Francis Planté
Francis Planté (2 March 1839 – 19 December 1934) was a French pianist famed as one of the first ever recording artists. • Illustration — Francis Planté Planté was born in Orthez. He studied piano under Antoine Marmontel, his career beginning at the age of seven in Paris. While there he met and befriended many musicians who would have a long-lasting effect on his career.
Also recorded as Francis Plante
Francis Planté
French classical pianist.
Studio Paul Berger, Paris · Bibliothèque nationale de France · Public domain
- Born
- 1839
- Died
- 1934
- Nationality
- France
- Occupation
- pianist · musician
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Francis Planté (2 March 1839 – 19 December 1934) was a French pianist famed as one of the first ever recording artists. • Illustration — Francis Planté Planté was born in Orthez. He studied piano under Antoine Marmontel, his career beginning at the age of seven in Paris. While there he met and befriended many musicians who would have a long-lasting effect on his career.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Francis Planté. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
museum · cda0f43a-4c58-4c2b-b7ed-0b3978ba35f1 · wikidata · Q633028 · wikipedia · Francis Planté
In this article
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1839
Francis Planté was born in 1839.
1934
Francis Planté died at Landes.
Recordings
These included Franz Liszt, with whom he played arrangements of two of Liszt's symphonic poems (Les Préludes, and Tasso, Lamento e Trionfo) for 2 pianos, Hector Berlioz, Gioachino Rossini, Charles Gounod, Felix Mendelssohn, Sigismond Thalberg and Charles-Marie Widor. He toured the concert platforms of Europe after leaving Paris, expanding his reputation for quality of tone and virtuosic, emotional interpretations. The death of his wife in 1908 resulted in him retiring from the stage, except for charity performances and concerts in aid of those wounded in the First World War. He had many pupils, including Alexander Brailowsky. Planté is featured in the 1999 DVD The Art of Piano, in which a short excerpt from the film of him playing Chopin's Étude in C, Op. 7 can be seen. Style is considered very different from modern-day recording artists. The recordings available suggest a more paced performance with a more prominent accent on each beat and with the notes more pronounced. Recordings that Planté made include: • Chopin: Études Op. 4, 5 and 7 • Chopin: Études Op. 1, 2, 9 and 11 • Berlioz: Serenade • Mendelssohn: Scherzo in E, Op. • Boccherini: Minuet
• Francis Planté: The Complete Issued Recordings (Marston Records) • Masters of the French Piano Tradition - recordings from 1903-1939 (Arbiter Records)
Francis planté, 1903
Private photograph
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q633028: Francis Planté
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
- “Francis Planté”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Institutional database
- MusicBrainz artist record for Francis Planté
Scholarly · MetaBrainz Foundation
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Blickstein, Edward. Chopin's Prophet: The Life of Pianist Vladimir de Pachmann. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. 138-139. 2013-09-05. 978-0-8108-8497-7.
- 2.W.S.B. Mathews. Music: A Monthly Magazine Devoted to the Art, Science, Technic and Literature of Music. 9-11. 1894.
- 3.Le Guide Musical: Revue Internationale de la Musique Et de Theâtres Lyriques. 1883.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
MusicBrainz artist record for Francis PlantéMetaBrainz Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
42,934 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Francis MonkmanPerson
- Francis MozePerson
- Francis O'NeillPerson
- Francis PilkingtonPerson
- Francis PoulencPerson
- Francis RimbertPerson
- Francis RossiPerson
- Francis SalabertPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Francis Planté?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.