Eric Spear
Encyclopedia
Eric Spear was an English composer
of film music
. He was born in Croydon
and died Southampton
.
Spear is best known for composing the original theme tune
for the UK
's longest-running television soap opera
, Coronation Street, for which he was paid £6.
The cornet player Ronnie Hunt found the recording session frustrating, as Spear insisted on many takes before obtaining the sound that he wanted. For most of the programme's 50 year run since 1960, the theme tune has only been modified by converting it to stereo
. Since May 31, 2010, a new version has replaced the original arrangement coinciding with the shift to HDTV with new opening titles. The new version has been criticised by many viewers as lacking the atmospheric quality of the original and changing the sting to the 'End of Part 1' card from the version used since the programme's launch. The new version also differs in being less strident than the original with a less orchestral sound and having a shorter closing section often 'squashed' by a voiceover announcing the upcoming programme menu across ITV's channels.
Spear participated in the 1953 film Streets of Shadow, which featured the German World War I spy Elsbeth Schragmüller
.
His theme for the 1954 movie Meet Mister Callaghan was rendered as a best-selling record by Les Paul
.
For a short time in the 1960s, Spear lived in Guernsey
.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of film music
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
. He was born in Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
and died Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
.
Spear is best known for composing the original theme tune
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
for the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's longest-running television soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, Coronation Street, for which he was paid £6.
The cornet player Ronnie Hunt found the recording session frustrating, as Spear insisted on many takes before obtaining the sound that he wanted. For most of the programme's 50 year run since 1960, the theme tune has only been modified by converting it to stereo
STEREO
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
. Since May 31, 2010, a new version has replaced the original arrangement coinciding with the shift to HDTV with new opening titles. The new version has been criticised by many viewers as lacking the atmospheric quality of the original and changing the sting to the 'End of Part 1' card from the version used since the programme's launch. The new version also differs in being less strident than the original with a less orchestral sound and having a shorter closing section often 'squashed' by a voiceover announcing the upcoming programme menu across ITV's channels.
Spear participated in the 1953 film Streets of Shadow, which featured the German World War I spy Elsbeth Schragmüller
Elsbeth Schragmüller
Elsbeth Schragmüller was a German spy during World War I...
.
His theme for the 1954 movie Meet Mister Callaghan was rendered as a best-selling record by Les Paul
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss —known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations...
.
For a short time in the 1960s, Spear lived in Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
.