princesses de France''. Philips * 1979

Couperin The Couperin family was a musical dynasty of professional composers and performers. They were the most prolific family in French musical history, active during the Baroque era (17th—18th centuries). Louis Couperin and his nephew, François Coup ...

: ''Pièces de Clavecin''. Astrée * 1981

Jean-Philippe Rameau Jean-Philippe Rameau (; – ) was a French composer and music theory, music theorist. Regarded as one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the 18th century, he replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of Fr ...

: ''L’œuvre de Clavecin''. Astrée * 1989 Froberger: ''Pièces de clavecin''. Astrée * 1990

Louis Marchand Louis Marchand (2 February 1669 – 17 February 1732) was a French Baroque organist, harpsichordist, and composer. Born into an organist's family, Marchand was a child prodigy and quickly established himself as one of the best known French vi ...

: ''Pièces de clavecin'' (1702). Astrée * 1994

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

: '' Le clavier bien tempéré''. Astrée * 1995 Bach: ''Fantaisies, toccatas et Fugues''. Astrée * 1999 Jacquet de la Guerre: ''Œuvres pour clavecin''. Astrée * 1999 Bach: ''Inventions et Sinfonias''. Astrée * 1999 Bach: '' Variations Goldberg''. Astrée * 2000 Froberger: ''L'intranquilité''. Astrée * 2000

Louis Couperin Louis Couperin (; – 29 August 1661) was a French Baroque composer and performer. He was born in Chaumes-en-Brie and moved to Paris in 1650–1651 with the help of Jacques Champion de Chambonnières. Couperin worked as organist of the C ...

: ''Les Pièces de clavessin''. Astrée * 2003 Couperin: ''

Les Barricades mystérieuses ''Les Barricades Mystérieuses'' (''The Mysterious Barricades'') is a piece of music that François Couperin composed for harpsichord in 1717. It is the fifth piece in his "''Ordre 6ème de clavecin''" in B-flat major, from his second book of coll ...

/ Pièces de clavecin''. Astrée * 2012 Francois Couperin, ''Pièces de clavecin des Livres II & IV''. Aparté (recorded on a 1751 harpsichord by

) *2018 François Couperin: ''Pièces de clavecin du Livre III''. Aparté

References

External links

*
Blandine Verlet (Harpsichord) - Short Biography
Bach Cantatas Website
Scarlatti - Blandine Verlet (1975, 2 LP rip) - Various sonatas
(YouTube) {{DEFAULTSORT:Verlet, Blandine 1942 births 2018 deaths Musicians from Paris Conservatoire de Paris alumni French harpsichordists Women harpsichordists 20th-century French women musicians French music educators French women music educators 20th-century classical musicians 21st-century French women musicians