Leslie Statham
Encyclopedia
Leslie Statham was born in Solihull
, England
on 18 December 1905 and died on 28 April 1974. He was an arranger and composer. He was initially a soldier in the Welsh Guards
regiment of the British Army
playing in the Welsh Guards Band
, and was occasionally given to performing as a soloist outside of his military career.
- Chappell C 438 1953
The next director of music was Leslie Statham, renowned as a composer both under his own name and also under the pen name of Arnold Steck. One of his more popular marches is 'Drum Majorette', the original signature tune to the BBC's Match of the Day. In September 1948, the Band visited Canada to play at the National Exhibition in Toronto. It was estimated that the Band's 127 concerts were attended by nearly one and a half million people and during the course of the engagement the Band played 1174 programme items. The Band made a further visit to the Canadian National Exhibition
following the Coronation
in 1953. These trips were something of a return engagement for Major Statham, who had been featured as a solo pianist when the Kneller Hall Band had visited Canada in 1931. Major Statham retired from the service in 1962 to concentrate on a career as a composer and arranger. - From the UK Military Bands Website.
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 18 December 1905 and died on 28 April 1974. He was an arranger and composer. He was initially a soldier in the Welsh Guards
Welsh Guards
The Welsh Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division.-Creation :The Welsh Guards came into existence on 26 February 1915 by Royal Warrant of His Majesty King George V in order to include Wales in the national component to the Foot Guards, "..though the order...
regiment of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
playing in the Welsh Guards Band
Welsh Guards Band
The Band of the Welsh Guards is the youngest of the five bands in the Foot Guards Regiments in the Household Division which primarily guards the British monarch.-Band membership duties:...
, and was occasionally given to performing as a soloist outside of his military career.
(He was) particularly active in the 1950s and 1960s and is remembered mostly for his marches with titles like "Piccadilly", "Birdcage WalkBirdcage WalkBirdcage Walk is a street in London, United Kingdom, in the City of Westminster. It runs east-west as a continuation of Great George Street, from the crossroads with Horse Guards Road and Storey's Gate, with the Treasury building on the north east corner, to a junction with Buckingham Gate, at the...
", "Path of Glory" and best known of all as it was the original signature tune for Match of the DayMatch of the DayMatch of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
, "Drum Majorette", not to mention other 'production' music' titles for Chappells library such as "Morning Canter" and "Important Occasion".
Selected works
- 'Skeleton In The Cupboard' performed with the Danish State Radio Orchestra conducted by Robert Farnon featuring xylophoneXylophoneThe xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
- Chappell C 438 1953
- The Linburn Air 1965, Publisher: Chappell Duration: 4:10 mins. Instrumentation: arr. for military band by Leslie Statham
- Match of the DayMatch of the DayMatch of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
- The theme to the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's flagship football programme, broadcasted since 22 August 1964, is equally well-known. So well known in fact, that it has become synonymous with football as a whole, rather than just the programme. The BBC commissioned Barry Stoller to write the theme, which was originally called 'Offside'. Words have been added to the theme by several people, including an Anglican minister called Reverend John Hartley to coincide with the 2002 World Cup2002 World Cup2002 World Cup may refer to:*Alpine skiing – 2002 Alpine Skiing World Cup*Athletics – 2002 IAAF World Cup*Field Hockey:** 2002 Men's World Hockey Cup** 2002 Women's World Hockey Cup...
. The theme plays over images relevant to the competition being covered, either highlights of The FA Premier League, The FA Cup or international matches. However, this was not the first theme used for Match of the Day. Until 1971 a march called 'Drum Majorette' was used. This piece was composed by Major Leslie Statham, who wrote under the name of Arnold Steck. Statham was the Director of Music of the Band of the Welsh Guards - From the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
website
- The theme to the BBC
The next director of music was Leslie Statham, renowned as a composer both under his own name and also under the pen name of Arnold Steck. One of his more popular marches is 'Drum Majorette', the original signature tune to the BBC's Match of the Day. In September 1948, the Band visited Canada to play at the National Exhibition in Toronto. It was estimated that the Band's 127 concerts were attended by nearly one and a half million people and during the course of the engagement the Band played 1174 programme items. The Band made a further visit to the Canadian National Exhibition
Canadian National Exhibition
Canadian National Exhibition , also known as The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the 18 days leading up to and including Labour Day Monday. With an attendance of approximately 1.3 million visitors each season, it is Canada’s largest...
following the Coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
in 1953. These trips were something of a return engagement for Major Statham, who had been featured as a solo pianist when the Kneller Hall Band had visited Canada in 1931. Major Statham retired from the service in 1962 to concentrate on a career as a composer and arranger. - From the UK Military Bands Website.
- Wimbledon ChampionshipsThe Championships, WimbledonThe Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
, closing theme entitled "Sporting Occasion" http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A8623884
External links
- Welsh Guards Band Website (Has a photo of the Band Master under "Personnel Spotlight" section)
- Musicweb-international.com
- BBC theme tunes website
- Military Bands website