The violist was a long-standing member of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and recorded with The Beatles

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Photo courtesy Philip Rosenberg

Eric Sargon

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Violist Eric Sargon died on 9 January 2025 aged 96 in Jerusalem, following a long illness. He lived most of his life working as a musician in London, including recording with The Beatles and working with the BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBCSO) as sub-principal viola.

Sargon was born in Bombay (later Mumbai), India, on 11 March 1928. He enjoyed private violin lessons for free until he was 18. In 1948, he continued his music studies at London’s Royal College of Music, which stipulated that upon entrance, he switched to viola, due to a shortage of good players.

As a member of the BBCSO, he was often called up to record for pop artists, such as the Beatles, Lulu, Eric Clapton, Tom Jones, the Boomtown Rats, Topol and Johnny Dankworth. He recalled in a 2019 interview how he was called one night at 8pm to come into the studio around midnight to record an unknown piece - which he later suspected was ‘Hey Jude’.

’You get out of your pajamas for the Beatles… and for the money,’ he said.

Sargon was a member of BBCSO for 43 years. He performed Berlioz’s Harold in Italy in London to celebrate his 90th birthday in 2018 with the Whitehall Orchestra, of which he was a long-standing associate.

Sargon is survived by two daughters, six grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. His grandson, Philip Rosenberg shared with The Strad: ’Our grandfather Eric Sargon was a formidable musical talent, with a fascinating hinterland in India. He was also a wonderful cook and an incredibly kind man. We are very proud to be able to call him our Grandpa’.

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