Isidore Godfrey

Isidore Godfrey OBE (27 September 1900 – 12 September 1977), born Israel Gotfryd, was musical director of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company for 39 years, from 1929 to 1968. He conducted most of the company's performances during that period, except for a few London seasons when Malcolm Sargent was guest conductor and brief periods in the summers of 1947 and 1948 when Boyd Neel filled in as guest conductor.

Godfrey led the company in numerous tours, both domestic and foreign, during his tenure, and he conducted most of the company's recordings over that long period. Widely admired and well-liked, Godfrey trained at the Guildhall School of Music in piano while working as an accompanist in London. He joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company as chorus master and assistant musical director of one of its touring companies in 1925, and in 1929 took over as musical director on the retirement of Harry Norris. Thereafter, his entire career was with D'Oyly Carte. He conducted and recorded all eleven of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, plus Cox and Box, that were performed by the company. From the 1930s, he conducted several broadcasts of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas by the BBC, relayed live from the Savoy Theatre.

In June 1965 Godfrey was awarded the OBE, and in 1966, he conducted a film version of The Mikado, one of only a few films ever made by the company. He retired from the D'Oyly Carte company in 1968. He was married three times, for the longest period to Ann Drummond-Grant, a company principal who died in 1959.

Godfrey was born in London as Israel Gotfryd, the son of Polish-Jewish immigrants Manas Gotfryd (1858–1934), a hairdresser, and Frymet ("Fanny"), née Wontroba (born 1871); originally from Płock, the family Anglicised their surname to Godfrey, the parents becoming naturalised British subjects in 1905. He had older sisters Annie, a violinist (born 1888) and Flora, an actress as "Freda Godfrey" (1889–1980), and a younger brother David (born 1909). Godfrey was educated at The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, then in Hampstead. There he enjoyed studying science. As a small child, he first studied the violin but soon preferred the piano. He studied the piano under George Woodhouse, a pupil of Theodor Leschetizky, and in 1914 made a public appearance, at the age of 13, playing in a joint recital at the Bechstein Hall given by Woodhouse's pupils. Godfrey subsequently trained at the Guildhall School of Music in the piano under George B. Aitken (composer of "Maire, my girl"). At the school, he won prizes for ensemble playing, the school's Gold Medal for piano, the annual Mercers' Scholarship and later the Chappel Piano Company Prize. He briefly studied conducting under Julius Harrison near the end of his training. While still a student, he performed as an accompanist in London, sometimes playing for his sister when she performed on the violin at theatres and music halls.

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