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Henry Holmes (7 November 1839 9 December 1905) was a British
Henry Holmes (7 November 1839 9 December 1905) was a British violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
ist, composer, and music educator. His compositional output includes a violin concerto
A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin (occasionally, two or more violins) and instrumental ensemble (customarily orchestra). Such works have been written since the Baroque music, Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first dev ...
, several works for solo violin, four symphonies, a concert overture, two sacred cantatas for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra, and other chamber and choral works.Alberto Bachmann, ''An Encyclopedia of the Violin'' by p. 365.
Biography
Born in London, Holmes was the younger brother of violinist and composerAlfred Holmes
Sgt. Alfred Holmes (1 February 1931 – 1 January 1994) was a Gibraltarian sergeant of the Gibraltar Regiment (now the Royal Gibraltar Regiment). He was a well remembered ''Officer-in-Charge of the Apes'' who held this position, caring for th ...
. Both men studied the violin initially with their father and then at the Spohr's Violin School. The brothers made their professional debut together when Henry was just eight years old, performing in concert as duettists at the Haymarket Theatre
The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foot ...
on 13 July 1847. They then toured throughout Europe to much acclaim and violinist/composer Louis Spohr
Louis Spohr (, 5 April 178422 October 1859), baptized Ludewig Spohr, later often in the modern German form of the name Ludwig, was a German composer, violinist and conducting, conductor. Highly regarded during his lifetime, Spohr composed ten Sy ...
dedicated his three violin duos to them. The brothers parted ways in 1864, with Alfred settling in Paris and Henry remaining in London.
In London, Holmes was active as a recitalist, chamber musician, and concert soloist. He taught the violin privately and 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 ...
spent much of his time composing. Some of his notable pupils include 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 ...
, Arthur Elwell Fisher
Arthur Elwell Fisher (29 May 1848 – after 1912) was an English composer, organist, violist, violinist, and music educatorLadislav Cselenyi-Granch. Under the Sign of the Big Fiddle: The R.S. Williams Family, Manufacturers and Collectors of Musical ...
, Jessie Grimson
Jessie Grimson (26 November 1873 – 19 October 1954) was a British violinist and violin teacher. In 1913, she was one of the first women to join the Queen's Hall Orchestra, founded in 1895.
Life
Jessie Grimson was born 26 November 1873 in Piml ...
and Kathleen Parlow
Kathleen Parlow (September 20, 1890 – August 19, 1963) was a violinist known for her outstanding technique, which earned her the nickname "The lady of the golden bow". Although she left Canada at the age of four and did not permanently return ...
. He spent the last several years of his life in San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
, where he died in 1905 at the age of 66.
Critical reception
A critic inGloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east of t ...
was not impressed and made the following criticism in 1880:
The event at Gloucester was the daily appearances of Mr Henry Holmes – aesthetic, violinist, and the composer of a very mediocre cantata. The hair of this genius was crimped and his manners had been put in curl-papers. One day he was accompanied by Mrs Holmes, dressed in a tablecloth and a nimbus,
See also
* Son-in-law, English novelistEdgar Jepson
Edgar Alfred Jepson (28 November 1863 – 12 April 1938) was an English author. He largely wrote mainstream adventure and detective fiction, but also supernatural and fantasy stories. He sometimes used the pseudonym R. Edison Page.
Early life
E ...
References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, Henry 1839 births 1905 deaths 19th-century English musicians Academics of the Royal College of Music British music educators English composers English violinists British male violinists 19th-century British male musicians