The family of Peter Bassano has notified us of his unexpected death at the age of 79.
Descended from a family of Venetian Jewish musicians who were brought to England by Henry VIII, Peter was a busy personality in the London orchestras, playing anything from alro and tenor trombones to early sackbutts with period instrument bands. He played in the Philharmonia Orchestra for 27 years and enjoyed the confidence of leading conductors. Esa-Pekka Salonen said: ‘Few musicians possess this type of intellectual curiosity and knowledge.’
His bes gig was playing four notes on the Beatles song ‘Hey Jude’. Peter wrote: ‘Over the years, that single, easy and enjoyable session has earned me more money than anything else I have ever done.’
George Martin recalled: ‘ It was one evening session where you were required to play four notes and sing “na, na, na, nanna, na, nanna, na, Hey Jude! It is a session I remember with great fondness.’
Peter’s wife Kathy, a violist in the Academy of St Martin’s in the Fields, had five children: Lorenzo, Camilla, Lucrezia, Claudio and Ottavio. He is also survived by three other children: Deborah, Nicola and James.
He was, in later years, a highly effective conductor. Aside from music, he wrote a study of the Bassano family and a memoir of his life and escapades, Before The Music Stopped.
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