Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1929-1980 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
2 boxes
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Born Cambridge, Massachussetts, 8 Nov 1906, the eldest son of (Eugène) Arnold Dolmetsch (1858-1940) a pioneer in the revival of the performance of early music and the building of renaissance and baroque instruments. The family moved to France and then settled in Haslemere, Surrey, in 1914. He was an early and talented player of the harpsichord and viol, and assisted his father in arranging music for the annual festivals of early music in Haslemere. He also formed an orchestra while a teenager of local residents. In 1929 he married Millicent Wheaton, a local school teacher, and also his viola da gamba pupil. The couple gave numerous recitals and recordings of early music during the 1930s. He was the first of the family to show an interest in modern music, both as composer and conductor and broke the family tradition of early music by studying conducting at the Royal College of Music under Constant Lambert and Sir Adrian Boult. He joined the Royal Artillery as a gunner in 1940, and his career was cut short tragically when he was lost at sea on board the liner Ceramic, torpedoed on 7 Dec 1942. His works include the Symphony in D minor (1932); Sinfonietta (1933); Ground and Caprice for orchestra (1934); Concerto for Clarinet, Harp and Orchestra (1939); Concertino for Viola da Gamba and Small Orchestra (1941); Violin Concerto (1942).
Repository
Archival history
GB 1249 MS 5972-5973 1929-1980 Collection (fonds) 2 boxes Dolmetsch , Rudolph Arnold , 1906-1942 , composer, conductor and musician
Born Cambridge, Massachussetts, 8 Nov 1906, the eldest son of (Eugène) Arnold Dolmetsch (1858-1940) a pioneer in the revival of the performance of early music and the building of renaissance and baroque instruments. The family moved to France and then settled in Haslemere, Surrey, in 1914. He was an early and talented player of the harpsichord and viol, and assisted his father in arranging music for the annual festivals of early music in Haslemere. He also formed an orchestra while a teenager of local residents. In 1929 he married Millicent Wheaton, a local school teacher, and also his viola da gamba pupil. The couple gave numerous recitals and recordings of early music during the 1930s. He was the first of the family to show an interest in modern music, both as composer and conductor and broke the family tradition of early music by studying conducting at the Royal College of Music under Constant Lambert and Sir Adrian Boult. He joined the Royal Artillery as a gunner in 1940, and his career was cut short tragically when he was lost at sea on board the liner Ceramic, torpedoed on 7 Dec 1942. His works include the Symphony in D minor (1932); Sinfonietta (1933); Ground and Caprice for orchestra (1934); Concerto for Clarinet, Harp and Orchestra (1939); Concertino for Viola da Gamba and Small Orchestra (1941); Violin Concerto (1942).
Bequeathed to the Royal College of Music by his widow Millicent Dolmetsch, Nov 1988.
Papers of Dolmetsch, including press cuttings of reviews and programmes of concerts by Dolmetsch and the Dolmetsch family, the death of Dolmetsch in 1942, and later performances of his works with related correspondence, 1929-1980; draft of a talk on conducting; his The art of orchestral conducting (Bosworth and Co, London, 1942), with newspaper cuttings of reviews; notebooks containing catalogue of his music library, lists of works and performances of his works, compiled by Dolmetsch and his wife Millicent Dolmetsch, 1930s-1960s.
MS 5972) notebooks of library and works; 5973) cuttings and correspondence arranged by file into annual bundles for 1929-1943, post 1943, and biographical information; art of conducting papers.
Usual conditions of the Library of the Royal College of Music apply. See the RCM website or contact the RCM Library for details.
Photocopying is permitted at the discretion of the Archivist for research purposes only.
English.
A detailed catalogue of all Dolmetsch papers is available in volume 3 of the Manuscripts catalogue in the library of the Royal College of Music.
These papers form part of a larger deposit of Dolmetsch's compositions and arrangements at the Royal College of Music (Ref: MS 5953-5973).
Compiled by Robert Baxter as part of the RSLP AIM25 Project. Source: Grove Dictionary of Music. Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997. Jul 2001 Artists Classical music Dolmetsch , family , instrument makers, scholars and performers of early music Dolmetsch , Rudolph Arnold , 1906-1942 , composer, conductor and musician Music Musical performances Musical styles Musicians Performers Performing arts
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Bequeathed to the Royal College of Music by his widow Millicent Dolmetsch, Nov 1988.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Papers of Dolmetsch, including press cuttings of reviews and programmes of concerts by Dolmetsch and the Dolmetsch family, the death of Dolmetsch in 1942, and later performances of his works with related correspondence, 1929-1980; draft of a talk on conducting; his The art of orchestral conducting (Bosworth and Co, London, 1942), with newspaper cuttings of reviews; notebooks containing catalogue of his music library, lists of works and performances of his works, compiled by Dolmetsch and his wife Millicent Dolmetsch, 1930s-1960s.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
MS 5972) notebooks of library and works; 5973) cuttings and correspondence arranged by file into annual bundles for 1929-1943, post 1943, and biographical information; art of conducting papers.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Usual conditions of the Library of the Royal College of Music apply. See the RCM website or contact the RCM Library for details.
Conditions governing reproduction
Photocopying is permitted at the discretion of the Archivist for research purposes only.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
- Latin
Language and script notes
English.
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
These papers form part of a larger deposit of Dolmetsch's compositions and arrangements at the Royal College of Music (Ref: MS 5953-5973).
Finding aids
A detailed catalogue of all Dolmetsch papers is available in volume 3 of the Manuscripts catalogue in the library of the Royal College of Music.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Publication note
Notes area
Note
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
- English