Clotilde Kleeberg (27 June 1866 – 7 February 1909) was a French pianist. She was also known as Clotilde Kleeberg-Samuel. The daughter of Martin Kleeberg and Henriette Cahn, natives of Germany, she was born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. She began taking private piano lessons at the age of five and later studied at the

Conservatoire 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 Ja ...

with . She received first prizes at the Conservatoire in 1877 and 1878 and went on to further studies with

Théodore Dubois Clément François Théodore Dubois (; 24 August 1837 – 11 June 1924) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer, organist, and music teacher. After study at the Paris Conservatoire, Dubois won France's premier musical prize, the Prix de Ro ...

. She performed her first concert in Paris in December 1878 in front of an audience of 4000 people. She went on to perform throughout Europe from 1881 to 1909. She was also very popular in England. Théodore Dubois dedicated his ''Six Poèmes Sylvestres'' to Kleeberg. As well as works by composers such as

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include symphonie ...

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 ...

and Chopin, she also played compositions by

Cécile Chaminade Cécile Louise Stéphanie Chaminade (8 August 1857 – 13 April 1944) was a French composer and pianist. In 1913, she was awarded the Légion d'Honneur, a first for a female composer. Ambroise Thomas said, "This is not a woman who composes, but a ...

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (, , 9October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano ...

Friedrich Gernsheim Friedrich Gernsheim (17 July 1839 – 11 September 1916) was a German composer, conductor and pianist. Early life Gernsheim was born in Worms. He was given his first musical training at home under his mother's care, then starting from the age of ...

Max d'Ollone Maximilien-Paul-Marie-Félix d'Ollone (13 June 1875 – 15 May 1959) was a 20th-century French composer. Life and career Born in Besançon, d'Ollone started composing very early, entering the Paris Conservatoire at 6, winning many prizes, recei ...

Eduard Schütt Eduard Schütt (; 22 October 1856 – 26 July 1933) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Life Eduard Schütt was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia. His father was a skilled cellist, and the family was acquainted with the pianist Anto ...

and

Ernst Eduard Taubert Ernst Eduard Taubert (25 September 1838 in Regenwalde – 14 July 1934) was a Pomeranian composer, music critic, and music educator. He began his education in Bonn where he was first a student of theology and later a music pupil of Albert Dietric ...

. In 1894, she was named an Officier d'Académie and, in 1900, an Officier de l'Instruction Publique. The French composer Camille Saint-Saëns considered her to be a brilliant pianist and

Clara Schumann Clara Josephine Schumann (; ; née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic music, Romantic era, she exerted her influence o ...

also commented favourably on her playing. In 1900, she married Belgian sculptor

Charles Samuel Charles Samuel (; 29 December 1862, in Brussels – 3 February 1938 or 1939, in Cannes) was a Belgian sculptor, engraver and medalist. Life Samuel was born in Brussels and trained there. He studied engraving with Léopold Wiener, sculpt ...

. The couple settled in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

Kleeburg died in Brussels at the age of 42 following a tour through Switzerland, possibly from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kleeberg, Clotilde 1866 births 1909 deaths 19th-century French women classical pianists 19th-century French classical pianists 20th-century French women classical pianists 20th-century French classical pianists Officiers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques French people of German-Jewish descent Musicians from Paris