The Life and Music of Eric Coates

Eric Coates (1886-1957) is perhaps the most familiar name associated with British light music, with his memorable tunes including the openings to the BBC's In Town Tonight, Desert Island Discs and The Forsyte Saga as well as the theme from the Dam Busters film. In many ways, Coates' story is the story of British light music, and this study offers a fascinating insight into the heyday and decline of the British light music tradition. Michael Payne provides an indispensable insight into the man and his music.

Michael Payne was born in Lancashire and received his first musical training as a chorister at Blackburn Cathedral. He read music at Durham University and received his Ph.D., with a dissertation on the music of Eric Coates, in 2007.

Contents: Preface; Part I The Early Years: Light music; A Nottinghamshire childhood, 1886-1906; The Royal Academy of Music and beyond, 1906-1910; The Queen's Hall Orchestra and Miss Black, 1910-1918. Part II The Years of Struggle and Triumph: A freelance composer, 1918-1922; Maturity and jazz, 1923-1930; Success and popularity, 1931-1935; A new direction? 1936-1944. Part III The Establishment Figure: The war years, 1939-1945; The wilderness years, 1945-1951; Renown at last, 1951-1955; Envoi and legacy, 1956-1957; Appendices; Select bibliography; Index.