Hewitt, Maurice

views updated

Hewitt, Maurice

Hewitt, Maurice, French violinist, conductor, and teacher; b. Asnières, Oct. 6, 1884; d. Paris, Nov. 7, 1971. He was trained at the Paris Cons. In 1904 he began his career as a violinist as a chamber music player; after serving as 2nd violinist in the Capet Quartet (1909-14; 1919-28), he was founder-lst violinist of his own quartet in Paris (1928–30). After teaching and playing in a quartet at the Cleveland Inst. of Music (1930–34), he became a prof, at the American Cons, in Fontainebleau in 1934. He also was founder-lst violinist of his own Quatuor Hewitt (1935-39; 1946-8) and founder-conductor of the Orchestre de Chambre Hewitt (from 1939). From 1942 to 1955 he was a prof, of chamber music at the Paris Cons.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire