Ronald Hanmer
Encyclopedia
Ronald Hanmer was a British
conductor, composer and arranger of light music
, who spent his latter years in Australia
. He was best known for his themes to the Adventures of P.C. 49 and Blue Hills
, and is also noted for his large oeuvre of light orchestral and brass band compositions, as well as his arrangements of popular stage musicals.
, Surrey
and studied at Blackheath
Conservatory. Between 1935 and 1948 he was a theatre organ
ist and dance band arranger. After emigrating to Australia in 1975, he was an arranger and conductor for the St Lucia Orchestra in Brisbane
. He died in Brisbane on 23 May 1994.
In Britain he is remembered for his Changing Moods, which was used as the theme for the radio serial Adventures of P.C. 49. After emigrating to Australia in 1975 he was surprised to discover that his short composition Pastorale introduced the famous long-running radio serial Blue Hills
. He later re-worked the piece into a longer orchestral work named Blue Hills Rhapsody, a recording of which was made with the composer conducting the Queensland Symphony Orchestra
.
His works for wind ensembles included clarinet quartets and trios, flute trios, Cuckoo Quartet for two flutes and two clarinets, Two Contrasts for oboe and piano, trumpet trios, Suite for French horn and piano, Three Sketches for trumpet and piano, Suite for Seven (two flutes, oboe, three clarinets and bassoon), and a Serenade for Seven.
He also gained considerable fame in the brass band
world, where his works are renowned as test pieces. For brass band, Hanmer wrote pieces such as Latin Americana, Brass Spectacular, March With a Beat, Waltz with a Beat, Mexican Fiesta and Over Hill Over Dale. For smaller brass ensembles his work includes Praeludium and Allegro for trombone, Cavatina and Allegro for E flat horn, Arioso and Caprice for horn, Flight of Fancy, for cornet and euphonium, the fantasy Alice in Wonderland, The Four Corners of the World, Down Under, Episodes for Brass, Prelude and Rondo and Seven Up for septet, Prelude, Romance and Finale for brass quartet and the cornet quartet Foursome Fantasy.
His arrangements of musicals include Calamity Jane
, Blossom Time
, The Merry Widow
, Viva Mexico!, Die Fledermaus
, The Chocolate Soldier
and La Périchole
and his orchestrations of shows for amateur companies remain in demand world wide.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
conductor, composer and arranger of light music
Light music
Light music is a generic term applied to a mainly British musical style of "light" orchestral music, which originated in the 19th century and had its heyday during the early to mid part of the 20th century, although arguably it lasts to the present day....
, who spent his latter years in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He was best known for his themes to the Adventures of P.C. 49 and Blue Hills
Blue Hills (radio serial)
.Blue Hills, written by Gwen Meredith, was an Australian radio serial about the lives of families in a typical Australian country town called Tanimbla. "Blue Hills" itself was the residence of the town’s doctor....
, and is also noted for his large oeuvre of light orchestral and brass band compositions, as well as his arrangements of popular stage musicals.
Biography
He was born in ReigateReigate
Reigate is a historic market town in Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs, and in the London commuter belt. It is one of the main constituents of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
and studied at Blackheath
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...
Conservatory. Between 1935 and 1948 he was a theatre organ
Theatre organ
A theatre organ is a pipe organ originally designed specifically for imitation of an orchestra. New designs have tended to be around some of the sounds and blends unique to the instrument itself....
ist and dance band arranger. After emigrating to Australia in 1975, he was an arranger and conductor for the St Lucia Orchestra in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. He died in Brisbane on 23 May 1994.
Works
Hanmer's original works included pieces such as Bouquet de Paris, Capstan and Windlass, The Heather and the Thistle, Heritage of England, The Holly and the Mistletoe, The Oak and the Rose and Memories of Hungary, and original genre pieces in orchestral or piano versions such as On a Windy Day, Limelight Lady, Dot and Carry One, Mosquito, City Desk, and Fashion Parade.In Britain he is remembered for his Changing Moods, which was used as the theme for the radio serial Adventures of P.C. 49. After emigrating to Australia in 1975 he was surprised to discover that his short composition Pastorale introduced the famous long-running radio serial Blue Hills
Blue Hills (radio serial)
.Blue Hills, written by Gwen Meredith, was an Australian radio serial about the lives of families in a typical Australian country town called Tanimbla. "Blue Hills" itself was the residence of the town’s doctor....
. He later re-worked the piece into a longer orchestral work named Blue Hills Rhapsody, a recording of which was made with the composer conducting the Queensland Symphony Orchestra
Queensland Symphony Orchestra
The Queensland Symphony Orchestra is an Australian orchestra, based principally in Brisbane in the state of Queensland.The QSO played its first concert on 26 March 1947, with the orchestra consisting of 45 musicians, conducted by Percy Code. John Farnsworth Hall was recruited from the Sydney...
.
His works for wind ensembles included clarinet quartets and trios, flute trios, Cuckoo Quartet for two flutes and two clarinets, Two Contrasts for oboe and piano, trumpet trios, Suite for French horn and piano, Three Sketches for trumpet and piano, Suite for Seven (two flutes, oboe, three clarinets and bassoon), and a Serenade for Seven.
He also gained considerable fame in the brass band
Brass band (British style)
A British-style brass band is a musical ensemble comprising a standardised range of brass and percussion instruments. The modern form of the brass band in the United Kingdom dates back to the 19th century, with a vibrant tradition of competition based around local industry and communities...
world, where his works are renowned as test pieces. For brass band, Hanmer wrote pieces such as Latin Americana, Brass Spectacular, March With a Beat, Waltz with a Beat, Mexican Fiesta and Over Hill Over Dale. For smaller brass ensembles his work includes Praeludium and Allegro for trombone, Cavatina and Allegro for E flat horn, Arioso and Caprice for horn, Flight of Fancy, for cornet and euphonium, the fantasy Alice in Wonderland, The Four Corners of the World, Down Under, Episodes for Brass, Prelude and Rondo and Seven Up for septet, Prelude, Romance and Finale for brass quartet and the cornet quartet Foursome Fantasy.
His arrangements of musicals include Calamity Jane
Calamity Jane (musical)
Calamity Jane is a musical stage play based loosely on tales from the life of Martha Jane Cannary.The stage play was adapted in the 1960s from the highly successful 1953 Warner Brothers film Calamity Jane. It was premiered at the Municipal Theatre in St. Louis in 1961.-Credits:Adapted by Ronald...
, Blossom Time
Das Dreimäderlhaus
Das Dreimäderlhaus , adapted into English language versions as Blossom Time and Lilac Time, is a Viennese pastiche 'operetta' with music by Franz Schubert, rearranged by Hungarian Heinrich Berté , and a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner and Heinz Reichert...
, The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow is an operetta by the Austro–Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play,...
, Viva Mexico!, Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée.- Literary sources :...
, The Chocolate Soldier
The Chocolate Soldier
The Chocolate Soldier is an operetta composed in 1908 by Oscar Straus based on George Bernard Shaw's 1894 play, Arms and the Man...
and La Périchole
La Périchole
La Périchole is an opéra bouffe in three acts by Jacques Offenbach. Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy wrote the French-language libretto based on the 1829 one act play Le carrosse du Saint-Sacrement by Prosper Mérimée, which was revived on 13 March 1850 at the Théâtre-Français...
and his orchestrations of shows for amateur companies remain in demand world wide.
External links
- Ronald Hanmer at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...