- Felix Salmond
Felix Adrian Norman Salmond (
19 November ,1888 –20 February ,1952 ) was an Englishcellist andcello teacher who achieved success in both England and the United States of America.cite journal | title = Obituary: Felix Salmond | journal =The Musical Times | volume = 93 | issue = 1310 | pages = 181 | date = April 1952 | url = http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0027-4666%28195204%2993%3A1310%3C181%3AFS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-7 | format = Reprint | accessdate = 2007-06-23 ] cite web | last = MacGregor | first = Lynda | title = Salmond, Felix (Adrian Norman) | publisher =Grove Music Online | url = http://www.grovemusic.com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/shared/views/article.html?from=search&session_search_id=974741791&hitnum=1§ion=music.24399 (subscription access) | accessdate = 2007-06-03]Early life and career
Salmond was born to a family of professional musicians. His father was a
baritone , and his mother was apianist who had studied withClara Schumann . At age twelve, Salmond started studying with the man who became his primary cello teacher,William Whitehouse . He won a scholarship to continue studies with Whitehouse four years later at theRoyal Academy of Music inLondon . He continued on to theBrussels Conservatoire at age nineteen, where he studied for two years withEdouard Jacobs . His concert debut was in 1908, playingFrank Bridge 's Fantasy Trio in C minor andJohannes Brahms 's Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor. Salmond's mother was the pianist, with Bridge onviola andMaurice Sons playing theviolin . The recital, which took place at theBechstein Hall , was very successful, leading to many future engagements for Salmond.cite web | last = Stevenson | first = Joseph | title = Felix Salmond: Biography | publisher =Allmusic | url = http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=41:50431~T1 | accessdate = 2007-06-23 ] He gave recitals across Britain and appeared with theQueen's Hall Orchestra, theLondon Symphony Orchestra and theHallé Orchestra , amongst others. He also toured America in a piano quartet withHarold Bauer ,Bronisław Huberman andLionel Tertis .almond and Elgar
World War I prevented Salmond from developing his international career further at that time, but he resumed building a reputation inchamber music after the war. His performances in this period included the premieres, on21 May 1919 , ofEdward Elgar 's String Quartet in E minor and Piano Quintet in A minor at the Wigmore Hall (as the Bechstein Hall had now become). [cite web | title = Elgar - His Music: String Quartet in E minor | publisher = The Elgar Society | url = http://www.elgar.org/3squart.htm | accessdate = 2007-06-23 ]After Salmond's performance of his quartet, Elgar entrusted Salmond with the solo part for the debut of his most personal and heartfelt work, his Cello Concerto in E Minor with the
London Symphony Orchestra at theQueen's Hall . The premiere, on27 October 1919 , proved to be a disaster. The performance was scheduled such that Albert Coates, the conductor of the London Symphony, would conduct the rest of the program whilst Elgar himself would conduct the concerto. Coates, a self-important man, was well known for using up to forty-five minutes of his hour of rehearsal time lecturing his players. After consuming an hour of Elgar's rehearsal time, Elgar—who was until that time waiting offstage for his chance to rehearse—uncharacteristically exploded with anger. The severely under-rehearsed performance which followed received scathing reviews, withErnest Newman stating that "the orchestra made a public exhibition of its miserable self." Elgar later said that if it weren't for Salmond's diligent work in preparing the piece, he would have pulled it from the concert entirely.Career in America
On
29 March 1922 , he made his American solo debut inNew York City at the Aeolian Hall. He settled in America, although he returned to England and Europe for tours. He was appointed toThe Juilliard School 's faculty in 1924, and became head of the cello faculty at theCurtis Institute of Music a year later—a position which he kept until 1942. However, still bruised by the experience of the first performance of the Elgar concerto, he did not teach it or play it outside England. He was highly regarded in America as a teacher, with pupils includingOrlando Cole ,Bernard Greenhouse ,Leonard Rose andDaniel Saidenberg . He also received great appreciation as a performer. In 1942, he appeared atCarnegie Hall in a well-reviewedpiano trio with pianistIgnace Jan Paderewski and violinistEfrem Zimbalist . [cite journal | last = | first = | authorlink = | title = "Great Soloist" | journal = Time | volume = | issue = | pages = | date =1924-05-19 | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,768960,00.html | accessdate = 2007-06-23 ] He had a broad taste in music for the cello, including works by contemporary composers such asSamuel Barber ,Ernest Bloch andGeorge Enescu (premiering two of his pieces). He last returned to England in 1947; he died in New York.References
External links
* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,768960,00.html An article that partially deals with Salmond]
* [http://www.jstor.org/pss/935471 Felix Salmond on JSTOR]
* [http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Name/Felix-Salmond/Performer/23160-2 An archive of his recordings]
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