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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 126-134 of 134 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Brunswick 3815 10-in. approximately July 1920 The shade of the palm Elliott Shaw Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist, composer  
Brunswick X12063-X12066 12-in. 12/8/1923 Floradora Brunswick Light Opera Company Mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra songwriter  
Edison 3321 10-in. between 9/26/1914 and 9/30/1914 The soldiers of the king Joseph A. Phillips Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Edison 4250 10-in. 11/4/1915 The bandolero Arthur Middleton Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Edison 7235 10-in. 3/23/1920 Tell me, pretty maiden Metropolitan Sextet Vocal sextet, with orchestra lyricist, composer  
Edison 7304 10-in. 4/20/1920 The shade of the palm Thomas Chalmers Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist, composer  
Edison 11834 10-in. 8/3/1927 Florodora : Selections Palais D'Or Orchestra ; B. A. Rolfe Jazz/dance band composer  
Leeds & Catlin [L & C cat 222-A] 10-in. between late 1908 and early 1909 Hello, people Frank C. Stanley ; Elise Stevenson Female-male vocal duet composer  
Leeds & Catlin [L & C cat 223-A] 10-in. between late 1908 and early 1909 Cupid's telephone Frank C. Stanley ; Elise Stevenson Female-male vocal duet composer  
(Results 126-134 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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