Martin Lovett (3 March 1927 – 29 April 2020) was an English cellist, best known for his work for 40 years with the

Amadeus Quartet The Amadeus Quartet was a string quartet founded in 1947 and disbanded in 1987, having retained its founding members throughout its history. Noted for its smooth, sophisticated style, its seamless ensemble playing, and its sensitive interpretat ...

, one of the leading

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

s at the time.

Life and career

Lovett was born in

Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area in the northwest part of the London Borough of Hackney, England. The area is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington (parish), Stoke Newington, the ancient parish. S ...

(north-east London) on 3 March 1927. When he was 11, his father, a cellist with the Hallé Orchestra and the

London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is a British orchestra based in London. One of five permanent symphony orchestras in London, the LPO was founded by the conductors Thomas Beecham, Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a riv ...

, gave him his first lessons. At age 15, he won a scholarship to study at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

in London. He joined the

at the age of 19, in 1947, with violinists

Norbert Brainin Norbert Brainin, OBE (12 March 1923 in Vienna – 10 April 2005 in London) was the first violinist of the Amadeus Quartet, one of the world's most highly regarded string quartets. Because of Brainin's Jewish origin, he was driven out of Vienna ...

and

Siegmund Nissel Siegmund Walter "Sigi" Nissel (3 January 1922 – 21 May 2008) was an Austrian-born British violinist who played second violin in the Amadeus Quartet and served as its administrator. Sigi Nissel was born in Munich to a Jewish family from Vienn ...

, and violist

Peter Schidlof Peter Schidlof (born Hans Schidlof; 9 July 1922 – 16 August 1987) was an Austrian-British violist and co-founder of the Amadeus Quartet. Life and career Born in Göllersdorf near Vienna, Schidlof fled Austria for England following the Nazi An ...

. He was the only English player in the quartet of otherwise

Austrian refugees Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austri ...

. They remained together for 40 years, until the death of Schidlof in 1987, when they decided to disband. They recorded many quartets, including Beethoven's complete string quartets, and also in 1968 Schubert's Quintet "The Trout", D. 667, with pianist

Emil Gilels Emil Grigoryevich Gilels (19 October 191614 October 1985, born Samuil) was a Soviet pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time. His sister Elizabeth, three years his junior, was a violinist. His daughter Elena ...

and double bassist

Rainer Zepperitz Rainer Zepperitz (August 25, 1930 - December 23, 2009) was a German double bassist. Background Zepperitz was born in Bandung, Java. In his childhood he first learned the violin before moving to the relocation of his family to Germany at the Düs ...

. After the end of the Amadeus Quartet, Lovett was much in demand for performances with various chamber music groups including the Amadeus Ensemble. He gave chamber music courses all over the world. The Amadeus Summer Course, held each year 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 ...

in London, was a highlight of this activity. He joined the Verdi Quartet for a 1989 recording of Schubert's

String Quintet A string quintet is a musical composition for five string players. As an extension to the string quartet (two violins, a viola, and a cello), a string quintet includes a fifth string instrument, usually a second viola (a so-called "viola quintet ...

, D. 956. A former Fellow of the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

, he also acted as a judge in many international chamber music competitions. As a quartet member, Lovett was awarded the

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

, and the

Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian Decoration for Science and Art" was established by the National Co ...

. Lovett was married for 55 years to Suzanne Rosza, whom he met while they studied at the Royal College of Music. They had two children, Sonia and Peter, five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. He later remarried, to the writer Dorinde Van Oort. He died in North London on 29 April 2020, aged 93. News of his death was first announced by his daughter, Sonia, who confirmed that it was due to complications from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

References

External links

*
Artist Martin Lovett
at

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lovett, Martin 1927 births 2020 deaths English cellists Officers of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany People from Stoke Newington Musicians from the London Borough of Hackney Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in England Alumni of the Royal College of Music