CHARTRES, Vivien

Vivien Chartres (1893–1941) was a British violinist, composer, and celebrated child prodigy, born in Turin, Italy. She studied violin with Otakar Ševčík in Prague and made her London debut at Queen’s Hall in 1904, later performing widely in Britain and continental Europe.

In addition to her career as a violinist, Chartres also composed music. Her song La nave dei sogni for voice and piano, with optional violin, was written to a text by her mother, the writer Annie Vivanti, and was published by Ricordi in 1907. Although she is remembered primarily as a violin prodigy, this surviving work confirms her activity as a composer.