Robert Murchie

Robert Murchie (2 March 1884 – 26 July 1949) was a virtuoso British flautist and a prominent member of the major English orchestras between 1914 and 1938.

He was described by Sir Henry Wood as "one of the finest of living flautists" who said he had "a tone, a technique and a musicianly style that cannot be surpassed".

The minutes books of the Executive and Finance Committee of the RCM from 19 July 1906 state that Murchie was helped to purchase the quality of instrument he needed for his studies, by allowing its £24 cost to be deducted in instalments from his maintenance grant.

James, who was himself a fine flautist, his father's pupil, was an RAF Pilot who died aged 19 in 1941 when his Vickers Wellington was shot down over Germany during a night raid on Berlin.

In September 1913, Murchie was chosen to play alongside the great Italian coloratura soprano, Luisa Tetrazzini, in a recording of Caterina's grand aria from Meyerbeer's L'étoile du nord.

[10] Whilst a flautist with the London Symphony Orchestra, he saw active service during the first World War, enlisting in 1916 and served, attaining the rank of Sergeant, in the 45th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force.

Murchie was arguably the leading orchestral flautist in London during the inter-war years, a fact that allowed him to negotiate a salary of £1,000 p.a.

[14] In 1922 Murchie was one of six instrumentalists along with Haydn Draper (Clarinet), F.Moss (Saxophone), Herbert Barr (Trumpet), Charles Bender (Percussion) and Ambrose Gauntlett (cello), who gave the first private performance of William Walton's Facade, an Entertainment.

[16] The instrumentalists on that occasion were: Robert Murchie (Flute) Frederick Thurston (Clarinet), Walter Lear (Saxophone), Ernest Hall (Trumpet), Charles Bender (Percussion) and Ambrose Gauntlett (cello).

The London Wind Quintette - with Robert Murchie (flute), Haydn Draper (Clarinet), Léon Goossens (oboe), Frederick Wood (bassoon) and Aubrey Brain (horn) were contracted to record a series of chamber works for Edison Bell.

In May 1926 they recorded Janacek's Mladi Suite for Wind Sextet with the composer in the studio (Mendelssohn Draper playing the bass clarinet part).

On 9 October 1927 Bela Bartok joined the group to perform Mozart's Quintet for piano and wind for an early BBC radio broadcast.