Cyril Monk
Cyril Farnsworth Monk (born March 9, 1882 in Sydney ; † March 7, 1970 ibid) was an Australian violinist, music teacher and composer.
Monk received piano lessons from his mother at the age of four and then studied violin with Samuel Chudleigh . He started performing publicly as a child and later studied music theory with Josef Kretschmann and composition with Alfred Hill . In 1894 he won the gold medal at the Sydney Eisteddfod . He played in the 1901/02 season in an orchestra under the direction of Roberto Hazon and was principal violinist with the Sydney Philharmonic Society from 1901 to 1903 .
In 1904 he traveled to London and continued his studies with Guido Papini at the College of Violinists ; during this time he also visited France and Germany. In 1906 he graduated with a diploma and a gold medal and returned to Sydney. There he began teaching in 1908 and founded the Austral String Quartet in 1910 , of which Hill was a member. With this he performed new works by composers such as Maurice Ravel , Claude Debussy , Darius Milhaud , Herbert Howells , York Bowen and Arthur Benjamin . In 1913 he married the pianist and composer Varney Desmond .
From 1916 to 1955 Monk taught at the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music and directed its orchestra under three directors: Henri Verbrugghen , William Arundel Orchard and Edgar Bainton . He was also principal violinist of the New South Wales State Orchestra from 1919 to 1923 . He continued to appear as a soloist and played Eugène Aynsley Goossens ' violin sonata in 1923, among others . He gave his last public concert in 1927 with the pianist Francis Hutchins .
Then he devoted himself increasingly to teaching. He was an examiner on the Australian Music Examinations Board , a member of the Federal Council of Music Teachers, and President of the Musical Association of New South Wales . For teaching purposes, he arranged and composed violin works, including Fantasias on National Airs (1932).
Web links
- Graeme Skinner: Monk, Cyril in the Dictionary of Sydney
- Helen Bainton: Monk, Cyril Farnsworth (1882-1970) . In: Douglas Pike (Ed.): Australian Dictionary of Biography . Volume 10. Melbourne University Press, Carlton (Victoria) 1986, ISBN 0-522-84327-1 (English).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Monk, Cyril |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Monk, Cyril Farnsworth (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Australian violinist, music educator and composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 9, 1882 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Sydney |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 7, 1970 |
| Place of death | Sydney |