Ivor Newton (15 December 1892 – 21 April 1981) was an English pianist who was particularly noted as an accompanist to international singers and string players. He was one of the first to bring a distinct personality to the accompanist's role. He toured extensively to all continents and appeared at music festivals such as Salzburg and Edinburgh. His career lasted over 60 years.

Biography

Newton was born in

Limehouse Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains throug ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. His studies were with

York Bowen Edwin York Bowen (22 February 1884 – 23 November 1961) was an English composer and pianist. Bowen's musical career spanned more than fifty years during which time he wrote over 160 works. As well as being a pianist and composer, Bowen was a ...

, Isidor Snook in Amsterdam,

Raimund von zur-Mühlen Baron Raimund von zur-Mühlen (sometimes "Raymond", "Raimund von Zur Mühlen") (10 November 1854 in Uusna Manor (''Neu-Tennasilm''), Viljandi Parish (now in Viiratsi Parish), Viljandi County, Governorate of Livonia – 11 December 1931 in Wist ...

Coenraad V. Bos Coenraad Valentijn Bos (7 December 1875 - 5 August 1955) was a Dutch pianist, most notably as an accompanist to singers of lieder. His peers such as Gerald Moore considered him the doyen of accompanists in his day. Life He was born in Leiden ...

in Berlin, and

Victor Beigel Victor Beigel (19 May 1870 – 7 November 1930) was an English pianist and singing teacher of Hungarian descent. Beigel was an internationally renowned vocal pedagogue. Friendships connected him with the painter John Singer Sargent, the interio ...

in London.Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed., 1954, Vol. VI, pp. 75, 76 In 1926 he persuaded

William Primrose William Primrose CBE (23 August 19041 May 1982) was a Scottish violist and teacher. He performed with the London String Quartet from 1930 to 1935. He then joined the NBC Symphony Orchestra where he formed the Primrose Quartet. He performed in ...

, then a violinist, to study with

Eugène Ysaÿe Eugène-Auguste Ysaÿe (; 16 July 185812 May 1931) was a Belgian virtuoso violinist, composer, and conductor. He was regarded as "The King of the Violin", or, as Nathan Milstein put it, the "tsar". Legend of the Ysaÿe violin Eugène Ysaÿe ...

, who, in turn persuaded him to take up the viola, the instrument that made him famous.Terry King, Gregor Piatigorsky: The Life and Career of the Virtuoso Cellist
/ref> In 1940 he organised a concert at the UK Embassy in Washington in aid of British War Relief. He was also a member of concert parties entertaining troops in Egypt, Iraq, Iran and the Persian Gulf.

Kirsten Flagstad Kirsten Malfrid Flagstad (12 July 1895 – 7 December 1962) was a Norwegian opera singer, who was the outstanding Wagnerian soprano of her era. Her triumphant debut in New York on 2 February 1935 is one of the legends of opera. Giulio Gatti-Casaz ...

was known for never changing her mind once it was made up. However, Ivor Newton managed to persuade her to come out of retirement for a Prom Concert in 1957 honouring the 50th anniversary of the death of her countryman

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...

. In 1966 he published an autobiography, ''At the Piano: the world of an accompanist'' (London: Hamish Hamilton). He was appointed a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) in 1973. Ivor Newton lived for much of his retirement in Old Portsmouth. He died in Bromley in 1981. He bequeathed his estate to create the Ivor Newton House, a retirement home for musicians in Bromley. It was run by the Musicians' Benevolent Fund, which announced in 2008 its intention to close Ivor Newton House in October 2009. Notable occupants had included Vilém Tauský, Stanford Robinson, Roy Henderson, and

Richard Arnell Richard Anthony Sayer Arnell (15 September 191710 April 2009) was an English composer of classical music. Arnell composed in all the established genres for the concert stage, and his list of works includes six completed symphonies (a seventh wa ...

.Music Web International
/ref>

Associate artists

The artists Ivor Newton appeared with included Isobel Baillie, Jussi Björling, Dino Borgioli,

Maria Callas Maria Callas . (born Sophie Cecilia Kalos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her ''bel cant ...

Pablo Casals Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), usually known in English by his Castilian Spanish name Pablo Casals,

, Feodor Chaliapin,

Giuseppe Di Stefano Giuseppe Di Stefano (24 July 19213 March 2008) was an Italian operatic tenor who sang professionally from the mid-1940s until the early 1990s. Called Pippo by both fans and friends, he was known as the "Golden voice" or "The most beautiful voic ...

, Robert Easton, Emanuel Feuermann,

Elena Gerhardt Elena Gerhardt (11 November 1883 – 11 January 1961) was a German mezzo-soprano singer associated with the singing of German classical lieder, of which she was considered one of the great interpreters. She left Germany for good to live in London ...

Beniamino Gigli Beniamino Gigli ( , ; 20 March 1890 – 30 November 1957) was an Italian opera singer (lyric tenor). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tenors of his generation. Early life Gigli was born in Recanati, in the Marche, the son of a shoem ...

Frederick Grinke Frederick Grinke CBE (8 August 1911 – 16 March 1987) was a Canadian-born violinist who had an international career as soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. He was known especially for his performances of 20th-century English music. Training ...

, Ida Haendel,

Josef Hassid Josef Hassid ( pl, Józef Chasyd, links=no) (28 December 19237 November 1950) was a Polish violinist. Childhood Born on 28 December 1923 to Jewish parents in Suwałki, Poland, as Joseph or Józef Chasyd, he was the second youngest of four child ...

Victoria de los Ángeles Victoria de los Ángeles López García (1 November 192315 January 2005) was a Catalan Spanish operatic lyric soprano and recitalist whose career began after the Second World War and reached its height in the years from the mid-1950s to the mid- ...

, John McCormack, Nellie Melba, Yehudi Menuhin, Grace Moore,

Maria Müller Maria Müller (29 January 1898 – 15 March 1958) was a Czech-Austrian operatic soprano. Life and career Müller was born in Terezín, Bohemia on 29 January 1898. She studied in Vienna with Erik Schmedes, and debuted in Linz in 1919 as E ...

, Gregor Piatigorsky, Lily Pons, Vladimir Rosing, Tito Schipa,

Elisabeth Schumann Elisabeth Schumann (13 June 1888 – 23 April 1952) was a German soprano who sang in opera, operetta, oratorio, and lieder. She left a substantial legacy of recordings. Career Born in Merseburg, Schumann trained for a singing career in B ...

, Oda Slobodskaya,

Conchita Supervía Conchita Supervía (8–9 December 1895 Steane (2003) – 30 March 1936) was a highly popular Spanish mezzo-soprano singer who appeared in opera in Europe and America and also gave recitals. Early life Supervía was born in Barcelona to an o ...

Dame Clara Butt Dame Clara Ellen Butt, (1 February 1872 – 23 January 1936) was an English contralto and one of the most popular singers from the 1890s through to the 1920s. She had an exceptionally fine contralto voice and an agile singing technique, and imp ...

Maggie Teyte Dame Maggie Teyte (born Margaret Tate; 17 April 188826 May 1976) was an English operatic soprano and interpreter of French art song. Early years Margaret Tate was born in Wolverhampton, England, one of ten children of Jacob James Tate, a succ ...

and

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Ivor 1892 births 1981 deaths English classical pianists Male classical pianists Classical accompanists Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century English musicians 20th-century British male musicians