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Ivor Novello

Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century.

He was born into a musical family, and his first successes were as a songwriter. His first big hit was "Keep the Home Fires Burning" (1914), which was enormously popular during the First World War. His 1917 show, Theodore & Co, was a wartime hit. After the war, Novello contributed numbers to several successful musical comedies and was eventually commissioned to write the scores of complete shows. He wrote his musicals in the style of operetta and often composed his music to the libretti of Christopher Hassall.

In the 1920s he turned to acting, first in British films and then on stage, with considerable success in both. He starred in two silent films directed by Alfred Hitchcock, The Lodger and Downhill (both 1927). On stage, he played the title character in the first London production of Liliom (1926). Novello briefly went to Hollywood but soon returned to Britain, where he had more successes, especially on stage, appearing in his own lavish West End productions of musicals. The best-known of these were Glamorous Night (1935) and The Dancing Years (1939).

From the 1930s he often performed with Zena Dare, writing parts for her in his works. He continued to write for film, but in his later career his biggest successes were with stage musicals: Perchance to Dream (1945), King's Rhapsody (1949) and Gay's the Word (1951).

The Ivor Novello Awards were named after him in 1955.

Birth and Death Data: Born January 15, 1893 (Cardiff), Died March 6, 1951 (London)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1915 - 1942

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, lyricist, piano

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

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 79 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-16626 10-in. 10/8/1915 Keep the home-fires burning till the boys come home Frederick J. Wheeler Male vocal solo, with drum and orchestra composer  
Victor B-17627 10-in. 5/8/1916 Laddie in khaki Lewis J. Howell Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor B-18017 10-in. 6/23/1916 Laddie in khaki James F. Harrison Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist, composer  
Victor B-18709 10-in. 11/14/1916 Good luck to the boys of the Allies medley Victor Band Band composer  
Victor B-18864 10-in. 12/21/1916 Guardons notre amour, pour le retour des vainqueurs Torcom Bézazian Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-19994 10-in. 6/8/1917 Naar jeg kommer hjem Inga Örner Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-20017 10-in. 6/7/1917 Keep the home-fires burning ('Til the boys come home) John McCormack Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-21615 10-in. 3/19/1918 The radiance in your eyes Reinald Werrenrath Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-21772 10-in. 4/16/1918 Laddie in khaki Frances Alda Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor B-22087 10-in. 8/12/1918 Camp songs medley, part 2 National Camps Song Leaders Vocal chorus, with cornet and piano composer  
Victor B-22210 10-in. 8/13/1918 Keep the home fires burning Victor Military Band Band composer  
Victor B-22416 10-in. 11/13/1918 Až se vrátís zaš František A. Pangrác Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-23507 10-in. 12/1/1919 Thoughts of you Frances Alda Soprano vocal solo, with piano and orchestra composer  
Victor B-25570 10-in. 9/23/1921 Every bit of loving in the world Frances Alda Soprano vocal solo, with celeste and orchestra composer  
Victor B-25901 10-in. 12/13/1921 Bless you Frances Alda Soprano vocal solo, with celeste and orchestra composer  
Victor B-27084 10-in. 11/20/1922 The land of the might-have-been John McCormack Tenor vocal solo, with harp and orchestra composer  
Victor BVE-33478 10-in. 10/16/1925 The little damozel Lucrezia Bori Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor BS-074381 10-in. 5/27/1942 Keep the home-fires burning Bob Chester Orchestra ; Rhythm Aires Jazz/dance band, with female and male solos and mixed vocal ensemble composer  
Victor D6VB-1569 10-in. 1/17/1946 We'll gather lilacs Stuart Foster ; Tommy Dorsey Orchestra Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band composer  
Victor [Trial 1918-05-15-01] Not documented 5/15/1918 My laddie in khaki Helen Clark Female vocal solo, with piano composer, lyricist  
Victor [Trial 1918-11-29-01] Not documented 11/29/1918 Laddie in khaki Edward Doyle Male vocal solo, with piano composer, lyricist  
Columbia 46135 10-in. 10/21/1915 Keep the home fires burning till the boys come home Reed Miller ; Frederick J. Wheeler Male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Columbia 46408 10-in. 2/14/1916 Canadian medley one-step Prince's Band Band composer  
Columbia 46794 10-in. 5/19/1916 Laddie in khaki Charles Harrison Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Columbia 77409 10-in. 10/4/1917 War song hits Columbia Quartette Male vocal quartet, with orchestra composer  
(Results 1-25 of 79 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Novello, Ivor," accessed April 19, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103013.

Novello, Ivor. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 19, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103013.

"Novello, Ivor." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 19 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103013

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