Carl Frederick Dolmetsch (1911–1997)

CBE 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 o ...

was a French

instrumentalist A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...

who specialised in the recorder.

Life

The son of

Arnold Dolmetsch Eugène Arnold Dolmetsch (24 February 1858 – 28 February 1940), was a French-born musician and instrument maker who spent much of his working life in England and established an instrument-making workshop in Haslemere, Surrey. He was a leading f ...

, he was born in

Fontenay-sous-Bois Fontenay-sous-Bois () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Name The name Fontenay was recorded in the Middle Ages as ''Fontanetum'', meaning "the springs", from Medieval Latin ''fontana' ...

on 23 August 1911 but lived in England from 1914. After three years in Hampstead he lived in

Haslemere The town of Haslemere () and the villages of Shottermill and Grayswood are in south west Surrey, England, around south west of London. Together with the settlements of Hindhead and Beacon Hill, they comprise the civil parish of Haslemere i ...

for the rest of his life. Dolmetsch was educated at St George's Wood in Haslemere, before leaving to work alongside his father in the Dolmetsch workshops. He took part in the first of his father's Haslemere Festival of Early Music, and from then on throughout his life. Dolmetsch developed and improved the production of recorders at Haslemere. He became an accomplished player and gave his first recital at

Wigmore Hall Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadi ...

in 1939. After the death of his father in 1940 he became head of the firm. During the war it produced plastic aircraft parts, and when peace returned Dolmetsch began producing huge numbers of plastic recorders for use in schools. In 1978 the firm split in two after a boardroom dispute but reunited in 1982. Dolmetsch was also pivotal in getting composers to write pieces for the recorder. He was "the first virtuoso recorder player in England in the twentieth century". He toured annually between 1961 and 1981. In 1954 he was appointed a

. He was elected a fellow at both Trinty College of Music and

London College of Music London College of Music (LCM) is a music school in London, England. It is one of eight separate schools that make up the University of West London. History LCM was founded in 1887 and existed as an independent music conservatoire based at ...

. Dolmetsch was elected Master of the

Art Workers' Guild The Art Workers' Guild is an organisation established in 1884 by a group of British painters, sculptors, architects, and designers associated with the ideas of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. The guild promoted the 'unity of a ...

in 1989. Dolmetsch died on 11 July 1997 and is buried in Shottermill Cemetery.

Commissioned works

Dolmetsch gave his first Wigmore Hall recital in February 1939, with another later that year. A third followed in 1941. Then, from 1948 until 1989, there was an unbroken series of 42 recitals. At each he presented a new work (sometimes two or more) for the recorder.Ross Winters
''The Recorder Music Composed for Carl Dolmetsch, 1939-1989''
at dolmetsch online These included: * Carl Dolmetsch. ''Theme and Variations'' for recorder and harpsichord (1939) *

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. Sonatina for treble recorder or flute and piano (1939, repeated 1951) *

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. Sonata in E flat for flute and piano (or recorder and harpsichord) (1941) *

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. Sonata for treble recorder and piano, Op. 121 (1948) *

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. ''Meditazioni sopra "Coeurs desolés'' for recorder & harpsichord (1949) *

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. Sonata for treble recorder and harpsichord (1950) *

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. ''Aubade'' for treble recorder and piano (1952) *

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. Suite for descant (soprano) recorder and piano (1953) *

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. ''Scottish Suite'' for treble recorder and piano (1954) * Edmund Rubbra. ''Fantasia on a Theme of Machaut'', Op. 86. for recorder, string quartet and harpsichord (1955) * Lennox Berkeley. Concertino, Op. 49, for treble recorder and piano or harpsichord (1956) * Edmund Rubbra. ''Cantata Pastorale'' for high voice, treble recorder, cello and harpsichord or piano, Op. 92 (1957) *

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. Suite for treble recorder and strings or piano (1958) * Robert Simpson. Suite for treble recorder and strings (1959) *

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. ''Divertimento'' for alto recorder and strings (1960) *

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. Sonatine for recorder (1961) *

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. Sextet for recorder, string quartet and harpsichord (1961) * Edmund Rubbra. ''Passacaglia sopra (Plusieurs regrets)'' for treble recorder and harpsichord or piano,, Op. 113 (1962) *

Hans Gál Hans Gál OBE (5 August 1890 – 3 October 1987) was an Austrian composer, pedagogue, musicologist, and author, who emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1938. Life Gál was born to a Jewish family in the small village of Brunn am Gebirge, Lowe ...

. Concertino for treble recorder and string quartet or piano (1962) * Gordon Jacob. Variations for treble recorder and harpsichord or piano (1963) *

Ingolf Dahl Ingolf Dahl (June 9, 1912 – August 6, 1970) was a German-born American composer, pianist, conductor, and educator. Biography Dahl was born Walter Ingolf Marcus in Hamburg, Germany, to a German Jewish father, attorney Paul Marcus, and his Swe ...

. ''Variations on an Air by Couperin'' for alto recorder or flute and harpsichord or piano (1963 - composed 1956) * John Gardner. ''Little Suite'' in C for treble recorder and piano (1964) * Arnold Cooke. Sonata for treble recorder, violin, cello, and harpsichord (1965) * Edmund Rubbra. Sonatina for treble recorder and harpsichord, Op. 128 (1965) *

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. ''The White-throated Warbler'' for sopranino recorder and harpsichord (1966) *

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. ''Prelude and Variations'' for recorder and string quartet (1966) * Hans Gál. ''Trio-Serenade'' for treble recorder, violin and cello, Op. 88 (1967) * John Gardner. ''Concerto da camera'' for treble recorder, violin, cello, and harpsichord (1968) *

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. ''Quartetto Concertante'' for recorder, violin, cello, and harpsichord (1969) * Francis Chagrin. ''Preludes for Four'', for treble recorder, violin, cello and harpsichord or piano (1970) *

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. ''Warbeck Dances'' for treble/descant recorder and harpsichord (1971) *

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. ''Discourse'' for treble recorder and harpsichord (1972) * Walter Bergmann. ''Song (Pastorella)'' for soprano and sopranino recorder (1972) *

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. ''Paginas'' for recorder and harpsichord (1973) * Arnold Cooke. Suite for soprano, alto and tenor recorders with or without harpsichord or piano (1973) * Gordon Jacob. Recorder Quartet, ''Four Old Tunes'' (1973) *

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. Concertino for recorder (or flute), oboe, bassoon and harpsichord or piano (1974) * Hans Gál. Suite for three recorders and harpsichord (1974) *

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. ''Sequence'' for recorder and lute (1975) *

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. ''Interplay'' for treble recorder, percussion, viola da gamba and harpsichord (1976) *

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. ''Italian Suite'' for treble recorder and guitar, Op. 92 (1977) * Edmund Rubbra. ''Fantasia on a Chord'', Op. 154, for treble recorder, harpsichord and viola da gamba (1978) * Lennox Berkeley. ''Una and the Lion'', cantata for soprano, treble recorder, harpsichord and viola da gamba (1979) *

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. ''American Suite'' for recorder and bassoon (1980) * Alan Ridout. Chamber Concerto for recorder and string quartet (1981) * Donald Swan. ''Rhapsody from Within'' for treble recorder and piano (1982) * Gordon Jacob. Suite for recorder, violin, cello and harpsichord (1983) * Colin Hand (1929-2015). ''Concerto Canticö 5'' for recorder and strings (1984) * Michael Short (b. 1937). Sinfonia for recorder and strings (1985) * Arnold Cooke. ''Divertimento'' for alto/soprano recorder, violin, cello and harpsichord (1986) *

Lionel Salter Lionel Salter (8 September 1914 – 1 March 2000) was an English pianist, conductor, writer and administrator who had a long association with the British Broadcasting Corporation.Sadie, Stanley, rev. Jon Stroop. 'Salter, Lionel (Paul)' in ''Gr ...

. ''Air and Dance'' for recorder and piano (1987) *

Jean Françaix Jean René Désiré Françaix (; 23 May 1912, in Le Mans – 25 September 1997, in Paris) was a French neoclassical composer, pianist, and orchestrator, known for his prolific output and vibrant style. Life Françaix's natural gifts were encoura ...

. Quintette for recorder (or flute), 2 violins, cello and harpsichord (1988) * Alan Ridout. ''Variations on a Theme by Howells'' for descant recorder and harpsichord (1989).

References

External links

The Dolmetsch Story
at dolmetsch online, accessed 2 March 2005
The Dolmetsch Historical Dance Society
founded 1970 in memory of Mabel Dolmetsch, Carl's mother *
1957 film
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolmetsch, Carl 1911 births 1997 deaths People from Val-de-Marne French recorder players French performers of early music People from Haslemere French expatriates in the United Kingdom Recorders (musical instruments) Recorder makers Masters of the Art Worker's Guild 20th-century flautists