Eugene Cruft, Date of Birth, Date of Death
TweetEugene Cruft
British musician
Date of Birth: 08-Jun-1887
Date of Death: 04-Jun-1976
Profession: music pedagogue
Nationality: United Kingdom
Zodiac Sign: Gemini 
About Eugene Cruft
- Eugene John Cruft (8 June 1887 – 4 June 1976) was a British double bass player.
- He has been called the "leading double-bass player of his generation".Eugene Cruft was born in London, son of John Cruft (1857-1937), principal viola in the Carl Rosa Opera Company.
- Eugene Cruft started in the London Symphony Orchestra in 1912, and was principal double-bass player in the BBC Symphony Orchestra 1929-1947, as well as in several other orchestras such as the Royal Opera House (Covent Garden) and the Bath Festival Orchestra.Cruft, whose great influence as a teacher of his instrument is pointed out by Grove's music dictionary, taught as professor of double-bass at the Royal College of Music and at the National Youth Orchestra.
- He also published The Eugene Cruft School of Double-Bass Playing, in the introduction of which he wrote: 'We never hear anyone say "I like music, so I think I'll learn the double-bass" but there is really no reason why they should not.'Cruft chaired the company running the Pro Arte Orchestra (and played in it) when it was founded in 1955.
- He was also responsible for the organization of the orchestras at the coronations of both George VI and Elizabeth II.
- He was made a MVO and an OBE. Eugene Cruft's son Adrian Cruft was a notable composer, and another son, John Cruft, was an oboist who became the Secretary of the London Symphony Orchestra in 1949.
- John went on from running the LSO to become Music Director of the British Council from 1959 - 1964 when he joined the Arts Council of Great Britain as the Music Director, a position he retained until his retirement in 1981.
- A grandson, Benedict Cruft, is a violinist and was the Dean of the School of Music of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, whose tenure ended in July, 2013.
Read more at Wikipedia