The violonist Jacques Thibaud was born in 1880 in Bordeaux. Before beginning a solo career, he was an orchestra violinist, conducted by Édouard Colonne.

Friend and follower of Eugène Ysaÿe (who wrote him his Second Sonata), Jacques Thibaud personifies the classical French violonist whose playing is both elegant and enchanting. A remarkable performer of Mozart, he was one of the members of a memorable trio including the cellist Pablo Casals and the pianist Alfred Cortot.

Owing to the contest which he founded in 1943 with Marguerite Long, Jacques Thibaud also devoted himself to a teaching career in l'École normale de Musique and l'Académie Chighiana de Sienne. He died in 1953 in a plane crash, going to Japan. His 1720 Stradivarius perished with him.

Bibliography

- J.-P. Dorian : Un violon parle, souvenirs de Jacques Thibaud, éd. Le Blé qui lève, Paris/Lausanne/Montréal, 1947. (This book was published in Italian in 1946 with the title Il magico violino.)
- Christian Goubault : Jacques Thibaud (1880-1953), violoniste français (discography by Gérald Drieu), Honoré Champion, 1988.
- Jean-Luc Tingaud : Cortot-Thibaud-Casals, un trio, trois solistes, Josette Lyon, coll. "Les interprètes créateurs". 

Furthermore, the Revue Musicale devoted its 245th issue completely to the Long-Thibaud competition.