lionel tertis

Lionel Tertis was born in West Hartlepool in 1876, the son of a Russian father and Polish mother, both naturalized Britons. He devoted his life to the cause of viola, then the 'Cinderella' of string instruments. Tertis can be said to have completely revolutionized the viola as a solo instrument.

Tertis studied piano at Trinity College, London, later concentrating on his second instrument, the violin, with Carrodus at Leipzig Conservatoire and later at the Royal Academy of Music.

Tertis took up the viola at 19 to play in a string quartet and became Professor of viola at the Royal Academy of Music from 1901. He was principal viola in the Queen's Hall Orchestra from 1900 to 1904 and principal viola in the Beecham Orchestra in 1909. He played in several string quartets and was director of the ensemble class at the Royal Academy of Music from 1924 to 1929. During his lifetime he had many distinguished pupils and he also designed the Tertis Model viola, which was 16 3/4'' long.

Tertis arranged and edited many works for viola, including the Elgar Cello Concerto, Delius violin sonatas and Brahms clarinet sonatas. One of his major successes was in convincing William Walton to write an impressive concerto for viola, one of that composer's most lyrical works. The viola immediately achieved more fame than ever and attracted the eyes (and ears) of many composers, including Vaughan-Williams, Britten, Bartók, and Shostakovich. Tertis gave first performances of many of the works for viola written for him or as a result of his artistry.

Tertis was awarded the CBE in 1950 and continued to play in public until 1963. He died in Wimbledon, south London, in 1975.

Gallery: Lionel Tertis - a life in view