Seymour Whinyates (1895 – 24 December 1978) was a British violinist and music administrator, leader of the Whinyates String Quartet, which performed in the 1930 and early 1940s. Born in

Fretherne Fretherne is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Fretherne with Saul, in the Stroud district, in Gloucestershire, England, situated between the larger villages of Frampton-on-Severn and Arlingham. In 1881 the parish ha ...

, Gloucestershire, she studied violin with

William Henry Reed William Henry Reed MVO (29 July 18752 July 1942; his birth year is often given in error as 1876) was an English violinist, teacher, composer, conductor and biographer of Edward Elgar. He was leader of the London Symphony Orchestra for 23 years ( ...

, then became an exhibitioner 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 ...

, where she worked with the Spanish violinist

Enrique Fernández Arbós Enrique Fernández Arbós (24 December 1863 – 2 June 1939) was a Spanish violinist, composer and conductor who divided much of his career between Madrid and London. He originally made his name as a virtuoso violinist and later as one of Spain's ...

. She then continued her studies in Berlin with Andrew Moser and in Paris with Lucien Capet. In 1933 her translation of Albert Jarosy's ''A New Theory of Fingering: Paganini and His Secret'' was published by

Allen & Unwin George Allen & Unwin was a British publishing company formed in 1911 when Sir Stanley Unwin purchased a controlling interest in George Allen & Co. It became one of the leading publishers of the twentieth century and established an Australian ...

. The Whinyates String Quartet was formed in 1930, and gave its first

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

broadcast in December 1932. Other members of the quartet included Dorothy Everitt (violin), Veronica Gotch (viola) and Helen Just (cello). Their repertoire included British music by Frederick T. Durrant,

Herbert Howells Herbert Norman Howells (17 October 1892 – 23 February 1983) was an English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music. Life Background and early education Howells was born in Lydney, Gloucest ...

and Charles Wood. The quartet was disbanded in 1942. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Whinyates joined the

London Ambulance Service The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS) is an NHS trust responsible for operating ambulances and answering and responding to urgent and medical emergency, emergency medical situations within the Greater London, London region of England. The ...

. She became director of music at the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

in 1946 until her retirement in 1959, when she 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 ...

. She was also a member of the Arts Council Music Panel, and the

Royal Musical Association The Royal Musical Association (RMA) is a British scholarly society and charity. Founded in 1874, the Association claims to be the second oldest musicological society in the world, after that of the Netherlands. Activities include organizing and s ...

, from which she resigned in June 1961. She died in

Wadhurst Wadhurst is a market town in East Sussex, England. It is the centre of the civil parish of Wadhurst, which also includes the hamlets of Cousley Wood and Tidebrook. Wadhurst is twinned with Aubers in France. Geography Wadhurst is situated o ...

, East Sussex in December 1978.Obituary (updated note), ''The Musical Times'', Vol. 120, No. 1635 (May, 1979), p. 429
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whinyates, Seymour 1895 births 1978 deaths 20th-century British classical musicians Alumni of the Royal College of Music Academics of the Royal College of Music Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century British violinists