Lionel Tertis

Lionel Tertis CBE ( born December 29, 1876 in West Hartlepool, † February 22, 1975 in London ) was an English violist.

Lionel Tertis, the son of Jewish immigrants ( the father of Russian, the Polish mother ), began early with piano and already the age of 13 left his family to earn on your own as a pianist money. Later, he studied violin for several months at the Academy of Music in Leipzig and then moved to the Royal Academy of Music in London. There, he specialized on the advice of the Director Alexander Mackenzie on the viola. Around the turn of the century he became a professor at the Royal Academy of Music. As a result, he made numerous concert tours throughout Europe and the U.S. and has performed together with other famous soloists, including Anton Rubinstein and Pablo Casals, during his military service in World War I also often associated with Eugène Ysaÿe. Tertis became one of the first viola players, who found international recognition as a soloist. 1936 Tertis retired, but stepped up to the age of 87 years nor publicly, taught and propagated a self-developed model Viola ( Viola Tertis ). In 1950 he was appointed Commander of the British Empire.

Many British composers have written works for him, including William Walton, John Blackwood McEwen, Arnold Bax, Benjamin Dale, York Bowen, Frank Bridge and Harry Farjeon. Tertis created numerous transcriptions and arrangements for viola. In 1974, his autobiography under the title "My viola and I".

1980, the competition Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition was launched in memory of Tertis.