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JACK FLEETCROFT - VIOLA VIRTUOSO |
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JACK FLEETCROFT - VIOLA VIRTUOSO |
English super sleuth Alan Dixon has been at it again - this time interviewing some of the relatives of Mantovani's viruoso British musicians. Thanks to Alan and the assistance of members of the Fleetcroft family, we can proudly present a short portrait of viola player Jack Fleetcroft (1920-1999).
Jack was born on 22 March 1920 and showed an early interest in music - he was a boy chorister at the parish church at Barnet, on the outskirts of London. A local teacher, Phyllis Tate, taught him to play violin. In 1938 he was simultaneously studying for a science degree at University College in London and for a viola scholarship at the nearby Royal Academy Of Music. The outbreak of war rather put paid to these activities and eventually Jack became a signals flight lieutenant in the Royal Air Force. He then saw service in India before returning to civilian life where he took up music again. While playing in Ernest Reed's Orchestra in the late 1940s he was recommended to Sir Thomas Beecham's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and he toured the USA with this famous British aggregation in 1950.
As a talented freelance musician Jack was like so many of his kind, able to turn his hand to all types of music. Around 1955 he was broadcasting with comedian Vic Oliver's classical orchestra and was identified as the viola soloist. Wally Ashworth, Mantovani's orchestra manager, then approached him and he toured Germany with Monty in 1956 and later went with the orchestra to Japan and Canada in 1963. Indeed, he was a permanent member of the viola section until Monty's British tours ended in 1974. He played with Mantovani in the 1958 Royal Variety Performance and was on the film recordings made at Elstree studios in late 1958 and late 1959.
Jack also sat in with other British orchestras including those of the BBC, appeared in the ranks of the London Symphony Orchestra and worked for the D'Oyle Carte Orchestra in winter seasons at Scarborough in the north-east of England. He also performed on the soundtracks of the British "Carry On" series of comedy films. The Fleetcrofts had five children, three sons becoming doctors and another a teacher of violin and viola, while daughter Anne is currently upholding the family tradition as a violinist with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Jack's wife Rachel is herself a busy violin teacher, a talented family indeed!
Jack was a first class photographer, but the snapshot we see here was taken by Rachel. His other great interest was in steam trains and he would travel far and wide to follow his hobby. Rachel observes that Jack loved performing with the top class musicians in the Mantovani Orchestra - she says that he would have got up in the middle of the night to play for Mantovani! And we can confidently add that we would have got up in the middle of the night to hear him!
Our warm thanks go to Mrs. Rachel Fleetcroft and her daughter Anne for their help.
