Ginette Doyen

GINETTE DOYEN
French pianist (1921 - 2002)

Ginette Doyen studied under Lazare-Lévy at the Paris Conservatory where she received a first prizes in piano, harmony and accompaniment. She married the violinist Jean Fournier (brother of the cellist Pierre Fournier) and performed with him regularly.

As a soloist, Ginette Doyen was much in demand, performing ofte with the National Orchestra of France, the Philharmonic Orcehstra of the l'Orchestre des Concerts Pasdeloup, Lamoureux and Colonne, the Radio orchestra of Belgium and Luxembourg. Among the great conductors with whom she performed were Jean Martinon, Manuel Rosenthal and Serge Baudo.

Ginette Doyen's repertoire was vast, ranging from Bach, the classics, the romantics, to Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, and Gershwin. She was the first to record the complete Songs Without Words by Felix Mendelssohn, and beautiful performances they are. Unfortunately, she recorded relatively little, but we do have the four Chopin Ballades and a number of pieces for piano by Chabrier, and Saint-Saëns.

According to the well known French Musicologist and critic, Bernard Gavoty, Ginette Doyen proudly carried like a flag the three colors of French music, clarity, modesty and refined passion, and called her the messenger of an art full of sunshine.

Sadly, and due to an injury to her right thumb, Ginette Doyen was obliged to retire from performing in the 1970s.

At the very bottom of this page is a lovely example of her playing with her husband in the Beethoven Spring Sonata.

Weber Piano Sonata 1 in C major, Op 24
iv Rondo - Presto "Perpetuum Mobile"

recorded in 1946

Mendelssohn Songs Without Words

Op 19
1 Andante con moto in E major
04:21 ➢ 2 Andante espressivo in A minor
06:48 ➢ 3 Molto allegro e vivace in A major (Hunting Song)
09:18 ➢ 4 Moderato in A major
11:44 ➢ 5 Poco agitato in F♯ minor
14:52 ➢ 6 Andante sostenuto in G minor (Venetian Boat Song No. 1)

Op 30
17:37 ➢ 1 Andante espressivo in E♭ major
21:16 ➢ 2 Allegro di molto in B♭ minor
22:59 ➢ 3 Adagio non troppo in E major
26:08 ➢ 4 Agitato e con fuoco in B minor
28:47 ➢ 5 Andante grazioso in D major
30:58 ➢ 6 Allegretto tranquillo in F♯ minor (Venetian Boat Song 2)

Op 38
34:10 ➢ 1 Con moto in E♭ major
37:05 ➢ 2 Allegro non troppo in C minor
39:03 ➢ 3 Presto e molto vivace in E major
42:04 ➢ 4 Andante in A major
45:10 ➢ 5 Agitato in A minor
47:36 ➢ 6 Andante con moto in A♭ major (Duetto)

Op 53
50:54 ➢ 1 Andante con moto in A♭ major
54:22 ➢ 2 Allegro non troppo in E♭ major
57:00 ➢ 3 Presto agitato in G minor
59:18 ➢ 4 Adagio in F major
1:03:18 ➢ 5 Allegro con fuoco in A minor (Volkslied)
1:06:17 ➢ 6 Molto Allegro vivace in A major

Op 62
1:08:56 ➢ 1 Andante espressivo in G major
1:11:48 ➢ 2 Allegro con fuoco in B♭ major
1:13:32 ➢ 3 Andante maestoso in E minor (Trauermarsch)
1:17:10 ➢ 4 Allegro con anima in G major
1:18:45 ➢ 5 Andante con moto in A minor (Venetian Boat Song 3)
1:21:46 ➢ 6 Allegretto grazioso in A major (Fruhlingslied or Spring Song)

Op 67
1:24:13 ➢ 1 Andante in E♭ major
1:26:56 ➢ 2 Allegro leggiero in F♯ minor
1:28:49 ➢ 3 Andante tranquillo in B♭ major
1:31:47 ➢ 4 Presto in C major (Spinnerlied)
1:33:48 ➢ 5 Moderato in B minor
1:35:41 ➢ 6 Allegro non troppo in E major

Op 85
1:38:01 ➢ 1 Andante espressivo in F major
1:40:16 ➢ 2 Allegro agitato in A minor
1:41:16 ➢ 3 Presto in E♭ major
1:42:55 ➢ 4 Andante sostenuto in D major
1:45:42 ➢ 5 Allegretto in A major
1:48:07 ➢ 6 Allegretto con moto in B♭ major

Op 102
1:50:13 ➢ 1 Andante un poco agitato in E minor
1:53:16 ➢ 2 Adagio in D major
1:55:45 ➢ 3 Presto in C major
1:57:11 ➢ 4 Un poco agitato, ma andante in G minor
1:59:42 ➢ 5 Allegro vivace in A major (Kinderstuck)
2:00:48 ➢ 6 Andante in C major

recorded in 1952-1953

Chopin Ballades

1 in G minor, Op 23
09:49 ➢ 2 in F major, Op 38
17:51 ➢ 3 in A♭ major, Op 47
25:54 ➢ 4 in F minor, op.52

recorded in 1952

Saint-Saëns Allegro appassionato, Op 70

recorded in 1954

Saint-Saëns Toccata, Op 72~3

recorded in 1954

Saint-Saëns Thème varié, Op 97

recorded in 1954

Saint-Saëns Toccata, Op 111~6

recorded in 1954

Chabrier from 10 Pièces pittoresques

recorded in 1953

1 "Paysage" in D♭ major (Allegro non troppo. Vivo)

3 "Tourbillon" in D major (Allegro con fuoco)

4 "Sous-Bois" in C major (Andantino)

5 "Mauresque" in A minor (Moderato)

6 "Idylle" in E major (Allegretto)

7 "Danse villageoise" in A minor (Allegro risoluto)

9 "Menuet pompeux" in G minor (Allegro franco – meno mosso e molto dolce e grazioso)

10 Scherzo-Valse in D major (Vivo)

Chabrier "Caprice"

recorded in 1954

Chabrier Impromptu

recorded in 1954

Chabrier "Feuillet d'album"

recorded in 1954

Chabrier "Ballabile"

recorded in 1954

Chabrier Aubade

recorded in 1954

Chabrier "Ronde champêtre"

recorded in 1954

Chabrier "Bourrée fantasque"

recorded in 1954

Beethoven Violin Sonata 5 in F major, Op 24 "Frühlingssonate"
with Jean Fournier, violin

i Allegro
07:27 ➢ ii Adagio molto espressivo
14:22 ➢ iii Scherzo - Allegro molto
15:38 ➢ iv Rondo - Allegro ma non troppo

recorded in the 1950s