Prudent, Emile (Racine Gauthier)

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Prudent, Emile (Racine Gauthier)

Prudent, Emile (Racine Gauthier) , French pianist, teacher, and composer; b. Angoulême, Feb. 3, 1817; d. Paris, May 13, 1863. Early orphaned, he was adopted by a piano tuner. He studied at the Paris Cons. with Zimmerman (piano; premier prix, 1833) and Laurent (harmony; 2nd prix, 1834). He made tours as a pianist in France, Belgium, England, and Germany; then settled in Paris, where he was greatly esteemed as a teacher. He wrote a number of piano works, contemporary critics ranking him between Thalberg and Döhler. His paraphrase of Lucia di Lammermoor enjoyed considerable success.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire