Barbirolli, (Sir) John ( Giovanni Battista Barbirolli) (b London, 1899; d London, 1970). Eng. cond., of It.-Fr. parentage. First public appearance as solo cellist, London 1911. Member of Queen's Hall Orch. 1916. Served in army 1918. After war, free-lance cellist and member of str. qt. Formed own str. orch. to conduct, 1924. Appointed staff cond., BNOC, 1926. Cond at CG 1929 and became prin. cond. CG touring co. 1929–33. Cond., Scottish Orch., Glasgow 1933–6, NY Phil.-Sym. Orch. 1936–42. Returned to Eng. 1943 as cond., Hallé Orch., Manchester, where he remained until his death, lifting the orch. to new heights and taking it on several foreign tours. Salzburg Fest. début 1946 (Vienna PO). Prin. cond. Houston SO 1961–7. Guest cond. of orchs. throughout the world, esp. Berlin PO, Boston SO, and Chicago SO, etc. Famed interpretations of Mahler, Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Sibelius, Puccini, and Verdi, but successful in remarkably wide repertory. Cond. f. Eng. p. of Berg's Chamber Concerto (London 1931); f.ps. of Warlock's Serenade (London 1925); Britten's Violin Concerto (NY 1940) and Sinfonia da Requiem (NY 1941); Vaughan Williams's Sinfonia Antartica (Manchester 1953) and 8th Sym., dedicated to him (Manchester 1956); Fricker's 1st Sym. (Cheltenham 1950); and several other Eng. syms. and concs. at Cheltenham Fest. 1950–9. Cond. opera at CG 1951–4, incl. Aida with Callas, Tristan und Isolde with Sylvia Fisher and Ludwig Suthaus, and Orfeo with Kathleen Ferrier (1953, her last public appearances). Cond. Aida (Rome 1969). Also arr. mus. by Purcell, Corelli, Pergolesi, and Elizabethan composers for orch. and as ob. concs. for his wife Evelyn Barbirolli whom he married 1939. Knighted 1949, CH 1969. Hon. Freeman of Manchester, 1958.