Charles-Valentin Alkan (30 November 1813 – 29 March 1888) was a French Jewish composer and virtuoso pianist. At the height of his fame in the 1830s and 1840s he was, alongside his friends and colleagues Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt, among the leading pianists in Paris, a city in which he spent virtually his entire life.
Alkan earned many awards at the Conservatoire de Paris, which he entered before he was six. His career in the salons and concert halls of Paris was marked by his occasional long withdrawals from public performance, for personal reasons. Although he had a wide circle of friends and acquaintances in the Parisian artistic world, including Eugène Delacroix and George Sand, from 1848 he began to adopt a reclusive life style, while continuing with his compositions – virtually all of which are for the keyboard. During this period he published, among other works, his collections of large-scale studies in all the major keys (Op. 35) and all the minor keys (Op. 39). The latter includes his Symphony for Solo Piano (Op. 39, nos. 4–7) and Concerto for Solo Piano (Op. 39, nos. 8–10), which are often considered among his masterpieces and are of great musical and technical complexity. Alkan emerged from self-imposed retirement in the 1870s to give a series of recitals that were attended by a new generation of French musicians.
Alkan's attachment to his Jewish origins is displayed both in his life and his work. He was the first composer to incorporate Jewish melodies in art music. Fluent in Hebrew and Greek, he devoted much time to a complete new translation of the Bible into French. This work, like many of his musical compositions, is now lost. Alkan never married, but his presumed son Élie-Miriam Delaborde was, like Alkan, a virtuoso performer on both the piano and the pedal piano, and edited a number of the elder composer's works.
Following his death (which according to persistent but unfounded legend was caused by a falling bookcase), Alkan's music became neglected, supported by only a few musicians including Ferruccio Busoni, Egon Petri and Kaikhosru Sorabji. From the late 1960s onwards, led by Raymond Lewenthal and Ronald Smith, many pianists have recorded his music and brought it back into the repertoire.
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Some of their strengths
Charles Valentin Alkan has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Energetic, Independent, Creative, Adventurous, Imaginative, Honest, and Intuitive.
Adventurous and Independent
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Charles Valentin Alkan is someone who is an adventurous, independent, and energetic person, who is insightful, imaginative, generous, and honest. A person who really cares about helping others make the most of what they have.
Warm and Caring
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Charles Valentin Alkan well know them as someone who can be warm, caring, and compassionate, like a lamp or torch.
Active and Ambitious
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Charles Valentin Alkan as someone who is active, ambitious, bold, and courageous.
A person who is driven and organized, is wise with money, who knows how to tell a good story, likes physical activity, and who loves learning.
Perceptive and Visionary
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Charles Valentin Alkan is someone who has a natural awareness about what is going on in the surrounding environment and the world at large, and a refined vision of how to navigate it.
They are also someone who is balanced, organized, and in-charge, and who loves traveling, working hard, and figuring out the patterns of things.
Optimistic and Quick-witted
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Charles Valentin Alkan tends to be someone who is optimistic and spontaneous, and who has a clear and analytical mind. Who can be witty, with a happy-go-lucky- nature that makes others cheerful, and who possesses an adventurous zest for life.
Some of Charles Valentin Alkan's challenges
While Charles Valentin Alkan has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Charles Valentin Alkan can be Impulsive, Unrealistic, Aggressive, Pleasure-seeking, Careless, Indecisive, and Stubborn.
Impulsive and Careless
One of Charles Valentin Alkan's key challenges is that they are someone who can be impulsive and careless.
Charles Valentin Alkan must also exercise caution as they can have a hard time reconciling wants and needs, and can be short-tempered and aggressive, and can be excessive and unrealistic.
Impulsive and Aggressive
Charles Valentin Alkan is someone who can be impulsive, aggressive, and confrontational, can have difficulty listening to others, be moody and high strung, have conflict with authority figures, be too judgmental of others, and who can be overindulgent and extravagant.
Irritable and Callous
Finally, Charles Valentin Alkan also can be short-tempered, childish, insensitive, and careless at times.
