A 185th GARLAND OF BRITISH LIGHT MUSIC COMPOSERS
Our first composer this time is James Marshall Gallatly
(1882-1965), a man of varied experience and interests. He played lacrosse
for Oxford, was an expert on philately and composed for military band,
for piano and, especially, songs. These were light in character, many
of them for children (Playtime Songs, Little Encore Songs, Goblin
Tune, Four Child Studies and perhaps Oi Takes a Bite Out of my
Puddin’), many others concerned with sport or leisure activities
(A Cricket Song, A Rugger Song (1913), A Lawn Tennis Song,
A Camping Song, A Walking Song, The Sea Scouts Song and A Hockey
Song, plus other more "general" ballads (The Scot in
Exile, The Wedding at Lavender Farm and Sometime, Never).
Adolf Lotter (1871-1942) was born in what is
now the Czech Republic but was resident in London for much of his life.
His instrument was the double bass but he also composed light music
prolifically: an overture, Three Days; the marches Gallant
Serbia, Pro Patria, Masaryk, The Peacemakers, Great Big David, Entry
of the Bulgars, Taj Mahal and 1918: Dawn of Freedom; the
waltzes Visions of Electra, Balmoral, L’Heure Suprème, Rouge
et Noir, In Sweet Avoca and Klytemnestra; and other pieces
– Moto Perpetuo for strings, The Ragtime Double Bass Player,
A Southern Wedding, My Little Billiken (a two-step), The Coons’
Patrol, Angelus, Fantasia Angelica, Morning Serenade, Valley of Poppies,
Manuelle, Orion, Tiny Tot, Ojeadas and Two Hindu Pictures.
We finish with brief mentions of a varied group of
light music composers/arrangers: Douglas A Pope, military bandmaster;
Archie Potter (1918-80), born in Belfast, a student at the Royal
College of Music with Ralph Vaughan Williams and composer of Variations
on a Popular Tune, Fantasie Gaezach and Overture to a Kitchen
Comedy as well as more serious pieces. Leonard Williams,
similar to (and roughly contemporary with) Warwick Williams,
previously discussed in his production of pre-1900 dance music arranged
from stage works of the day – they were not, so far as I know, related;
Bernie Wayne, seemingly a "one work" man, known just
for his Port au Prince (1956), in song, piano and orchestral
versions; and finally two figures still very much alive and active,
George Stiles for his musicals Honk and Peter Pan,
both with lyrics by Anthony Drewe and the entertainer Jeremy Nicholas
for his many cabaret-type songs.
Philip L Scowcroft
Philip's book 'British Light Music Composers' (ISBN 0903413 88 4) is
currently out of print.
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