Marie Jaëll (née Trautmann) (17 August 1846, Steinseltz – 4 February 1925,

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 ...

) was a French

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

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 def ...

, and

pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

. Marie Jaëll composed pieces for piano, concertos, quartets, and others, She dedicated her cello concerto to

Jules Delsart Jules Delsart (24 November 1844 – 3 July 1900) was a French cellist and teacher. He is best known for his arrangement for cello and piano of César Franck's Violin Sonata in A major. Musicologist Lynda MacGregor described Delsart as "one of th ...

, and was the first pianist to perform all the piano sonatas of

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 ...

in Paris. She did scientific studies of hand techniques in piano playing and attempted to replace traditional drilling with systematic piano methods. Her students included

Albert Schweitzer Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was a German and French polymath from Alsace. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. As a Lutheran minister, ...

, who studied with her while also studying organ with

Charles-Marie Widor Charles-Marie-Jean-Albert Widor (21 February 1844 – 12 March 1937) was a French organist, composer and teacher of the late Romantic era. As a composer he is known for his ten organ symphonies, especially the toccata of his fifth organ sympho ...

in 1898–99. She died in Paris.

Early life and education

Her father was the mayor of Steinseltz in Alsace, and her mother was a lover of the arts. She began piano studies at the age of sixSchmidt-Roger, Lea.
Condensed Introduction to The Life and Work of the French Composer Marie Jaëll
. Accessed Dec. 2014. and by seven, she was studying under piano pedagogues F.B. Hamma and

Ignaz Moscheles Isaac Ignaz Moscheles (; 23 May 179410 March 1870) was a Bohemian piano virtuoso and composer. He was based initially in London and later at Leipzig, where he joined his friend and sometime pupil Felix Mendelssohn as professor of piano in the Co ...

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

. Marie's mother served as her advocate and manager. A year after she began lessons with Hamma and Moscheles, she gave concerts in Germany and Switzerland.Marie Trautmann Jaëll
, ic.galegroup.com
''Encyclopedia of World Biography'', Vol. 24
Detroit: Gale, 2005. Accessed Sept. 2014. In 1856, the ten-year-old Marie was introduced to the piano teacher Heinrich Herz at the

Paris Conservatory 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 ...

. After just four months as an official student at the Conservatory, she won the First Prize of Piano. Her performances were recognized by the public and local newspapers; the ''

Revue et gazette musicale The ' () was a weekly musical review founded in 1827 by the Belgian musicologist, teacher and composer François-Joseph Fétis, then working as professor of counterpoint and fugue at the Conservatoire de Paris. It was the first French-language ...

'' printed a review on July 27, 1862, that reads: "She marked it he piecewith the seal of her individual nature. Her higher mechanism, her beautiful style, her play deliciously moderate, with an irreproachable purity, an exquisite taste, a lofty elegance, constantly filled the audience with wonder." On August 9, 1866, at twenty years of age, Marie married the Austrian concert pianist Alfred Jaëll. She was then known variously as Marie Trautmann, Marie Jaëll, Marie Jaëll Trautmann or Marie Trautmann Jaëll. Alfred was fifteen years older than Marie and had been a student of

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...

. The husband and wife team performed popular pieces, duos, solos, and compositions of their own throughout Europe and Russia. As a pianist, Marie specialized in the music of

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 ...

Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic period. With a diverse body of work spanning more than six decades, he is considered to be one of the most pro ...

, and

. They transcribed Beethoven's "Marcia alla Turca" from ''

The Ruins of Athens ''The Ruins of Athens'' (''Die Ruinen von Athen''), Op. 113, is a set of incidental music pieces written in 1811 by Ludwig van Beethoven. The music was written to accompany the play of the same name by August von Kotzebue, for the dedication of t ...

'' for piano; the score was successfully published in 1872. Alfred was able to use his success and fame to help Marie meet with various composers and performers throughout their travels. In 1868, Marie met the composer and pianist Franz Liszt. A record of Liszt's comments about Marie survives in an article published in the American Record Guide: "

arie Jaëll Arie is a masculine given name. As a Dutch name, Arie *Arie Altman (Plant Biology and AgBiotech) (born 1937), Israeli Professor of Agriculture * (1903–1982), Dutch composer *Arie van Beek (born 1951), Dutch music teacher and conductor *Arie Bies ...

has the brains of a philosopher and the fingers of an artist." Liszt introduced Marie to other great composers and performers of the day—for example,

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

and

Anton Rubinstein Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (; ) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who founded the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. He was the elder brother of Nikolai Rubinstein, who founded the Moscow Conservatory. As a pianist, Rubinstein ran ...

. By 1871, Marie's compositions began to be published. With the death of her husband in 1882, Marie had the opportunity to study with Liszt in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

, and with

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 ...

and

César Franck César Auguste Jean Guillaume Hubert Franck (; 10 December 1822 – 8 November 1890) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher born in present-day Belgium. He was born in Liège (which at the time of h ...

in Paris. Saint-Saëns dedicated his Piano Concerto No. 1 and the "Étude en forme de valse" to her. Saint-Saëns thought highly enough of Marie to introduce her to the Society of Music Composers—a great honor for women in those days.

Compositions and reviews

The

New Grove Dictionary of Music ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and theo ...

states that Marie "composed piano pieces and songs which, though essentially Romantic, reveal an assimilation of the innovations of the time." The American Record Guide lists Marie's compositional approach as "romantic in style, with more flavor of the salon than the concert hall." Marie was well respected, both as a performer and a composer, by her contemporaries. Lea Schmidt-Roger states "Four-handed literature was as much a part of Jaëll's repertory as solo literature. She concertized with duo piano and four-handed pieces from the age of fourteen, and later she and husband Alfred transcribed and performed much of the contemporary four-handed literature." Marie drew inspiration for her piece "Harmonies d’Alsace" from her childhood memories. She wrote pieces for cello, piano, orchestra, quartets, etc. Marie's variety of compositions extended to a symphonic poem, "Ossiane," which was based on the poems of Jean Richepin and Victor Hugo. She wrote a number of vocal pieces and an opera, ''Runea''. BBC Radio 3 featured her as ''Composer of the Week'', first transmitted August–September 2020, repeated 10–14 July 2023.

Physiology research and Jaëll Method

After struggling with

tendonitis Tendinopathy is a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder ( rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow ( tenn ...

, Jaëll began to study neuroscience. The strain on her playing and performing led her to research physiology. Jaëll studied a wide variety of subjects pertaining to the functioning of the body, and also ventured into psychology: "She wanted to combine the emotional and spiritual act of creating beautiful music with the physiological aspects of tactile, additive, and visual sensory." Dr. Charles Féré assisted Jaëll in her research of physiology. Her studies included how music affects the connection between mind and body, as well as how to apply this knowledge to intelligence and sensitivity in teaching music. Liszt's music had such a tremendous influence on Jaëll that she sought to gain as much insight into his methods and techniques as possible. This research and study led to Jaëll creating her own teaching method based on her findings. Jaëll's teaching method was known as the 'Jaëll Method'. Her method was created through a process of trial and error with herself and her students. Jaëll's goal was for her students to feel a deep connection to the piano. An eleven-book series on piano technique resulted from her research and experience. Piano pedagogues have since drawn insight into teaching techniques of the hand from her method and books. In fact, her method is still in use today. As a result of her studies, Jaëll was able to compile her extensive research into a technique book entitled ''L'intelligence et le rythme dans les mouvements artistiques.'' This text is used by pianists and piano pedagogues as a reference, specifically with hand position and playing techniques.

List of compositions

Source: * ''Am Grabe eines Kindes'' - 3 choirs. * ''Ce qu'on entend dans l'Enfer, le Purgatoire'' * ''Le Paradis'' - large work for piano. * Cello Concerto in F major, dedicated to Jules Delsart (1882) * Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, dedicated to Camille Saint-Saëns (1877) * Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, dedicated to

Eugen d'Albert Eugen (originally Eugène) Francis Charles d'Albert (10 April 1864 – 3 March 1932) was a Scottish-born pianist and composer who immigrated to Germany. Educated in Britain, d'Albert showed early musical talent and, at the age of seventeen, h ...

(1884) * ''Harmonies d'Alsace'' - orchestra. * Impromptu, 2 Meditations, 6 Petits morceaux, 10 Bagatelles - intermediate pieces for the piano. * ''La Légende des Ours'' - soprano and piano. * ''Les Orientales'' - voice. * ''Ossiane'' - voice and orchestra. * ''Psalm LXV'' - choir in four parts, dedicated to Monsieur Alfred Jaëll, unpublished. * ''Runea'' - opera. * Sonate pour violon. * ''Sphinx'' - for piano, dedicated to Saint-Saëns, published in 1885. * ''Sur la tombe d'un enfant'' - chorus and orchestra. * Valses pour piano á quatre mains, Op. 8 - piano four-hands. * Valses Mélancoliques and Valses Mignonnes - solo pieces for intermediate piano. * ''Voix du Printemps'' - piano four-hands.

Writings

Source: * Le toucher, enseignement du piano ... basé sur la physiologie (Paris, 1895) * La musique et la psychophysiologie (Paris, 1896) * Le mécanisme du toucher (Paris, 1897) * Les rythmes du regard et la dissociation des doigts (Paris, 1901) * L’intelligence et le rythme dans les mouvements artistiques (Paris, 1904) * Un nouvel état de conscience: la coloration des sensations tactiles (Paris, 1910) * La résonance du toucher et la topographie des pulpes (Paris, 1912) * Nouvel enseignement musical et manuel basé sur la découverte des boussoles tonales (Paris, 1922) * Le toucher musical par l’éducation de la main (Paris, 1927) * La main et la pensée musicale (Paris, 1927)

References

External links

*
Jaëll, Marie Trautmann
, ''Encyclopedia.com''. Accessed 13 October 2019.
mariejaell.org/wordpress/english/
Website : Association Internationale Marie Jaëll *
www.marie-jaell.info
A website about Marie partly in English *
www.mariejaell-alsace.net
Website : Association Marie Jaëll-Alsace (Strasbourg) *
Catalogues de la Bibliothèque Nationale et Universitaire (Strasbourg)
: Marie Jaëll's archives are in the B.N.U.S. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jaell, Marie 1846 births 1925 deaths Musicians from Bas-Rhin Conservatoire de Paris alumni 19th-century French classical composers 20th-century French classical composers 19th-century French women classical pianists 19th-century French classical pianists French Romantic composers French women classical composers 20th-century French women composers 19th-century French women composers