Before Chopin

In the shadow of the Viennese School, French composers were very interested in the new instrumental phenomenon that the pianoforte became at the turn of the century. The Paris Conservatoire, from its foundation, gave it a prominent place by devoting first six and then eleven classes to the instrument. The first teachers there were Hélène de Montgeroult, Louis-Emmanuel Jadin, Jean-Louis Adam and François-Adrien Boieldieu. Somewhere between Classicism and early Romanticism, their works were mainly intended for the salon: the instrument was not yet loud enough to be welcomed in concert. Exploring the piano’s capabilities, from emotional expression to virtuosity, they opened the way for the future works of Liszt, Chopin, Thalberg and Alkan.