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Arthur Leavins
Arthur Leavins (b. 14 July 1917, Leicester, England — d. 7 January 1995) was a British violinist. He was concertmaster of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for most of the 1950s under conductor Sir Thomas Beecham; after which he played with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and served as concertmaster of the BBC Concert Orchestra for 17 years. A child prodigy, he began his performance career as the age of 4 in New Zealand and by the age of 14 was a violinist with the Leicester Symphony Orchestra. He studied with Arthur Catterall at the Royal Academy of Music, and became a member of Catterall's string quartet after earning his diploma. He was married to pianist Mary Baddeley whom he met while playing with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra during the 1940s. They had two sons. As a soloist, he was particularly admired for his performances of Edward Elgar's ''Violin Concerto A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin (occasionally, two or more violins) and instrumental ense ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Concertmaster
The concertmaster (from the German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (U.K.) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (or clarinet in a concert band). After the conductor, the concertmaster is the second-most significant leader in an orchestra, symphonic band or other musical ensemble. Orchestra In an orchestra, the concertmaster is the leader of the first violin section. There is another violin section, the second violins, led by the principal second violin. Any violin solo in an orchestral work is played by the concertmaster (except in the case of a concerto, in which case a guest soloist usually plays). It is usually required that the concertmaster be the most skilled musician in the section, experienced at learning music quickly, counting rests accurately and leading the rest of the string section by their playing and bow gestures. The concertmaster sits to the conductor's left, closest to the audience, in what is called the "first chair," ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
