Eric Coates page with free midi's to download

ERIC COATES

27thAugust 1886 --- 21stDecember 1957

Eric Coates born on the 27 August 1886 and died in 21 December 1957, known as the father of British Light Music, had showed
musical ability  from an early age,  and as a boy received violin lessons  and instruction in music theory.  He later progressed to
the viola and played both  instruments in orchestras including under the batons  of both Henry Wood and Sir Thomas Beecham.
He had privately written a number of pieces before enrolling in the Royal Academy  of Music to formally study composition and
the viola.  He threw  himself fervently  into all  manner of  musical activities,  playing with  numerous groups  in addition  to his
normal studies but increasingly found his viola playing hindered by a pain and consequent weakness in his left hand. Over time
he was forced to  devote less time to playing  and more to composition,  but found his skills as an  arranger and composer to be
much in demand.

From the start  he made  it clear that he was  not  interested in  composing  "serious"  classical  pieces but wanted  to focus  on
"lighter" works.  Thus he  created  settings of  many poems,  arranged all  manner of  songs, wrote  many  orchestral  pieces for
concert hall and stage,  and established himself as  the father of British Light Music.  Although there have been light composers
from many eras in many countries,  it is often thought  of as a British phenomenon. What is Light Music?  It is pleasant melodic
music,  less demanding  on the  listener and  lot easier  on  the ear.  It does not  try to  make any profound  statements or  push
boundaries but is content simply to entertain,  like the waltzes and  polkas of the Strauss family.  That should make this style of
music ideally  suited for film,  radio and television, but Coates was  not interested in composing directly for these media. He did
not want his music to be constrained by such needs,  but wanted complete freedom to shape his pieces. Nevertheless his music
did indirectly find a useful outlet in these media.

First he had written an orchestral suite called the "London Suite",  the first movement "Covent Garden" using the song "Cherry
Ripe", but it was the third movement  march called "Knightsbridge" which caught the public attention when it was used by the
radio programme  "In Town Tonight".  Then  there was  another piece  "By the  Sleepy Lagoon"  sometimes  called  just "Sleepy
Lagoon", a V alse Serenade for strings. This became a hit and was  later adopted by  the BBC as the  signature for  their popular
programme  "Desert Island Discs" which has  run for more  than 50 years.  Then there is his piece  called  "Calling All Workers".
Initially he wrote this during the war years at his wife's suggestion for the staff at the Red Cross depot where she worked. This
theme was also adopted for  a radio programme  "Music while you Work". Between these  three works,  Coates' music was very
familiar indeed to the BBC's audience,  and the corporation commissioned the composer to write a work for their  re-opening of
Television services in 1946 - this was the "Television March".

With his track record and popular success in radio and television, it is not surprising that Coates had been asked to compose for
film. As previously noted, the composer did not warm to this idea and had turned down previous approaches. However, in 1954
his name was naturally mentioned in the context of a new film. The "Dambusters" story of the bouncing bomb was very British
and patriotic,  and Coates was  well-known for his marches.  The film makers were advised of Coates dislike  of film scoring,  so
they decided to ask him instead for such a march. When Coates publisher conveyed this request to the composer Coates replied
that he had finished just such a march on the previous day. The march was lying on Coates desk was he therefore named it The
Dambusters  March,  and Leighton  Lucas was hired  to weave this  into the film's score.  This was one of  the last  major  pieces
written by Eric Coates.

My sincere thanks go to George Pollen for kindly providing the Bio

Last Updated on 2018
By Steven Ritchie

And now for the Music

Thanks to George Pollen for the music below. Link to his Wedsite on my Bookmark Page.

"Knightsbridge March". Sequenced by George Pollen.

"Soliloquy (My boy Bill) from Carousel". Sequenced by George Pollen.

Thanks to James Pitt-Payne for the music below. Email (drjames@ntlworld.com)

"Bird Sing At Eventide". Sequenced by James Pitt-Payne.

"I Heard You Singing". Sequenced by James Pitt-Payne.

"Knightsbridge March". Sequenced by James Pitt-Payne.

"The Dam Busters March". Sequenced by James Pitt-Payne.

(3002)"Halcyon Days (Elizabeth Tudor)". Sequenced by James Pitt-Payne.

(3003)"Sleepy Lagoon". Sequenced by James Pitt-Payne.

(3004)"Star Of God". Sequenced by James Pitt-Payne.

(2932)"Princess of the Dawn". Sequenced by James Pitt-Payne.

(2933)"The Fairy tales of Ireland". Sequenced by James Pitt-Payne.

(2934)"The Green Hills of Somerset". Sequenced by James Pitt-Payne.

(2935)"The Little Green Balcony". Sequenced by James Pitt-Payne.

If you done any Classical pieces of say for example, Delius, mozart, and so on etc,

please email them to the classical music site with details to

"classical   (@)    ntlworld.com" written this way to stop spammers

just remove spaces and brackets for email address, thank you.

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