Marguerite Long, the most important French woman pianist of the twentieth century, left an indelible stamp on a whole epoch of musical life in Paris with her personality, artistry, and achievement. She was a virtuoso performer as well as a tireless and demanding pedagogue. Long worked so closely with composers Debussy, FaurŽ, and Ravel that her performances of their works, many of them written for or dedicated to her, became the authoritative interpretations.Long was appointed Professor at the Paris Conservatoire in 1906. She was the first woman to teach a Classe SupŽrieure at that institution, a post she resigned in 1940. In 1943, she and violinist Jacques Thibaud founded the competition that bears both their names and is still a prestigious event today. In the postwar years, LongÕs weekly master classes attracted pianists from around the world; and Long was repeatedly honored at home and abroad for her role as ambassador of French music.For this first biography of the ÒGrande Dame,Ó Cecilia Dunoyer draws on previously unpublished original sources and interviews with numerous friends, colleagues, and pupils of Long. There is much for todayÕs pianists to learn from Marguerite LongÕs high standards, and much to admire in her fierce devotion to furthering the careers of young artists.