Desmond Dupré
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Desmond John Dupré (19 December 1916,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
– 16 August 1974,
Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) (historic spelling ''Tunbridge'') is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Mall ...
,
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
) was an English
lutenist A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" commonly r ...
, guitarist, gambist and a prominent figure in the 20th century revival of
early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750) or Ancient music (before 500 AD). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad Dates of classical ...
. He was known particularly for his recordings on
lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lu ...
and
viola da gamba The viola da gamba (), or viol, or informally gamba, is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played (i.e. "on the leg"). It is distinct from the later violin family, violin, or ; and it is any one of the earlier viol family of bow (m ...
, notably with counter-tenor
Alfred Deller Alfred George Deller, CBE (31 May 1912 – 16 July 1979), was an English singer and one of the main figures in popularising the return of the countertenor voice in Renaissance and Baroque music during the 20th century. He is sometimes referr ...
.


Early life

Desmond Dupré was the third child of Frederick Harold Dupré, an analytical chemist, and Ruth Clarkson, a violinist. Dupré was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, London and studied chemistry at Oxford University in 1936, graduating with a first in chemistry in 1940. He went on to study music at the
Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...
from 1946, studying
cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...
with
Ivor James Ivor James CBE (1882–1963)Percy A. Scholes. "James, Ivor". ''Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music''. Oxford University Press, 1964. was a British cellist. He taught for many years at the Royal College of Music; among his pupils were those who becam ...
and harmony with Herbert Howells. He became interested in the
viol The viola da gamba (), or viol, or informally gamba, is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played (i.e. "on the leg"). It is distinct from the later violin family, violin, or ; and it is any one of the earlier viol family of bow (m ...
, and taught himself this instrument.


Career

His first professional engagements were as a guitarist and as a cellist with the Boyd Neel Orchestra. He formed a duo with Alfred Deller in 1948. . In 1950,
His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...
released the first of his many recordings with Deller. In this one he accompanied him on the guitar. Like Deller, Dupré was much interested in a more authentic style of performance. Instead of continuing to play lute repertoire on the guitar, he taught himself the lute, and his subsequent performances with Deller were predominantly on that instrument, including his 1951 Wigmore Hall debut. He was a regular performer with many leading early music groups, including the
Julian Bream Julian Alexander Bream (15 July 193314 August 2020) was an English classical guitarist and lutenist. Regarded as one of the most distinguished classical guitarists of the 20th century, he played a significant role in improving the public perc ...
Consort, the Jacobean Consort of Viols, and Musica Reservata. He recorded
Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...
's sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord with Thurston Dart, and Dart reconstructed a
Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...
concerto for lute and harp, which Dupré premiered.Robert Adelson, Allmusic Dupré was the first president of the Lute Society, a post he held from 1956 to 1973.


Partial discography

* Bach – The Three Viola da Gamba Sonatas (L'Oiseau-Lyre LP OLS 157, 1958)


References

1916 births 1974 deaths English lutenists English viol players Classical accompanists Alumni of St John's College, Oxford People from Tonbridge Musicians from Kent 20th-century British classical musicians 20th-century English musicians 20th-century British classical pianists {{string-musician-stub