The heart of Mom’s story is in her music. When I think about her, I imagine I am hearing Chopin, Debussy, or Ravel. When we were growing up, she was frequently practicing other music for a concert, often to play with others in a chamber ensemble. But when she played for her own enjoyment, she returned to the French piano music of her youth. If you would like a taste of this, (I am compiling a play list!)

The very long list below is composed from notes and programs I found here and there in Mom’s memorabilia, and in a little notebook she compiled in the 1940’s with all the pieces she could recall working on from student days and beyond. What stands out to me is the amazing number of difficult pieces she worked while only in her teens. A very impressive list!

I also found a scrapbook with programs from the many concerts she gave for Longy, and other Boston area musical organizations and venues from the 1940’s to the 1970’s. She often accompanied other musicians, but when she played solo pieces, she continued to play familiar pieces from her French repertoire. I enjoyed reading the many notes of appreciation for her music she saved. And I also enjoyed newspaper clippings that mentioned Nadia Boulanger and Alfred Cortôt.

*The starred pieces in the list are the ones from Côrtot’s list of pieces for 1939 (in his handwriting.) I do wonder if she learned all of them in just 1 year?

**The double-starred pieces are from the collection of French essays I found Mom had saved in a folder. École Normale students were expected to analyze pieces they worked on, setting the composition in the context of the composer and the times, but also analyzing the form, themes, and harmony in some depth. Too bad I can’t read the occasional comments handwritten in French!

Also, I found a mimeographed page of requirements for the License d’Enseignement” (teaching license) and a list of familiar pieces that a piano pedagogy candidate should be familiar with. A very complete resumé for a young person! Mom passed this degree in 1938 and, at the age of 18, was well-trained for her future career as a well-rounded music teacher.

Here is the list:

Albeniz

• *Navarre

Bach

• Prelude and Fugue in A min. (Liszt) (1934)
• Italian Concerto (1934)
• Toccata and Fugue in d min. (Busoni) (1936)
• **6eme Suite Française (1938)
• **Chaconne (Busoni) (1939)
• Toccata in C (Busoni) (Adagio and Fugue) (1939)
• Prelude and Fugue in D (Busoni) (1940)
• Partita in Bb
• [also many pieces from the Well-Tempered Keyboard, and Inventions]

Beethoven

• 32 Variations (1934)
• Sonata op.10 no.3 in D (1936)
• **15 Variations and Fugue
• *Sonata op. 106
• Sonata in d minor op. 31 no. 2
• Sonata op. 78 no. 2 in F#
• Sonata op. 57 in f minor
• Sonata op. 53 in C

Brahms

• **Variations and Fugue (on a theme by Handel) (1937)

• *Sonata in f min. (2 Pianos)

• Trio in Eb (1938) (with horn and cello)

• Variations (1st book) (Paganini) (1941)

• Intermezzo no. 2 in A op. 118 (1945)

• Intermezzo no. 4 in E op. 116
• Intermezzo no. 6 in E op. 116

• Romance in F op. 118 no. 5 (1945)

• Intermezzos no. 4 op. 76 (1945)

• Capriccio no. 2 in b minor op. 76
• Capriccio in c# minor

Chopin:

• 1er and 2ème Scherzo op. 20 and 31 (1935)
• Tarantelle op. 43 (1935)
• Nocturne no.5 in F# (1936)
• 2ème Ballade in f min. (1935)
• Sonata in b min. Finale (1938)
• **Berceuse (1939)
• **Polonaise Fantaisie in Ab op. 61 (1939)
• *Fantaisie Impromptu op. 66
• *4ème Scherzo
• Étude in a min. (1940)
• Fantaisie in f min. op. 49 (1940)
• *3ème Ballade in Ab (1941)
• Préludes 1,3,4,8,16 (morceaux imposés) (1941)
• Sonata in Bb
• Ballade no.1
• Ballade no. 3 in Ab
• Impromptu in F#
• Étude op. 25 no. 2 and no. 3 (F) and no. 8
• Etude op. 10 no. 8 and no. 12 (c minor)
• Nocturne no. 20 in c# minor
• Mazurka op. 68 no. 4 in f minor
• Mazurka op. 7 no. 1 in Bb
• Fantaisie op. 49
• [other Études, Impromptus, Nocturnes, Polonaises, Scherzos, and Valses, etc.)

Debussy

• 2ème Arabesque (1932)
• **Ce qu’a Vu le Vent d’Ouest (Préludes Bk. 1 no. 7) (1936)
• Jardins sous la Pluie (Estampes III) (1936)
• Réflèts dans l’Eau (Images Book 1 no.1) (1939)
• Cathédrale Engloutié (1939) (Préludes Bk. 1 no.10)
• 1er Arabesque
• Danse de Puck (Préludes Bk. 1 no.11)
• Feux d’Artifices (Préludes Bk. 2 no.12)
• Ile Joyeuse (Estampes IV)
• Suite pour le Piano
• Children’s Corner
• Suite Bergamasque
• Danseuses des Delphes (Préludes Bk. 1 no. 1)
• Des Pas sur la Neige

Fauré

• Piano Quartet (1938)
• **Barcarolle no.3 in Ab (1939)
• *Ballade in F#, op. 19
• 1er Nocturne
• 6ème Nocturne
• 2ème Impromptu
• Thème and Variations in c# (1943)
• Barcarolle op. 42 no. 3 in Gb

Francaix

• Scherzo

Franck

• Prélude, Chorale, Fugue
• Prélude, Aria, et Final
• *Symphonic Variations (piano and orchestra) (1940)

Haydn

Honegger

• *Concertino (piano and orchestra)
• Toccata in Bb

Hummel

• Concertino (1929)

Liszt

• La Chasse (1936)
• **Les Jeux d’Eau à la Villa d’Est (1937)
• Le Feux Follets (1938)
• Rhapsodie Espagnole (1938)
• **Weinen Klagen Sorgen (1939)
• Études no. 1-6 (Paganini) (1938-1941)
• *Sonata in b minor (1940)
• Legende “St. Francois…”
• Hungarian Rhapsody no. 6

Mendelssohn

• Romance sans Paroles (Songs without Words)
• Rondo Capriccioso
• Variations Sérieuses
• Pieces Caractéristiques (1940)

Mozart

• Concerto in D (1931)
• Sonata (1936)
• *Fantasia in c minor (1940)
• Concerto in d minor (1941)
• [various sonatas and parts of concertos]
• Variations on “Ah, vous dirai-je, maman” (1945)

Pierne

• Variationes in c minor (1940) (morceau imposé)

Poulenc

• Presto in Bb (1944)
• Improvisation in C major

Prokofieff

• Toccata
• Precipitato (in Toccata form)

Ravel

• Sonatine Finale (1935)
• Sonatine (1941)
• Le Tombeau de Couperin Toccata (1937)
• Prelude (1943)
• *Gaspard de la Nuit L’Ondine (1940)

Scarlatti

• Sonata in f# minor
• Sonata in C

Schubert

• Wanderer- Fantaisie for piano and orchestra (Liszt) (1943)

Schumann

• Toccata (1939)
• Phantasiestucke (1941)
• Scenes from Childhood (1943)
• *Fantasy in c min. op. 17
• Kreisleriana op. 16
• Sonata in g minor