Irene Barsotti was born on 29th April 1904 at 44 Racton Rd, Fulham, London. She was the 3rd child of Luigi and Elizabeth (Elise) Barsotti.
Little is known of Irene’s early life but she was a regular on the concert stage and in about 1925 whilst working in North Wales must have met up with Leon Wood, after which in August 1926 Dennis Barsotti was born in Bangor, North Wales. Irene was 22 at the time and Leon was 52. On January 18th 1932, after spending several years with her child Dennis Barsotti she then left him with Leon Wood in Norwich and left to travel to Malta on the SS Esperance Bay. Her address was 2 Trigon Rd, London WC. at the time and she was listed with an occupation of domestic duties. Whilst in Malta she married a Royal Navy Blacksmith Selby Gladstone Dawson on 26th December 1933. They had a daughter, Geraldine, in about May 1934. Mother and daughter then returned to the UK on 1st March 1935 on the Largs Bay to Hull going on to live at 16 Toker St, Southsea.
Irene returned to Malta at some point in 1936 – no passenger records can be found for the outward journey – and then returned to the UK on 25th February 1937 on the Largs Bay with her daughter, then aged 2, with a destination care of her Brother Bandsman Roger Barsotti, Queens Royal Regiment, Isle of Wight.
In the 1939 register she was living with her daughter Geraldine at 16 Maltravers Rd, Arundel, Sussex and was listed as a Professional Musician – Violinist. She continued to perform on the stage, both during and following the war, travelling around the UK, from her home in Twickenham and she finally passed away in 1971. Her daughter Geraldine married and had two daughters but also passed away in 2017.
Luigi(Luis) was born in Livorno Italy in about 1870, the son of a man in the legal profession, and on his maternal side they were mountain dwellers and sailors.
Luigi spoke several languages, was world travelled and served for a period as a bandsman in the USA Navy. He settled in England but died in Italy aged 75.He played many instruments, chiefly the flute and piccolo. His silver concert flute was, at his request buried with him. He was reputed to have played at the Milan Opera House, and his compositions were published under the name Jorden, these being submitted by his second son Roger (Ruggiero), to Boosey & Hawkes in London.
Irene’s mother was Elizabeth, formerly Elizabetha (Elise) Schornsteiner, also born in about 1870, who came from Bodenheim on Rhine, near Mainz in Germany. Her father was Burgermeister and her mother, Elizabetha Fischer, was a sewing maid at Nassau Castle. Irene’s descent was German Barony Mill owners, musicians and also included French blood in the family.
Elizabetha met Luigi in Brazil where he was employed as a musician at a hotel, they married in 1895 and had their first son Joseph (Joseppe) in about 1899 then moved to London where the second son Roger was born in Camden Town, London in 1901 followed by Irene in Fulham, London in 1904.
All 3 of their children went on to become professional musicians. Elizabeth spent all of the war 1939 – 1945 in Italy acting as an interpreter for the Germans, and she was with Luigi when he died, following which Roger had a great deal of trouble getting her back to the UK. She then went to live close to her eldest son Joseph’s widowed wife, Doris Venetia, in Bristol, where she died, aged 78 in 1949.
Joseph and his only child Angela, were killed in Fetter Lane, London in 1940 during the blitz. His wife was named Doris Venetia Cox (1898 – 1987) and came from Bristol where she lived during the war and to where Elizabeth her mother in law returned and eventually died after the war. Joseph was also a violin maker.
Roger Barsotti – born in London in 1901, he was taught by his father, Luigi Barsotti, a professional musician. Roger made his debut at 14 as a deputy flautist at Hastings Municipal Orchestra. He joined the ‘Buffs’ Royal East Kent Regiment in 1916 and was promoted to Band Sergeant at 22. He passed out of the Royal School of Music, Kneller Hall in 1930 and appointed BM 2nd Battalion The Queen’s Royal Regiment, a position he held for 15 years
He retired from the Army after 30 years and appointed Director of Music to the Metropolitan Police Band in 1946. In 1958 and 1960 he adjudicated at the National Brass Band Championships at the Royal Albert Hall. He was awarded the MBE in 1961. Retiring from the police band in 1968, he became Director of Music for the Royal Parks. He died in 1986
His compositions include over 30 marches and over 40 concert works. Some of his best-known and most familiar works include specialized mood music.