Sargent, Sir Malcolm

Sargent, Sir Malcolm, 1895–1967, English conductor, whose original name was Harold Malcolm Watts-Sargent. He was a composer and organist prior to his debut as a conductor at Queen's Hall in 1921. He served as conductor with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and with Diaghilev's Ballets Russes (1927–30). An orthodox interpreter adhering to 19th-century tradition, Sargent was especially noted as a choral conductor. He served as conductor with the Royal Choral Society (after 1928), the Courtauld-Sargent Concerts (after 1929), and with the NBC Symphony Orchestra in his American debut in 1945. From 1950 to 1957 he was conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.