Demessieux, Jeanne
Demessieux, Jeanne
Demessieux, Jeanne , distinguished French organist and pedagogue; b. Montpellier, Feb. 14, 1921; d. Paris, Nov. 11, 1968. At the age of 12, she played organ at the church of St.-Esprit. She studied at the Paris Cons, with Tagliaferro, J. and N. Gallon, and Dupre, winning premiers prix in harmony (1937), piano (1938), and fugue and counterpoint (1940). She gave her first public recital in Paris in 1946, then toured widely in Europe and made her first highly successful visit to the U.S. in 1953. In 1952 she became a prof, at the Liège Cons. She also served as organist at the Madeleine in Paris from 1962. She possessed a phenomenal technique and was regarded as one of the most brilliant improvisers on the organ.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire