Jean Pougnet

Jean Pougnet (20 July 1907 – 14 July 1968) was a Mauritian-born concert violinist and orchestra leader, of British nationality, who was highly regarded in both the lighter and more serious classical repertoire during the first half of the twentieth century. He was leader of the London Philharmonic Orchestra from 1942 to 1945.

Jean Pougnet was born in Mauritius to British parents. His father held a civil service position there, and was an excellent amateur pianist who gave lessons. The family moved to England in 1909, when Jean was two. His musical ability was first recognised by his sister Marcelle, who gave him some violin lessons, and musical influences were also received from his elder brother René, a pianist. They happened to be near neighbours of the distinguished violin teacher Rowsby Woof, who took him on as a private pupil. In 1919 (aged 11) he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music and studied there for seven years.

Pougnet made his first public appearance in his twelfth year at King's Hall, Covent Garden, but his real break was a solo recital at the Wigmore Hall just before his sixteenth birthday, and his appearance soon afterwards at a Promenade concert. While he was still at the Academy he established a quartet. A Jean Pougnet Quartet appeared publicly at the Wigmore Hall in March 1926 to perform Beethoven's Quartet, Op. 18, No. 3, the Vaughan Williams Quartet in G minor, and the Ravel Quartet. The group consisted of Pougnet, Hugo Rignold as second violin (later a celebrated conductor), Harry Berly (a distinguished pupil of Lionel Tertis) as viola and Douglas Cameron (cello). At about this time he assisted the Music Society String Quartet (later called the International String Quartet), consisting of André Mangeot and Boris Pecker (violins), Harry Berly (viola) and John Barbirolli (cello), in recordings of the Purcell Fantasia in 5 parts (on one note) and the Vaughan Williams (1912) Phantasy Quintet for strings, for the National Gramophonic Society.

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