Person Open DS/UK/2706 De Greef; Arthur (1862-1940); Belgian pianist, composer De Greef Arthur 1862-1940 Belgian pianist, composer Male

Arthur De Greef (10 October 1862 – 29 August 1940) was a Belgian pianist and composer. Born in Louvain, he won first prize in a local music composition when he was only 11, and subsequently enrolled at the Brussels Conservatoire. His main teacher there was Louis Brassin, a former pupil of Ignaz Moscheles, although he also took lessons from other staffers at the institution, including Joseph Dupont, François-Auguste Gevaert and Fernand Kufferath. After graduating with high distinction from the Conservatoire at the age of 17, De Greef went to Weimar to complete his studies under Franz Liszt. He was a Liszt pupil for two years. Following the Weimar sojourn, De Greef embarked on a successful career as a concert pianist, travelling widely. He was a friend of Edvard Grieg, whose Piano Concerto he had played publicly in 1898, and who called him "the best performer of my music I have met with". In addition, he enjoyed the endorsement of Camille Saint-Saëns. British critic Jonathan Woolf has written: "De Greef was, in all respects, an intensely musical, non-sensationalist, eloquent and impressive musician and whilst not being averse to some of the interventionist tactics of his contemporaries (retouching of the score) remained sympathetically self-effacing". De Greef composed a sizeable quantity of music, virtually all of which is now unheard. Among his works are two piano concertos. He was a devoted teacher, and taught piano at the Brussels Conservatoire for many years. International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) 2nd edition - ICA 2004 ISBN 2-9521932-2-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 Yes RAHhbryony 10/24/2012 Rachael.Fragola 3/1/2022 1cae3ad6-de8f-40bf-a2ec-23f356f3d055