White Selva

Biography

Of Catalan origin, it begins the piano at four years and half. His/her father decides to settle with Limoges then with Paris where Blanche returns in preparatory class of the Conservatoire of Paris and obtains its first medal there. It leaves the Academy at 12 years and half. Autodidact, it works his exceptional gifts ardently.

In January 1897, to 13 years, it gives its first public concert to Lausanne. At 16 years, its meeting with Vincent d' Indy is determining and this one appoints it piano teacher to the Schola Cantorum in December 1901. It shares with Indy, throughout its existence, the values essential of art with the point to be regarded as its spiritual girl and it becomes its principal interpreter. Thus, during nearly 20 years, it is one of the most enthusiastic propagators of the music of the Scholiste family. But she ignores the type-setters of Avant-garde.

In 1904, she interprets with the piano in 17 concerts the first integral of work for keyboard of Bach (one of its preferred type-setters). The annotations and the councils of interpretation which it notes on the partitions of Cantor still make authority.

She very regularly plays the great sonatas of Beethoven and will interpret the 32 sonatas with Barcelona into 1925/26 then at the time of the centenary of died of Beethoven in 1927. César Franck is another of her favorite type-setters. She interprets Prélude, choral and running away and it is one of rare works with the Partita n° 1 of Bach which she records in 1928. She plays with the same faith Rameau, Couperin, Schumann, Chopin, by extasiant each time the audience: the spirit of the Masters seems to penetrate it and animate its fingers.

It opens its programs with its mentor Vincent d' Indy, but also with its friends type-setters of the Schola Cantorum. Those dedicate to him of works and entrust creation of it to him just as Albert Roussel, Paul Dukas, Albéric Magnard, Jean Roger-Ducasse, Marcel Labey, Rene de Castéra. For Déodat de Séverac, friend and close type-setter in spirit of which it completes last work and writes a monograph, it creates also several of its compositions for piano. Isaac Albéniz asks for to him the second reading of Iberia of which it controls the pianistic difficulties and innovations. It creates the 4 books (dedicatee of the second) by playing them in a perfect way. She interprets also Debussy, Ravel, Honegger, Rachmaninov.

She composes very little, of the melodies , the parts for piano and a oratorio . Admired large pianists of its time, it is, at its time, one of the most famous pianists Frenchwoman. Thus, it furrows France and Europe to give concerts and recitals, often accompanied by explanatory conferences.

From 1920 to 1924, it is devoted to promotion in France of the Czech music and makes known in Central Europe the French music. It shares its time between the post of professor with the Academy of Strasbourg, another with Prague and the Teacher training school of music of Paris. In parallel, it founds its own school by training graduate professors according to his method. This network of professors extends on all France.

With the end of the year 1924, it settles with Barcelona where it founds its own academy and form a duet with the Catalan violonist Joan Massiá. In 1930, its career of interpreter is brutally stopped by a paralysis but it does not continue of it less its teaching with energy. It leaves Barcelona in 1936 because of the civil war and settles, after a short stay with Moulins (To combine), with Saint-Saturnin (Place of the Young elm) then transferred from his house, very sick, in an old people's home occupied by nuns of Cambrai located at Saint-Lover-Tallende where it dies in December 1942 in loneliness and an unquestionable destitution. It rests with the cemetery of Saint-Saturnin located road of Aydat where on an epitaph is reproduced, in particular, the following words: Kindness - Beauty - Truth .

The interpreter

Its play at the same time powerful, is varied, luminous and of a great rhythmic lightness with sonorities of an infinite variety, captivating the auditoire.s It can describe and teach the techniques that it developed and of which it leaves detailed and very complete written testimonys. It thoroughly prepares works which it interprets. Control dynamics, safety, perfection of the rate/rhythm and exceptional sonority, such are qualities of its play which are generally mentioned.

Its writings

It published several books on the pianistic technique and in particular:

Musical Teaching of the Technique of the Piano (7 volumes), Paris 1916 to 1925

It also published treaties on the musical form:

the Sonata, Study of its historical and expressive evolution for interpretation and of hearing , Paris 1913,
Sonatas of Beethoven , Barcelona 1927,
a monograph on Déodat de Séverac , Paris 1930,
of many articles, in particular in the Shelves of Schola , the Musical World , the Musical Review , the Musical Revista Catalana ,
of the conferences and presentations in concerts,
of the annotations, tacts and councils of interpretation of works.

To listen to the interpreter

In a recording of 1928, to listen to this marvellous interpreter in an extract of the Bathers to the sun (1908) of her friend Déodat de Séverac

Sources

White Association Selva .
biographical Dictionary of the musicians of Theodore Baker and Nicolas Slonimsky (Robert Laffont),
History of the music - Volume IV “the paddle of the 20th century” of Rene Dumesnil.

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