Arthur Grumiaux
Baron Arthur Grumiaux (21 March 1921 – 16 October 1986) was a Belgian violinist, considered by some to have been "one of the few truly great violin virtuosi of the twentieth century". He has been noted for having a "consistently beautiful tone and flawless intonation". English music critic and broadcaster, Edward Greenfield wrote of him that he was "a master virtuoso who consistently refused to make a show of his technical prowess".
Arthur Grumiaux
Joop van Bilsen for Anefo / Anefo · CC0
- Name
- Arthur Grumiaux
- Born
- 21 March 1921
- Birthplace
- Villers-Perwin, Belgium
- Died
- 16 October 1986
- Place of death
- Brussels, Belgium
- Occupation
- Violinist
- Nationality
- Belgium
- Fields
- classical music
- Education
- Royal Conservatory of Brussels
- Teachers
- Alfred Dubois · George Enesco
- Languages
- French · German · Dutch
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wikidata · Q441112 · wikipedia · Arthur Grumiaux
In this article
Biography
Biography
Arthur Grumiaux studied at Royal Conservatory of Brussels. Training under Alfred Dubois and George Enesco is recorded. The recorded working language is French, German and Dutch. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are classical music. Employment is recorded with Royal Conservatory of Brussels.
![Collectie / Archief: Fotocollectie Elsevier Reportage / Serie: [onbekend] Beschrijving: grand gala du disque klassiek Datum: 29 oktober 1965 Locatie: Amsterdam, Noord-Holland Trefwoorden: musici, muziek, prijsuitreikingen Persoonsnaam: edisons, giulini c m, grumieaux a, krebbers h, soames churchill mw Fotograaf: Bilsen, Joop van / Anefo Auteursrechthebbende: Nationaal Archief Materiaals](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Grand_gala_du_disque_klassiek%2C_Bestanddeelnr_093-1194.jpg/800px-Grand_gala_du_disque_klassiek%2C_Bestanddeelnr_093-1194.jpg)
Collectie / Archief: Fotocollectie Elsevier Reportage / Serie: [onbekend] Beschrijving: grand gala du disque klassiek Datum: 29 oktober 1965 Locatie: Amsterdam, Noord-Holland Trefwoorden: musici, muziek, prijsuitreikingen Persoonsnaam: edisons, giulini c m, grumieaux a, krebbers h, soames churchill mw Fotograaf: Bilsen, Joop van / Anefo Auteursrechthebbende: Nationaal Archief Materiaals
Joop van Bilsen for Anefo / Anefo
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Arthur Grumiaux • Birth Name — Arthur Grumiaux • Born — 21 March 1921 • Birthplace — Villers-Perwin, Belgium • Died — 16 October 1986 • Place of death — Brussels, Belgium • Occupation — Violinist
Early life
Early life
Born to a working-class family in the Belgian town of Villers-Perwin, on 21 March 1921, Grumiaux was only three years old when his grandfather urged him to begin music studies. He entered the conservatoire in Charleroi at the age of six; the normal entry age was eleven. He studied violin and piano there until the age of eleven, when he graduated and moved to the Royal Conservatoire in Brussels to study violin.
Career
Career
• Illustration — Arthur Grumiaux (1965) He variously has been described as having made his debut in Brussels at the age of 14, or in 1935, although his debut is more commonly said to have occurred in 1940. This performance was made in Belgium with the Brussels Philharmonic playing Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto. Due to the German invasion of his homeland, he next played publicly after liberation in 1945 with the Allied military entertainment organisation, making his London debut later that year. In 1949 he was appointed professor of violin at the Brussels Conservatoire where he had once studied. He debuted in the United States in Boston in 1951, and toured the United States in the following year. In 1973 he was created a baron by King Baudouin of Belgium for his services to music.
Death
Death
He died of a sudden stroke in Brussels (Belgium) on 16 October 1986 at the age of 65.
His violins
His violins
He owned a Guarneri, the "Rose", made by Giuseppe Guarneri in 1744, and played (but did not own) a Stradivarius, the "General Dupont", made in 1727. He also owned the "Museum", made by Giuseppe Guarneri in 1739, and the "Campoli", made by Giovanni Guadagnini in 1773.
Violin Competition
Violin Competition
• Illustration — Logo of the competition The Arthur Grumiaux International Violin Competition is held annually and takes place at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in Belgium. It was first held in 2008 under the name of "Bravo", In 2015, the competition was renamed in honour of Arthur Grumiaux, and is now called Concours International Arthur Grumiaux pour Jeunes Violonistes (International Arthur Grumiaux Competition for Young Violinists).
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1986
Arthur Grumiaux died at Brussels.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Villers-Perwin.
Birth place
Brussels.
Death place
Recordings
Grumiaux had a long-standing relationship with Philips Records, lasting more than 20 years, and recordings are available from them of him performing works by Handel, Bach, Vivaldi, Michael Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Bruch, Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saëns, Lalo, Henryk Wieniawski, and Johan Svendsen. He was part of the Grumiaux Trio for many years, an ensemble consisting of Grumiaux, violist Georges Janzer and cellist Eva Czako. They recorded for Philips during the 1960s through to the mid-1970s, until Czako's death in 1978. Their discography includes chamber music by Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Dvořák, Martinů and Mozart. In 1967 they recorded a highly-acclaimed interpretation of Mozart's String Trio in E-flat major, K. 563 for Philips that is regarded by critics as one of the greatest chamber music recordings in history. In 1974 the Trio recorded Mozart's string quintets, with the addition of violinist Arpad Gerécz and violist Max Lesueur, for Philips, which were included in the 1991 Complete Mozart Edition. A recording of Grumiaux's performance of one movement from Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, the "Gavotte en rondeaux" from the Partita No. 3, is included on the Voyager Golden Record, attached to the Voyager spacecraft, as a sample of the culture of Earth. This recording was chosen by renowned scientist Carl Sagan. His 1969 recording of Alban Berg's Violin Concerto with the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Igor Markevitch was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance – Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (with or without orchestra) at the 11th Ceremony.
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Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Arthur Grumiaux, revision 1348013620 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.AllMusic. Arthur Grumiaux Biography & History.
- 2.Artist. Gramophone.
- 3.State, Paul F. Historical Dictionary of Brussels. Rowman & Littlefield. 190. 2015. 9780810879218.
- 4.Campbell, Margaret. The Great Violinists. Faber and Faber. 167. 2011. 9780571277452.
- 5.Arthur Grumiaux, Baron. Encyclopædia Britannica. 12 October 2023.
- 6.Burgess, Patricia. The Annual Obituary. St. James Press. 580. 1989. 9781558620131.
- 7.Roth, Henry. Violin Virtuosos: From Paganini to the 21st Century. California Classic Books. 203. 1997.
- 8.Campbell, Margaret. The Great Violinists. Faber and Faber. 168. 2011. 9780571277452.
- 9.Lloyd, Stephen. Constant Lambert: Beyond the Rio Grande. Boydell Press. 332. 2014. 9781843838982.
- 10.Legendary Violinists: Arthur Grumiaux. thirteen.org.
- 11.Arthur Grumiaux: The Boston Recordings. Parnassus Classical CDs and Records.
- 12.ARTHUR GRUMIAUX: PHILIPS RECORDINGS 1955–1978. Classics Today.
- 13.Arthur Grumiaux – Philips Recordings 1955–1977.
- 14.Grumiaux Trio. Discogs.
- 15.Eva Czako. Discogs.
- 16.Mozart – Das Grumiaux Trio – Divertimento Es Dur, KV 563 Für Violine, Viola Und Violoncello. 1967.
- 17.Mozart, Arthur Grumiaux – String Quintets. 1991.
- 18.Golden Record: Music From Earth. JPL.
- 19.Arthur Grumiaux Artist. Grammy.com.
- 20.The Art of Arthur Grumiaux. Audiophile Audition. 26 May 2014.
- 21.Rare Violins of New York "General Dupont". Rareviolins.com.
- 22.Frank Peter Zimmermann receives 'General Dupont', 'Grumiaux' Stradivarius on long-term loan. The Strad. 20 January 2016.
- 23.Historical Owners (A-Z). Tarisio.com.
- 24.Revivez le concert des lauréats du Concours Grumiaux 2016. RTBF. 1 February 2016.
- 25.Un prestigieux concours international pour jeunes violonistes a lieu à Namur. RTBF. 10 February 2016.
- 26.8ème CONCOURS INTERNATIONAL "Arthur Grumiaux". Institut Supérieur de Musique et de Pédagogie.
- 27.Concours pour violonistes. lavenir.net. 23 March 2015.
- 28.Contact. Best of Violin.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 8
- Arthur Grumiaux on Violin Channel
- 2018 finalists on Violin Channel
- 2018 prizes of Grumiaux Competition on Violin Channel
- Article and video on Canal C
- Un prestigieux concours international pour jeunes violonistes a lieu à Namur on RTBF website, Sonia Boulanger
- Grumiaux competition on lavenir.net
- Article in Turkish
- Grumiaux competition on crescendo-magazine.be
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Formation and teaching. Grumiaux studied at Royal Conservatory of Brussels. He trained under Alfred Dubois and George Enesco. Recorded as pianist, music educator, university teacher, violinist and musician.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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