The Cello Museum is dedicated to the memory of
Jeremy Montagu (1927-2020)
Today, 27 December 2020, on what would have been his 93rd birthday, we dedicate The Cello Museum to the memory of Jeremy Montagu.
We are fortunate that he also served as a senior advisor in organology* for The Cello Museum from its outset. Sadly, he did not live to see it open; he died within hours of the announcement of the museum’s opening.
We aspire to Jeremy Montagu’s standards of excellence, his prolific scholarly output, his generosity in sharing information, and his dedication to furthering human knowledge of the history and development of musical instruments.
About Jeremy Montagu
Over his 70+ year career, Jeremy Montagu worked in different musical professions, including that of a horn player, percussionist, conductor, teacher, professor, museum curator, and author of 20 books, numerous articles, and many entries in The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments.
He amassed a collection of about 3,000 musical instruments from around the world and a large private library. He used these instruments in his teaching, his lectures always having a show-and-tell element. Going to his home was like visiting a lived-in musical instrument museum and library.
Dedication Portrait
We had this mixed media portrait of him painted to mark this occasion. After the pandemic when travel is again possible, we will present the physical painting to his home institution, the Bate Collection at the University of Oxford. We will give a painted copy of the portrait to his family.
Dedication Portrait of Jeremy Montagu (1927-2020). Mixed Media Painting.
Celebratory Prize Drawings
We held three prize drawings this afternoon to celebrate the dedication of The Cello Museum to Jeremy Montagu. Thank you to CTM Classics for donating the first prize: an autographed copy of Amit Peled’s Bach Suites for Cello Solo (Volume 1), performed on Casals’ cello.
Congratulations to our winners!
- 1st place: Bernie Mayall
- 2nd place: Jonathan Simmons
- 3rd place: Waltham Forest Cello Fest
Read more about Jeremy Montagu here.
Read more on our museum dedication page here.
Your Turn
Please share your memories of Jeremy Montagu in the comments below.
*Organology is the study of the history and development of musical instruments.
