William Pleeth (12 January 1916–6 April 1999) was a British cellist and an eminent teacher of the cello. He is probably best known as the teacher of Jacqueline du Pré.
Born in London to a Jewish emigre family from Poland , Pleeth showed his talent as a cellist by age 7. By the time he was 15 years old, he had learned all the Bach Suites, all the Piatti Caprices, and 32 concertos, 24 of which he had memorized. He studied at the London Cello School and then in Leipzig with Julius Klengel who also taught Emanuel Feuermann and Gregor Piatigorsky.
Pleeth performed as a soloist with orchestras but preferred chamber music. He organized the Allegri String Quartet in 1952 and began teaching at the Menuhin School in 1977. He also wrote the book "Cello" in the Menuhin instrument guides. His teaching style attracted many students, including Jacqueline du Pré, another extraordinary cellist who is famous for her performance of the Elgar cello concerto. He is the father of cellist Anthony Pleeth.
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