“Met Boris Hambourg, cellist, Director of Hambourg Conservatory of Music, one of the sons of Michael Hambourg, the founder. We arrange a date for an informal get-together.” {November 26 1947}
“To Art Gallery concert – Healey Willan’s St. Mary Magdalene Singers & on to Hambourg Conservatory to an ‘At Home’, given by Mr. & Mrs. Boris Hambourg for staff & friends.” {December 21}
“Accompanied Boris Hambourg in programme at Arts & Letters Christmas Dinner. Glazounov’s Serenade Espagnole, Fauré’s Elegie, 2 Schubert Minuets, arr. Piatigorsky. Other artists were St. Mary Magdalene Singers & Rex Battle who played Bach-Busoni – Prelude Adagio & Fugue in C. Dinner was a rowdy affair …” {December 27}
“To Dr. Peaker’s to practice. Then to Boris Hambourg’s for rehearsal & supper & on to lecture-recital by Max Pirani – ‘Style in Pianoforte Playing – Contrapuntal Style’.” {January 5 1948}
“To Crescent School with Boris Hambourg to watch Boxing bouts. Delightful grounds, formerly owned by the Masseys.” {May 29}
“To lecture-recital given by Dr. Thomas Fielden, examining for A.B. exams, held at Hambourg Conservatory.” {May 31}
“Accompanied Boris Hambourg at informal concert of the Music Circle of the Toronto Branch of the Overseas League at 77 Lowther Ave. Informal atmosphere quite invigorating …” {October 5}
THE HAMBOURG CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC
Today, if you enter the building that stands at the north-east corner of Wellesley and Sherbourne Streets in Toronto, chances are you’ll be going to the St. James Town public library, or accessing one of the many programs and services offered by the Wellesley Community Centre.
But once on that corner there stood a grand and beautiful house, and if you entered it any time between approximately 1913 and 1950 you would no doubt be pursuing some musical activity or attending a gala event – for this was the site of the Hambourg Conservatory of Music, a flourishing teaching and performing facility in its day. Founded in 1911 by internationally famous Russian piano pedagogue Michael Hambourg, who had brought his talented family to Toronto from Europe, it was from the start the embodiment of a lofty vision, which was to attract the finest teachers and to become the foremost institution in the country for the teaching of piano and stringed instruments. It was also a place that celebrated European culture and became famous for the dazzling social events held on its premises.
The history of the Hambourg Conservatory and the family that governed it is very well documented on their website: www.hambourgconservatory.ca
which includes such comprehensive information that nothing more could possibly be added by me to enhance it. You can also read an utterly fascinating article “Who Remembers 194 Wellesley?” written by E. H. Hausmann for the Toronto Daily Star in 1968, accessed by following this link: www.hambourgconservatory.ca/star.html
To whet your interest, here are two small excerpts taken from the website:
“Under the aegis of the Hambourgs, eminent European teachers and performers were attracted to Toronto, and the Conservatory soon became a thriving hub of musical activity. Recognized not only for the excellence of its teachers, it was the alma mater of some of Canada’s most noted musicians. On occasion glittering parties honouring visiting celebrities were held on the premises.”
(excerpt from “About the Hambourg Conservatory”)
“ …And there were gala parties. One, for Pavlova at the time she was the world’s prima ballerina, was the sensation of the social world. Like most such parties, it began after Pavlova’s performance at Massey Hall, and lasted far into the night. The entire ground floor was thrown open, and the layout of food was breathtaking – things like suckling pig, cold Restigouche salmon, and cut-glass bowls of punch . . .”
(excerpt from E. H. Hausmann: “Who Remembers 194 Wellesley?”)
BORIS HAMBOURG (1884 – 1954)
Cellist Boris Hambourg was one of the Hambourg family’s four extremely gifted sons. He was age 62 when George met him in 1947, and had already had a long and distinguished career.
He had been the cellist of the world-class Hart House String Quartet for all of its 22 years. The quartet, which took its name from the venue of its first performance, was permanently sponsored by the Massey Foundation. It concertized and toured widely in Canada, the USA, Mexico and Cuba, Europe and the USSR, and was generally regarded as one of the finest string quartets in existence during the first half of the 20th century.
Boris had also taken over the directorship of the Hambourg Conservatory after his father died in 1915, guiding it capably through a worldwide depression and two world wars.
By the time George met him, the Conservatory was experiencing challenging times and would close in a few years; the Quartet had by then disbanded. However Boris was by no means through with active life as a cellist; he still gave concert performances, and he and George toured together in the spring of 1949 – a series of four concerts in Lennoxville Quebec, St. John and St. Andrews New Brunswick.
