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26-935: Francis Chagrin (born Alexander Paucker , 15 November 1905 – 10 November 1972), was a composer of film scores and popular orchestral music, as well as a conductor. He was also the "organizer and chief moving spirit" who founded the Society for the Promotion of New Music . He was born in Bucharest , Romania to Jewish parents and at their insistence studied for an engineering degree in Zurich while secretly studying at that city's music conservatoire . He graduated in 1928 but when his family failed to support his musical ambitions, left home and moved to Paris where he adopted his new, French-sounding name. By playing in nightclubs and cafes and writing popular songs, he funded himself for two years, from 1933, at

52-953: A jazz violinist, pianist and arranger. Known then as Ben Frankel, his jazz work can be heard on recordings by Fred Elizalde 's band. He also played violin with Carroll Gibbons and the Savoy Hotel Orpheans . By the early 1930s, Frankel was in demand as an arranger and musical director in London, working with several dance bands. He wrote several popular dance band arrangements for Henry Hall 's BBC Dance Orchestra, including "Learn To Croon", "Don't Blame Me", "Weep No More My Baby", "April in Paris" and "In Town Tonight". He wrote many arrangements and scores for theatre and film music but gave up theatre work in 1944. He did, however, retain an interest in film composing until his death, writing over 100 scores. These included The Seventh Veil (1945), The Man in

78-427: A British composer. His best known pieces include a cycle of five string quartets, eight symphonies, and concertos for violin and viola. He was also notable for writing over 100 film scores and working as a big band arranger in the 1930s. During the last 15 years of his life, Frankel also developed his own style of 12-note composition which retained contact with tonality . Frankel was born in London on 31 January 1906,

104-559: A French accent), Romanian and German, and good Italian and Spanish. For a trip to the USSR in October 1966, he studied Russian. In January 1943 Chagrin founded The Committee for the Promotion of New Music (later renamed Society for the Promotion of New Music ) with the intention of promoting the creation, performance and appreciation of new music by young and unestablished composers. Ralph Vaughan Williams agreed to be its president, with Arthur Bliss

130-577: A new piece for performance at the SPNM's 30th-anniversary concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 5 February 1973 - one of the few times his own work was ever performed at an SPNM event - but was unable to complete the work. At his request, the Lamento appassionato for string orchestra was played instead. Including: Society for the Promotion of New Music The Committee for the Promotion of New Music

156-627: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation to record Frankel's complete oeuvre. This allowed for the first time an appraisal of his output. CPO recorded all the symphonies (conducted by Werner Andreas Albert ) and all the string quartets (by the Nomos Quartet), and in 1998 issued the world premiere recordings of the Violin Concerto, Viola Concerto and Serenata Concertante. With recordings now available, BBC Radio 3 featured him as

182-465: The International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM). That year issues arose about certain expenses Clark had claimed while he was chairman. Clark alleged that Frankel had accused him of fraud. Frankel denied he had ever made such a claim, but nevertheless said that such a claim, had he made it, would have been true. This amounted to slander as far as Clark was concerned, and he sued Frankel in

208-514: The BBC and in several recordings, issued in the 1940s on 78rpm discs by Decca . By October 1951, a draft amended Constitution had been prepared, and on 27 May 1952 the Society for the Promotion of New Music met for its inaugural meeting. On 5 February 1973 the Society celebrated its 30th anniversary with a concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall . It had commissioned a new piece from Francis Chagrin to mark

234-654: The Ecole Normale, where his teachers included Paul Dukas and Nadia Boulanger , and settled in England in 1936. At the outbreak of World War II , he was appointed musical adviser and composer-in-chief to the BBC French Service and the programme Les Français parlent aux Français . For this, he was decorated Officier d'Academie by the French government in 1948. He spoke French fluently, as well as perfect English (with

260-742: The Francis Chagrin Ensemble which performed and broadcast regularly over the next two decades, including many first performances. Chagrin married his second wife Eileen during the Second World War and they lived in London, at 48 Fellows Road , Hampstead . His sons are the actors Nicolas and Julian Chagrin , husband of actress and comedian Rolanda Chagrin . There was also a stepson, the poet Gerald Benson . Chagrin died in Hampstead after several heart attacks. The Francis Chagrin Fund for Young Composers

286-585: The High Court, calling the composers Christian Darnton and Bernard Stevens as witnesses. While Frankel's alleged slander itself was unproven, the jury exonerated Clark of any wrongdoing and he felt this meant his integrity was intact. Clark's wife Elisabeth Lutyens ever after referred to Frankel as "composer and ex-colleague". Born and raised in Hammersmith , Frankel lived in London for many years, most notably at 17 Soho Square between 1953 and 1957, where he

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312-664: The Jews murdered during the Holocaust ), commissioned for the 1951 Festival of Britain , and was the soloist in the Viola Concerto for BBC radio broadcasts in 1970 and 1972. The core of Frankel's output are the eight symphonies (composed between 1958 and 1971) and the five string quartets (composed between 1945 and 1965). His friend Hans Keller was a champion of his concert music and did much to promote its performance at home and abroad. In 1955 Frankel succeeded Edward Clark as Chairman of

338-717: The SPNM, resulting in 850 composers being represented in its concerts. On 1 October 2008, the SPNM merged with the British Music Information Centre (BMIC), the Contemporary Music Network and the Sonic Arts Network , forming a new organisation to promote contemporary music in the UK called Sound and Music . Benjamin Frankel Benjamin Frankel (31 January 1906 – 12 February 1973) was

364-719: The White Suit (1951), The Importance of Being Earnest (1952), The Night of the Iguana (1964), and Battle of the Bulge (1965), as well as the first British (partly) serial film score, to The Curse of the Werewolf (1961). From 1941 until 1952 he was a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain , but resigned his membership in protest against the Slánský trial . During and after

390-602: The committee's vice-president. In his obituary of Chagrin, fellow composer Benjamin Frankel said that through the Society Chagrin "gave many composers (not only the young ones) their first opportunity of a hearing: he had travelled abroad as our representative, had battled with publishers and spoken passionately on the question of performing rights. He had, in fact, become the first person to whom we turned when composer's problems arose". In 1951 Chagrin formed his own chamber group,

416-502: The event but he was ill and unable to complete the work. Chagrin died on 10 November 1972. At his request, his Lamento appassionato for string orchestra was played instead. This was one of the few times his own work was ever performed at an SPNM event. The Francis Chagrin Fund for Young Composers was established in his memory in 1973 and continues today. From 1993 onward SPNM awarded the annual Butterworth Prize for Composition . In its first 50 years, some 9,000 scores were submitted to

442-474: The first marriage. Frankel died in London on 12 February 1973 while working on the three-act opera Marching Song and a ninth symphony, which had been commissioned by the BBC . When he died, Marching Song had been completed in short score; it was orchestrated by Buxton Orr , a composer who had studied with Frankel and whose advocacy has been at least partly responsible for the revival of interest in his works. In

468-450: The question of performing rights. He had, in fact, become the first person to whom we turned when composer's problems arose". Mátyás Seiber and Roy Douglas were also among the founding members of the Committee. Ralph Vaughan Williams agreed to become president with the proviso that it "avoid all cliques [and] give a welcome to all good work in whatever style or school". Arthur Bliss

494-663: The son of Polish Jewish parents. He began to learn the violin at an early age, showing remarkable talent; at age 14, his piano-playing gifts attracted the attention of the American pianist and teacher Victor Benham (1867-1936) who persuaded his parents to let him study music full-time. He spent six months in Germany in 1922, then returned to London, where he won a scholarship from the Worshipful Company of Musicians and attempted his first serious compositions while earning his income as

520-532: The twenty years following his death, Frankel's works were almost completely neglected. Thea King 's landmark recording of the Clarinet Quintet with the Britten Quartet released in 1991 was the first commercial recording of his music since his death. A major turning point, however, came in the mid-1990s when German record company CPO ( Classic Produktion Osnabrück , since bought by JPC) decided to partner with

546-538: The war Frankel started to become widely known as a composer of works in traditional classical form. One of the first to gain attention was the Sonata No 1 for solo violin of 1942, which was dedicated to the Austrian-born violinist and viola player Max Rostal . Rostal made the premiere recording in 1944. He went on to perform Frankel's most famous work, the Violin Concerto "in memory of 'the six million'" (a reference to

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572-485: Was a membership organization which sought to find the best new composers and to help support their careers, especially in the UK. Francis Chagrin has been described as the Committee's "organizer and chief moving spirit". Fellow émigré composer Benjamin Frankel said that by establishing it he "gave many composers (not only the young ones) their first opportunity of a hearing: he had travelled abroad as our representative, had battled with publishers and spoken passionately on

598-578: Was appointed as vice-president, and Benjamin Britten and Michael Tippett served on the Committee. Its initial activities were subsidized by the wartime Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts and by private donations from Vaughan Williams and Bliss among others, and remained the basis for much of its subsequent work: "recommended lists" of works were drawn up, which resulted in increased broadcasting by

624-653: Was composed in 1956 for Larry Adler . In 1959 he composed the theme and incidental music for the Sapphire Films TV series The Four Just Men for ITV . In 1963, he won the Harriet Cohen International Music Award as "film composer of the year". The following year, he composed music for the Doctor Who television episodes The Dalek Invasion of Earth . He left a third symphony incomplete at his death. Chagrin had also been commissioned to write

650-545: Was established in his memory in 1973 and continues today. Chagrin's compositions include orchestral concert works, light music, chamber music and over 200 film scores, television and commercials. His Prelude and Fugue for orchestra was given its world premiere at The Proms in 1947 by the London Philharmonic Orchestra , conducted by Basil Cameron . He composed the score for the 1955 film about Colditz , The Colditz Story . His harmonica work Roumanian Fantasy

676-644: Was the host of a circle of artists including the poet Cecil Day Lewis and film director Anthony Asquith . From 1952 there was also a house in Sussex, Rodmell Hiil, Rodmell , near Lewes. The writer Leonard Woolf lived next door. In 1958 he re-located to Locarno in Switzerland. He married three times: first in 1932 to Joyce Stanmore Rayner (divorced 1944), then to Phyllis Anna Leat (1944 until her death in 1967), and finally to Xenia Hamilton-Kennaway in 1972, not long before his death. There were two sons and one daughter by

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