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Alain Bernheim

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the musician. For the film producer and literary agent, seeAlain Bernheim (producer).
Alain Bernheim
Born(1931-05-23)23 May 1931
Paris
Died26 December 2022(2022-12-26)(aged 91)
Montreux,Switzerland
EducationParis Conservatory
Occupations
  • Classical pianist
  • Historian
Websitealainbernheim.wixsite

Alain Bernheim(23 May 1931 – 26 December 2022) was a French classical pianist who performed internationally. In 1980, he turned to research of the history of Freemasonry in France, Switzerland, and Germany. He published books and encyclopedic entries in the field.

Life

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Bernheim was born in Paris, on 23 May 1931, the son of André Bernheim, the owner and manager of theThéâtre de la Madeleine.[1]At the age of twelve he was arrested by theGestapoand sent to the internment campDrancy.[2][3]At fifteen he was chosen to represent theLycée Janson-de-Saillyat theConcours Généralof philosophy competition.[2]He studied at theParis Conservatory,receiving a first prize in piano in 1953.[1]Bernheim was among the first French music students to receive aFulbright scholarship,which allowed him to study further at theNew England Conservatory of Musicin Boston.[2][3]He also studied withHans Richter-Haaserin Detmold and withMagda Tagliaferroin São Paulo.[1]In the 1953 international piano competition in Bucharest, he was awarded a second prize together withVladimir Ashkenazy.[2]

Bernheim made hisCarnegie Halldebut in New York City on 25 February 1960 as a charity for theRed Cross.[4]He performed around 2,000 concerts until 1980, but then gave up his musical career for health reasons. He turned to Masonic research.[2][3]

A Freemason since 1963, he belonged to theRegular Grand Loge of Belgiumand to theGrand Lodge Alpina of Switzerland.He was awarded the 33° by the Supreme Council of the United States (Southern Jurisdiction), elected a Chapter Knight of the Great Priory of Belgium and was a member of theRoyal Order of Scotland.He is also the first French Freemason who was elected a full member of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076 (United Grand Lodge of England) from which he demitted in 2014. The Supreme Council of France made him a Member of Honour in 2014 and awarded him the distinction of Grand Commander Honoris Causa in 2018.[2]

In 1986 and 1993, he was awarded the Norman Spencer Award by the English premier Lodge of ResearchQuatuor Coronati LodgeN° 2076, 1997 the Certificate of Literature by thePhilalethes Society(US), 2001 the Albert Gallatin Mackey Scholar Award by theScottish Rite Research Society(Washington, D.C.), which elected him a Fellow, and 2007 was selected a member ofThe Society of Blue Friars.[5]

Bernheim wroteLes Débuts de la Franc-Maçonnerie à Genève et en Suisse(Slatkine, 1994),[6]many entries of theEncyclopédie de la Franc-Maçonnerie(Pochotèque, 2000),Réalité Maçonnique(Alpina Research Group, Lausanne, 2007) and some 150 papers published in French, English and German masonic magazines. His bookUne certaine idée de la franc-maçonnerie,was published September 2008 by Dervy, Paris, andLe rite en 33 grades - De Frederick Dalcho à Charles Riandey,in September 2011, also by Dervy.[2]

Bernheim died inMontreux[3]on 26 December 2022, at the age of 91.[2]

References

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  1. ^abc"Alain Bernheim / französischer Pianist und Historiker".Munzinger Archive.3 March 2003.Retrieved1 January2023.
  2. ^abcdefgh"Passage à l'Orient Éternel du Très Illustre Frère Alain Bernheim".450.fm. 27 December 2022.Retrieved28 December2022.
  3. ^abcd"January Newsletter and December Obituaries".Retrieved2 January2023.
  4. ^"Feb. 25 Concert Will Be Benefit For Red Cross; Debut Recital by Alain Bernheim, a French Pianist, Planned".The New York Times.January 1960. p. 34.
  5. ^"Society of Blue Friars"bessel.org, retrieved 28 March 2008.
  6. ^"Loge maçonnique René Guénon".rene-guenon.net(in French). Archived fromthe originalon 2008-03-15.
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