To begin with, a few more Victorian names. Five are
dance composers: WILLIAM WILKES, whose Quadrille for piano of
c. 1840 bore a picture of Wolverton railway viaduct on its cover but
did not seem otherwise to have a railway connection; J.P. CLARKE; MICHAEL
CONNELLY, who was Musical Director at the Princess Theatre and his galop
The Lights o'London was performed nightly there; and W. BRIGHT,
composer of a gavotte, The Butterfly and E. SUGG, composer of
a dance, At the Forge, both being played in the 1890s by the
Doncaster Volunteer (brass) Band. One ballad composer-though his titles
mostly seem more suited to the music hall - was G.W. HUNT, who produced,
among many other songs The Piano Girl, Beautiful Columbine, Awfully
Clever, Johny the Engine Drive, which has been dated at 1867, Waiting
for the Signal, We Didn't Want to Fight, The Gymnastic Wife, The German
Band and Dear Old Pals. Hunt's Life in the Ballroom
was later inserted in a film "Diamond City" and it exists in an arrangement
by Ronald Binge.
A large number of cathedral and church organists have
composed, usually church music and organ solos as one would expect,
but quite a number of them have diversified into what we may describe
as light music. Outstanding in this respect is WILFRID SANDERSON (1878-1935),
discussed in the BMS Journal Vol 3, Organist of Doncaster Parish Church
1904-23 and composer of 170 ballads, many of which are still sung, and
around a dozen short piano pieces. But we can also mention SIR EDWARD
BAIRSTOW (1874-1946), Organist of York Minster 1913-46, one or two of
whose shorter organ solos full within this category - he composed ballad-type
songs, too, both for solo voice and for chorus - and HERBERT SUMSION
(1899-1995), Cathedral Organist at Gloucester 1928-67, whose organ solos
Elegy Intermezzo in D, Cradle Song, Pastoral and a virtual suite,
Air, Berceuse and Procession. His Mountain song, composed
in 1040, appeared in versions for cello and piano and string orchestra
(with the cello still prominent) is a delightful tune very much in the
English pastoral tradition. It has been recorded recently in its orchestral
guise.
A Doncaster church organist, who composed a considerable
amount of light music without contriving to achieve anywhere near the
fame of Sanderson, was ALFRED TAYLOR (d.1915), successively Organist
at St, Mary's and Christ Church in the town. Before that he had worked
in the Manchester area and whilst there had married in 1885, a stage
production of his light opera The Bachelors (he composed a later
operetta, Amanda, a selection from which was performed by the
Doncaster Orchestra Society, but I have traced no stage production).
Taylor was an able pianist and he included a number of his compositions
for piano solo, mainly light miniatures, with titles like Tarantella,
Album Leaf, Concert Waltz, Melody in G, Sketch and Gavotte
Rustique, in recitals. His Sandringham Waltz, "a light, pretty,
entrancing tune", figured in Doncaster ballrooms during the nineties.
A predecessor of Taylor's at Christ Church (1880-8) was WALTER SPINNEY
(1853-94), whose output included lightish organ pieces such as Nocturne,
Daybreak and several marches, ballads like The Abbey Organ
and piano miniatures with titles Swiss Clock and Tuning Key
Waltz, which suggest the metre of the music. His three act operetta
The Whack'em Academy was staged in Doncaster in 1882. Spinney
came of a family of church musicians; his father was once Organist of
Salisbury Cathedral where Walter was for a time Assistant. Another Doncaster
organist, HARRY MCKENZIE (1858-1915), of Oxford Place Methodist Church
and like Taylor, Spinney and Sanderson active in Doncaster choral affairs,
composed a Festival March In D, Gavotte in D, a "polka
march" La Tambour and at least one other Polka, all for
orchestra , plus some short violin pieces and more serious work.
MARGO WRIGHT was an accomplished composer and pianist
who at times in the 1940s accompanied the legendary contralto Kathleen
Ferrier; her attractive arrangements for cello and piano of Northumbrian
songs like The Keel Row and Blow the Wind Southerly, both
beloved of Ferrier of course, would grace any light music programme
and have been recorded.
Finally the name of JAMES HORNER born in 1953 and
celebrated as the composer of the music for the film Titanic (1997)
(and especially its so called "Love Theme") but also of dozens of films
for which he has written scores around 1980, may surprise those who
would retort that he is American. So he is, by birth and present domicile,
but he was brought up in England and even studied at the Royal College
of Music. Now can anyone find an English connection for Leroy Anderson,
so we can adopt him as one of our own?
© Phil Scowcroft
October 1999
Philip's book 'British Light Music Composers' (ISBN 0903413 88 4) is
currently out of print.
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