Gerald Harman Walenn (19 November 1871 – 27 January 1942) was a British

violinist The following lists of violinists are available: * List of classical violinists * List of contemporary classical violinists * List of jazz violinists * List of popular music violinists * List of Indian violinists * List of Persian violinists * Li ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

."14 Jun 1917 – A Distinguished Musician. Mr. Gerald Walenn in Adelaide"
''The Advertiser'' (Adelaide), 14 June 1917, p. 7, Trove.nla.gov.au, accessed 3 January 2018 Walenn was born in London, England. His father,

William Henry Walenn William Henry Walenn (7 January 1828 – 20 September 1896) was born in London and was trained as an engineer at the works of Messrs. Cottam, and received part of his education at University College, London, where he studied mathematics under A ...

, was a scientist and worked for many years at the

Patent Office A patent office is a governmental or intergovernmental organization which controls the issue of patents. In other words, "patent offices are government bodies that may grant a patent or reject the patent application based on whether the applicati ...

in London. His mother, Skene Charlotte (''née'' Barth) was musically trained but did not perform professionally. Nevertheless, her interest in music led to music professions of several of her children:

Herbert Walenn Herbert may refer to: People * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert, Northern Territor ...

was a cellist and professor at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

, Charles Walenn performed with the

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is a professional British light opera company that, from the 1870s until 1982, staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere. The ...

and J.C. Williamson, another brother was an organist, and Gerald and a sister were violinists. Two other children found their way into art professions.Kumm. Elisabeth
"Walenn, Charles R (1867–1948)"
TheatreHeritage.org, 28 July 2017, accessed 3 January 2018 Walenn began playing the violin at the age of 8 under Kate Chaplin and later studied under John Rutson. He continued his violin studies at the Royal Academy of Music under

Prosper Sainton Prosper Philippe Catherine Sainton (5 June 1813 – 17 October 1890) was a French violinist. Life Sainton was the son of a merchant at Toulouse, where he was born. He entered the Paris Conservatoire under François Antoine Habeneck in 1831 ...

and after his death under

Emile Sauret Emile or Émile may refer to: * Émile (novel) (1827), autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life * Emile, Canadian film made in 2003 by Carl Bessai * '' Emile: or, On Education'' (1762) by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a treatise o ...

. He made his concert debut at the age of 14 with the ''Ballade for violin and orchestra'', Op.16a by

Moritz Moszkowski Moritz Moszkowski (23 August 18544 March 1925) was a German-Polish composer, pianist, and teacher.St James's Hall St. James's Hall was a concert hall in London that opened on 25 March 1858, designed by architect and artist Owen Jones (architect), Owen Jones, who had decorated the interior of the Crystal Palace. It was situated between the Quadrant in Regen ...

. He later performed the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto at

Osborne House Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat. Albert designed the house in the style ...

in the presence of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. Walenn also made extensive concert tours throughout Great Britain, the United States and Canada. In 1903 he formed the Walenn String Quartet with Herbert Kinze (violin), James Lockyer (viola), and his brother Herbert (cello). In later years the violist position was changed to

Lionel Tertis Lionel Tertis, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (29 December 187622 February 1975) was an English viola, violist. He was one of the first viola players to achieve international fame, and a noted teacher. Career Tertis was born ...

. The quartet was disbanded in 1914 due to the beginning of World War I. The quartet gave many premieres, including the Suite for String Quartet in C major by

Alexander Glazunov Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov ( – 21 March 1936) was a Russian composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Russian Romantic period. He was director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory between 1905 and 1928 and was instrumental i ...

which was first performed in the Aeolian Hall on the 25th of June 1907. The composer attended both the rehearsals and the concert. SLNSW 8535 New South Wales State Conservatorium Quartet string quartet

SLNSW 8535 New South Wales State Conservatorium Quartet string quartet

In 1917 Walenn moved to Australia to follow a call for the position of a violin teacher at the

Elder Conservatorium The Elder Conservatorium of Music, also known as "The Con", is located in the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, and is named in honour of its benefactor, Sir Thomas Elder (1818–1897). Dating in its earliest form from 1883 ...

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

. Seven years later, in 1924 he took the same position at the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

and founded there the Conservatorium String Quartet with

Lionel Lawson Lionel may refer to: Name *Lionel (given name) Places *Lionel, Lewis, a village in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland *Lionel Town, Jamaica, a settlement Brands and enterprises *Lionel, LLC, an American designer and importer of toy trains and model ra ...

(violin), Alfred Hill (viola) and Gladstone Bell (cello). Walenn was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, (F.R.A.M.) in 1936. He died in 1942 at the age of 70 in Sydney, "after a brief illness."

Compositions

* Feuille d'album, for violin and piano * 3 pieces for violin and piano * Song of the desert * Butterfly * Romance & Allegro, for 2 violins, cello and piano * Caprice for violin and orchestra * Harlequinade for violin and piano or orchestra (1900) * Quartet for 2 violins, cello and piano * 3 easy pieces, for violin and piano * Old Lavender, for violin and piano

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walenn, Gerald 1871 births 1942 deaths Australian classical composers Australian classical violinists Australian male classical composers Australian music educators British classical composers British classical violinists Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Fellows of the Royal Academy of Music British expatriates in Australia British male classical composers British music educators British male classical violinists