Background
Long was born in Brentford, a London suburb.
Long was born in Brentford, a London suburb.
From 1910 to 1916 she studied with Herbert Sharpe at the Royal College of Music in London.
She was a child prodigy and appeared in public at the age of eight. Her London debut took place in the Aeolian Hall in 1915. She herself was a teacher at the College from 1920 to 1964.
Her pupils included Imogen Holst.
She was a regular performer at the CEMA concerts during World World War II, often with the violinist Eda Kersey. Her tours included Europe, North America and South Africa.
Long interpreted the music of among many others Mozart, Haydn and Bach, and in 1950 she was decorated by the French Government for her services to French music and in particular for playing and recording works by Gabriel Fauré, with whose music she was particularly identified. She was also created Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her "services to music" in 1957.
Kathleen Long made several recordings during the 1940s and 1950s, and Dutch composer Gerard Schurmann composed his Bagatelles (1945) for her, which she premièred at the Concertgebouw.
Her brother John Herbert Long was also a musician.