A 254th GARLAND OF LIGHT MUSIC COMPOSERS
Two "snippet" mentions to start us off: Richard
Williams, for his Wheatstone Suite, which was commissioned
to mark the bicentenarty of the birth of the inventor of the concertina,
Charles Wheatstone (1802-75); and Ivor Goldberg and Julian
Hamlin for their catchy signature tune for BBC1’s holiday programme
Passport to the Sun.
John Read, active around the middle of the 20th
Century, was a prolific composer of popular songs: All Round the
Squares, Bank Holiday (or A Twopenny Ride on a Tramcar),
Johnny Morgan, Oh Julia!, Simple Simon, The Vagabond and
Grandmother’s Chair.
From Read – and this long-running floral series has
at various times embraced Reade (Paul), Reed (W H) and Reed
(W L) – it is but a syllable to Reader and now is the time
to celebrate the career of William Henry Ralph (usually called
simply Ralph) Reader, CBE (1903-82), born in Crewkerne
(Somerset), whose wide-ranging career in the theatre and, to a degree,
films, embraces the disciplines of actor, chorus master/choreographer,
producer, director, author, lyricist and composer. As director and choreographer
he was associated especially with the Waller and Tunbridge musicals
of the late 1920s and 1930s. He acted in The Fleet’s Lit Up (music
by Vivian Ellis) and wrote lyrics for many shows. He arranged or composed
music for many stage shows for example The Voyage of the Venturer,
Summer Holiday (1960: lyrics as well – a piano version of the tunes
was published) and for many Boy Scout Gang Shows, with which
he was associated between 1942 and 1974 (a selection from these latter
was published in mid-century). Two of his songs, Strollin’ and
Boys in Blue, were arranged for brass, by Edrich Siebert.
Philip L Scowcroft
February 2002
Philip's book 'British Light Music Composers' (ISBN 0903413 88 4) is
currently out of print.
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