1 He was one of the greatest viola players the world has ever known, with Bartok and Benjamin Britten amongst the composers who wrote music especially for him. He even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame – but few people in his native city have heard of William Primrose.

William Primrose holds two violins made for him by William Moennig Jr. in Philadelphia in April 1950. (AP Photo)

William Primrose holds two violins made for him by William Moennig Jr. in Philadelphia in April 1950. (AP Photo)

2 William was born into a musical household in Glasgow in 1904, where his father John was a violinist in the Scottish Orchestra. As a child prodigy, William gave concerts in the city, originally playing the violin. His first public concert was in 1916, at the age of 12, playing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto.

William Primrose, Glasgow violist.

William Primrose, Glasgow violist.

3 When he was 15, William went to London to study at the Guildhall School of Music, graduating in 1924 with a gold medal. He also studied in Brussels with Eugene Ysaÿe, who encouraged him to switch to the viola, due to the size and shape of his hands. On his return to the UK, Primrose joined the London String Quartet.

William Primroses star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

William Primrose's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

4 According to his obituary in our sister newspaper the then Glasgow Herald, William went to New York in 1938 to become principal violist with the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Toscanini. After four years there, he left “to devote himself to his career as a soloist and to chamber music.” He organised his own string quartet and eventually went solo, subsequently joining forces with Jascha Heifetz and Gregor Piatigorsky for a famous series of duo and ensemble recordings.

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5 William was known for his tremendous technique and he wrote several books for students of the viola. He also taught in many countries across the world, including America, Japan and Australia. In later years, he developed hearing problems. He was awarded a CBE in 1953 and he died, aged 77, in 1982.