(Helen) Margaret Moncrieff (6 February 1921 – 12 November 2008) was a Scottish cellist and author writing under the pseudonym Helen McClelland and writing novels in the Chalet School series.[1]

Margaret Moncrieff
BornHelen Margaret Moncrieff
6 February 1921
Edinburgh, Scotland
Died12 November 2008(2008-11-12) (aged 87)
Pen nameHelen McClelland
OccupationCellist, teacher, writer
NationalityBritish
Alma materRoyal College of Music
Spouse
(m. 1957; died 1996)
Children2, including Catriona Kelly
RelativesAlexander Moncrieff, Lord Moncrieff (father)
Helen McClelland Adams (mother)

Early life edit

Helen Margaret Moncrieff was born in 1921 in Edinburgh, Scotland, daughter of Alexander Moncrieff, Lord Moncrieff, and Helen, née McClelland Adams, formerly Spens.[2][3]

In London, Moncrieff studied the cello at the Royal College of Music with Ivor James, and then in Paris, with Pierre Fournier.[2] She went on to a distinguished career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher.

Career edit

Moncrieff was a professor of cello at the Royal College of Music.[3]

When Moncrieff was in her 60s, she became a writer.[3] In 2003, Moncrieff wrote her memoir.

Personal life edit

In 1957, Moncrieff married Alexander Kelly (1929–1996) a pianist, composer, and later head of keyboard studies at the Royal Academy of Music.[4] They had two children: cellist Alison Moncrieff Kelly, and Catriona Kelly, Professor of Russian at New College, Oxford.[1]

Works edit

  • 2001: Time and Again[5]
  • 2003: Worlds Apart: Memoir of Margaret Moncrieff Kelly[6]

Chalet School edit

Montcrieff's entries in the series include:[7]

  • Joey and Patricia: A Reunion in Guernsey (2000)
  • Visitors to the Chalet School (2004)

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Obituary". The Times. London. 6 December 2008.
  2. ^ a b "Bettany Press". ju90.co.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "Margaret Moncrieff: cellist and writer". The Times. 6 December 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2019.(subscription required for full article)
  4. ^ "Obituary: Alexander Kelly". The Independent. 20 November 1996. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Time and Again by Margaret Moncrieff". goodreads.com. 30 September 2001. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  6. ^ "Worlds Apart: Memoir of Margaret Moncrieff Kelly by Margaret Moncrieff". goodreads.com. 2003. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  7. ^ Carina.org, "The Chalet School books"