Albert W. Ketèlbey

Albert William Ketèlbey (; born Ketelbey; 9 August 1875 – 26 November 1959) was an English composer, conductor and pianist, best known for his short pieces of light orchestral music. He was born in Birmingham and moved to London in 1889 to study at Trinity College of Music. After a brilliant studentship he did not pursue the classical career predicted for him, becoming musical director of the Vaudeville Theatre before gaining fame as a composer of light music and as a conductor of his own works.

For many years Ketèlbey worked for a series of music publishers, including Chappell & Co and the Columbia Graphophone Company, making arrangements for smaller orchestras, a period in which he learned to write fluent and popular music. He also found great success writing music for silent films until the advent of talking films in the late 1920s.

The composer's early works in conventional classical style were well received, but it was for his light orchestral pieces that he became best known. One of his earliest works in the genre, In a Monastery Garden (1915), sold over a million copies and brought him to widespread notice; his later musical depictions of exotic scenes caught the public imagination and established his fortune. Such works as In a Persian Market (1920), In a Chinese Temple Garden (1923), and In the Mystic Land of Egypt (1931) became best-sellers in print and on records; by the late 1920s he was Britain's first millionaire composer. His celebrations of British scenes were equally popular: examples include Cockney Suite (1924) with its scenes of London life, and his ceremonial music for royal events. His works were frequently recorded during his heyday, and a substantial part of his output has been put on CD in more recent years.

Ketèlbey's popularity began to wane during the Second World War and his originality also declined; many of his post-war works were re-workings of older pieces and he increasingly found his music ignored by the BBC. In 1949 he moved to the Isle of Wight, where he spent his retirement, and he died at home in obscurity. His work has been reappraised since his death; in a 2003 poll by the BBC radio programme Your Hundred Best Tunes, Bells Across the Meadows was voted the 36th most popular tune of all time. On the last night of the 2009 Proms season the orchestra performed his In a Monastery Garden, marking the fiftieth anniversary of Ketèlbey's death—the first time his music had been included in the festival's finale.

Birth and Death Data: Born August 9, 1875 (Birmingham), Died November 26, 1959 (Cowes)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1907 - 1950

Roles Represented in DAHR: conductor, composer, lyricist, arranger, organ, piano, pipe organ

Notes: Pseudonym for Albert Ketèlbey,

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 126-150 of 313 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia 71517 10-in. approximately 1922 1922 song medley no. 1 : Margie ; I'd love to fall asleep ; Down the trail to home, sweet home ; Avalon Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 71518 10-in. approximately 1922 1922 song medley no. 2 : Down yonder ; Japanese sandman ; Amazon ; Whispering Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 71519 10-in. approximately 1922 1922 song medley no. 3 : Every morning ; Playthings ; Memory of a song ; Silver star Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 71520 10-in. approximately 1922 1922 song medley no. 4 : Kiss me again ; Blue bird ; Omaha ; If you're going back to Dixie Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 71525 10-in. approximately 1922 1922 song medley no. 5 : Coal black mammy ; Sweet and low ; I never knew ; Chili bean Albert W. Ketelbey conductor  
Columbia 71526 10-in. approximately 1922 1922 song medley no. 6 : Turn your face to the sunshine ; Cherie ; It's all over now ; Oh, Gee! Say gee! Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 71575 10-in. approximately 1922 Rose of the North : March Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 71715 10-in. approximately 1922 Chanson triste, opus 40, no. 2 Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 71716 10-in. approximately 1922 Praeludium Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 71817 10-in. approximately 1922 1923 hits of Songland, part 1 : Pucker up and whistle ; Lasses o' Lancashire ; Tippy canoe ; Say it with music Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 71818 10-in. approximately 1922 1923 hits of Songland, part 2 : Peggy O'Neill ; Vamping Rose ; Wherever you are ; Julius Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 71819 10-in. approximately 1922 1923 hits of Songland, part 3 : Roaming ; The sheik ; Drifting ; Uncle Sambo Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 71820 10-in. approximately 1922 1923 hits of Songland, part 4 : Wimmin' ; Ma! ; Crooning ; Ain't we got fun? Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 73006 10-in. approximately 1922 William Tell overture : Dawn Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 73007 10-in. approximately 1922 William Tell overture : The storm Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 73008 10-in. approximately 1922 William Tell overture : The calm Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 73009 10-in. approximately 1922 William Tell overture : Finale Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 73010 10-in. approximately 1922 Entry of the gladiators Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 73011 10-in. approximately 1922 On the Bosphorus : A Turkish intermezzo Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 73012 10-in. approximately 1922 Sizilietta Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 73063 10-in. approximately 1922 Poet and peasant : Overture Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band conductor  
Columbia 73064 10-in. approximately 1922 The bull frog patrol Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 73128 10-in. approximately 1923 Lilac time : Waltz Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
Columbia 73191 10-in. approximately 1923 The three D.G.'s march (Third Dragoons) Artists vary conductor  
Columbia 73192 10-in. approximately 1923 Viscount Nelson : March Albert W. Ketelbey ; Silver Stars Band [National Military Band] conductor  
(Results 126-150 of 313 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Ketèlbey, Albert W.," accessed November 1, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103225.

Ketèlbey, Albert W.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 1, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103225.

"Ketèlbey, Albert W.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 1 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103225

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