Jacques Thibaud

Born Sept. 27, 1880, in Bordeaux; died Sept. 1, 1953. French violinist.

The son of a musician, Thibaud graduated from the Paris Conservatory, where he studied under P. Marsick in 1896. Beginning in 1898, he was a soloist in symphonic concerts with E. Colonne’s orchestra in Paris. Touring frequently as a soloist, he made his first appearance in Russia in 1901 and traveled to the USSR in 1936. Thibaud, the foremost representative of the French school of violinists, was known for the melodious tone, refinement, and virtuoso brilliance of his style and was a prominent interpreter of works by French composers.

Thibaud was part of a trio with A. Cortot as pianist and P. Casals as cellist. He taught at the Ecole Normale de Musique. In 1943, along with pianist M. Long, he founded a competition of pianists and violinists in Paris, which since 1946 has been held as an international competition in honor of Long and Thibaud. Thibaud died in an airplane crash in the French Alps.