Dolmetsch Family

Dolmetsch Family, instrument makers, scholars, and performers of early music. Arnold (1858-1940), born at Le Mans and died in Haslemere, led the revival of many previously obsolete musical instruments. He went to England in 1883 to study at the Royal College of Music. He was always interested in early music and old instruments. In 1889 he found some viol music which inspired him to collect, restore, and then to manufacture these instruments. His book on interpreting 17th and 18th century music remains a milestone as the first published on the subject. He played many early instruments and manufactured them in Boston, Paris, and finally in Haslemere, Surrey, where he lived with his third wife Mabel, and their children: Cécile (1904- ); Rudolf (1906-1942), a fine harpsichordist, lost at sea during World War II; Natalie (1905- ), who founded the Viola da Gamba Society in 1948; and Carl (1911-1997), a virtuoso recorder player. In 1919 Arnold made the first modern recorder. By 1926 he had reconstructed the whole recorder family. The Haslemere Festival, featuring the Dolmetsches and their instruments, was established in 1925. In 1928 the Dolmetsch Foundation was set up to support Arnold's work. For many years Carl managed the family company and directed the Festival. He produced many editions of recorder music, including a series of recorder tutors.