Francis Baines (musician)

Francis Athelstan Baines (1917–1999) was a British composer and double-bass player. He collected "rare and early" musical instruments.[1]

Frances Baines
Birth nameFrancis Athelstan Baines
Born1917
Oxfordshire, England[2]
Died1999
Harare, Zimbabwe
GenresDouble-Bass; treble viol
Occupation(s)Composer

Background

He taught at the Royal College of Music and performed at the Aldeburgh Festival. His Fanfare was included in Gerard Hoffnung's first Music Festival Concert along with works by the better-known British composers Malcolm Arnold and William Walton. His compositions include two symphonies (from 1953 and 1957), a Divertimento, and a set of Comic Variations.[3] Francis Founded Mary Ward Settlement in London. He took part in a performance of the Schubert "Trout" quintet with Benjamin Britten and the Amadeus Quartet and played nine instruments in a recording of medieval music.[4]

Baines also played the treble viol, and led the Jaye Consort of Viols, which he founded.[5] Baines retired to Harare, Zimbabwe in 1988 and lived there until his death in August 1999. Baines was a fan of cricket, in the 1980s and 1990s he frequently attended games played by the Zimbabwe national cricket team and the Mashonaland Eagles. He travelled to the Emirate of Sharjah in United Arab Emirates to watch the 2nd ODI of the 1998 Coca Cola Champions game between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in November 1998, despite being 81 years old at the time. He said he had "a lovely time."[6]

References
  1. "Francis Baines". 4 April 2009.
  2. Francis Baines: Grounds (Double Bass Solo) Sheet music – 18 Aug. 2000 by Francis Baines
  3. "Francis Baines". British Music Collection. 4 April 2009. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  4. "famous people - Francis Baines". www.pipeandtaborcompendium.co.uk. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  5. Francis Baines (18 August 2000). Grounds by Baines (Double Bass Solo) (Yorke ed.). ISMN 9790570590070.
  6. Francis Baines: Musician of Several Parts: A Centenary Tribute from His Friends, Colleagues and Family by Tim Crawford
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