Flore Levine-Cousyns was born in

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

on December 6, 1898 and died in Antwerp on April 14, 1989. She was a concert pianist, Professor of Piano at the

Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp The Royal Conservatoire Antwerp () is a music school, conservatory of music, dance and drama in Antwerp, Belgium. It was founded in 1898 as the Royal Flemish Conservatoire by the Flemish people, Flemish composer Peter Benoit. The legislation on ...

(1931-1964) and was appointed Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Couronne and Chevalier de l’Ordre de Léopold. She herself was a disciple of Émile Bosquet.note: Bosquet was born in Brussels in 1878 and died in Brussels in 1958, a virtuoso pianist of international reputation, who studied with

Ferruccio Busoni Ferruccio Busoni (1 April 1866 – 27 July 1924) was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor, editor, writer, and teacher. His international career and reputation led him to work closely with many of the leading musicians, artists and literary ...

. Émile Bosquet was one of the first pianists to obtain the First Prize of the worlds’ famous

Anton Rubinstein Competition The Anton Rubinstein Competition is the name of a music competition that has existed in two incarnations. It was first staged in Russia and Western Europe between 1890 and 1910, and prizes were awarded for piano playing and composition. Since 200 ...

in Vienna in 1900.

Biography

Flore Levine studied at the

with

Flor Alpaerts Flor Alpaerts (Antwerp, 12 September 1876 – Antwerp, 5 October 1954) was a Belgian conductor, pedagogue and composer. He graduated from the ''Vlaamse Muziekschool'' in 1901. He was artistic director of the Peter Benoit Foundation, co-directo ...

August de Boeck Julianus Marie August De Boeck (May 9, 1865 in Merchtem, Belgium – October 9, 1937 in Merchtem) was a Belgian people, Belgian composer, organist and music pedagogue. He was the son of organist and director Florentinus (Flor) De Boeck (1826-189 ...

(Harmony),

Lodewijk Mortelmans miniatuur Lodewijk Mortelmans (5 February 1868, Antwerp – 24 June 1952, Antwerp) was a Belgian composer and conductor of Flemish ancestry. Sometimes called ''de Vlaamse Brahms'' ("the Flemish Brahms"), Mortelmans composed in a number of forms, ...

(Contrepoint) and in the piano class of Émile Bosquet, for whom she kept a deep attachment for the rest of her life. In 1919, she obtained her Diplôme Supérieur de Piano with honors, for which she also performed the Concerto no. 1 in E Flat Major of

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

. Having also a great interest in contemporary music, Flore Levine performed numerous Premieres (among others:

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (, ; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His composition ...

). As a famous concert pianist, she also performed many recitals with another pianist, Mit Scapus - Van Dommelen (who was born in Antwerp in 1892 and died in Antwerp in 1989) in her later years. Flore Levine had also a personal and a professional relationship with the harpsichordist Wanda Landowska. Flore Levine was appointed Professor of Piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music of Antwerp from 1931 to 1964. After this period, she continued to teach the piano for over 25 years in various Music Schools and with private lessons. As a well-known Professor, she taught several generations of pianists among which, Lucette Alleman (see Bibliography), who obtained Virtuosity Prize of the Belgium Government in 1958 and became Laureate of the Concours international d'exécution musicale de Genève that same year. Flore Levine 3

As a Professor and as a Pedagogue, Flore Levine was highly appreciated by her students, to whom she conveyed respect and deep love for music. She investigated piano methods; she was in the lineage of Karl Leimer,

Walter Gieseking Walter Wilhelm Gieseking (5 November 1895 – 26 October 1956) was a French-born German pianist and composer. Gieseking was renowned for his subtle touch, pedaling, and dynamic control—particularly in the music of Debussy and Ravel; he made inte ...

Heinrich Neuhaus Heinrich Gustav Neuhaus (, , Genrikh Gustavovič Nejgauz, 10 October 1964) was a Russian pianist and teacher. Part of a musical dynasty, he grew up in a Polish-speaking household. He taught at the Moscow Conservatory from 1922 to 1964. Neuhaus ...

and

Marie Jaëll Marie Jaëll (née Trautmann) (17 August 1846, Steinseltz – 4 February 1925, Paris) was a French pianist, composer, and pedagogue. Marie Jaëll composed pieces for piano, concertos, quartets, and others, She dedicated her cello concerto to Jul ...

.. The quality of the sound was essential and fundamental, based on a piano technique, using suppleness and a rebound technic from the keyboard, without ever ‘forcing’ the way of playing.

''Professor Levine could listen better than anyone on earth. She possessed the art to express her observations and her critical comments about piano performance with a lot of precision, without ever hurting anyone and with a fine touch of humor. She taught the way of performing the music, by listening to the greatest pianists, adding her observations and her comments, while she was always looking for solutions to technical problems (she often tried out passages in different ways, searching and demonstrating them herself at the piano). All this was passed on with deep respect for the interpretation and for the opinion of each student. After each piano lesson, one would go home with a feeling of personal growth and enrichment, both on the musical and on the human side. Flore Levine’s piano playing was shining through a deep generous, round and broad sound. A very erudite person, she devoted a passion for literature and for every other form of Art. She was also very interested in ‘what would go on in the world’. Despite her venerable age, she always remained very lively and young in spirit.''” (Testimony by Godelieve Berger, student of Flore Levine.
Gazet van Antwerpen The (; ; popularly named ''De Frut'') is a Belgian newspaper in Antwerp and Flanders, published by Concentra. History and profile was established in 1891. Its editor was Jan Baptist Napolitaan Van Os, a Catholic. Shortly afterwards, the compa ...
, 1989).

References

* Koninklijk Vlaams Conservatorium Antwerpen 1898 - School, Conservatorium, Hogeschool - 1998, Traditie en vernieuwing Hogeschool Antwerpen Departement Dramatische Kunst, Muziek en Dans, 1998. Desguinelei 25, B 2018 Antwerpen. . D 1998/3370/1. (Translation in English) ''Royal Flemish Conservatory of Antwerp 1898 - Conservatory, Graduate School - 1998, Tradition and renewal. Graduate School of Antwerp, Department of Theater, Music and Dance, 1998. Desguinelei 25, B 2018 Antwerp.'' (Flore Levine-Cousyns, pp. 117–118, 120-121, 150, 159, 402, 453. Émile Bosquet pp. 91, 95, 115-120, 122, 148-149, 412. Mit Scapus pp. 59, 94, 117, 120-121, 141-142, 149, 152, 155, 197, 401-402, 412, 453. Lucette Alleman pp. 116, 120, 127, 184, 199. Karl Leimer p. 119.). Stéphane Friédérich, Pianiste, novembre-décembre 2012. n° 77. * Begaafde pianiste en invloedrijke pianolerares, In Memoriam Flore Levine-Cousyns. (Translation in English) ''Talented pianist and influential Professor of Piano, In Memoriam Flore Levine-Cousyns. '' Gazet van Antwerpen, May 11, 1989.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levine-Cousyns, Flore 20th-century Belgian pianists 1898 births Musicians from Antwerp 1989 deaths Belgian classical pianists Belgian women pianists Belgian women classical pianists Belgian music educators Belgian women music educators