Hidayat western musical education began in Paris in 1932 at the Ecole Normale de Musique, in the violin class of Bernard Sinsheimer; the composition class of Nadia Boulanger; and the orchestra class of Diran Alexanian (32).

​

In 1921, Diran Alexanian became the assistant to Pablo Casals at the Ecole Normale de Musique, founded in 1919 by Alfred Cortot and Auguste Mangeot, where Casals was a teacher (33). Alfred Denis Cortot, one of the most renowned classical musicians of the 20th century taught at the Paris Conservatoire until 1923, where Yvonne Lefebure was his pupil. In 1919 Cortot founded the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris.

​

In 1942, Yvonne Lefebure was 44 years old and Hidayat 25 years old. They must have known about each other through their association with such prestigious musicians at the Ecole Normale de Musique. Yvonne Lefebure lived in a house in Dieulefit with Jacques Brunschwig.

​

In this 2008 Petama Project presentation of Hidayat’s work, Symphonic Works and Chamber Music composed by Hidayat Inayat-Khan. he wrote:

​

I studied at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, where I was a pupil of Jacques Thibaud. That music school had been founded by Alfred Cortot, Thibaud and Pablo Casals, who were famous as the first great world‐renowned trio (playing piano, violin and cello). I followed the chamber music classes given by the great violinist Georges Enesco, and also the orchestra classes with Diran Alexanian, who had been the teacher of Pablo Casals. For composition, harmony and choir, we had the great privilege of studying with Nadia Boulanger. It was a great time, all the teachers were great souls. I always think of them with deep feelings of devotion (34).

Marie-Louise Rabinovitch, her son Daniel attended Beauvallon’s school, played the violin and Paul Bernson, mathematics’ professor at Beauvallon’s school played the violoncello. Yvonne Lefebure played work by the Alsatian compositor exiled in Dieulefit Fred Barlow (35). Fred Barlow was a Quaker.

This public school as Lycée Musical, founded by Helene Eberhard, who was protestant, admitted Jewish students registered under false names (36).

​

Denise Cahen using the name Colomb taught at Dieulefit Lycée Musical as well and her husband Gilbert taught chemistry, physic and mathematic at La Roseraie, the other famous school in Dieulefit with Beauvallon (37). Denise Loeb studied in Paris at Lycée Moliere. She studied Violoncello at the Conservatoire of Paris. She married Gilbert Cahen and took refuge in Dieulefit in 1943 to escape Vichy government police raids rounding up Jewish people. Denise had two students for Violoncello at different levels. At the end of the year, Helene Eberhard wanted her to be part of the jury. She initially declined because she was under an assumed name. However, Helene Eberhard told her never mind since the students were also under assumed names.

​

At the Lycée Musical, numerous concerts attracted a hundred and fifty to two hundred auditors. Barlow commented that it was better attended that some large city concerts (38).

​

Student at La Roseraie, Jean-Pierre Lévi studied violin at the Lycée Musical. The Eberhard sisters found out that his father was arrested and deported. From that moment, they continued providing musical education free. Sixty-seven years later, Jean Pierre Levi remembers with gratefulness (39).

This shows that Hidayat was not only teaching music at this school but with well-known people who had been at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris.  He was also certainly aware of the students and teachers with Jewish origin that he was working with every day. 

​