Belgian pianist Marie Pleyel, a sense of musical perfection

Marie Pleyel, whose full name was Marie-Félicité-Denise Moke, was one of the most brilliant pianists of her time, and an important member of the artistic elite of the mid-nineteenth century. Born on 4 September 1811 in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, Marie Pleyel held three nationalities. Although born in France, her father, Jean Jacques Moke, came from Thourout in West Flanders. Her mother, Maria Magdalena Segnitz, was German.

Marie Pleyel studied with some of the greatest names in music, including Jacques Herz, Ignaz Moscheles and Friedrich Kalkbrenner. Considered a child prodigy, she gave her first piano concert at the age of 8. A glorious musical career was opening up for her. By the age of 15, she was already a big name not only in Belgium, but also in England, Austria, Germany and Russia. She performed several times at the famous Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels.

Having just become engaged to the French composer Hector Berlioz, she finally married Camille Pleyel on 5 April 1831, the son of Ignace Joseph Pleyel, composer and famous maker of Pleyel pianos. They had two children, a girl and a boy: Camille Louise Pleyel and Ignace Henry Pleyel. After a four-year marriage, they announced their divorce. However, she did keep his name.

Although passionate about music, this talented pianist and composer was particularly attached to her freedom and independence. She took a few musical breaks, which enabled her to escape from the artistic world for a while and spend time with her children. She could also count on her many musical friends, including Frédéric Chopin, Felix Mendelssohn and Franz Liszt.

After a busy musical career and tours in many countries, Marie Pleyel finally ended her career as a piano teacher at the prestigious Royal Conservatory in Brussels. It is largely thanks to her work as a piano teacher at the Conservatory that the art of playing the piano is still practiced today in Belgium, where it had previously received very little attention. She died suddenly on 30 March 1875 in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, near Brussels, where she lived for many years. A funerary monument bearing the effigy of Marie Pleyel now stands in Laeken cemetery, proof of her importance in our history.

In his 2025 novel Piano, Rue Royale, the Belgian storyteller Philippe Baudot tells us the story of this great Belgian artist, her many successes and her move to our beautiful capital, the high point of the novel.

Photo credit: © Public Domain / Marie-Alexandre Alophe