Robert Marcel Casadesus (7 April 1899 – 19 September 1972) was a renowned 20th-century French

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

. He was the most prominent member of a distinguished musical family, being the nephew of

Henri Casadesus Henri-Gustave Casadesus (30 September 1879, Paris – 31 May 1947, Paris) was a violist, viola d'amore player, composer, and music publisher. Early life Casadesus received his early musical instruction with Albert Lavignac and studied viola with ...

and

Marius Casadesus Marius Casadesus (24 October 1892 – 13 October 1981) was a French violinist and composer. He was the brother of Henri Casadesus, uncle of the famed pianist Robert Casadesus, and grand-uncle to Jean Casadesus. Marius Casadesus achieved perhaps h ...

, husband of

Gaby Casadesus Gaby Casadesus (August 9, 1901 – November 12, 1999) was a French classical pianist and teacher born in Marseilles, France. She was married to the French pianist Robert Casadesus and their son Jean was also a notable pianist. Biography Born ...

, and father of

Jean Casadesus Jean Claude Michel Casadesus (17 July 1927 – 20 January 1972) was a French classical pianist. He was the son of the renowned pianists Robert and Gaby Casadesus, and grandnephew of Henri Casadesus and Marius Casadesus. Jean Casadesus was born ...

Biography

Casadesus was 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 ...

, and studied there at the

Conservatoire A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

with

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 ...

, taking a ''Premier Prix'' (First Prize) in 1913 and the Prix Diémer in 1920. Robert then entered the class of

Lucien Capet Lucien Louis Capet (8 January 1873 – 18 December 1928) was a French violinist, pedagogue and composer. Career Capet came from the Paris proletariat. By the age of fifteen, he had to maintain himself by playing in bistros and cafes. He studied ...

, who had exceptional influence. Capet had founded a famous quartet that bore his name ( Capet Quartet) and in which two of Robert's uncles played: Henri and Marcel. The Quartet often rehearsed in the Casadesus home, and so it was that Robert was exposed to chamber music. The Beethoven Quartets held no secret for him—he knew them backwards and forwards. CasadesusConcertgebouw1951

Beginning in 1922, Casadesus collaborated with the composer

Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...

on a project to create piano rolls of a number of his works. Casadesus and Ravel also shared the concert platform in France,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Casadesus toured widely as a piano soloist and often performed with his wife, the pianist Gaby (L'Hôte) Casadesus, whom he married in 1921. From 1935 Casadesus taught at the

American Conservatory The Fontainebleau Schools were founded in 1921, and consist of two schools: ''The American Conservatory'', and the ''School of Fine Arts at Fontainebleau''. History When the United States entered First World War the commander of its army, Gener ...

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau (; ) is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the ''arrondissement ...

. He and his family spent the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

years in the United States and had a home in

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

. (Among his Princeton neighbors was

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...

, an amateur violinist; the two played Mozart together privately on occasion.) After the

Fall of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second World ...

in 1940, Robert and Gaby established the Fontainebleau School at Newport, Rhode Island. In 1942 the Fontainebleau School was moved to Great Barrington, Massachusetts, in the Berkshires. In 1943, he performed as part of a series of New York concerts meant to raise money for the Coordinating Council of the French Relief Societies. After the war, in 1946, Robert Casadesus, now Director of the American Conservatory, oversaw its return to Fontainebleau. His pupils included

Claude Helffer Claude Helffer (18 June 1922 – 27 October 2004) was a French pianist. Early life Helffer was born in Paris, and began piano lessons at the age of five and from the age of ten until the outbreak of World War II he studied with Robert Casa ...

Grant Johannesen Grant Johannesen (July 30, 1921 – March 27, 2005) was an American pianist. Biography Johannesen was born in Salt Lake City and discovered at the age of five by a teacher who lived across the street. He imitated whatever he heard her play, a ...

Monique Haas Monique Haas (20 October 1909 – 9 June 1987) was a French pianist. Born in Paris, she studied at the Conservatoire de Paris with Joseph Morpain and Lazare Lévy, taking a ''Premier Prix'' in 1927. She went on to study with Rudolf Serkin and Rob ...

, Mary Louise Boehm, Carol Lems-Dworkin, and William Eves, who appeared in the Casadesus-based ''

Bell Telephone Hour ''The Bell Telephone Hour'' (also known as ''The Telephone Hour'') is a concert series that began April 29, 1940, on NBC Radio, and was heard on NBC until June 30, 1958. Sponsored by Bell Telephone as the name implies, it showcased the best in c ...

'' fine arts documentary TV series "The First Family of the Piano" (1967) and was a longtime piano instructor at

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...

. He continued recording and composing; his last composition, the Symphony No. 7, "Israel," was a tribute to the people of Israel and was dedicated to his frequent collaborator

George Szell George Szell (; June 7, 1897 – July 30, 1970), originally György Széll, György Endre Szél, or Georg Szell, was a Hungarian-born American conductor and composer. He is widely considered one of the twentieth century's greatest condu ...

; Szell died in the year the work was completed, 1970, and it was not premiered until shortly after Casadesus's 1972 death, by an ensemble led by conductor Frederic Waldmann at

Alice Tully Hall Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The hall is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and philanthropist whose donations assist ...

in New York City,. Robert and Gaby Casadesus had three children, Jean, Guy and Therese. Casadesus died in Paris, 19 September 1972, after a brief illness and only a few months after the death of his son Jean in an automobile accident. Gaby Casadesus died in Paris on 12 November 1999. In her later years she edited the works of Ravel for G. Schirmer, Inc.

Pronunciation of name

The preferred pronunciation of Casadesus' last name is "Kah-zah-deh-su" with a silent final "s." Per live interview ca. 1970 of Robert Casadesus by announcer Bill Agee of KKHI-AM-FM San Francisco during a live San Francisco Symphony concert, Mr. Casadesus indicated that he pronounced his name as it is pronounced in Spanish, Kah-sah-deh'sus, final s pronounced.

Legacy

A product of the school of French pianism, his style of playing was classical and restrained with a very delicate approach to melody and line. He is especially noted as an interpreter of

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 ...

. Among his other recordings are those of the complete piano music of

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

(for which he was awarded the Grand Prix de l'Academie Charles Cros and the Grand Prix de l'Academie du Disque), and the

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 classical ...

Violin Sonatas with

Zino Francescatti René-Charles "Zino" Francescatti (August 9, 1902 – September 17, 1991) was a French virtuoso violinist. Zino Francescatti was born in Marseilles, to a musical family. Both parents were violinists. His father, who also played the cello, had stu ...

(of which the ''Kreutzer'' Sonata was filmed and has been released on DVD). The ''Bell Telephone Hour'' (a fine arts-related television series broadcast on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

for many years) produced a one-hour television film, in 1967, on Robert, Gaby and their son

Jean Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jea ...

, titled "The First Family of the Piano."

Recordings

Casadesus was particularly known for his recordings of Mozart concertos. He recorded Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat with

John Barbirolli Sir John Barbirolli ( Giovanni Battista Barbirolli; 2 December 189929 July 1970) was a British conductor and cellist. He is remembered above all as conductor of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, which he helped save from dissolution in 194 ...

and the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

in 1941. Later, Casadesus made LP recordings of a number of Mozart's piano concertos with

and the

Cleveland Orchestra The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Sev ...

(sometimes billed as the

Columbia Symphony The Columbia Symphony Orchestra was an orchestra formed by Columbia Records strictly for the purpose of making recordings. In the 1950s, it provided a vehicle for some of Columbia's better known conductors and recording artists to record using o ...

for contractual reasons), including nos. 12, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, and 27, often featuring his own cadenzas. Casadesus was joined by his wife Gaby and their son

in recordings of Mozart's concertos for

two 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...

and

three 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...

pianos, accompanied by the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription ...

conducted by

Eugene Ormandy Eugene Ormandy (born Jenő Blau; November 18, 1899 – March 12, 1985) was a Hungarian-born American conductor and violinist, best known for his association with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as its music director. His 44-year association wit ...

. These recordings have been reissued on CD several times by

Sony Classical Sony Classical is an American record label founded in 1924 as Columbia Masterworks Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. In 1980, the Columbia Masterworks label was renamed as CBS Masterworks Records. The CBS Records Group was acquired by S ...

. He also made recordings of four of Bach's concertos for two and three keyboards, issued by Columbia, under the batons of Eugene Ormandy,

Pierre Dervaux Pierre Dervaux (born 3 January 1917 in Juvisy-sur-Orge, France; died 20 February 1992 in Marseilles, France) was a French operatic conductor, composer, and pedagogue. At the Conservatoire de Paris, he studied counterpoint and harmony with Marcel ...

, and

Edmond de Stoutz Edmond de Stoutz (18 December 1920 – 28 January 1997) was a Swiss conductor from Zurich. He was the founder of the Zürcher Kammerorchester (Zurich Chamber Orchestra) in 1945 and conducted the ensemble until 1996. As conductor he performed all ...

. Of Beethoven's five concertos, Casadesus recorded the First, Fourth, and Fifth, the last two multiple times and the Fourth with his own cadenzas. He also recorded several Beethoven sonatas, for both solo piano and for violin and piano, with his frequent recording partner

. Casadesus was also particularly known for his recordings of French repertoire by composers such as

Rameau Jean-Philippe Rameau (; – ) was a French composer and 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 French opera an ...

Chabrier Alexis-Emmanuel Chabrier (; 18 January 184113 September 1894) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and pianist. His Bourgeoisie, bourgeois family did not approve of a musical career for him, and he studied law in Paris and then worked ...

, Fauré,

Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...

, and

. In 1951, Casadesus made the first integral recording of the complete solo piano works by Ravel on three LPs for Columbia. He also recorded French works for four hands and two pianos with his wife Gaby. In addition, Casadesus' recorded output includes works by Scarlatti,

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

, and Chopin, as well as

Manuel de Falla Manuel de Falla y Matheu (, 23 November 187614 November 1946) was an Andalusian Spanish composer and pianist. Along with Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, and Enrique Granados, he was one of Spain's most important musicians of the first hal ...

's ''

Nights in the Gardens of Spain ''Nights in the Gardens of Spain'' ( es, Noches en los jardines de España), G. 49, is a piece of music by the Spanish composer Manuel de Falla. Falla was Andalusian and the work refers to the Hispano-Arabic past of this region (Al-Andalus). ...

''. Casadesus also recorded a number of his own compositions.

Critical assessment

In ''The Art of the Piano'',

David Dubal David Dubal (born Cleveland, Ohio) is an American pianist, teacher, author, lecturer, broadcaster, and painter. Musician and painter Dubal has given piano recitals and master classes worldwide, and has also judged international piano competitions ...

writes of Casadesus: "he became the absolute French pianist, his country's finest. Casadesus embodied the qualities of Gallic balance, unforced sound, style, and precision of technique. His sound was crisp, dry, and sparkling, like a vintage champagne. Casadesus was a sophisticated musician, whose pianism was phenomenally supple. His range was wide and his use of the pedals was simply astonishing."Dubal, David, ''The Art of the Piano'', Harcourt Brace & Company, 1995, p. 49.

Works

Orchestral

* Suite No. 1, Op. 11 (1927) * Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 19 (1934) * Suite No. 2, Op. 26 (1937) * Symphony No. 2, Op. 32 (1941) * Suite No. 3, Op. 33 (1942) * Symphony No. 3, Op. 41 (1947) * Symphony No. 4, Op. 50 (1954) * ''Trois danses'' (3 Dances), Op. 54b (1956) * Symphony No. 5 ''"sur le nom de Haydn"'' (On the Name of

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 ...

), Op. 60 (1959) * Septet for string orchestra, Op. 64 (1961); original for 2 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos and double bass * Symphony No. 6, Op. 66 (1965) * Symphony No. 7 for chorus and orchestra, "Israel," Op. 68 (1967–70)

Concertante

* Concerto No. 1 for piano and orchestra, Op. 7 (1926) * Concerto for violin and orchestra, Op. 15 (1931) * Concerto for 2 pianos and orchestra, Op. 17 (1933) * ''Concertstück'' (Concert Piece) for piano and chamber orchestra, Op. 27 (1937) * Concerto for flute and chamber orchestra, Op. 35 (1942) * Concerto No. 2 ''"for

Dimitri Mitropoulos Dimitri Mitropoulos ( el, Δημήτρης Μητρόπουλος; The dates 18 February 1896 and 1 March 1896 both appear in the literature. Many of Mitropoulos's early interviews and program notes gave 18 February. In his later interviews, howe ...

"'' for piano and orchestra, Op. 37 (1944) * Concerto for cello and orchestra, Op. 43 (1947) * ''Capriccio'' for piano and string orchestra, Op. 49 (1952) * Concerto No. 3 for piano and orchestra, Op. 63 (1961) * Concerto for 3 pianos and string orchestra, Op. 65 (1964)

Chamber music

* ''Introduction et polonaise'' for cello and piano, Op. 4 (1924) * Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 6 (1924) * Sonata No. 1 for violin and piano, Op. 9 (1927) * Quintet for flute, violin, viola, cello and harp, Op. 10 (1927) * Sonata for viola and piano, Op. 12 (1928) * String Quartet No. 1, Op. 13 (1929) * Piano Quintet in D minor, Op. 16 (1932) * Sonata for flute and piano, Op. 18 (1934) * ''Deux pièces'' (2 Pieces) for harp, Op. 20 (1935) * Sonata for cello and piano, Op. 22 (1935) * Sonata for oboe (or clarinet) and piano, Op. 23 (1936) * ''Trois intermezzi'' (3 Intermezzi) for woodwind quintet, Op. 24 (1936) * String Trio, Op. 25 (1937) * String Quartet No. 2, Op. 29 (1940) * Piano Quartet, Op. 30 (1940) * Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano, Op. 34 (1942) * Suite for 2 solo violins, Op. 39 (1944) * Trio for oboe, clarinet and bassoon, Op. 42 (1947) * ''Nonetto'' for string quartet, wind quartet and piano, Op. 45 (1949) * String Quartet No. 3, Op. 46 (1950) * ''Hommage à Chausson'' (Homage to Chausson) for violin and piano, Op. 51 (1954) * Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 53 (1956) * String Quartet No. 4, Op. 55 (1957) * Sextet for woodwinds and piano, Op. 58 (1958) * ''Fantaisie'' for flute and piano, Op. 59 (1959) * ''Deux pièces'' (2 Pieces) for bassoon and piano, Op. 61 (1960) * Septet for 2 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos and double bass (or string orchestra), Op. 64 (1961)

Piano

* ''Le voyage imaginaire'' (The Imaginary Trip), Op. 1 (1916) * ''Six pièces'' (6 Pieces) for 2 pianos, Op. 2 (1920) * ''Vingt-quatre préludes'' (24 Préludes), Op. 5 (1924) * ''Trois berceuses'' (3 Lullabies), Op. 8 (1926) * Sonata No. 1, Op. 14 (1930) * ''Huit études'' (8 Études), Op. 28 (1939) * Sonata No. 2, Op. 31 (1941) * ''Trois danses méditerranéennes'' (3 Mediterranean Dances) for 2 pianos, Op. 36 (1943) * ''Chant pour la libération de Paris'' (Song for the Liberation of Paris) for 2 pianos, Op. 38 (1944) * ''Toccata'', Op. 40 (1946) * Sonata No. 3, Op. 44 (1948) * ''Six enfantines'', Op. 48 (1950) * ''Variations d'après l'hommage à Debussy de M. de Falla'' (Variations on

's "Hommage à Debussy"), Op. 47 (1951) * ''Suite en La'' (Suite in A), Op. 52 (1956) * ''Trois danses'' (3 Dances), Op. 54a (1956) * Sonata No. 4, Op. 56 (1957) * Sonata for 2 pianos, Op. 62 (1960) * ''Trois berceuses'' (3 Lullabies), Op. 67 (1966) * ''Impromptu'', Op. 67 No. 4 (1967)

Vocal

* ''Spleen'' for voice and orchestra, Op.3 (1923) * ''Trois rondels pour après'' for voice and piano, Op. 21 (1935) * ''Sept épigrammes sur des tombeaux grecs'' for voice and orchestra, Op. 57 (1958)

References

External links

Robert Casadesus site
with a number of valuable features, including:
Short biography of Robert Casadesus
Long biography of Robert Casadesus, by Jacqueline Muller
Chronology of events in life of Robert Casedesus
Complete discographyYoungrok Lee's Classical Music pageat Eroica Records
Discography
at SonyBMG Masterworks
Ampico, The" target="_blank" class="mw-redirect" title="Reproducing Piano Roll Foundation
*[http://www.casadesus.com/famille
by Greco Casadesus {{DEFAULTSORT:Casadesus, Robert 1899 births">Reproducing Piano Roll Foundation

Greco Casadesus {{DEFAULTSORT:Casadesus, Robert 1899 births
1972 deaths
20th-century French male classical pianists French male composers Musicians from Paris Casadesus family, Robert 20th-century French composers