Peter Gellhorn
Encyclopedia
Peter Gellhorn was a German
conductor, composer, pianist and teacher who settled in London
and made a career in Britain
that lasted unbroken until his death.
Gellhorn, the son of an architect, came from a typically musical Jewish family and was educated at the Schiller Realgymnasium, at Berlin University and at the Berlin Music Academy. He was a pupil of the composer Franz Schreker
. When the National Socialists came to power he was obliged to leave Germany
and settled in England
, although he was interned on the Isle of Man as an enemy alien from 1939 to 1941.
During his later career he conducted at Glyndebourne
, at the Royal Opera House
(at the invitation of its conductor, Karl Rankl
); with the Carl Rosa Opera Company
and for the BBC
, where he conducted the BBC Singers for eleven years.
In later life he taught and coached singers and other musicians from his home in south-west London.
He married the actress Olive Layton in 1943; they had two sons and two daughters.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
conductor, composer, pianist and teacher who settled in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and made a career in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
that lasted unbroken until his death.
Gellhorn, the son of an architect, came from a typically musical Jewish family and was educated at the Schiller Realgymnasium, at Berlin University and at the Berlin Music Academy. He was a pupil of the composer Franz Schreker
Franz Schreker
Franz Schreker was an Austrian composer, conductor, teacher and administrator. Primarily a composer of operas, his style is characterized by aesthetic plurality , timbral experimentation, strategies of extended tonality and...
. When the National Socialists came to power he was obliged to leave Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and settled in 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...
, although he was interned on the Isle of Man as an enemy alien from 1939 to 1941.
During his later career he conducted at Glyndebourne
Glyndebourne
Glyndebourne is a country house, thought to be about six hundred years old, located near Lewes in East Sussex, England. It is also the site of an opera house which, with the exception of its closing during the Second World War, for a few immediate post-war years, and in 1993 during the...
, at the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
(at the invitation of its conductor, Karl Rankl
Karl Rankl
Karl Rankl was a British conductor and composer of Austrian birth. A pupil of the composers Schoenberg and Webern, he conducted at opera houses in Austria, Germany and Czechoslovakia until fleeing from the Nazis and taking refuge in England in 1939.Rankl was appointed musical director of the...
); with 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...
and for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, where he conducted the BBC Singers for eleven years.
In later life he taught and coached singers and other musicians from his home in south-west London.
He married the actress Olive Layton in 1943; they had two sons and two daughters.
Sources
- Daily Telegraph, Obituary: Peter Gellhorn, 25 February 2004. Accessed 28 April 2009.
- Michael Kennedy and Joyce Bourne (eds.) "Gellhorn, Peter", The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. Accessed via subscription 28 April 2009.