Léon Delafosse
1874 — 1951
Léon Delafosse was a French composer and pianist. His musical works included études, arabesques, waltzes and nocturnes. It has been claimed that he was the model for the character of Charles Morel, a violinist portrayed in Marcel Proust’s novel In Search of Lost Time.
Adapted from the Wikipedia article on Léon Delafosse.
From the period sources
Among Parisian pianists, Léon Delafosse was noted as an artist from the school of Marmontel, shining alongside figures such as Francis Plante, Georges Bizet, and Henri Ketten. According to A History of Pianoforte-Playing and Pianoforte-Literature (1897), Delafosse was active in Paris at the time of the book’s publication, counted among those who “shone or still shine” beside Saint-Saëns, who then “still takes the lead as a musician.”