Madeleine (Marthe, Marie) de Valmalète, born July 28, 1899, in Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis, at the time Seine), died August 2, 1999, in Marseille, was a French classical pianist.
A pupil of Joseph Morpain and Isidor Philipp, Madeleine obtained a 1st prize from the National Conservatory of Music in Paris at the age of 14.
Writing to the latter to congratulate him on having developed such a talent, Saint-Saëns will say of her, after a performance of his Danse macabre: “virtuosity completely achieved, only the music remains”.
[2] She then returned to her beloved city of Marseilles where she continued to teach privately while giving a few recitals (Liszt Salle Gaveau in 1986, Chopin's 24 Studies...), because she retained an extraordinary dynamism and technique until a very advanced age.
[3] The pianist Idil Biret, who met her in 1946 in Ankara, left a moving account of her elegant playing as well as the encouragement received during her musical training in Paris.