Yehudi

1916 Menuhin
1930 1939 1957 1980 1999
+

THE MAN

A visionary & artist

Yehudi Menuhin was a rich enigma: a gentle spirit tied to an implacable will: a perfectionist who
loved amateurs and young beginners; an ascetic who relished down-to-earth pleasures.

A visionary who got things done.

A man who could not forget, perhaps never quite came to terms with, the extraordinarily gifted
child he had been and, in some ways, remained.

An artist who believed the music he played to be, quite literally, a form of human healing, out of
which we might make peace with ourselves.

A timeline of his life



From child prodigy to one of the 20th centurys finest and most celebrated artists, Yehudi
Menuhins legacy lives on. In 2016, the centenary of his birth was celebrated by many special
events and concerts (see the timeline), a BBC Four documentary film Who's Yehudi, and a highly
acclaimed Warner Classics boxed set The Menuhin Century.

The Prodigy
1916 - 1929

1916

22 April: Born in New York City to Moshe Menuhin and Marutha Sher

1918

Family moves to San Francisco

1920

Birth of a sister, Hephzibah

 "When I began it was pure instinct. I had the knack, the gift, the
will."
Yehudi Menuhin

1921

Birth of a sister, Yaltah

Yehudi starts violin lessons with Sigmund Anker (lasting two years)

First performance at a pupils concert

1923

Lessons begin with Louis Persinger

"I was, in some ways, the pupil of Persingers abandoned dreams."

Yehudi Menuhin

1924

Yehudis public concert dbut. Aged seven, he plays Briots Scne de Ballet accompanied at the
piano by Louis Persinger

1925

LFirst full length recital (with Persinger at the piano) in San Francisco

"The lad, looking smaller than ever in his vast surroundings,

filled them with his personality and his genius. The tremendous
audience, much as it knew what to expect, was amazed and
inflamed at his performance."
 Alexander Fried

1926

New York recital dbut at the Manhattan Opera House

First concerto performance (Lalos SymphonieEspagnole) with the San Francisco Orchestra
conducted by Louis Persinger.

The Menuhin family sail to Europe for the first time

1927

Paris dbut (aged ten) in two concerts with the Lamoureux Orchestra under Paul Paray: Lalos
Symphonie Espagnole and Tchaikovskys Violin Concerto

Starts lessons with Enescu in Paris and Romania

First concerto concert (Beethoven) in Carnegie Hall, with the New York Symphony Orchestra
under Fritz Busch

1928

First recordings for Victor

First US concert tour

"Bach he advised me to play strictly, for he said that however

strong your emotional impulse may be, it should never destroy
the basic pace nor twist the overall form of the piece from its
architectural shape."
Yehudi on his teacher, Enesco

1929
 Gift of Stradivarius violin Prince Khevenhller from Henry Goldman

Berlin dbut, playing Bach, Beethoven and Brahms Concertos, with Bruno Walter conducting the
Berlin Philharmonic

Studies with Adolf Busch (and in summer 1930)

Menuhins establish family home in Basel

London dbut at Queens Hall, LSO conducted by Fritz Busch

First solo recordings for HMV

Jeunesse dore
1930 - 1938

1931

Family home established at Ville dAvray, outside Paris

First concerto recording (Bruch No.1) with LSO under Sir Landon Ronald

"The way that boy plays my concerto is amazing."

Elgar to Delius

1932

Coaching with Toscanini on board the SS France

Records Elgar Concerto in London, with the composer conducting, and in Paris the Bach Double
 Concerto with Enescu under Monteux

Plays Mozart and Bach concertos at Royal Albert Hall, London with LSO conducted by Sir Thomas
Beecham, followed by Elgar concerto conducted by the composer

1933

First duo recordings with Hephzibah as pianist

1935

'World Tour' visits Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Europe (110 concerts in 72 cities)

1936 - 1937

Eighteen months' sabbatical at new family home in Los Gatos, California "a blithe, young, joyful
time"

1937

Gives US premire of Violin Concerto by Schumann

1938

Marriage to Nola Nicholas; both his sisters get married (Hephzibah to Nola Nicholass brother,
Lindsay)

War and Peace

1939 - 1956
 1939

War in Europe

Birth of daughter Zamira

First tour of South America

1940

Australia: concerts and recordings with Hephzibah

Birth of son Krov

1941 - 1942

US enters war

Yehudi is deferred, plays for troops and makes second tour of Latin America

"I did not think that music could be played like that until long
after the composer was dead"
Bartk

1943

First wartime visit to Britain

Meets and plays for Bartk and commissions solo sonata

 "We request that you definitely cancel all arrangements for
Menuhin concerts up to and including 13 October. His presence
in Europe with fighting troops at this critical juncture of the war
is essential in its effect upon their morale and most important."
General Eisenhower cables from Supreme Headquarters

1944

Tour of military bases in Alaska and Aleutian Islands

Plays for Pacific Ocean battle troops in Hawaii

(Altogether plays over 500 concerts for Allied troops during Second World War)

Meets Diana Gould, British dancer and actress, during second wartime visit to Britain

Plays in Antwerp, Brussels and Paris shortly after their liberation

Premire of Bartks Sonata for solo violin in New York, with Bartk in the audience

1945

Plays for inaugural United Nations assembly in San Francisco

With Benjamin Britten plays for survivors of concentration camps at Belsen

First visit to Moscow, friendship with David Oistrakh

"I had dreamt of conducting an orchestra since the age of eleven."

Yehudi Menuhin

1946
 Records Bartks Violin Concerto No.2 with Antal Dorati

Conducts the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in a semi-public rehearsal of Wagners Die

Meistersinger prelude

1947

Records Beethoven concerto with Furtwngler

Divorce from Nola and marriage to Diana Gould in London

1948

Birth of son Gerard

1949

World premire of Walton's Violin and Piano Sonata (commissioned by YM) in Zurich

"Precisely because I played in Berlin I wish to play in Israel. As to

threats, they cannot put me off. If there are people who wish to
hear me, Ill come and play."
Cable from Menuhin to the Israeli impresario, Baruch Gillon.

1950

Challenges apartheid in South Africa

First visit to Israel, despite threats against him

1951

Discovers yoga


First concert tour of Japan

Birth of son Jeremy

1952

Concert tour of India in aid of Famine Relief; hears Ravi Shankar and meets yoga teacher BKS
Iyengar

1954

Holds first violin classes, at Nadia Boulanger's Academy in Fontainebleau

1955

Death of newborn son Alexis

Leaves US to make his home in Europe

1956

Plays at Johannesburg Festival, his last South African visit until the end of apartheid

Festivals and Festivities

1957 - 1979
 1957

First Gstaad Festival: gives two concerts with Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears and Maurice Gendron

"It has taken some years for the work of Bartk to command the
respect and reverence they now receive. Little known or
unknown works have in my experience always acted as a
stimulus to artist, audience and connoisseur alike."
Article on new music, London "Sunday Times"

1959

Artistic Director of the Bath Festival (until 1968)

Establishes Bath Festival Orchestra and performs and records extensively with them

introduces Jacqueline du Pr, aged 16, at 1961 festival

1963

Establishes Yehudi Menuhin School in London, transferring to Surrey a year later

1965

Made honorary Knight of the British Empire (KBE)

"To be present, as I have been, at a chamber music recital by

Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan, each goading the other to new
heights of invention, is an experience more magical than almost
any in the world. One is in the presence of creation."
Yehudi Menuhin
 1966

Conducts first opera, Mozarts Cosi fan tutte at Bath Festival

Performs and records duo improvisations with Ravi Shankar; their joint appearance at 1967 UN
Assembly is 'a thunderous success' (Ravi Shankar)

1969

Joint Artistic Director (with Ian Hunter) of Windsor Festival (until 1972)

President of International Music Council, UNESCO (for three successive terms, until 1975)

1970

Honorary Swiss citizenship

At Windsor, conducts world premire of Oliver Knussens Second Symphony

"People would come to me when I was walking in the streets of

Moscow and shove a little piece of paper in my hand
surreptitiously, just telling me how much they appreciated it."
Yehudi Menuhin

1971

Supports Russian dissidents in Moscow speech

First duet appearance with jazz violinist Stphane Grappelli

1972

Publishes essays and speeches in Theme and Variations

 1973

World premire of Frank Martins Polyptyque

1975

Conducts Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for first time (becomes their President in 1982)

1976

Plays at inaugural Bermuda Festival

1977

Foundation of Live Music Now in Britain and the International Menuhin Music Academy in Gstaad

Publishes autobiography Unfinished Journey

1978

The Music of Man television series for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

1979

Establishes Portsmouth International String Quartet Competition (later London International String
Quartet Competition, the leading event of its kind)

Visits China, named first ever Western honorary professor of Beijing Conservatoire; first Chinese
students permitted to leave their country to study at the Menuhin School and Menuhin Academy

Music's Ambassador to the World

 1980 - 1999

1980

Performs at Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, USA

1981

Death of Hephzibah

1982

Death of his father Moshe

"Anything that one wants to do really and one loves doing, one
must do every day. It should be as easy to the artist and as
natural as flying is to a bird. And you can't imagine a bird
saying, Well, Im tired today. Im not going to fly. "
Yehudi Menuhin

1983

Conducts Sinfonia Varsovia in concert for the Pope

Foundation in Folkestone of the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists

1985
 Assumes British citizenship and becomes Sir Yehudi

1987

The Queen makes him a Member of the Order of Merit (OM)

1989

Attends World Economic Forum in Davos for the first time

Conducts Messiah in the Kremlin shortly after the collapse of the Communist regime

1991

Receives Wolf Prize and addresses the Knesset in Israel

Establishment by royal decree of the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation in Brussels

1992

Live Music Now Germany founded in Munich.

1993

Becomes a baron, The Right Honourable the Lord Menuhin of Stoke dAbernon, OM KBE and
takes his seat in the British House of Lords

1994

Launch of MUS-E in Brussels

"with an excellent black choir. Before the audience would let us

leave, the choir broke quite spontaneously into some of their own
traditional songs"
Yehudi Menuhin

1995

Returns to South Africa to celebrate the release of Nelson Mandela: conducts Handels Messiah in
township outside Johannesburg

1996

Eightieth birthday year, during which he conducts more than 110 concerts

Final public appearance as a solo violinist at 40th Gstaad Festival and conducts Lehars The Merry
Widow in celebration of his final festival

Conducts Sarajevo Peace Concert under patronage of Germany, European Commission and
UNESCO

Live Music Now Austria founded in Vienna. Three further branches were founded later.

Death of his mother Marutha, aged 100

1997

First meeting of Assembly of Cultures

1998

Yehudi Menuhin School: Malcolm Singer appointed Director of Music

1999

12 March: Yehudi Menuhin dies in the Martin Luther Hospital, Berlin

 After Menuhin's Death
1999 to Present Day

1999

19 March: Funeral and burial at the Yehudi Menuhin School, Stoke dAbernon

3 June: Memorial Service in Westminster Abbey

6 November: Gala concert celebrating the 70th Anniversary of his London dbut at the Albert Hall

Zamira Menuhin Benthall appointed Honorary President Live Music Now Yehudi Menuhin in
Germany and Austria

2000

Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France

Maestro Mstislav Rostropovich accepts to become the second President of the Yehudi Menuhin
School

Menuhin: A Life by Humphrey Burton published by Faber and Faber

2001

9 June: Death of Yehudis younger sister, Yaltah Rice-Menuhin

2002 - 2006
 Yehudi Menuhin School: major fundraising campaign for the Menuhin Hall

2003

25 January: Death of Lady Menuhin (Diana Gould)

2004

Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists, London linked with the Genius of the Violin
multi-media festival

3 October: Yehudi Menuhin School celebrates the 40th Anniversary of its foundation with a Gala
Concert at the Royal Albert Hall London, organized with the Great Ormond Street Hospital

The Yehudi Menuhin Archive opens at the Royal Academy of Music, London

Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists held in London

2006

Opening of the Menuhin Hall at the Yehudi Menuhin School, Stoke dAbernon, in the presence of
HRH The Duke of Gloucester and the President of the School, Maestro Rostropovich

Menuhin Music Festival, Gstaad Switzerland, celebrates its 50th Anniversary

Death of Maestro Mstislav Rostropovich, the second President of the Yehudi Menuhin School

Maestro Daniel Barenboim accepts to become the third President of the Yehudi Menuhin School

Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists, Boulogne-sur-Mer

Yehudi Menuhin: The Violin of the Century, a full length film by Bruno Monsaingeon, released

2007
 Live Music Now (Germany and Austria), now with 16 branches, celebrates 15th Anniversary of
founding branch in Munich

Live Music Now UK celebrates its 40th Anniversary at Windsor Castle in the presence of HRH
The Prince of Wales, the Royal Patron, and Mr Ian Stoutzker, the moving spirit and Chairman

Jeremy Menuhin is appointed musical director of International Music Academy, Gstaad

Death of Rostropovich; Maestro Daniel Barenboim appointed President of Yehudi Menuhin School

2008

11-20 April: Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists held in Cardiff, Wales

2010

16-25 April: Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists held in Oslo, under the
Patronage of HM the King of Norway

Retirement of Nicolas Chisholm from headmastership of the Yehudi Menuhin School, after 25
years. Richard Hillier appointed headmaster

2012

615 April, Menuhin Competition held in Beijing, China

Live Music Now Germany celebrates the 20th Anniversary of its foundation in Munich. It now has
19 branches in Germany.

20132016

The Yehudi Menuhin School marks the 50th Anniversary of its foundation with a major Appeal
(President: Tasmin Little), principally to fund bursaries and new music studios.
 2014

21 February2 March, Menuhin Competition held in Austin, Texas, USA.

2016

Centenary of Yehudi Menuhin's birth on 22 April 1916.

The Menuhin family sponsors a Centenary Website.

717 April, Menuhin Competition held in London, for the first time since 2004, including a 10-day
festival of events and concerts.

Yehudi Menuhin: Journeys with a Violin exhibition at the Royal Academy of Music, London.

22 April to 1 May, the Konzerthaus Berlin presents a Hommage to Menuhin, accompanied by a

German-language Festschrift.

110 July, the Yehudi Menuhin School presents the Menuhin 100 Festival.

Warner Classics publish a boxed set, The Menuhin Century, curated by Bruno Monsaingeon.

Humphrey Burtons biography is republished in paperback by Faber, with an updated Preface.

The Indian journal Yoga Rahasya publishes a centenary issue, celebrating Menuhins friendship
with B. K. S. Iyengar.

BBC Four screens a one-hour television programme, Yehudi Menuhin: Whos Yehudi?.

A Facebook page devoted to Menuhin is initiated, with 46,000 likes.

The Live Music Now movement in both the UK and Germany and Austria organize many
celebratory events.

The Gstaad Menuhin Festival organizes a Gedenkkonzert in honour of its founder.

 Further celebrations of the centenary in Belgium, Bermuda, France, Italy, Poland and Spain.

2017

2017 (Summer) Yehudi Menuhin School: Oscar Colomina i Bosch appointed Director of Music,
succeeding Malcolm Singer

2017 Yehudi Menuhin School: Kate Clanchy designated to succeed Dr Richard Hillier as Head in
2018

2017 Yehudi Menuhin School: Zamira Menuhin Benthall appointed a Vice-President

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