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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 76-100 of 134 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BS-063817 10-in. 4/24/1941 Tell me pretty maiden The King Sisters ; Barry Wood Male vocal solo and female vocal quartet, with jazz/dance band composer  
Columbia 17 7-in. ca. 1901 Tell me, pretty maiden Artists vary Cornet solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 17 10-in. ca. 1901-Sept. 1902 Tell me, pretty maiden Artists vary Cornet solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 82 7-in. ca. 1901-Sept. 1902 Tell me, pretty maiden Columbia Band Band composer  
Columbia 82 10-in. ca. 1901 Tell me, pretty maiden Columbia Band Band composer  
Columbia 95 7-in. ca. 1901-Sept. 1902 Tell me, pretty maiden Artists vary Clarinet solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 95 10-in. ca. 1901 Tell me, pretty maiden Artists vary Clarinet solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 102 7-in. ca. 1901-Sept. 1902 Tell me, pretty maiden Mina Hickman ; William F. Hooley Female-male vocal duet, with piano composer  
Columbia 102 10-in. ca. 1901-Sept. 1902 Tell me, pretty maiden Mina Hickman ; William F. Hooley Female-male vocal duet, with piano composer  
Columbia 127 7-in. ca. 1901 Florodora : March Artists vary Orchestra composer  
Columbia 127 10-in. ca. 1901 Florodora : March Artists vary Orchestra composer  
Columbia 128 7-in. ca. 1901 Tell me, pretty maiden Artists vary Orchestra composer  
Columbia 128 10-in. ca. 1901 Tell me, pretty maiden Artists vary Orchestra composer  
Columbia 244 7-in. ca. 1901 Florodora : March Columbia Band Band composer  
Columbia 244 10-in. ca. 1901 Florodora : March Columbia Band Band composer  
Columbia 255 7-in. ca. 1901-Sept. 1902 Tell me, pretty maiden Artists vary Banjo solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 255 10-in. ca. 1901 Tell me, pretty maiden Artists vary Banjo solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 281 7-in. ca. 1901 Florodora : Selections Artists vary Orchestra composer  
Columbia 281 10-in. ca. 1901 Florodora : Selections Artists vary Orchestra composer  
Columbia 319 7-in. ca. 1901-Sept. 1902 I want to be a military man Will F. Denny Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 319 10-in. ca. 1901-Sept. 1902 I want to be a military man Will F. Denny Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 402 7-in. ca. 1901-Sept. 1902 In the shade of the palm Artists vary Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 402 10-in. ca. 1901 In the shade of the palm Artists vary Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 448 7-in. ca. 1901-Sept. 1902 My Louisiana Lou Columbia Quartette Male vocal quartet, with piano composer, lyricist  
Columbia 448 10-in. ca. 1901 My Louisiana Lou Columbia Quartette Male vocal quartet, with piano composer, lyricist  
(Results 76-100 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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