Ruth Breton

Ruth Breton
Ruth Breton, from a 1924 publication
Born
Ruth Willard Jones

(1900-12-05)December 5, 1900
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedNovember 11, 1993(1993-11-11) (aged 92)
Framingham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Other namesRuth Jones Knott
OccupationViolinist

Ruth Breton (December 5, 1900[1] – November 11, 1993), born Ruth Willard Jones, was an American violinist.

Early life and education

Ruth Jones was born in Louisville, Kentucky,[2] the daughter of Oliver Martin Jones and Meta Alfreda Hursh Jones. Her father was a violinist and her mother was a cellist. She graduated from Louisville Collegiate School. She moved to New York after school and studied with Franz Kneisel for a year, before she spent four years training with Leopold Auer.[2][3] She was one of the students who gave a eulogy when Auer died in 1930.[4]

Career

Breton played historical violins, including the Amati violin known as the "Goding",[2] and a 1685 violin by Antonio Stradivari, known as the "Florentiner".[5][6] She gave a recital at Aeolian Hall in 1925.[7] In 1926 she gave a joint recital with singer Helen Traubel in Chicago.[8] She "played with an innate sense of form and phrase, a delicacy and charm that alternated with bold, full-toned melody" at another recital at Aeolian Hall in 1927.[9] At Carnegie Hall in 1928, her program included the New York debut of a work by Rebecca Clarke.[10] She gave the first New York performances of works by Willem de Boer and Arthur Benjamin at her Gallo Theatre concert in 1929.[11]

Breton's career continued in the United States and Europe through the 1930s.[12] In 1931 she played on a radio concert from Hartford.[13] Eleanor Roosevelt mentioned hearing Breton perform in a 1937 "My Day" column.[14] In 1938 and 1939, she was a soloist with the Louisville Civic Arts Orchestra.[15][16][17] During World War II, she played 112 concerts in 95 days for the USO, at military hospitals, camps, and bases.[18][19]

Personal life and legacy

Breton married newspaper publisher and banker Richard Gillmore Knott in 1919. They had a daughter, Ruth Gillmore Knott Hapgood.[20] Breton died in 1993, at the age of 92, at her home in Framingham, Massachusetts.[21] A painting of Breton by Kentucky artist Henry Strater is in the collection of the Speed Art Museum.[22] Breton was featured in several episodes of the podcast series Ribbons & Bows.[23]

References

  1. ^ Some sources give 1902 as her birth year. 1900 is the year given on her gravestone, and matches her age in most other sources (via Ancestry).
  2. ^ a b c Pierre Key's Music Year Book. Pierre Key. 1925. p. 234.
  3. ^ "Ruth Breton, Violiniste, is Hailed as a Genius". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 1924-03-09. p. 19. Retrieved 2025-09-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Leopold Auer Eulogized by His Famous Jewish Pupils". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 1930-07-18. Archived from the original on 2024-08-03. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  5. ^ Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1685, the 'Florentiner, Jean Becker' Archived 2025-03-25 at the Wayback Machine, Cozio Archive.
  6. ^ "1685 - Violin "Florentiner - Becker"". Archivio della Liuteria Cremonese. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  7. ^ "Brief news item". The Violinist. 38 (1): 36. January 1926.
  8. ^ "Along the Music Highway". The Musical Digest. 11 (10): 13. 1926-12-21.
  9. ^ "Ruth Breton Heard in Violin Novelties; Delights Audience With Her Sincere Artistry as Interpreter". 1927-01-07. p. 14. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  10. ^ "MUSIC; Ruth Breton's Recital". 1928-01-10. p. 29. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  11. ^ "Ruth Breton". Musical America. 49 (7): 50. February 25, 1929.
  12. ^ "Ruth Breton is Highly Praised by Foreign Press". Hattiesburg American. 1936-02-27. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-09-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Ruth Breton on WDRC Wave". The Springfield Daily Republican. 1931-05-06. p. 16. Retrieved 2025-09-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Roosevelt, Eleanor (1937-02-04). "My Day". The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Digital Edition. Archived from the original on 2025-01-24. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  15. ^ Porter, Marion (1938-11-01). "'Old Home Night' Ahead for Ruth Breton". The Courier-Journal. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-09-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Louisville Civic Orchestra, Ruth Breton, Charm Hearers". The Courier-Journal. 1938-11-02. p. 17. Retrieved 2025-09-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Crawford, Frances Evans (1938-10-16). "Ruth Breton Started as an Outdoor Girl". The Courier-Journal. p. 11. Retrieved 2025-09-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Violinist to Give Concert Sunday". The Bridgeport Post. 1955-10-27. p. 54. Retrieved 2025-09-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Perform for Soldiers". The Charlotte Observer. 1942-01-24. p. 13. Retrieved 2025-09-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Norman Hapgood Jr. Takes Bride at Georgetown, Conn". Athol Daily News. 1944-07-25. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-09-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Ruth Breton, noted violinist in the '30s, dies at 92". The Courier-Journal. 1993-11-18. p. 15. Retrieved 2025-09-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Speed Museum Acquires Painting by Strater". The Courier-Journal. 1962-05-27. p. 103. Retrieved 2025-09-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ Elfenworks Productions LLC, "Ribbons & Bows, American Women in Violin History; Details of the Podcast Series".
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