Agnelle Bundervoët (12 October 1922 – 14 February 2015) was a pianist and composer, regarded as one of the greatest French pianists of the 20th century.

Life and career

Agnelle Bundervoët was born in Puy de Dôme,

Ambert Ambert (; Auvergnat: ''Embèrt'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Puy-de-Dôme Departments of France, department in Auvergne (region), Auvergne in central France. Administration Ambert is the seat of the canton of Ambert and the arrondiss ...

, France. Her father, who had a career in the French army, was of

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

descent. After joining the Conservatoire de Marseille, she joins the

Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or 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 Jean Jau ...

at age 10 to later enroll in classes taught by her master

Lazare Lévy Lazare Lévy Lazare Lévy, also hyphenated as Lazare-Lévy, (18 January 188220 September 1964) was an influential French pianist, organist, composer and pedagogue. As a virtuoso pianist he toured throughout Europe, in North Africa, Israel, the Sov ...

, Jacques de La Presle,

Maurice Hewitt Maurice Hewitt (6 October 1884 – 7 November 1971) was a French violinist and conductor, as well as a member of the French Resistance during World War II. Life Born in Asnières-sur-Seine, Hewitt studied the violin at the Conservatoire de Paris ...

, and

Marcel Dupré Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré (; 3 May 1886 – 30 May 1971) was a French organist, composer, and pedagogue. Early life and education Born in Rouen into a wealthy musical family, Marcel Dupré was a child prodigy. His father Aimable Albert Dupré ...

. Despite Lazare Lévy’s dismissal by the

Vichy government Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...

during the war, Agnelle continued her studies at the Conservatoire and was awarded her Premier Prix in 1942. She won the first prize six times. In 1944, her father died not having recovered from his time in a German prison camp, and her brother, Henri died when he lost control of his plane over the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

. That same year, Agnelle married Lucien Pavillet, a graduate from the

École Polytechnique (, ; also known as Polytechnique or l'X ) is a ''grande école'' located in Palaiseau, France. It specializes in science and engineering and is a founding member of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris. The school was founded in 1794 by mat ...

, with whom she had three children. After the war, Bundervoët quickly became a soloist of the great symphonic orchestras under the greatest conductors of her time, including

Paul Paray Paul Marie-Adolphe Charles Paray (French: ɔl paʁɛ 24 May 1886 – 10 October 1979) was a French conductor, organist and composer. After winning France's top musical award, the Prix de Rome, he fought in the First World War and was a prisone ...

Eugène Bigot Eugène Bigot (28 February 1888 – 17 July 1965) was a French composer and conductor. Life Bigot was born in Rennes, Brittany. Initially trained as a violinist and later as a violist, he entered the Conservatoire de Paris in 1905 to continue h ...

Charles Bruck Charles Bruck (2 May 1911 – 16 July 1995) was a French- American conductor and teacher. Bruck was born in a Jewish family in Temesvár, Banat, then in the Kingdom of Hungary, part of Austro-Hungarian Empire, since 1920 Timișoara in Roma ...

, and Pierre-Michel Le Conte. For several years was chosen by

Alexis Roland-Manuel Alexis Roland-Manuel (22 March 18911 November 1966) was a French composer and critic, remembered mainly for his criticism. Biography He was born Roland Alexis Manuel Lévy in Paris, to a family of Belgian and Jewish origins. He studied composi ...

for his live broadcast on France Musique, ''Plaisir de la Musique''. She received the Grand Prix International du Disque (Académie Charles-Cros) with a Johann Sebastian Bach recital published by Ducretet Thomson. Her extraordinary interpretation of the Chaconne gave rise to passionate debates between musicologists and critics. As a result, she was exclusively invited by

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

in France to produce three LPs,

Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic period. With a diverse body of work spanning more than six decades, he is considered to be one of the most pro ...

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied ye ...

, and

Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

. She taught at Le Conservatoire National de Versailles into the 1980s. Bundervoët was divorced in 1956 and in the late 1950s began a longterm relationship with Egyptologist Maurice Braun, with whom she travelled to Egypt and other areas of the world. She died on 14 February 2015 in

Vaucresson Vaucresson () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is in the Hauts-de-Seine department from the center of Paris. Vaucresson contains abundant parkland; 22 of its 308 hectares are classed as natural zones. Today Vaucresson ...

, France. Her name was given as Agnelle Bundervoët Braun.

References

External links

Agnelle Bundervoët plays Brahms Variations and Fugue on a theme by Handel for Piano, Op. 24
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bundervoet, Agnelle 1922 births 2015 deaths People from Ambert 20th-century French women classical pianists 20th-century French classical pianists 20th-century French composers French music educators French women music educators 20th-century French women composers