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 276-300 of 311 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia 76858 12-in. approximately 1923 Parted Albert W. Ketelbey ; Ernest Pike Male vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 76865 12-in. 1/22/1923 Blow, blow, thou winter wind Norman Allin ; Albert W. Ketelbey Bass vocal solo, with orchestra composer, conductor  
Columbia 76866 12-in. 1/22/1923 The midnight review Norman Allin ; Albert W. Ketelbey Bass vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 76876 12-in. 2/12/1923 The seminarist Norman Allin Bass vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 76877 12-in. 2/12/1923 When a maiden takes your fancy Norman Allin ; Albert W. Ketelbey Bass vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 76878 12-in. 2/15/1923 Cousin from nowhere, selection, part 1 Albert W. Ketelbey ; London Theatre Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 76879 12-in. 2/15/1923 Cousin from nowhere, selection, part 1 Albert W. Ketelbey ; London Theatre Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 76880 12-in. 2/15/1923 Rosamunde : Overture, part 1 Court Symphony Orchestra [U.K.] ; Albert W. Ketelbey Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 76881 12-in. approximately 1923 Rosamunde : Overture, part 2 Court Symphony Orchestra [U.K.] ; Albert W. Ketelbey Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 76884 12-in. 2/22/1923 Abide with me Carrie Herwin ; Albert W. Ketelbey Female vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 76885 12-in. 2/22/1923 Softly awakes my heart Carrie Herwin ; Albert W. Ketelbey Female vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 76888 12-in. 2/27/1923 Maritana : Vocal gems Columbia Light Opera Company [U.K.] ; Albert W. Ketelbey Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 76889 12-in. 3/1/1923 Romeo and Juliet : Selections Albert W. Ketelbey ; Orchestra (unidentified; Columbia Records) Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 76898 12-in. 3/8/1923 Maritanta : Overture Court Symphony Orchestra [U.K.] ; Albert W. Ketelbey Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 76955 12-in. 4/25/1933 Friendship Clara Butt ; Albert W. Ketelbey ; Kennerley Rumford Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 76956 12-in. 4/25/1923 In the chimney corner Clara Butt ; Albert W. Ketelbey Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 76960 12-in. 4/26/1923 There's a land Clara Butt ; Albert W. Ketelbey Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
OKeh S-7811 10-in. March 1921 In a monastery garden Hager's Concert Orchestra Orchestra, with male vocal quartet and whistling (bird voices) composer, lyricist  
Brunswick 9527 10-in. approximately Dec. 1922 In a monastery garden Capitol Grand Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Brunswick XE27356 12-in. 4/16/1928 In a Persian market Brunswick Concert Orchestra Orchestra, with male vocal trio composer, lyricist  
Brunswick XE27371 12-in. 4/18/1928 In a monastery garden Brunswick Concert Orchestra Orchestra, with male vocal quartet composer, lyricist  
Brunswick XE31161 12-in. 10/9/1929 Brunswick Brevities program N, part 5 Brunswick Orchestra Radio transcription disc : Jazz/dance band composer  
Brunswick XE31671 12-in. Dec. 1929 Brunswick brevities [program and part unknown] Brunswick Concert Orchestra Radio transcription disc : Orchestra composer  
Edison 7868 10-in. 3/24/1921 In a monastery garden Peerless Orchestra Instrumental ensemble lyricist, composer  
Edison 10563 10-in. 9/9/1925 In a Persian market American Concert Orchestra Orchestra composer  
(Results 276-300 of 311 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Ketèlbey, Albert W.," accessed April 26, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103225.

Ketèlbey, Albert W.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103225.

"Ketèlbey, Albert W.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 26 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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