Marie Kiéné Bigot de Morogues (3 March 1786 – 16 September 1820) was a French pianist and composer. She is best known for her sonatas and études.

Career

Marie Kiéné was born in

Colmar Colmar (, ; Alsatian: ' ; German during 1871–1918 and 1940–1945: ') is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it i ...

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

. After marrying M. Bigot, she moved to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

in 1804, where she lived for five years. She was highly accomplished at the piano and played for

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...

, who exclaimed, "Oh, my dear child, I did not write this music – it is you who has composed it!" He wrote on the sheet from which she played, "On 20 February 1805, Joseph Haydn was happy". She became a friend of

Salieri Antonio Salieri (18 August 17507 May 1825) was an Italian classical composer, conductor, and teacher. He was born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, and spent his adult life and career as a subject of the Habsburg monarch ...

. Her husband being the librarian of Count Razumovsky, she also became friendly with

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

, who admired her playing. She was the first to play for him, from the autograph, his newly written

Appassionata Sonata Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 (colloquially known as the ''Appassionata'', meaning "passionate" in Italian) is among the three famous piano sonatas of his middle period (the others being the ''Waldstein'', Op. 53 ...

, impressing him so much that he told her, "That is not exactly the character I wanted to give this piece; but go right on. If it is not wholly mine it is something better." He gave her the autograph of the Appassionata. In 1808, after a misunderstanding over Beethoven's invitation to take Marie and her three-year-old daughter, Caroline, for a drive and her refusal, the famous composer sent an apologetic letter to her and her husband, writing, "It is one of my foremost principles never to occupy any other relations than those of friendship with the wife of another man. I should never want to fill my heart with distrust towards those who may chance some day to share my fate with me, and thus destroy the loveliest and purest life for myself." The Bigots returned to

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. Si ...

in 1809. Marie composed, gave lessons, and did much to introduce Beethoven's music to Parisian audiences. In 1812, her husband was taken prisoner as part of Napoleon's campaign in Russia, and Marie took to teaching piano to support her two children. In 1816 she gave lessons to Felix and

Fanny Mendelssohn Fanny Mendelssohn (14 November 1805 – 14 May 1847) was a German composer and pianist of the early Romantic era who was also known as Fanny (Cäcilie) Mendelssohn Bartholdy and, after her marriage, Fanny Hensel (as well as Fanny Mendelssohn He ...

in Paris. She died in Paris aged 34 of

consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...

Music

Marie Bigot studied harmony and composition with Auber and Cherubini in Paris. She composed a Sonata, Op. 1 (dedicated to Queen Luise of Prussia), and ''Andante varié'', Op. 2 (with eight variations and a caprice, dedicated to her sister Caroline Kiéné) while living in Vienna. Then, after returning to Paris, she published a Rondeau and a set of Études. Fétis mentions a set of waltzes, and although they are in her hand and ascribed with her name, he doubts that she composed them. An article written upon her death at age 34 mentions that she had composed more music, but had refused to publish it "out of modesty".''Journal des théâtres, de la littérature et des arts'', no. 202, 9 November 1820, p. 4.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bigot, Marie 1786 births 1820 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century French women classical pianists 19th-century French composers 19th-century women composers French classical composers French women classical composers People from Colmar