William Primrose
William Primrose is a Altiste Scottish born with Glasgow the August 23rd 1904 and dead on May 1st 1982 with Provo (Utah).
He is generally regarded in the history of the viola as one of the pioneers of this instrument. He was indeed the first soloist international altist and thus largely contributed to make leave the viola the row of badly-liked and reserved instrument to the bad violonists.
Biography
Born with Glasgow (Scotland) the August 23rd 1904, William Primrose undertakes there at four years the training of the Violon. In 1919, the family moves in London and the Primrose young person off integrates the Guildhall School Music where it continues the study of the violin with max Mossel. After having received its gold medal in 1924, it goes in Belgium to improve near the large Master of the violin, Eugene Ysaÿe. This one highly encourages it to give up the violin with the profit of the viola, whose Primrose prefers sonority.
In 1930, it becomes the Altiste of London String Quartet, formation with which it will traverse North America and of the South until its dissolution in 1935 following financial problems. In 1937, it integrates the Symphony orchestra of NBC of Arturo Toscanini as simple altist of row but with which it will also occur as a soloist. It founds in parallel its own quartet, Primrose String Quartet.
In 1941, Primrose leaves NBC. It meets by chance in New York the famous tenor Richard Crooks who invites it to accompany it in his rounds, which will cause to launch the career of soloist of Primrose. The years which follow the war are those of success: Primrose plays with the European and American full orchestras, under the direction of the largest leaders of this time: John Barbirolli, Thomas Beecham, Charles Münch, Arturo Toscanini, Wilhelm Furtwängler…
Primrose continues in parallel an important career of chambrist which leads it to play with the large Masters that he admired, being student. Except its collaboration in London String Four-bit byte and Primrose Four-bit byte, he is member of the Festival Piano Four-bit byte, the Heifetz - Primrose- Feuermann Trio, of the Heifetz - Primrose- Piatigorsky Trio and of the Schnabel - Szigeti - Primrose- Fournier Piano Four-bit byte.
Teaching takes an important place in the life of Primrose: very young person, he teaches already with the Curtis Institute off Music of Philadelphia, then with the the University of California of the South (1961-1965), and at the University of Indiana (1965-1972). In 1971, Primrose is in residence at the University of the Art schools and the Music of Tokyo and with Toho School. It occasionally gives master-classes to the Juilliard School like with the Eastman School off Music. It animates also sessions of summer throughout the world (Toronto, Montreal, Geneva, Banff, Santa Barbara and Aspen).
He dies on May 1st, 1982 of a cancer with Provo (Utah).
In addition to the Concerto for viola of Bartók, it will have caused the Concerto for viola, piano, instruments wind and percussion of Karl Amadeus Hartmann, the Concerto for viola of Quincy Porter as well as the Lachrymae for viola and string orchestra of Benjamin Britten.
In 1953, Primrose was high under Commander of the Ordre of the British Empire by the queen Elisabeth II. For its contribution to the industry of the disc, Primrose received a star on the Hollywood Walk off Famed to the 6801 Hollywood Blvd.
Publications
Primrose wrote four important teaching publications on its instrument:- Art and Practice off Scale Playing (Millets, 1954)
- Technique Is Memory (Oxford University Near, 1960)
- Violon and Violated (with Yehudi Menuhin and Stevens; Schirmer, 1976)
- Playing the Violated (Oxford University Press, 1988)
External bonds
- The Primrose International Violated File: Primrose International Violated File is the deep sea of partitions for viola, named in remembering William Primrose. Its Internet site presents in particular a biography of the altist, his discography as well as sound extracts and vidéos.