Victor (Henri) Staub (16 October 1872 – 4 February 1953) was a French pianist and composer.

Life

Born in Lima, Peru, to Swiss-French parents, Staub exhibited an early aptitude for the piano. He studied at the

Paris Conservatoire 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 ...

with

Antoine Marmontel Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guiana ...

and

Louis Diémer Louis Joseph Diémer (14 February 1843 – 21 December 1919) was a French pianist and composer. He was the founder of the Société des Instruments Anciens in the 1890s, and also gave recitals on the harpsichord. His output as a composer was exte ...

, gaining a first prize in piano in 1888. Staub competed in the Anton Rubinstein prize in Berlin in 1895. He and

Josef Lhévinne Josef Lhévinne (13 December 18742 December 1944) was a Russian pianist and piano teacher. Lhévinne wrote a short book in 1924 that is considered a classic: ''Basic Principles in Pianoforte Playing''. Asked how to say his name, he told ''The ...

both played Beethoven's ''Hammerklavier Sonata'', Op. 106. In the first round of voting, Staub and Lhévinne obtained the same number of votes, but Lhévinne was ultimately awarded the 5,000 franc first prize after a second round of voting. Staub taught for five years at the Cologne conservatory. He left Cologne in 1902 and returned to Paris. He became a professor at the Paris Conservatoire on 21 October 1909, in succession to Edouard Risler. Upon the death of Elie Delaborde in 1914, Gabriel Fauré chose Staub over

Marguerite Long Marguerite Marie-Charlotte Long (13 November 1874 – 13 February 1966) was a French pianist, pedagogue, lecturer, and an ambassador of French music. Life Early life: 1874–1900 Marguerite Long was born to Pierre Long and Anne Marie Antoin ...

to head the Classe Supérieure for women. Staub's female pupils included Germaine Devèze, Madeleine Giraudeau, Jacqueline Pangnier (Robin), Hélène Pignari, and Rita Savard. He also taught

José Iturbi José Iturbi Báguena (28 November 189528 June 1980) was a Spanish conductor, pianist and harpsichordist. He appeared in several Hollywood films of the 1940s, notably playing himself in the musicals ''Thousands Cheer'' (1943), ''Music for Mill ...

, Ernest Hoffzimmer, and Raymond Trouard. Staub retired from the Conservatoire on 15 January 1941 and was succeeded by Armand Ferté. Victor Staub recorded Chopin's Waltz in F, Op. 34, No. 3; Debussy's ''Ménéstrels''; and Schumann's ''Des Abends''. He composed numerous piano pieces, including most notably "Sous bois" (1902) and "Boléro" (1924), as well as his piano arrangement of the ''Sorcerer's Apprentice'' by

Paul Dukas Paul Abraham Dukas ( or ; 1 October 1865 – 17 May 1935) was a French composer, critic, scholar and teacher. A studious man of retiring personality, he was intensely self-critical, having abandoned and destroyed many of his compositions. His b ...

. He also authored pedagogical works. Raymond Trouard recalled that:

Staub could play like no one else. One morning (I had come in a little early), I saw him arrive calmly, sit down at the keyboard and perform, for himself, without any warning, Liszt's "Feux-Follets" impeccably! Staub had memorized the Etudes Transcendantes, Chopin's op. 10 and 25 Etudes, as well as most of the difficult works of the repertoire. Only a handful of pianists could boast of being able to do the same."

Personal life

The son of Henri Staub (Zurich 1845 - Paris 1906) and Isabelle Merey (1847–1907), Victor Staub had three sisters: Emma, Béatrice, and Mercedes. With his first wife, Blanche Marie de Orelly (1882–1906)not children. Victor Staub He then married Marie Marguerite Emilie Baneux (1882–1958) and had a daughter, Odette Blanche Staub (Diana Staub, pianiste (1908–2000). Odette was the mother of actor

Jean Claudio Jean Claudio (28 March 1927 – 11 January 1992) was a French actor. Biography He began his acting career in the cinema at the age of ten, playing the role of the Tsarevich, son of Tsar Nicolas II in The Imperial Tragedy. In 1938, at t ...

. Victor Staub lived at 27 rue Fourcroy, in Paris, where he also gave private lessons for "professionals, amateurs, and children".''Le Figaro'', 11 October 1919. He died in Paris.

Works

Solo piano Piano 4-hands * ''Trois Pièces'': En trottinant, Marche; En dansant, Valse; En chantant, Sérénade (1909) Opérette * ''Les Quatre fils Aymon'', one act (performed at the Cercle des Joyeux, 19 December 1888) Chansons * ''L'Heure délicieuse'' (Lucien Marotte), 1910 * ''L'Heure silencieuse'' (Lucien Marotte), 1910

Notes

External links

*
Photograph of Victor Staub with his students during the 1929-1930 academic year.

Photograph of Victor Staub with his students in 1931.

"Sous-bois" by Victor Staub

"Bolero" by Victor Staub

Performance of Paul Dukas's "L'apprenti sorcier," arranged by Victor Staub, performed by Yuja Wang
{{DEFAULTSORT:Staub, Victor 1872 births 1953 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century French male musicians 20th-century classical composers 20th-century French male musicians French male classical composers French Romantic composers Peruvian emigrants to France