Hubert de Blanck
| Hubert de Blanck | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Hubertus Christiaan de Blanck |
| Born |
June 14, 1856 Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Died | November 28, 1932 (aged 76) Havana, Cuba |
| Genres | classical music |
| Occupation(s) | Professor, pianist, composer |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1873-1928 |
Hubertus Christiaan (Hubert) de Blanck (June 14, 1856 – November 28, 1932) was a Dutch-born professor, pianist, and composer who spent the better part of his life in Cuba.
Born in Utrecht, the Netherlands, De Blanck was the son of violinist Willem de Blan(c)k and singer Reine Valet. Hubert studied music with his father until February 1865, when he was admitted to the Royal Conservatory of Liège, Belgium. There he studied piano with Felix Étienne Ledent and solfège. In 1869, aged 13, he won the institution's 2nd Annual Piano Competition by unanimous decision, the winning piece being Hummel's Concerto in B minor for piano and orchestra. His sister Ana had won the violin competition at the conservatory in 1867. In November of that year, he decided to leave the conservatory, and moved to Brussels. After playing a concert at Brussels' Royal Palace, King Leopold II awarded him a scholarship to study at whichever conservatory he chose. Hubert's father chose Cologne. The family moved there in 1871.
At the Conservatory of Cologne, De Blanck studied piano with Ferdinand Hiller for two years, also learning harmony and composition. He then moved to St. Petersburg in 1873, where he made his formal debut as a concert pianist at age seventeen. That same year, he concertized throughout Russia, Switzerland, and Germany. In 1874 he was named musical director of the 'Eldorado' theater of Versovia, but he left the post the following year.
He later returned to his parents in Cologne, where he met the precocious Brazilian violinist, Eugene Maurice Dengremont (1866–1893). The two soon embarked on several concert tours in Europe, including successful tours of Germany and Denmark. In January 1880 the pair played in Dresden, with German chancellor Wilhelm I in attendance. After the performance it was reported in the Saxonian Journal that the Chancellor gave De Blanck a gold encrusted ruby, a testament to his admiration of the pianist. A music critic from Copenhagen commented that the pianist "received fervent and abundant applause, the likes of which our reserved public is not accustomed to giving".
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