David Martin

Martin, David

Martin, David. Violinist, teacher, b Winnipeg 2 Aug 1911, d Norwich, England, 17 Feb 1982; LRAM 1931, ARCM 1938, FRAM 1949. He took violin lessons 1919-28 in Winnipeg with George Rutherford and in 1928 in Regina with Kathleen Parlow, then won a scholarship through the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in 1928 and studied 1929-34 at the RAM with Rowsby Woof. His solo debut in London (Wigmore Hall, 1935) led to a second recital there in 1936, and he was an assisting artist at the 1938 Wigmore Hall recital of music by Ada Twohy Kent, performing the 16 Variations on an English Theme with the pianist-composer. In the years following, he frequently was a soloist at the Promenade Concerts in Royal Albert Hall and was the leader of the Philharmonic String Trio 1935-40 and the Martin String Quartet 1948-68. He formed the Martin Piano Trio in 1945. With these groups he recorded chamber music of Beethoven, Dvořák, Françaix, Ireland, Mozart, and Schubert. He also performed frequently with Frederick Grinke. In 1943 Martin became a teacher at the RAM, and thereafter he coached at summer schools in England, Austria, and Canada (the NYO 1967, the Banff SFA 1968-73). Martin retired from the concert stage in 1970 and concentrated on teaching. Among his Canadian pupils were Gerald Jarvis, Sydney Mann, and Thomas Rolston. Martin also taught Peter Cropper, Ralph Holmes (who has performed frequently in Canada), Hugh Maguire, Raymond Ovens (see Purcell String Quartet), Kenneth Sillito, John Stein, Peter Thomas, Alan Traverse, and Trevor Williams.