Holmes Alfred, *9 November 1837 London, †4 March 1876 Paris, English violinist and composer. He learned to play the violin from his self-taught father. He made his debut in 1847 at the Haymarket Theatre in London with his brother, Henry; in 1855-61, they gave concerts in Belgium (in Brussels both brothers received the Ch. de Bériot and H. Leonard prize), Germany, Austria, Sweden (two-year stay), Denmark and the Netherlands. During these travels, Alfred and Henry Holmes met L. Spohr several times and became acquainted with his school of violin playing, as well as with the French school of violin playing of P. Rode, P. Baillot and R. Kreutzer. In 1864, Alfred Holmes settled in Paris; there, in 1866, he organised a series of concerts. In the following years, he went on concert tours (in 1867 he visited Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Russia). He composed six program symphonies: Jeanne d’Arc, The Youth of Shakespeare, Robin Hood, Charles XII, The Siege of Paris, Romeo and Juliet, concert overtures The Cid and The Muses, the opera Inez de Castro (unperformed), piano pieces and songs.
