CHASSEVANT, Marie

Marie Chassevant was a French pianist, singer, composer, and influential music educator, born on 31 August 1836 in Alençon and died on 22 February 1914 in Geneva. From 1895 to 1912 she taught children’s solfège at the Geneva Conservatory, where her playful teaching method using stories, images, and specially designed musical tools became widely influential. The Canton of Geneva later named Chemin Marie-Chassevant in her honour.
She also composed music. Her works include the piano polka-mazurka Hélèna (1869) and the collection Scènes enfantines (1885) for voice and piano, with texts by Félix Milliet, including La vie d’un petit enfant, L’oiseau tombé du nid, and L’enterrement du petit oiseau.