Henry Lazarus (1 January 1815 – 6 March 1895) was the leading British

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

virtuoso of the 19th century.

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

wrote of Henry Lazarus:

He was the best clarionet ld spelling, now clarinetplayer in England; when you were sitting behind Costa at the Opera you listened for certain phrases from the clarionet just as you did from the ''prima donna'', except that you were much less likely to be disappointed in the former case.

Lazarus was born in London. Raised as an orphan in the Royal Military Asylum in Chelsea, he there learned the instrument from the bandmaster John Blizzard. He later studied under Charles Godfrey, bandmaster of the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

. His solo debut came in 1838. "After fulfilling engagements in various theatrical and other orchestras, he was appointed second clarinet in the Sacred Harmonic Society in 1838. In 1840, he became first clarinetist at the opera, and at the principal concerts in London and the provinces, and was immediately recognized as the foremost clarinetist in all England." In 1871 he gave a highly successful concert tour of England and Wales with the pianist

Stephen Kemp Stephen Benjamin Kemp (November 8, 1849 – October 30, 1918) was an English pianist, piano pedagogue, music editor, and composer. Education and career Born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England, Stephen Kemp was trained at the Royal Academy of Mus ...

. Lazarus was professor of clarinet 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 ...

from 1854 to 1895 and at the Military School of Music (

Kneller Hall Kneller Hall is a Grade II listed mansion in Whitton, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It housed the Royal Military School of Music, training musicians for the British Army, which acquired the building in the mid-19th century. ...

) "for a considerable period" from 1858. He wrote a ''Method for the Clarinet'' based on the

Boehm system The Boehm system is a system of keywork for the flute, created by inventor and flautist Theobald Boehm between 1831 and 1847. History Immediately prior to the development of the Boehm system, flutes were most commonly made of wood, with an inv ...

, although he used primarily Albert System instruments, made by Eugène Albert, himself – some horns are even stamped, "Approved by Mr. Lazarus". His method books are still in use today, and include duets, etudes, studies, finger exercises, scales, etc. Lazarus also played the

basset horn The basset horn (sometimes hyphenated as basset-horn) is a member of the clarinet family of musical instruments. Construction and tone Like the clarinet, the instrument is a wind instrument with a single reed and a cylindrical bore (wind in ...

and

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

. "In both orchestral and solo playing, the beauty and richness of his tone, his excellent phrasing, and his neat and expressive execution were equally admired. He gave a farewell concert in St. James Hall, n31 May 1892, and died in London, n6 March 1895, and was buried in

Brompton Cemetery Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is since 1852 the first (and only) London cemetery to be Crown Estate, Crown property, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington a ...

, London, after having given to the world the wonderful method which bears his name (Lazarus Clarinet School), and which will stand as a monument to his greatness."

Compositions

Works include * ''Fantasia on Favorite Scotch Melodies'' * ''Fantasia on Airs from Bellini's 'I Puritani' '' and many others.Pamela Weston, "Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past". Emerson

References

Bibliography

* Pamela Weston (November 1974) "Lazarus' Instrument Collection". NACWPI * Pamela Weston (1971) ''Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past'' Emerson, York *

Jack Brymer John Alexander Brymer OBE (27 January 191516 September 2003) was an English clarinettist and saxophonist. ''The Times'' called him "the leading clarinettist of his generation, perhaps of the century". Goodwin, Noël"Jack B nimble, Jack B quic ...

- "Jolly good fellow, 'Henry Lazarus, ''The Clarinet'', 24:20, Summer 1950 & Fall 1956

External links

Past exhibition info at Royal Academy, Retrieved 2009-06-25
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lazarus, Henry English classical clarinetists Musicians from London 1815 births 1895 deaths Burials at Brompton Cemetery Academics of the Royal Academy of Music 19th-century British classical musicians