Arnold Dolmetsch

Arnold Dolmetsch (1858 - 1940) was a French-born musician and instrument maker who spent most of his working life in London

His main interest was in the field of early music, and he built viols, lutes and a range of keyboards, including harpsichords and clavichords. His 1915 book The Interpretation of the Music of the XVIIth and XVIIIth Centuries was a milestone in the development of authentic performances of early music.

Dolmetsch was active in the cultural life of the city, and his friends and admirers included William Morris, Selwyn Image , Roger Fry, Gabriele d'Annunzio, George Bernard Shaw, Ezra Pound , George Moore whose novel Evelyn Innes, celebrates Dolmetsch's life and work, and W. B. Yeats.

He was also partly responsible for the revival of the recorder, and its later place in music education.

References

• The Dolmetsch Story at dolmetsch online Captured March 2, 2005.