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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 51-75 of 134 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-1483 10-in. 6/16/1904 Tell me, pretty maiden Mozart Quartet Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor B-1733 10-in. 10/5/1904 My little canoe S. H. Dudley ; Haydn Quartet ; Harry Macdonough Male vocal solo and male vocal quartet, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor C-1733 12-in. 10/5/1904 My little canoe S. H. Dudley ; Haydn Quartet ; Harry Macdonough Male vocal solo and male vocal quartet, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor B-2619 10-in. 6/6/1905 In the shade of the palm Harry Macdonough Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor A-2619 7-in. 3/1/1906 In the shade of the palm Harry Macdonough Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor B-4175 10-in. 1/16/1907 I'll wait for you, little girlie S. H. Dudley ; Harry Macdonough ; Elise Stevenson Mixed vocal trio, with orchestra composer  
Victor E-4175 8-in. 1/16/1907 I'll wait for you, little girlie S. H. Dudley ; Harry Macdonough ; Elise Stevenson Mixed vocal trio, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-4186 10-in. 1/21/1907 Tell me, pretty maiden Harry Macdonough ; Elise Stevenson Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor E-4186 8-in. 1/21/1907 Tell me, pretty maiden Harry Macdonough ; Elise Stevenson Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor B-4310 10-in. 3/15/1907 Selection from The belle of Mayfair Victor Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Victor C-4311 12-in. 3/15/1907 Selection from The belle of Mayfair Victor Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Victor B-6850 10-in. 3/2/1909 Tell me, pretty maiden Vess L. Ossman Banjo solo composer  
Victor B-6959 10-in. 4/1/1909 Havana : Selection Arthur Pryor's Band Band composer  
Victor B-7062 10-in. 5/11/1909 Hello people Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-7062 12-in. 7/12/1909 Gems from Havana Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-9905 12-in. 2/3/1911 Gems from Florodora Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor B-15604 10-in. 1/15/1915 The soldiers of the king Earl Cartwright Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor B-15863 10-in. 4/7/1915 The soldiers of the king Herbert Stuart Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor C-19306 12-in. 2/21/1917 Bandolero Albert Wiederhold Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor B-23933 10-in. 4/14/1920 Tell me, pretty maiden Victor Light Opera Sextette Mixed vocal sextet, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor B-23934 10-in. 4/14/1920 In the shade of the palm Elliott Shaw Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor B-25341 10-in. 6/8/1921 In the shade of the palm Emilio de Gogorza Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor B-28184 10-in. 7/13/1923 Louisiana Lou Shannon Quartet Male vocal quartet, with orchestra lyricist, composer  
Victor BS-047288 10-in. 2/29/1940 Tell me, pretty maiden Emile Coté ; Victor Mixed Chorus Mixed vocal chorus, with instrumental ensemble composer, lyricist  
Victor BS-047289 10-in. 2/29/1940 In the shade of the sheltering palm Emile Coté ; Victor Mixed Chorus Mixed vocal chorus, with instrumental ensemble composer, lyricist  
(Results 51-75 of 134 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Stuart, Leslie," accessed April 19, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104028.

Stuart, Leslie. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 19, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104028.

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

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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