Eugene John Cruft (8 June 1887 – 4 June 1976) was a British

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

player. He has been called the "leading double-bass player of his generation". Eugene Cruft was born in London, son of John Cruft (1857-1937), principal viola in the

Carl Rosa Opera Company The Carl Rosa Opera Company was founded in 1873 by Carl Rosa, a German-born musical impresario, and his wife, British operatic soprano Euphrosyne Parepa-Rosa to present opera in English in London and the British provinces. The company premiere ...

. Eugene Cruft started in the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

in 1912, and was principal double-bass player 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. T ...

1929-1947, as well as in several other orchestras such as the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal ...

(

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

) and the

Bath Festival Orchestra Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities ...

. Cruft, whose great influence as a teacher of his instrument is pointed out by Grove's music dictionary, taught as professor of double-bass at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

and at the

National Youth Orchestra A youth orchestra is an orchestra made of young musicians, typically ranging from pre-teens or teenagers to those of conservatory age. Depending on the age range and selectiveness, they may serve different purposes. Orchestras for young stude ...

. He also published ''The Eugene Cruft School of Double-Bass Playing'', in the introduction of which he wrote: 'We never hear anyone say "I like music, so I think I'll learn the double-bass" but there is really no reason why they should not.'Quoted by John Steer in his review of the book in ''The Musical Times'' 1967, p. 43. Cruft chaired the company running the

Pro Arte Orchestra The Pro Arte Orchestra was a British symphony orchestra founded in 1955.Potts, Joseph E.“Orchestral Profile – The Pro Arte Orchestra” ''The Gramophone'', October 1959, p. 163 (p. 33 in online version) Background The Pro Arte Orchestra was fou ...

(and played in it) when it was founded in 1955.Potts, Joseph E.
“Orchestral Profile – The Pro Arte Orchestra”
''

The Gramophone ''Gramophone'' is a magazine published monthly in London, devoted to classical music, particularly to reviews of recordings. It was founded in 1923 by the Scottish author Compton Mackenzie who continued to edit the magazine until 1961. It was ...

'', October 1959, p163 (p33 in online version). He was also responsible for the organization of the orchestras at the coronations of both

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...

and

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. He was made a MVO and an

OBE 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 ...

. Eugene Cruft's son

Adrian Cruft Adrian Francis Cruft (10 February 1921 – 20 February 1987) was a British composer. Cruft, the son of the double-bassist Eugene Cruft was educated at Westminster Abbey Choir School, Westminster School, and as a Boult conducting scholar at th ...

was a notable composer, and another son, John Cruft, was an oboist who became the Secretary of the London Symphony Orchestra in 1949. John went on from running the LSO to become Music Director of the British Council from 1959 - 1964 when he joined the Arts Council of Great Britain as the Music Director, a position he retained until his retirement in 1981. A grandson, Benedict Cruft, is a violinist and was the Dean of the School of Music of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, whose tenure ended in July, 2013.

Notes

References

*Anon., "Mr Eugene Cruft", ''The Times'', Tuesday, Jun 08, 1976; pg. 16; Issue 59724; col F. Letters from readers supplementing this obituary were published in ''The Times'' on Tuesday, June 15, 1976; pg. 16; Issue 59730; col F, and Thursday, June 17, 1976; pg. 20; Issue 59732; col F. *Firbes, Watson & Slatford, Rodney, "Cruft, Eugene (John)",
Grove Music Online
'', ed. L. Macy (Accessed 3 May 2006). *Steer, John, "Cruft's School" (review of ''The Eugene Cruft School of Double-Bass Playing''), ''The Musical Times'' 1967, p. 43. *Swanston, Roderick, "The music of Adrian Cruft", ''

The Musical Times ''The Musical Times'' is an academic journal of classical music edited and produced in the United Kingdom and currently the oldest such journal still being published in the country. It was originally created by Joseph Mainzer in 1842 as ''Mainze ...

'', 1991, p. 119. (On his son Adrian Cruft.) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cruft, Eugene 1887 births 1976 deaths British classical double-bassists Male double-bassists Officers of the Order of the British Empire Academics of the Royal College of Music Members of the Royal Victorian Order 20th-century double-bassists 20th-century British male musicians 20th-century classical musicians