Rosemary Rapaport
Encyclopedia
Rosemary Rapaport was a violin
ist and music teacher who founded the Purcell School
for musically gifted children.
at the age of eight. She also had lessons in piano
and ballet
. She was home educated until the age of 12, after which she attended the North London Collegiate College and Bedford High School. In 1937 she was awarded an Associated Board scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music
, winning two medals for her violin playing. Her teachers included Rowsby Woof and Frederick Grinke
.
In 1941 she left the Royal Academy
and joined the Halle Orchestra. While in Manchester
she married Gerald Heller, an insurance dealer who was an excellent amateur pianist. They later moved to Leeds
where she formed a duo with Fanny Waterman
with whom she gave many recitals in schools under the auspices of the local education authority.
After World War II
she and her husband moved to London
where she formed a partnership with the Viennese
pianist Else Cross that lasted for over 25 years. Their concerts included recitals in the Wigmore Hall
. Their programmes included rarely heard classical works as well as the standard repertoire.
where she was able to see specialist schools in operation. On her return, she and her friend Irene Foster decided to set up a school which would cater for children with special musical talent.
In 1962 they founded the Central Tutorial School for Young Musicians. They persuaded Sir Thomas Armstrong (Principal of the Royal Academy of Music), Keith Falkner
(Director of the Royal College of Music), Yehudi Menuhin
and Fanny Waterman to be their Patrons. There were only four pupils at first, using temporary accommodation at the Conway Hall, London, and then at Morley College
. Soon numbers grew and they moved to their own premises in Hampstead
. Rapaport was very involved in the daily running of school. As numbers continued to grew, however, it became necessary to move again, and the school, by now called the Purcell School
, moved to a large house in Harrow
. Later it moved again to its present site in Bushey
in Hertfordshire
. During these later years Rapaport’s direct involvement became less, but she always maintained close links with the school, taking a lively interest in the pupils’ progress.
s from leading music colleges. In 2005 it was awarded to the Saccini Quartet.
In 1967 she left London to live in Newton Blossomville
, a small picturesque village in Buckinghamshire
near the Bedfordshire
border. Sir Thomas Armstrong had a house there to which he and his wife moved on his retirement from the RAM. Rapaport continued to live a busy teaching life: at the RAM, privately, and at Bedford High School the Dame Alice Harpur School
and the Perse School
.
After the death of Lady Armstrong she and Sir Thomas moved to Olney where they set up a house together, sharing their love of music whilst each retaining their own space. She cared for Sir Thomas in his final days, and continued to live in the house after he died in 1994.
Rosemary Rapaport was small in stature but with strong views which she communicated with authority. She liked a good argument and could hold forth about a wide variety of topics. As a teacher she was demanding but always kind, insisting on a good technique and instilling a love of music in all who had the good fortune to be her pupils. For many years she was accompanied everywhere by Fingal, her West Highland Terrier, who would sit on the foot of any pupil who was tapping it to the music. She was a great animal lover and supported the Wood Green Animal Shelter.
Many of her pupils became life long friends, always keeping in touch with the teacher who had inspired them to play their best.
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist and music teacher who founded the Purcell School
Purcell School
The Purcell School is a specialist music school for children, located in the town of Bushey, south Hertfordshire, England, and is the oldest specialist music school in the UK. The school was awarded the UNESCO Mozart Medal in 2003, which was received on behalf of the school by Prince Charles, who...
for musically gifted children.
Early years
Nancy Rosemary Peace Rapaport was born into a Rabbinic family. She was the youngest of four daughters who all showed artistic talent. Although handicapped as a child by a double mastoid infection she took up the violinViolin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
at the age of eight. She also had lessons in piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
. She was home educated until the age of 12, after which she attended the North London Collegiate College and Bedford High School. In 1937 she was awarded an Associated Board scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
, winning two medals for her violin playing. Her teachers included Rowsby Woof and Frederick Grinke
Frederick Grinke
Frederick Grinke was a Canadian-born violinist who had an international career as soloist, chamber musician and teacher...
.
In 1941 she left the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
and joined the Halle Orchestra. While in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
she married Gerald Heller, an insurance dealer who was an excellent amateur pianist. They later moved to Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
where she formed a duo with Fanny Waterman
Fanny Waterman
Dame Fanny Waterman, DBE is a piano teacher, and the founder, Chairman and Artistic Director of the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition. She is also president of the Harrogate International Music Fesitval.-Life:...
with whom she gave many recitals in schools under the auspices of the local education authority.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
she and her husband moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where she formed a partnership with the Viennese
Music of Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of Austria, and has long been one of the major centers for cultural development in central Europe.Music organizations in Vienna include the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, which has been promoting musical development in the city since 1812...
pianist Else Cross that lasted for over 25 years. Their concerts included recitals in the Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
. Their programmes included rarely heard classical works as well as the standard repertoire.
Purcell School
Rapaport had long been of the opinion that there was a lack of suitable education for exceptionally gifted musical children. She visited CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
where she was able to see specialist schools in operation. On her return, she and her friend Irene Foster decided to set up a school which would cater for children with special musical talent.
In 1962 they founded the Central Tutorial School for Young Musicians. They persuaded Sir Thomas Armstrong (Principal of the Royal Academy of Music), Keith Falkner
Keith Falkner
Sir Keith Falkner was a distinguished English bass-baritone singer especially associated with oratorio and concert recital, who later became Director of the Royal College of Music in London.- Childhood and youth :...
(Director of the Royal College of Music), Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
and Fanny Waterman to be their Patrons. There were only four pupils at first, using temporary accommodation at the Conway Hall, London, and then at Morley College
Morley College
Morley College is an adult education college in London, England. It was founded in the 1880s and has a student population of 10,806 adult students...
. Soon numbers grew and they moved to their own premises in Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
. Rapaport was very involved in the daily running of school. As numbers continued to grew, however, it became necessary to move again, and the school, by now called the Purcell School
Purcell School
The Purcell School is a specialist music school for children, located in the town of Bushey, south Hertfordshire, England, and is the oldest specialist music school in the UK. The school was awarded the UNESCO Mozart Medal in 2003, which was received on behalf of the school by Prince Charles, who...
, moved to a large house in Harrow
Harrow, London
Harrow is an area in the London Borough of Harrow, northwest London, United Kingdom. It is a suburban area and is situated 12.2 miles northwest of Charing Cross...
. Later it moved again to its present site in Bushey
Bushey
Bushey is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England. Bushey Heath is situated to the south east of Bushey on the boundary with the London Borough of Harrow.-History:...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. During these later years Rapaport’s direct involvement became less, but she always maintained close links with the school, taking a lively interest in the pupils’ progress.
Later years
In 1947, after her husband’s death, she returned to the Royal Academy of Music as a professor of violin. After his death in 1958 she set up the Gerard Heller Memorial Quartet Prize which was to be awarded biennually to string quartetString quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
s from leading music colleges. In 2005 it was awarded to the Saccini Quartet.
In 1967 she left London to live in Newton Blossomville
Newton Blossomville
Newton Blossomville is a village in the Borough of Milton Keynes and ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, England. It is a civil parish, sharing a joint parish council with Clifton Reynes...
, a small picturesque village in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
near the Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
border. Sir Thomas Armstrong had a house there to which he and his wife moved on his retirement from the RAM. Rapaport continued to live a busy teaching life: at the RAM, privately, and at Bedford High School the Dame Alice Harpur School
Dame Alice Harpur School
Dame Alice Harpur School is an independent girls school in Bedford, United Kingdom, for girls aged 11-18. In September 2010 the junior department of the school merged with the junior department of Bedford High School...
and the Perse School
Perse School for Girls
The Stephen Perse Foundation is an independent, fee-paying day school situated near the centre of Cambridge, England. The Foundation is made up of four schools: The Stephen Perse Pre-Prep School, for boys and girls aged 3-7, Perse Girls Junior School,for girls aged 7-11, Perse Girls Senior School,...
.
After the death of Lady Armstrong she and Sir Thomas moved to Olney where they set up a house together, sharing their love of music whilst each retaining their own space. She cared for Sir Thomas in his final days, and continued to live in the house after he died in 1994.
Rosemary Rapaport was small in stature but with strong views which she communicated with authority. She liked a good argument and could hold forth about a wide variety of topics. As a teacher she was demanding but always kind, insisting on a good technique and instilling a love of music in all who had the good fortune to be her pupils. For many years she was accompanied everywhere by Fingal, her West Highland Terrier, who would sit on the foot of any pupil who was tapping it to the music. She was a great animal lover and supported the Wood Green Animal Shelter.
Many of her pupils became life long friends, always keeping in touch with the teacher who had inspired them to play their best.