MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             

A 244th GARLAND OF BRITISH LIGHT MUSIC COMPOSERS

We start with two purveyors pf lightish miniatures for (mainly) young performers, both of them active in the 1960s. Mervyn Baker’s publications included the trombone solo Alla Polacca and a trumpet solo Trumpet Tango, both 1968. Bernard Hazelgrove was responsible for many purely instrumental publications and several arrangements but the "symphonic contest march" for brass band entitled The Barbican (1968), appears to be his own composition.

Karl Jenkins, a native of South Wales, is also known for his music suitable for young amateurs including the unison Animal Songs (jointly, as a number of his pieces were, with the lyricist/composer Carol Barratt), Come Dancing (1985) and Smokey Joe (1983), both for woodwind ensemble, Sounds for Sax (No 1) for alto or tenor saxophone with piano, the music for TV’s The Celts plus many arrangements (including a woodwind ensemble piece combining the trios of Elgar’s 1st and 2nd Pomp and Circumstance marches and the very popular choral number Adiemus).

The film composer Howard Shore (born 1946) is worth a mention for his music for The Lord of the Rings (ongoing as I write), though many of his other film scores are not, popularly speaking, light music.

Finally for some more minor figures from the late Victorian musical stage. Augustus T. MacInnes was busy as a musical director, Edward Hildyard Marris as lyricist and, more particularly, theatre manager, the latter well into the 20th century. They combined to compose music for Sunny Florida, produced in Warrington in 1896, revived later that season at West Hartlepool as The American Girl and years later re-written, but still enjoying no more than a provincial reputation, as Somebody’s Sweetheart. Arthur Richards had a fleeting moment of fame when his musical Buttercup and Daisy was staged at Kilburn in 1895.

Philip L Scowcroft

January 2002


Enquiries to Philip at

8 Rowan Mount

DONCASTER

S YORKS DN2 5PJ

Philip's book 'British Light Music Composers' (ISBN 0903413 88 4) is currently out of print.

E-mail enquiries (but NOT orders) can be directed to Rob Barnett at rob.barnett1@btinternet.com


Return to:   index page
                              Classical Music on the Web