Hélène de Montgeroult (1764-1836)

Donald Macleod begins the second leg of his “Tour de France” in three weeks focused on French composers across the centuries. This week, Donald introduces us to the remarkable life story and unsung musical innovations of Hélène de Montgeroult.

There aren’t many composers who can claim that music saved their life – at least, in the literal sense. But for Hélène de Montgeroult, it was her astounding powers of improvisation that got her out of the stickiest situation imaginable, hauled in front of the guillotine during the French Revolution. This week, we’ll follow her rollercoaster tale and hear how she had her own revolutionary impact on the piano literature. Described as a precursor of Romanticism, anticipating the language of Schubert and Mendelssohn, audiences said her playing “made the keys speak”. She broke ground as the first female professor at the Paris Conservatoire and left behind 600 pages of music, including a complete course for piano which elevated the technical study into a miniature lyrical artform. As Donald pieces together her tantalising story, he’s joined by pianist Clare Hammond, who has spent recent years getting to know Montgeroult and recording an album of her études.

Music Featured:

Etude No 66 in C minor Etude No 101 in C sharp major Sonata in E flat, Op 1 No 2 Sonata in D major, Op 5 No 1 (1st mvt) Sonata in A minor, Op 2 No 3 (2nd mvt) Etude No 38 in A minor Etude No 65 in E flat minor Etude No 17 in E flat major Etude No 55 in F minor Etude No 19 in F major Sonata in A minor, Op 2 No 3 (1st and 3rd mvt) Sonata in F sharp minor, Op 5 No 3 Etude No 107 in D minor Sonata in F minor, Op 5 No 2 Etude No 114 in F minor Sonata in G minor, Op 2 No 1 Thème varié dans le genre moderne Sonata in D major, Op 5 No 1 (2nd-4th mvts) Etude No 82 in C minor, Etude No 104 in G sharp minor Etude No 74 in C minor Etude No 26 in G major Etude No 73 in D major Fugue No 1 in F minor Fugue No 3 in G minor Etude No 110 in A major Etude No 112b in A flat major Sonata in A minor, Op 2 No 3 Etude No 106 in B major Etude No 62 in E flat major Fantaisie in G minor Sonata in C major, Op 2 No 2 Etude No 112 (1st mvt) Etude No 111 in G minor

Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Cardiff

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Hélène de Montgeroult (1764-1836) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0018ylr

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z