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Leslie Stuart

Leslie Stuart (15 March 1863 – 27 March 1928) born Thomas Augustine Barrett was an English composer of Edwardian musical comedy, best known for the hit show Florodora (1899) and many popular songs.

He began in Manchester as a church organist, for 14 years, and taught music while beginning to compose church music and secular songs in the late 1870s. In the 1880s, he began to promote and conduct orchestral and vocal concerts of popular and theatre music as "Mr. T. A. Barrett's Concerts". He began to focus his composition on music hall, including songs for blackface performers, such as "Lily of Laguna"; songs for musical theatre, such as pantomimes and London shows touring through Manchester; and ballads such as "Soldiers of the King". Stuart later campaigned against the interpolation of new songs into musical theatre scores and for better enforcement of musical copyrights.

In 1895, Stuart began to write songs for George Edwardes's London shows at the Gaiety Theatre and Daly's Theatre. His first full musical comedy score was Florodora in 1899. The show became an international hit, and its song "Tell me, pretty maiden", became a vaudeville standard. Other musical comedy successes followed, including The School Girl (1903), The Belle of Mayfair (1906) and Havana (1908). Of his later shows, only Peggy made much of an impact. By 1911, Stuart's gambling debts sent him into bankruptcy. Unable to adapt to changing musical tastes, he was no longer in demand as a composer, although he had some success as a piano sketch artist in variety theatre.

Birth and Death Data: Born March 15, 1863 (Southport), Died March 27, 1928 (Richmond)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1896 - 1941

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, lyricist, songwriter

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

Recordings (Results 26-50 of 134 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor [Pre-matrix A-]1799 7-in. 11/25/1902 Tell me, pretty maiden Mozart Quartet Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]1799 10-in. 11/25/1902 Tell me, pretty maiden Mozart Quartet Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor [Pre-matrix A-]1800 7-in. 11/25/1902 Come little girl and tell me truly Mozart Quartet Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra lyricist, composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]1800 10-in. 11/25/1902 Come little girl and tell me truly Mozart Quartet Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra lyricist, composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix A-]1919 7-in. 1/28/1903 Two eyes of blue Mina Hickman Female vocal solo composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]1919 10-in. 1/28/1903 Two eyes of blue Mina Hickman Female vocal solo composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix A-]1921 7-in. 2/3/1903 Two eyes of blue Harry Macdonough Male vocal solo composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]1921 10-in. 2/3/1903 Two eyes of blue Harry Macdonough Male vocal solo composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]3049 10-in. 1/21/1901 Tell me, pretty maiden Vess L. Ossman Banjo solo composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]3324 10-in. 5/6/1901 In the shade of the palm Herbert Goddard Baritone vocal solo composer, lyricist  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]3425 10-in. 6/3/1901 In the shade of the palm Arthur Pryor Trombone solo composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]3501 10-in. 7/10/1901 Tell me, pretty maiden Harry Macdonough ; Grace Spencer Female-male vocal duet composer, lyricist  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]3509 10-in. 7/11/1901 In the shade of the palm Harry Macdonough Male vocal solo composer, lyricist  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]3516 10-in. 7/17/1901 Louisiana Lou American Quartet Male vocal quartet composer, lyricist  
Victor A-1190 7-in. 4/6/1904 In the shade of the palm Harry Macdonough Male vocal solo, with piano composer, lyricist  
Victor B-1190 10-in. 4/6/1904 In the shade of the palm Harry Macdonough Male vocal solo, with piano composer, lyricist  
Victor A-1298 7-in. 5/11/1904 Louisiana Lou Haydn Quartet Male vocal quartet lyricist, composer  
Victor B-1298 10-in. 3/16/1905 Louisiana Lou Haydn Quartet Male vocal quartet composer, lyricist  
Victor A-1351 7-in. 5/25/1904 Tell me, pretty maiden Harry Macdonough ; Corinne Morgan Female-male vocal duet, with piano composer, lyricist  
Victor B-1351 10-in. 5/25/1904 Tell me, pretty maiden Harry Macdonough ; Corinne Morgan Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor A-1437 7-in. 6/7/1904 In the shade of the palm Herbert Goddard Baritone vocal solo composer, lyricist  
Victor B-1437 10-in. 6/10/1904 In the shade of the palm Herbert Goddard Baritone vocal solo composer, lyricist  
Victor A-1482 7-in. 6/16/1904 Come little girl and tell me truly Mozart Quartet Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor B-1482 10-in. 6/16/1904 Come little girl and tell me truly Mozart Quartet Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor A-1483 7-in. 6/16/1904 Tell me, pretty maiden Mozart Quartet Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
(Results 26-50 of 134 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Stuart, Leslie," accessed April 26, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104028.

Stuart, Leslie. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104028.

"Stuart, Leslie." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 26 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104028

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