Louis Brassin

Biography

Brassin, whose father was well known as a baritone – and his uncle as a flautist – became a prominent Belgian pianist, composer, arranger, and music educator. He gave his first concert at six and entered a music conservatory at seven. After touring with his two brothers, he turned to teaching at the Stern Conservatory in Berlin, but since that lasted only one year; he resumed thereafter a more or less wandering life as a concert pianist. Eventually, he settled in Brussels and was hired to be a piano professor at the Brussels Conservatoire. Among his pupils there were Edgar Tinel, Arthur De Greef, Franz Rummel and Alfred Wotquenne. In 1878 Brassin took over the piano class of Theodor Leschetizky at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. His pupils there included Vasily Safonov, Wassily Sapellnikoff and Gennady Korganov. Brassin is best known now for his piano transcription of the Magic Fire Music.