My father, Tony Clarke, who has died aged 88, was a clarinettist who started his musical career in West End shows and UK touring orchestras, before playing with the Hallé orchestra and later becoming a music teacher.
He loved history, poetry and classical music. His mother wanted him to be a doctor but Tony preferred the arts: when he took up the clarinet at 14, he discovered that he had a natural talent – not surprisingly as generations of his family had been musicians.
His parents, May Salkeld and Tom Clarke, both worked in West End shows. Tom was an impresario and May was a professional harpist. Tony’s elder brother, Philip, died at two from diphtheria. At the outbreak of war in 1939, Tony and his sister, June, were sent away from London to a Catholic boarding school in Hampshire.
When his mother visited, she did not like the way they were being treated by the nuns so she removed them. The continued bombing meant they could not stay in London so they were sent instead to Field House boarding school in Leicestershire. There Tony was taught with many overseas students.
After the war, Tony signed up to the army for five years, joining the Welsh Guards. In 1948 he was posted to Aden to work in the intelligence department but, through giving clarinet lessons to his major, Tony gained early release.
His musical highlights in this period included playing Kismet at the Stoll theatre, Zuleika at the Saville theatre, and My Fair Lady and Oklahoma! in other West End venues. During this time he met Clara Smith, a violinist. They married in 1958 and shortly afterwards Jane was born, followed by Nick, me and Crispin.
Tony’s ambition was to get into classical music. After playing and touring the UK with the Covent Garden orchestra, in 1962 he joined the Hallé, under Sir John Barbirolli. He remained with the orchestra until 1971.
In the early 1970s, Tony trained as a teacher, and joined Leicestershire music service, teaching the clarinet in schools around the county. While training, he met June Robson, a flute player. After my parents divorced, Tony married June in the early 1980s, and they had six children: Rosi, Amanda, Sophie, Samantha, Ben and Georgina.
June died in 1990. Tony is survived by his 10 children and 22 grandchildren.
