Gaston Louis Christopher Borch (8 March 1871 – 14 February 1926)[1] was a French composer, arranger, conductor, cellist and author.
[1] His mother, Emma Hennequin, a pianist and soprano, was a friend and pupil[2] of Jules Massenet, whom she met when he stayed at her father's boarding house,[3] and with whom she is known to have performed.
In early 1903 Borch wrote an abusive letter about Herbert to the Art Society of Pittsburgh, the orchestra's sponsor, which found its way into the local newspapers.
Herbert publicly responded to Borch's allegations by claiming that the cellist had failed to meet his expectations, and in any event, his comments were colored by the recent notification that his services would not be required for the Orchestra's upcoming Spring tour.
[11] Borch returned to Europe in 1921, settling in Sweden, where he was an arranger and musical contributor to the score of The Saga of Gosta Berling (1924), starring Greta Garbo.
[14] His wife was a soprano who had previously taught at the Raff Conservatory in Frankfurt, Germany, and who studied with Julius Stockhausen and Jenny Hahn.