3 Despite having had multiple teachers and instructors, some of them notorious cellists like Pablo Casals and Mstislav Rostropovich, she always spoke about Pleeth as her true teacher, and used to call him ‘my cello daddy’. From that moment on, her entire life would revolve around playing the cello. As a virtuous student, Jacqueline progressed rapidly in her musical training. 2Īt the age of 11, she obtained her first recognition as a musician, the Gilhermina Suggia scholarship, which allowed her to meet the great William ‘Bill’ Pleeth, one of the most experienced teachers of her time. 1, 2 Carol Easton recalls in her book ‘Jacqueline du Pré: a biography’, that Jacqueline did not just like people, she loved them and was prone to constant displays of affection. She would shortly be given the nickname ‘Smiley’, by her future husband and close friends, as a reminder of her everlasting sweetness. She was gifted with a unique personality, her smile could easily captivate and enrapture anyone who knew her or who spent only a few minutes talking to her. It was then that she discovered the sound of this instrument, a unique voice that would forever be with her. When she was five years old, her mother gave her a cello as a gift. She was born to two British musicians who always encouraged a nurturing musical environment for Jacqueline, her brother Piers and her sister Hillary. Called ‘Jackie’ by family and friends, she was by far one of the most prominent chamber music players and perhaps the best cellist of the twentieth century. Jacqueline du Pré was born in Oxford on 26 January 1945. Interpretations of historical records vary depending on the people who were interviewed and how close they were to the cellist. We reviewed existing literature and recorded interviews with the musician, her husband Daniel Barenboim, as well as close friends and family, and used them here as a bibliographical source. In the present paper, we conduct a historical and medical analysis of this renowned cellist, and discuss a few aspects regarding the course and management of her condition, reviewing the available treatment options of her time and how they may have influenced the outcome of her disease. Her outstanding musical career was, unfortunately, cut short by multiple sclerosis. Jacqueline du Pré was, without question, an example of both virtues. While many musicians have trained to achieve a flawless technique, others instinctively grasp the intention of the composer and the dynamics within a piece of music. The life of an artist is frequently torn amidst reason and emotion alternating between the importance of precision in performance of the instrument and the intuitive understanding of the passion with which the music was written.

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