Éliane Zurfluh-Tenroc

Éliane-(Juliette-Eugénie) Zurfluh (-Tenroc), (Champigny-sur-Marne, 23 June 1900–Paris, 29 October 1992) was the daughter of Auguste-(Charles) Zurfluh and his wife Marthe-(Gabrielle) Coulanjon. Both August and Marthe were mandolinists; Auguste Zurfluh was a guitarist and harpist as well, and set up the publishing company that bears his name (1909–2010).

Éliane attended the Paris Conservatory, studying piano under Sophie Chéné and Santiago Riera. Later publicity about her stated that she won a first prize in piano, but this is definitely not true. She earned her only First Prize in 1918 for Music History. She earned a Second Prize for piano in 1919, but failed to obtain a First Prize the following year.  She chose not to complete her conservatory studies, but did remain there for some time as the accompanist for the cello class of André Hekking

Éliane Zurfluh embarked upon a busy schedule of concert appearances: as soloist with Colonne, Lamoureux, and Pasdeloup; as a chamber player; and as a piano accompanist and occasionally as a harpsichordist. Her repertoire extended from Couperin to Balakirev and Falla, and she premiered works such as Piero Coppola’s Poème pour piano et orchestre, 1931 and Georges Migot’s Le Zodiaque, 1933. She was also very active on the radio.

In January 1924, Éliane Zurfluh was legally adopted by lawyer Charles Cornet (Paris, 11 May 1858–Paris, 31 August 1946), who was better known as a music writer under his pseudonym Charles Tenroc, “Cornet” spelled backwards. She went on to live with Tenroc at no. 16, rue d’Assas (Paris VI) and used the name Éliane Zurfluh-Tenroc until his death, when she reverted to her birth name. She died at rue d’Assas on 29 October 1992.

Éliane’s sister, Sylvia-(Marie-Élisabeth), (Paris, 13 May 1904–Paris, 2 December 1995), was a harpist and pedagogue, who published under the name Moro-Zurfluh after her first marriage to Pierre Moreau, and later became known as Sylvia Raynaud-Zurfluh after marrying architect Henry Raynaud in 1931. The sisters took a great interest in promoting the musical education of young people notably through their radio program “Au royaume de la musique”.

Éliane Zurfluh-Tenroc made only six solo piano sides, but she participated in HMV’s recordings of two outstanding French chamber works, Ravel’s Piano Trio in A Minor, and Fauré’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor. She is joined in the Ravel trio by violinist, Henri Merckel (1897–1969) and cellist Madeleine Marcelli-Herson (1898–1971).  The Fauré quartet again features Henri Merckel together with his sister, violist, Alice Merckel (1899–1973) and cellist, Gaston Marchesini (1904–1981). These fine musicians were all graduates of the Paris Conservatory who held first desk positions in major French orchestras, and also were frequent chamber music performers throughout France.

Éliane Zurfluh-Tenroc’s Paris Conservatory honors:

1911   First Medal, solfège

1915   Third Medal, piano (preparatory class)

1916   First Accessit, music history

1917   Second Accessit, piano; Second Prize, music history

1918   First Accessit, piano;
First Prize, music history

1919   Second Prize, piano

1920   Medal, sightreading

©Luc Bourrousse, 2022

A note from the producers

Prior to the publication of this lagniappe, Éliane Zurfluh-Tenroc may have been recognized as a pianist whose skill and elegant playing made one take notice when hearing either of her two HMV recordings of French chamber works: Ravel’s Piano Trio in A Minor or Fauré’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor. Her solo works were less well known, her output was sparse, and little biographical information was available.  Marston Records is filling in large gaps with its release of the Complete Works of Éliane Zurfluh-Tenroc, the 18^th volume of its lagniappe series available only to preferred customers.  Biographer Luc Bourrousse has uncovered additional information on this little-known pianist and Ward Marston has gathered and remastered Zurfluh-Tenroc’s entire known recorded output.