Henry Lazarus

Henry Lazarus (January 1 1815 - March 6 1895) was the leading British clarinet virtuoso of the 19th century. George Bernard Shaw wrote of Henry Lazarus [From the liner notes of Clarinet Classics CD CC0008 by Pamela Weston and Oliver Davies] :

"He was the best clarionet [sic] player in England; when you were sitting behind Costa at the Opera you listened for certain phrases from the clarionet just as you did from the "prima donna", except that you were much less likely to be disappointed in the former case."

Lazarus was born in London. Raised as an orphan in the Royal Military Asylum in Chelsea, he there learned the instrument from the bandmaster John Blizzard. He later studied under Charles Godfrey, bandmaster of the Coldstream Guards. His solo debut came in 1838.

Lazarus was professor of clarinet at the Royal Academy of Music from 1854 to 1895. He wrote a "Method for the Clarinet" based on the Boehm System, although he himself never switched. His method books still in use today, and include duets, etudes, studies, finger exercises, scales, etc. He taught at Kneller Hall from 1858.

He also played the basset horn and saxophone.

Lazarus died in 1895 and is buried in Brompton Cemetery, London.

Compositions

Works include

* "Fantasia on Favorite Scotch Melodies"
* "Fantasia on Airs from Bellini's 'I Puritani' " [Colin Bradbury. "The Art of the Clarinettist", Clarinet Classics 2CD set CC0008, © 1994, (p) 1994 ]

and many others [Pamela Weston, "Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past". Emerson] .

References

Bibliography

* Pamela Weston, "Lazarus' Instrument Collection". NACWPI November 1974
* Pamela Weston, "Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past". Emerson
* Jack Brymer- jolly good fellow, "Henry Lazarus," "The Clarinet", 24:20, Summer 1950 & Fall 1956

External links

* [http://www.ram.ac.uk/facilitiesandcollections/Exhibitions/Past/Henry+Lazarus.htm Past exhibition info at Royal Academy, accessed September 18, 2007]