The monumental 'Cours complet pour l'enseignement du forté piano conduisant progressivement des premiers éléments aux plus grandes difficultés par Madame la Marquise de Montgeroult' contains no fewer than 711 pages, 972 exercises, 114 progressive studies, various themes, 3 fugues, a canon and a fantasia. Begun around 1788, it was completed in 1812 and was the composer's last published work.
Montgeroult's 114 "études" are character pieces whose quality of inspiration surpasses what one would expect from simple pedagogical studies. Montgeroult was well aware of this, writing in the preface: "However easy the piece we offer [the pupil] to work on may be, we have endeavoured, in order to train his taste, to ensure that this easy piece is really music, and does not resemble those shapeless essays with which we often think we can start children."
The musical interest of these little-known works is quite astonishing, sometimes borrowing rhythmic regularity and certain Baroque turns of phrase from Bach, and at the same time already laying the foundations for the Romantic language that would characterise the later generation to which Chopin and Schumann belonged.
Taking as his musical and technical ideal the expressiveness and legato of Italian singing, Montgeroult, again in the preface, poses the essential question on which all his studies hinge: "how can we render these accents, these innumerable nuances so necessary to expression on a keyboard that cannot sustain the sounds, and which has said everything when the note has resounded? Here, illusion must come to the rescue of reality."
Hence the idea, a reasonable one all things considered, of entrusting here some of the most suitable etudes to a monodic instrument that can naturally support the melody. Given this and the importance of the rediscovery of Hélène de Montgeroult's work, pianists will perhaps forgive us for wishing, in our turn, to get to know it and perform it.

Hélène de Montgeroult, born Hélène Antoinette Marie de Nervo, is a French composer and pianist recognized as one of the best piano-forte and improvisers of her time.
As a composer her main work is the "Cours complet pour l'enseignement du forte piano", begun in 1788 and completed in 1812, which has no less than 711 pages, 972 exercises, 114 studies, various themes, three fugues and a fantasy.

Along his university studies (DEA in musicology, University of Paris IV-Sorbonne), Frédéric Cellier was awarded three first prizes and a development prize at the CNR of Nice and won first prize at the International Competition of Musical Execution - soloist category – of Stresa (Italy).
He is the laureate of the Fondation de France and the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation and accredited teacher at the CNR of Nice, the CNR of Marseille, and at the CRR Olivier Messiaen of Avignon (France).
Frédéric Cellier is the interpreter of Francis Poulenc’s Sonata for clarinet Bb and piano with Jean-Michel Damase, Jean Françaix or Gabriel Tacchino, but also performs his own version for clarinet, piano and string orchestra of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in blue for Wynton Marsalis or under the baton of Adrian Gershwin, grandson of the composer.
Founder and artistic director of STRADIVARIUS Editions, he is the author of pieces of light music and a considerable number of arrangements in all styles and for all instruments acclaimed by numerous personalities in the music world:

"Frédéric Cellier has produced a number of adaptations of Georges Auric's works with such talent and precision that I consider them a natural addition to his chamber music catalogue."
Michèle AURIC - Georges Auric's widow

"To Frédéric Cellier, excellent musician and tireless arranger."
Jean FRANÇAIX - Composer and pianist

"Arranging a musical work is always a delicate and risky exercise, because it requires both modifying it so that it can be played by the desired instruments and preserving its very essence. But that is exactly what Frédéric Cellier has done, preserving the nuances, subtleties and soul of the original works while breathing new life into them.
His arrangements give all the musicians the chance to perform these compositions specially revisited for their instrument, and make music lovers rediscover them in a new light."
Adrian GERSHWIN - George Gershwin’s grandson

"Congratulations for your beautiful new orchestration and rendition of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in blue."
Wynton MARSALIS - Trumpet player, composer, bandleader, general and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York

"It is outstanding that Frédéric Cellier has managed to transpose Saxophone Marmalade from the saxophone to the clarinet. I thank him for it and wish its great and deserved success. "
Manuel ROSENTHAL - Conductor, composer and Maurice Ravel’s pupil

"I am very happy to tell you how much I appreciated your transcription of the Capriccio, based on Francis Poulenc's Le Bal Masqué. It perfectly reflects the spirit and verve of the score for two pianos that I had the opportunity to play and record with Jacques Février, and it was a great pleasure for me to premiere it in Montpellier."
Gabriel TACCHINO - Pianist, Francis Poulenc’s specialist

"I must tell you that I really like your transcriptions and that I think the tone of the instruments you have chosen suits perfectly our beloved composer."
Ornella VOLTA - Musicologist, president of the Erik Satie’s Foundation