Martin Lovett was born in London in 1927. His father, a cellist in the Halle and London Philharmonic Orchestras, gave him his first cello lessons when he was 11 years old. At fifteen, he was awarded a scholarship at the Royal College of Music in London.
In 1947, at the age of nineteen, he formed together with Norbert Brainin, Siegmund Nissel and Peter Schidlof, the celebrated Amadeus Quartet. They were together for forty years, until the untimely death of Peter Schidlof in 1987, when the remaining members decided to disband.
In their career they had travelled the world, gathering honours and prestige on every continent.
Among these honours were:
The Order of the British Empire, presented by the Queen.
Doctorates from the Universities of London, York, and Caracas.
The highest of all German awards, the Grand Cross of Merit.
The Austrian Cross of Honour for Arts and Sciences.
They were given the much coveted Golden Gramophone by their principal recording company, D.G.G., in celebration of their long and fruitful association.
In addition, Martin Lovett is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
After the Amadeus Quartet was disbanded Martin Lovett was in demand for performances with various distinguished chamber music groups. He gave chamber music courses and master classes all over the world. The Amadeus Summer Course, held each year at the Royal Academy of Music in London, was a highlight of this activity. He also acts as judge, often as president, in many international chamber music competitions.
