Marie Hall
Encyclopedia
Marie Pauline Hall was an English violin
ist.
Hall was born in Newcastle upon Tyne
, England
. She received her first lessons from her father, who was a harp
ist in the orchestra
of the Carl Rosa Opera Company
. She also studied with a local teacher, Hildegarde Werner.
Hall family moved around the country with her father and spent some years in Guarlford
, a small village near Malvern
. When she was nine, Émile Sauret
heard her play but her parents did not follow his advice to send her to the Royal Academy of Music
in London.(Oxford DNB) She continued to study under several well known teachers, including Edward Elgar
in 1894, August Wilhelmj
in London in 1896, Max Mossel in Birmingham in 1898, and Professor Kruse in 1900 in London. In 1901, upon the advice of Jan Kubelík
, she went to study under his former tutor Otakar Ševčík
in Prague
.
Hall played for the first time in Prague in November 1902, Vienna
in January 1903, and made her London debut on February 16, 1903, scoring a success in all these places.
She possessed a technique that she believed was due to Ševčík's teaching. While she appeared to be not very strong physically, Hall proved herself strong enough to engage upon long tours and perform exacting programs without fatigue.
Ralph Vaughan Williams
wrote The Lark Ascending
for Hall, and dedicated it to her. She gave the first public performance at the Queen's Hall
under Adrian Boult
in 1921. She played the Viotti Stradivarius, which is now among the exhibited instruments in the Ashmolean Museum
, Oxford.
In 1911, Hall married her manager Edward Baring; they settled in Cheltenham
and had one child, Pauline.(Oxford DNB) For the last years of her life she lived in Cheltenham in a large Victorian villa, “Inveresk”, in Eldorado Road.
Hall has been described as “a very charming woman, very small and jolly and with a great sense of humour. She was also extremely generous.” She died in Cheltenham on 11 November 1956.
The 1709 Stradivarius
violin, which she had played for more than 50 years and became known as the "Marie Hall Stradivarius", was sold at Sotheby’s in April 1988 for a record £473,000 to an anonymous South American bidder.
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist.
Hall was born in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She received her first lessons from her father, who was a harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
ist in the orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
of the Carl Rosa Opera Company
Carl Rosa Opera Company
The Carl Rosa Opera Company was founded in 1873 by Carl August Nicholas Rosa, a German-born musical impresario, to present opera in English in London and the British provinces. The company survived Rosa's death in 1889, and continued to present opera in English on tour until 1960, when it was...
. She also studied with a local teacher, Hildegarde Werner.
Hall family moved around the country with her father and spent some years in Guarlford
Guarlford
Guarlford is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England. It is situated between the settlements of Barnards Green and Rhydd approximately three kilometres east of Great Malvern, the town centre of Malvern...
, a small village near Malvern
Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
. When she was nine, Émile Sauret
Émile Sauret
Émile Sauret was a French violinist and composer.-Biography:He began studying violin at the Conservatory at Strasburg at the age of six and began concertizing two years later. He studied under Charles de Bériot and later became the student of Henri Vieuxtemps.Sauret made his American debut in 1872...
heard her play but her parents did not follow his advice to send her to the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
in London.(Oxford DNB) She continued to study under several well known teachers, including Edward Elgar
Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
in 1894, August Wilhelmj
August Wilhelmj
August Wilhelmj was a German violinist and teacher.Wilhelmj was a child prodigy. When Henriette Sontag heard him in 1852, when he was seven, she said "You will be the German Paganini"...
in London in 1896, Max Mossel in Birmingham in 1898, and Professor Kruse in 1900 in London. In 1901, upon the advice of Jan Kubelík
Jan Kubelík
Jan Kubelík was a Czech violinist and composer.-Biography:He was born in Michle . His father, a gardener by occupation, was an amateur violinist. He taught his two sons the violin and after discovering the talent of Jan, who was aged five at the time, arranged for him to study with Karel Weber and...
, she went to study under his former tutor Otakar Ševčík
Otakar Ševcík
Otakar Ševčík was a Czech violinist and influential teacher. He was known as a soloist and an ensemble player, including his occasional performances with Eugène Ysaÿe.-Biography:...
in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
.
Hall played for the first time in Prague in November 1902, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in January 1903, and made her London debut on February 16, 1903, scoring a success in all these places.
She possessed a technique that she believed was due to Ševčík's teaching. While she appeared to be not very strong physically, Hall proved herself strong enough to engage upon long tours and perform exacting programs without fatigue.
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...
wrote The Lark Ascending
The Lark Ascending
The Lark Ascending is a work by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, inspired by George Meredith's 122-line poem of the same name about the skylark. The work was written in two versions: violin and piano, written in 1914; and violin and orchestra, written in 1920. The orchestral version...
for Hall, and dedicated it to her. She gave the first public performance at the Queen's Hall
Queen's Hall
The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect T.E. Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. From 1895 until 1941, it was the home of the promenade concerts founded by Robert...
under Adrian Boult
Adrian Boult
Sir Adrian Cedric Boult CH was an English conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in London for the Royal Opera House and Sergei Diaghilev's ballet company. His first prominent post was...
in 1921. She played the Viotti Stradivarius, which is now among the exhibited instruments in the Ashmolean Museum
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first university museum...
, Oxford.
In 1911, Hall married her manager Edward Baring; they settled in Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
and had one child, Pauline.(Oxford DNB) For the last years of her life she lived in Cheltenham in a large Victorian villa, “Inveresk”, in Eldorado Road.
Hall has been described as “a very charming woman, very small and jolly and with a great sense of humour. She was also extremely generous.” She died in Cheltenham on 11 November 1956.
The 1709 Stradivarius
Stradivarius
The name Stradivarius is associated with violins built by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or reproduce, though this belief is controversial...
violin, which she had played for more than 50 years and became known as the "Marie Hall Stradivarius", was sold at Sotheby’s in April 1988 for a record £473,000 to an anonymous South American bidder.