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Hélène de Montgeroult (1764-1836)
29 Études from the Cours complet pour l’enseignement du forte-piano (1788-1812)
Clare Hammond (piano)
rec. 2021, Wyastone Concert Hall, Monmouth, UK
BIS BIS-2603 SACD [71]

The biography of Hélène de Montgeroult reads like some romantic piece of fiction worthy of Alexandre Dumas. Born into an aristocratic family in pre-revolutionary France, she married a Marquis, undertook secret diplomatic missions to London in her twenties, was then imprisoned by Austrian soldiers while en route to meet the King of Naples (her husband died whilst incarcerated). During the Reign of Terror she was arrested and tried and escaped the guillotine (allegedly!) by improvising for the judges a set of variations on the Marseillaise that moved them to tears. She then became professor of piano at the Conservatoire de Musique de Paris – the first woman to occupy such a position. Between 1788 and 1812 as part of her role as teacher, she wrote 114 piano études which were published in 1816 as the three-volume Cours complet pour l’enseignement du forte-piano. Clare Hammond, who plays this survey with great insight and skill, also provides the excellent and informative liner note. In this she points out that this school of piano technique was much more expensive than equivalent contemporary publications and also that the musical and technical demands were too great for most student players of the time. De Montgeroult had started creating this body of work for her pupil Johann Baptist Cramer who latterly published his own piano method which – as Hammond points out – lacks the sophistication of his teacher’s work but echoed several passages from the earlier publication. Apparently just twenty four copies of the original Cours complet still exist in libraries and until awareness and appreciation of the stature of de Montgeroult’s work was re-established through the work of French musicologist Jérôme Dorival she was little more than an unfamiliar historical footnote. Hammond credits Dorival not just for bringing this music to her attention but also for supporting and guiding her exploration of this remarkable musical legacy.

And remarkable musical legacy is undoubtedly what these studies represent. I am not usually that keen on measuring a piece of music’s merit by the time or place it was composed. However, even the slightest familiarity with the music that was written at the time of these pieces’ composition let alone what lay decades in the future shows how in advance of its time these studies were. Consider for a moment that de Montgeroult was just eight years younger than Mozart but she outlived Schubert by eight years as well.

Every student of every instrument will have had recourse to books of studies that help the player dissect specific technical aspects of playing that instrument. For all their teaching value they can often be rather barren in terms of musical interest. One of de Montgeroult’s notable achievements is how she makes ‘proper’ music of these studies. Certainly their primary purpose is pedagogic, but they light the way towards the concert etudes of Chopin and beyond. Indeed it is this foreshadowing of composers often decades in the future that is the most striking feature here.

Hammond has chosen twenty nine etudes to perform here (twelve of which are given world premiere recordings) so barely a quarter of the published number. My only disappointment with this disc and its presentation is that in the liner Hammond does not explain her choices or more to the point elaborate on the pieces not included. Very roughly the disc presents the studies in numerical sequence with number 26 the earliest [albeit as track 6] and number 111 the last on the CD. Whether or not there is a progression in technical terms that makes nos. 1-25 less interesting for repeated listening or if it is a question of repetitious keys or styles is not clear. That said the chosen sequence makes for a satisfying over-arching listening experience and there is no fatigue or lack of variety across the disc’s seventy minute span. The studies range in duration from fragments such as the 48’ Étude No.35 in C minor “Étude des deux mains. Sur le temps coupé” [track 3] to the much more substantial 4:37 of Étude No.89 in A flat minor “Étude des deux mains. Pour la difficulté du ton”[track18]. The latter has a powerful dignity and exhibits another de Montgeroult characteristic. Even when she is reflecting the influence of earlier composers as here, she achieves harmonic side slips and extensions of phrase lengths that gives these neo-baroque passages a sophistication that only became the norm much later in the 19^th Century. Hammond makes the point that there is no historical record that later composers such as Chopin, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms knew of her work. However, the circumstantial evidence is interesting to say the least. Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn both studied with a de Montgeroult disciple and the Schumann’s teacher Friedrich Wieck apparently did use the Cours complet. Certainly de Montgeroult makes recurring use of the kind of “spinning wheel” accompaniment that features in Mendelssohn and other early Romantic composers. Another major feature of these studies that Hammond highlights is de Montgeroult’s use of melodies in a near vocal, singing manner. This is by no means unique but around 1816 very unusual indeed. Similarly, Hammond points to another study No.110 in A major “Étude des deux mains. Pour chanter d’un style large” [track 28 and beautifully played here] as being a Nocturne in all but name and written at the time John Field was being credited for having invented the genre.

This style of gently melancholic Romanticism is prevalent across a number of the studies chosen by Hammond. She plays these with great sensitivity and just the right amount of expressive freedom as well as the requisite technical sophistication. In this she is helped by BIS’ typically reliable, fine and detailed SACD engineering. The use of Nimbus’ Wyastone Concert Hall and the Steinway D concert grand piano ensures this is a rich and full-toned soundscape. I am sure an argument can be made for recording this music on an instrument of the time in which these works were created. But given de Montgeroult’s visionary and forward-looking compositions, I find it hard not to think that she would have been inspired by the tonal range and power of a modern concert grand. A quick glance at the catalogue reveals a small handful of other discs featuring her work – none of which I have heard. These include a two disc set of the nine piano sonatas played by Nicolas Horvath on the Grand Piano label and a mixed recital of two sonatas and some of the etudes from the Cours complet played by Nicolas Stavy on Hortus. As I have not heard any other de Montgeroult discs or music so I cannot compare. In isolation this is a hugely enjoyable and impressive disc both in terms of the music it presents and the care and skill with which it is performed. This music is of a quality and interest that transcends questions of gender or historical quirk. That it was neglected is a genuine mystery but now that it has emerged from the shadows I would fully expect this music and the name of its composer to become a much more regular feature both in the concert hall and on disc. An exciting discovery and a compulsory purchase for anyone interested in the evolution of piano music in the early 19^th century.

Nick Barnard
 
Contents
Étude No.37 in G major
Étude No.36 in F major
Étude No.35 in C minor
Étude No.34 in F major
Étude No.28 in E major
Étude No.26 in G major
Étude No.38 in A minor
Étude No.41 in E flat major
Étude No.51 in F minor
Étude No.53 in E minor
Étude No.52 in C major
Étude No.55 in F minor
Étude No.66 in C minor
Étude No.62 in E flat major
Étude No.65 in E flat minor
Étude No.67 in B major
Étude No.74 in C minor
Étude No.89 in A flat minor
Étude No.82 in C minor
Étude No.97 in G minor
Étude No.99 in C minor
Étude No.100 in B flat minor
Étude No.101 in C sharp major
Étude No.103 in F sharp minor
Étude No.106 in B major
Étude No.104 in G sharp minor
Étude No.107 in D minor
Étude No.110 in A major
Étude No.111 in G minor

Published: November 11, 2022