Early life Yvette Hornère (who later adopted the surname Horner, at her mother's suggestion), spent a few years of her childhood in
Rabastens-de-Bigorre, She was an only child. Her mother encouraged her to play music, and her teacher, Marguerite Lacoste, taught her her first notes on the piano. She studied music at the conservatory of Tarbes, then at the conservatory of Toulouse where, at the age of 11, she obtained a first prize in piano. Her mother convinced her to abandon her instrument for the
chromatic accordion, explaining to her that there were no female accordionists, and that she would then be able to sustain herself. Throughout her life, Yvette Horner remained nostalgic for her first instrument, with which she recorded her prize-winning recital of classical works ''Le Jardin secret d'Yvette Horner'', as well as performing many times as a pianist on TV shows. However, she made her débuts at the "Théâtre Impérial" in Tarbes (later renamed "Théâtre des Nouveautés"), which belonged to her paternal grandmother. She played in
Pyrenean casinos before moving to Paris, where she was a student of Robert Bréard.
First awards In 1938, Yvette Horner participated, with Freddy Balta and André Lips, in the first accordion world championships organized in Paris, at the
Moulin de la Galette, by the
Confédération internationale des accordéonistes. She finished second after Freddy Balta. She gave her first concert in 1947 in
Paris and, in 1948, she was the first woman to win the ''
Coupe mondiale de l'accordéon''. She was awarded the Grand Prix International d'Accordion de Paris in 1953.
Artistic career , on 28 June 1960, during the Tour de France In 1950, she was awarded the
Grand Prix du Disque de l'
académie Charles-Cros for her album ''Le Jardin secret d'Yvette Horner'', a recital of classical works performed on piano and accordion. In 1952, the
Calor company, sponsor of the
Tour de France, offered her the opportunity to join the race, launching her career. She played on a podium at the finish of each stage. Wearing a sombrero and perched on the roof of a
Citroën Traction Avant in the
Suze brand colours, In 1989, she took part in the celebrations of the bicentenary of the
French Revolution by performing on the
Place de la Bastille. The following year she starred in a revue at the
Casino de Paris. In the 1990s, she appeared on stage with
Marcel Azzola, then collaborated with choreographer
Maurice Béjart when he staged
Tchaikovsky's
Nutcracker ballet at the
Théâtre du Châtelet in 1999. In 2005 her
autobiography,
Le Biscuit dans la poche, was published. In June 2006, the musician began a documentary on her life with Canadian director
Damian Pettigrew. Her album ''Double d'Or
was released in 2007. In 2009, she went on to take part in her La plus grande guinguette du monde'' tour. In 2011, the accordionist is invited by singer
Julien Doré to participate in the recording of his album
Bichon. She also gave her last concert the same year. Her last album, called
Hors Norme, is released in May 2012. It is produced by Patrick Brugalières. Guest artists include
Lio,
Didier Lockwood,
Richard Galliano and
Marcel Amont. The cover is illustrated by
Jean-Paul Gaultier.
Death and burial Yvette Horner died on 11 June 2018, at the age of 95. "She was not ill. She died after a full life," said her agent, Jean-Pierre Brun. She is buried in the Saint-Jean cemetery in
Tarbes. Nine months after her death, a
bronze statue of Yvette Horner was placed on her funerary monument. She asked sculptor Yves Lacoste in 1994 to create this piece as a tribute to her public, her parents, her husband and those who helped her achieve fame. The final piece is life-size (1.54 m), with a Yvette Horner carried by applauding hands, emerging from a cocoon and grasping an accordion, a direct replica of the one she used for one of her favourite pieces.
Private life The musician married René Droesch, hailing from
Belfort, a footballer with the
Girondins de Bordeaux, whom she met in 1936. Droesch interrupted his career to become her manager, her husband and to relieve her of "material worries". Yvette Horner expressed her regret at not having had children with her husband, who died in 1986. In 2005, the accordionist sold her house in
Nogent-sur-Marne, where she had lived for about fifty years. She auctioned off personal items at the
Hôtel Drouot, including her collection of
Jean Paul Gaultier dresses. The sale was held for the benefit of the
Institut du cerveau et de la moelle épinière (ICM) and an association for the fight against cancer. After the sale of her Nogent house, the artist lived in an
elderly people's residence in
Paris. == Musical style ==