John Dalley

John Dalley (born 3 March 1935 in Madison, Wisconsin) is an American violinist. He was raised in a musical family. His father was an orchestra conductor, violinist, composer, instrumental teacher, and music educator. His mother, from Bloomington, Illinois, was a cellist, music teacher, and music publisher.
Early history.
He is the son of Orien Emil Dalley and Gretchen Smoot. Orien Dalley is nationally recognized for his work in assisting Dr. Joseph E. Maddy to organize the National High School Orchestra in Michigan, a massive project that provided the impetus for the Interlochen National Music Camp, now Interlochen Center for the Arts. He was one of the original faculty at Interlochen. John's parents had met during Orien's early association with the National High School Orchestra. The couple had four children, Nielsen, John, Melinda, and Elaine. The entire family has had close ties with Interlochen, with Gretchen as cello instructor and program director, and Orien teaching violin and conducting at Interlochen. Three of Orien and Gretchen's grandchildren grew up as summer camp students there. Orien Dalley was the first conductor of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, until 1949, when he left for Michigan. He is listed as the fifth symphony conductor with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra between 1952 and 1955.
Childhood and education.
At 18, Dalley entered the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia on a full scholarship. He studied under the concert violinist Efrem Zimbalist, Sr. who had studied at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in Russia, under the teaching of the violinist Leopold Auer. Dalley gave solo recitals and played concerti, performed chamber music, and played in concert and opera orchestras. In a 1957 listing of Curtis recitals and events, Dalley is noted as first viola player in the production of Giacomo Puccini's opera "Gianni Schicchi". "Curtis Institute has served as a training ground for orchestral players to fill the ranks of the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, although composers, organists, pianists, and singers are offered courses of study as well. All pupils attend on full scholarship, and admission is extremely competitive. Besides composers, conductors, organists, and pianists, only enough students are admitted to fill a single orchestra and an opera company. Accordingly, enrollment is in the range of 150 to 170 students. According to statistics compiled by "U.S. News and World Report" it held the lowest acceptance rate of any college or university, making it the most selective institution of higher education in the United States." Curtis produces elite, finely polished musicians who will enter their future musician's world imbued with musical excellence. Lifelong friends are made.
After graduation from Curtis, Dalley joined the faculty at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio and played second violin in the resident string quartet, while performing regularly in recital and as soloist with orchestra. Eventually he moved to New York City where he free-lanced, then joined the short-lived American String Quartet with the cellist David Soyer."
John Dalley, American violinist.
Dalley began playing the violin when he was three years old with his father as his first teacher. His early studies were under Virgil Person at College of Emporia. "During his formative years, his father held a number of positions in different parts of the country, exposing the young violinist to many musical influences."
With his family's stay in Wichita, Kansas, during his father's tenure with the Wichita Symphony, Dalley played in his junior high school orchestra. As a teenager, he participated as a violinist in the annual all-state school musical competitions for youth orchestras, bands and choral groups under the direction of Dr. Joseph E. Maddy. At that time Wichita and nearby Winfield were communities blessed with a commitment to music in their schools. Beginning instrumental classes started in grade school, and junior high school orchestras and bands gave students a real first taste of group and solo performance. High school concert orchestra and concert band, and marching and pep band let students continue in their formal music education and in the performing arts. At this time, Wichita was the largest city in Kansas, and nearby Winfield was just a small town. As good as Wichita was, Winfield was even greater in its musical education. Winfield had a long history of musical greatness in education due to the time when Maddy was in Winfield directing its high school music program. Later, Howard Halgedahl, a world class bassoon player, directed the high school music program in Winfield. Howard Taubman stated in the "New York Times", "Do we, in the East, realize that the town of Winfield, Kansas, population 12,500, has one of the most admirable high school orchestras in nation?". Halgedahl was principal bassoonist with the Wichita Symphony at the time that Dalley's father was conductor. Maddy, Orien Dalley and Halgedahl all left strong imprints on Kansas music education and at the National Music Camp, as teachers and mentors in the hearts and minds of the youthful students who were privileged to attend. Wichita Municipal University (now Wichita State University) was well known for its ambitious educational programs in performing arts and in the education of future music teachers. In the 1950s, the Wichita Symphony was ranked very high among the professional symphonies in the U.S.. The excellent musicianship of some local students while still in high school earned them performing places within the ranks of the professional Wichita Symphony Orchestra. Among young musician friends, a union card for work in the symphony proudly proclaimed status as a profession musician.
Dalley held teaching positions at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and was artist-in-residence at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. At the University of Maryland all four members of the Guarneri Quartet were artists-in-residence. at the University of Maryland School of Music. The Guarneri Quartet has taught, in various combinations at Rutgers State University of New Jersey and the Manhattan School of Music.
Oberlin String Quartet.
The Oberlin String Quartet was formed in 1955 by the violinist Andor Toth who was a member of the Oberlin faculty from 1955. The other members were Matthew Raimondi (violin), William Berman (viola) and John Frazer (cello). In 1957, Dalley joined the quartet. In summer 1958, the quartet won a bronze medal in the "Concours International de Quatuor" sponsored by H.M. Queen Elizabeth Music Competition in Liege, Belgium.
Guarneri Quartet.
Dalley was a regular participant at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont. In summer 1963, the ensemble was brought together partly at the instigation of Rudolf Serkin, conductor, and Alexander Schneider, violinist of the Budapest String Quartet, who had begun summer teaching at the Marlboro Music School and Marlboro Music Festival. The four men, who had performed with each other before on various occasions, came together to found the Guarneri Quartet, comprising Arnold Steinhardt (first violin), Dalley (second violin), Michael Tree (Michael Applebaum) (viola), and David Soyer (cello). Soyer had also written musical jingles for radio advertising.
Hearing the quartet perform in 1964, the "New York Times" music critic Harold Schonberg called it the "awesome foursome" and wrote that "a very important string quartet is on its way." This musical group, with its four original members, defied the odds for the longevity of its musical partnership that lasted until Soyer retired in 2001. Soyer chose as his replacement his former cello student Peter Wiley, also a Curtis graduate, who had for many years been the cellist with the Beaux Arts Trio. When the Guarneri Quartet was disbanded in 2009, it had been on a continuous concert circuit for forty-five years. According to its members, the longevity of Guarneri was due to several factors. One was playing music that they loved as well as playing compositions that presented musical and performance challenges. These kept boredom away and performances fresh. Although the four performed together in concert, and they practiced together for three hours a day, "on tour the members travelled independently, and booked hotel rooms on separate floors." Little of their private lives away from the stresses of concert and touring life was shared with the other members of the quartet. "The members famously kept their distance from one another when they weren't rehearsing or performing." Two other rules were 1) No wives were allowed to be involved with the quartet business, and 2) The inner dynamics of the rehearsing and concert venues made it a compliment-free zone between the four. If there was nothing to complain about, the group moved on to the next order of business.
Dalley's violin and performances.
Dalley plays a Nicolas Lupot violin, made in France in 1810. Some years ago the quartet members were approached by the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., which made a very generous offer of possible extended use by the quartet of its rare Stradivarius instruments. Antonio Stradivarius of Cremona produced a life-time of fine instruments. At the time of the offer, there were only 500 violins, fifty cellos, and ten violas still extant. Although much less rare than the Stradivarii, the specific venerable instruments owned and played by the quartet's members, with their craftsmanship, type of wood, varnish, and all of substantial age, together "created such a warmth and complexity of sound that enticed, then seduced each of us." The offer to use the Stradivarii was politely declined. At this writing Dalley has been playing the violin for 75 years. He refers to his violin as his friend.
European chamber ensembles usually had a leader, to whom all the others looked to for direction. In these, the second violinist was often considered to be not quite as good as the first violinist. The Guarneri quartet took a different tack. The first violinist was not the leader. All of the members were the leaders, depending on the circumstance. All had equal say in decisions. Arnold Steinhardt said at the end of the quartet's forty-five year run, "This is an extraordinarily difficult task before us, to realize the masterpieces in our repertoire to any satisfaction. Some of it is virtuoso work, and some is work that a watchmaker might do, requiring the most delicate precision movement of ensemble and intonation and artistry. It doesn't get any easier with time." Dalley found himself comfortable in the second chair. "I've always liked where I've been," he asserted. "I was not really happy playing solos. It wasn't my bag." From time to time Dailey has traded off with Steinhardt to play first violin in piano quartets with the likes of Artur Rubenstein. Later the group spent almost two seasons playing nothing but piano quartets with Dalley in the violin seat while Steinhardt recovered from surgery on his arm. Dalley could also switch to playing viola should the occasion call require.
Dalley performed extensively in thousands of performances with the Guarneri — over 3,000 by 1998. Since the quartet was disbanded in 2009, he has appeared in recital or as soloist in many cities and as a teacher in master classes. These performances have taken him to Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and other parts of Asia, and widely throughout the United States. He has performed in famous concert halls throughout the world, in venerable old music schools, high school and college auditoriums, and many other places, such as the informal beach house at Half Moon Bay in Northern California where, in November 1964, he was a featured performer at one of the San Francisco Bay Area's much loved, but quirky Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society.
John Dalley, bow maker.
When he could not find a violin bow worthy of his instrument, to bring out the best qualities of his Nicolas Lupot violin, Dalley expanded his skills by becoming a superb "archetier" — one who makes bows for stringed instruments. Dalley has become world-famous for the quality and meticulously fine craftsmanship of his hand-made bows for stringed instruments. In a sales catalogue, one of his violin bows is described as having an "exquisitely crafted Brazilian pernambuco shaft, elegant silk wrapping and a diamond-shaped inlaid frog". Fellow quartet member Steinhardt is quoted: "There are only a few great violinists and only a few great bow makers in the world. I know of only one person who possesses both these rare attributes -- John Dalley. This puts him in the unique position to make bows of both great craft and remarkable playing ability. It has been my deep pleasure to play on one of John's artfully made violin bows." Another testimonial is from Amadee Williams, the violist and author of "Lillian Fuch, First Lady of the Viola": "My teacher and mentor, Lillian Fuch, often said to me, "Deary -- It's the bow, the bow!" She was absolutely correct in making that remark. However, good bow technique also requires a good bow. The problem is finding one. John Dalley's bows are just "those" bows. They are finely crafted and produce an unusually warm sound. His understanding of violin playing has made him one of the best modern bow makers." Dalley brings his meticulous attention to detail and love of aesthetics to his bows that he has brought to his playing. He cites the master bow maker William Salchow and the late assistant principal cellist of the Metropolitan Opera and master bow makerGerald Kagan as influences on his own bow making. Dalley's craft and skill produce violin bows that are in high demand because of their quality and rarity. In 1997, when the first violinist Steinhardt wrote his book about the quartet, he stated that the finest bows made by the great bow makers could sell for upwards of $100,000 each. All bows are not alike. The bow is matched to the artist's technique and to the instrument being played, and even to arm length and strength.
Dalley married Nancy Pallesen, a flautist who he met when she was studying with William Kincaid (principal flautist, Philadelphia Orchestra at the Curtis Institute of Music in 1958). When he is not concertizing, John divides his time between Haworth, New Jersey and Northern Michigan.
Recordings.
The Guarneri String Quartet has made numerous recordings during its long history, including some of the most important works in the string quartet and chamber music literature. They recorded for Arabesque, RCA Red Seal, Philips, Sony and Surroundedby. The Guarneri String Quartet has recorded for Surroundedby Entertainment, which released a CD in spring 2001 of Quartets by Ravel, Debussy and Fauré. Several of its recordings on both RCA Red Seal and Philips have won international awards, including its recent recording of Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga's String Quartet Nos. 1-3 (Philips), which won the 1996 Deutsche Schallplattenkritik Award in Germany. Among its other award-winning recordings are collaborations with such artists as Artur Rubinstein, Pinchas Zukerman and Boris Kroyt and Mischa Schneider of the Budapest Quartet.
Dalley has made recordings with other notable artists, such as Leonard Rose, Artur Rubenstein, Pinchas Zukerman and members of the Budapest Quartet. The quartet was awarded the 2009 Grammy Award for Chamber Music.
Television.
In summer 1990, the Guarneri Quartet members were interviewed by Charles Kuralt on CBS's nationwide television program, "Sunday Morning".