Lionel Tertis

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Lionel Tertis (December 29, 1876 – February 22, 1975) was an English violist and one of the first viola players to find international fame.

Tertis was born in West Hartlepool and initially studied the violin in Leipzig and at the Royal Academy of Music in London. There he was encouraged by Alexander Mackenzie, the Principal, to take up the viola instead. Under the additional influence of Oskar Nedbal, he did so and rapidly became one of the best known violists of his time, touring Europe and the USA as a soloist. Composers such as Arnold Bax and Frank Bridge wrote pieces specially for him.

In 1906, Tertis was temporarily in the famous Bohemian Quartet to replace the violist/composer Oskar Nedbal.

He also owned a 1717 Montagnana from 1920 to 1937^[1] which he took a chance on acquiring. According to his memoirs, it was "shown to me in an unplayable condition, without bridge, strings or fingerboard.... No case was available -- it was such a large instrument 17? inches -- so my wife came to the rescue by wrapping it in her waterproof coat, and that is how it was taken across the English Channel." Tertis preferred a particularly large viola in order to get an especially rich tone from his instrument. Troubled by the awkwardness of an 18 inch viola, he created his own Tertis model, which provides many of the tonal advantages of the larger instrument in a manageable 16-3/4 inch size. He also arranged several pieces not originally for the viola for his instrument, such as Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto.

Tertis was the author of a number of publications about string playing, the viola in particular, and his own life. They include Cinderella No More and My Viola and I.

Lionel Tertis died in Wimbledon, London.

In October 2006 the Boydell Press will publish "Lionel Tertis: The First Great Virtuoso of the Viola" by John White, the first full biography of this master of the instrument.