Born in Paris, Nov 30, 1813
Died in Paris, March 29, 1888
- Charles-Valentin Alkan [PRONUNCIATION] was both a composer and one of the leading piano virtuosos of the 19th century.1
- Alkan showed musical talent from a very early age. He entered the Paris Conservatoire at age five (!) and gave his first public concert as a violinist at age seven. By his early teens, Alkan was already making a career as a concert pianist.
- By his 20s, Alkan was a celebrity in Paris and admired by Liszt, Chopin, George Sand, Alexandre Dumas, and many more cultural standouts.
- Despite his early success, Alkan spent much of his life as a hermit, possibly due to a depressive OCD (though it’s impossible to diagnose historical figures properly). These periods away from the public were typically marked by great compositional productivity.
- Alkan became increasingly interested in his Jewish heritage with age, which influenced both his music (through the use of Jewish melodies and Hebrew words) and his hobbies. He translated the entire Old and New Testaments of the Bible into French from Syriac.
- Fun fact – Alkan was one of the first composers to incorporate Jewish themes and references into classical music.2
- Much of Alkan’s compositions were written for piano.
“At a period when the piano was undergoing universal exploitation for new and more dazzling sonorities, Alkan made a positive contribution to virtuoso technique. His music can be exacting beyond the capacity of any but the most powerful players in technique, dynamic demands and stamina. It can also be disarmingly simple. He exploited the extreme ends of the keyboard, often in deliberate contrast with the middle range.”
Grove Music Online
- *A quick note regarding his name – Charles-Valentin’s real surname was Morhange. He took his father’s first name, “Alkan,” as his professional surname. Fun fact – all his siblings also used “Alkan” as their surname for their professional careers as musicians.3
- Alkan’s music has been seriously neglected, even while the composer was still alive. This may be due, in part, to the fact that much of it is incredibly difficult to play. Nonetheless, there’s an opportunity for a rediscovery of the 19th-century figure who influenced so many.
Learn More
Biography from the European Institute of Jewish Music (IEJM)
Biography from Hyperion Records
Sources
- Hugh Macdonald, “Alkan [Morhange], (Charles-)Valentin,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed July 27, 2023, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000000579.
- Malcom Hayes, “Composer of the Month: Charles-Valentin Alkan,” BBC Music Magazine Vol. 27, No. 6 (2019), 76-80.
- Hugh Macdonald, “Alkan [Morhange], (Charles-)Valentin,” Grove Music Online.