Hirsch "Harry" Blech

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(June 1909 – 9 May 1999) was a British violinist and conductor. He founded the

London Mozart Players London Mozart Players (LMP) are a British chamber orchestra founded in 1949. LMP are the longest-established chamber orchestra in the United Kingdom. Since 1989, the orchestra has been Resident Orchestra at Fairfield Halls, Croydon. History Begin ...

in 1949, and was known also as a conductor of studio recordings for

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 ...

and

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

Life

Harry Blech was born in London, to Henri Blech and his wife, Sophie Stock, in June 1909. His birth was not registered until the following year, and to avoid a fine for late registration his father pretended Harry was born on 2 March 1910, which date has entered many reference works. He was a scholarship boy at the

Trinity College of Music Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a music, dance, and musical theatre conservatoire based in South East London. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of two older institutions – Trinity College of Music and Laban Dance Centre. Trini ...

, London, where he studied violin under Sarah Fennings. On her advice he took lessons in

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

from

Otakar Ševčík Otakar Ševčík (22 March 185218 January 1934) was a Czechs, Czech violinist and influential teacher. He was known as a Solo (music), soloist and an Musical ensemble, ensemble player, including his occasional performances with Eugène Ysaÿe. ...

. At age 18 he moved to become a pupil of

Arthur Catterall Arthur Catterall (25 May 1883 – 28 November 1943) was an English concert violinist, orchestral leader and conductor, one of the best-known English classical violinists of the first half of the twentieth century. photo of Wills's cigarette car ...

at the

Royal Manchester College of Music The Royal Manchester College of Music (RMCM) was a tertiary level conservatoire in Manchester, north-west England. It was founded in 1893 by the German-born conductor Sir Charles Hallé in 1893. In 1972, the Royal Manchester College of Mu ...

, and in 1929 joined the Hallé Orchestra. During the 1930s Blech played in the

BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. The ...

. In 1936 he left to become the leader of his own eponymous string quartet, with Edward Silverman, Douglas Thompson and

William Pleeth William Pleeth OBE (12 January 1916 – 6 April 1999) was a well-known British cellist and an eminent teacher, who became widely known as the teacher of Jacqueline du Pré. Biography Early years William Pleeth was born in London. His pa ...

. During the war, Silverman died of a heart condition, Thomson was killed while learning to fly and Pleeth joined the army, so new string players were brought in. Blech became a conductor in 1942 under wartime conditions, and formed the London Wind Players from the RAF Symphony Orchestra. After the war he formed the London Symphonic Players; the Blech String Quartet disbanded in 1950, when Blech found difficulty in playing the violin. After conducting Mozart concertos in 1948 for the pianist Dorothea Braus, Blech formed the London Mozart Players, which he conducted until 1984, when he was succeeded by

Jane Glover Dame Jane Alison Glover (born 13 May 1949) is a British conductor and musicologist. Early life Born in Helmsley, Glover attended Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls. Her father, Robert Finlay Glover, MA ( TCD), was headmaster of Mon ...

. He was twice married, having children with both wives, and died in

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

on 9 May 1999.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blech, Harry 1909 births 1999 deaths English classical violinists 20th-century British conductors (music) English male conductors (music) British male classical violinists Players of the BBC Symphony Orchestra Commanders_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire