Alkan, Charles Henri Valentin

Alkan, Charles Henri Valentin, 1813-88, French pianist and composer; his original surname was Morhange. He was a pianist of great virtuosity and wrote mainly for the piano. His most influential works were the technically formidable Études (Op. 35 and 39), which greatly enlarged the piano techniques of the day. Much of his music was program music.

See Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans