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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 76-79 of 79 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Edison 6309 10-in. between 8/4/1918 and 8/12/1918 Keep the home fires burning Homestead Trio Female vocal trio, with orchestra composer  
Edison 6335 10-in. Aug. 1918 or later Laddie in khaki Homestead Trio Female vocal trio, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Edison 6368 10-in. 9/18/1918 Keep the home fires burning Carolina Lazzari Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Edison 6460 10-in. between 11/12/1918 and 11/27/1918 The radiance in your eyes Marie Rappold Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
(Results 76-79 of 79 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Novello, Ivor," accessed April 25, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103013.

Novello, Ivor. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 25, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103013.

"Novello, Ivor." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 25 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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