Diana Poulton (1903–1995)

Diana Poulton, née Kibblewhite, decided to learn to play the lute after hearing it played by Arnold Dolmetsch, a family friend. She was also interested in painting, and attended the Slade School of Fine Art. There she met her future husband, Thomas Poulton, an illustrator, whom she married in 1923. In 1926, she performed in the first of about 400 broadcasts on the BBC. Eventually, her music took precedence over art, and she gave many concerts and recitals throughout Britain. She played a major role in the revival of the popularity of the lute and co-founded The Lute Society in 1956. She also researched and collected works composed for the lute, especially those of the English Renaissance composer John Dowland. She was renowned for her scholarship and authored several editions of books on his work, as well as Tutor for Renaissance Lute (1991). In 1968, she became a Professor for the Lute at the Royal College of Music, a position she held until retiring in 1979.