Eric Coates

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Biography

Born: August 27, 1886; Hucknall, Nottingham, England   Died: December 21, 1957; Chichester, England  
Eric Coates was perhaps the most important composer of symphonic light music in the first half of the twentieth century outside the Viennese sphere. He took the music genre and made it into as bona fide and influential an art form as that created by any member of the Strauss family. He is often regarded as the Mozart of a music world whose generally light emotional expression is colored by splashy orchestration and perky rhythms. Yet, his music Read more featured an elegance and aristocratic air and could capture moods and, in stage works, story lines with deftly vivid imagery. Among his important compositions are the 1930 ballet Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, revised eight years later and re-titled The Enchanted Garden; and Springtime Suite from 1937. Even though Coates composed music in a less serious genre, he must be regarded nearly as highly as England's other important figures from his time, Vaughan Williams, Sir Arnold Bax, and Gustav Holst.

The youngest of five children, whose physician father was an amateur flutist and whose mother was an accomplished pianist, Eric began study on the violin at age six. Later on he took up the viola. He showed no serious interest in composing until age 20 when he entered the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied viola with Lionel Tertis and composition with Frederick Corder.

In the period between 1908 and 1909, he wrote his first vocal works: Four old English Songs and Stonecracker John. In 1910 he began playing the viola in the Beecham Symphony Orchestra and shortly afterward got a similar post in the Queen's Hall Orchestra, under Sir Henry Wood. He turned out his first orchestral work, the Miniature Suite, in 1911. Two years later, Coates married 18-year-old Phyllis Black, who would write lyrics for him and be of immense help to him throughout his career. Because of a progressive neuritis in his left hand and arm, Coates was exempt from military service during the war years. By 1919, however, the condition forced him to give up his first-chair viola post in the Queen's Hall Orchestra.

In 1927, Coates composed his orchestral suite Four Ways, which achieved considerable popularity. Perhaps his greatest success, though, came with the 1933 London Suite, which contained a section called "Knightsbridge," a march that took on a life apart from the suite when it was used to introduce the BBC radio program In Town Tonight, which became familiar to virtually every British listener during its 27-year run.

When his wife began working for the Red Cross in 1940, Coates was moved to write Calling All Workers, whose theme was subsequently used by the BBC for another radio show, Music While You Work. The orchestral suites Four Centuries (1942) and Three Elizabeths (1944) merely solidified his position now as the composer of the most familiar British music of all time.

In the postwar years, Coates continued to turn out popular scores, like Music Everywhere (1949). The composer continued to be active as a conductor in his last years, taking up the baton at one notable Promenade concert in August 1956, after Sir Malcolm Sargent had led the orchestra in a Tchaikovsky work. The 70-year-old Coates led the ensemble in his Four Centuries Suite and drew an enthusiastic response from the audience. Coates suffered a stroke and died on December 23, 1957. Read less
Browse 1-25 of 111 Available Recordings
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  • 1.
    Mercury Living Presence - The Collector's Edition Vol 2
    Mercury Living Presence - The Collector's Edition Vol 2
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 001831802 Release Date: 06/04/2013   Number of Discs: 55
    Composer:  Arnold Schoenberg,  Anton von Webern,  Alban Berg,  Ottorino Respighi  ... 
    Performer:  Helga Pilarczyk,  Yehudi Menuhin,  Mihaly Székely,  Olga Szönyi  ... 
    Conductor:  Antal Doráti,  Rafael Kubelik,  Anatole Fistoulari,  Frederick Fennell  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Symphony Orchestra,  Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra,  Philharmonia Hungarica  ... 
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  • 2.
    The Golden Age Of Light Music: Light Music While You Work, Vol. 4
    Label: Guild   Catalog: 5198 Release Date: 05/14/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Horacio Nicholls,  Johann Strauss Jr.,  Con Conrad,  Arthur Lange  ... 
    Conductor:  Harry Fryer,  Ronnie Munro,  Reg Pursglove,  Harold Collins  ... 
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  • 3.
    The Golden Age Of Light Music: A Glorious Century Of Light Music
    The Golden Age Of Light Music: A Glorious Century Of Light Music
    Label: Guild   Catalog: 5200 Release Date: 04/09/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Jerome Kern,  Vernon Duke,  Ron Goodwin,  Jule Styne  ... 
    Conductor:  Cyril Ornadel,  Paul Mauriat,  Ron Goodwin,  Annuncio Paolo Mantovani  ... 
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  • 4.
    50 Best London Symphony Orchestra
    50 Best London Symphony Orchestra
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 333092 Release Date: 02/26/2013   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Felix Mendelssohn,  Sergei Prokofiev,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky  ... 
    Performer:  Jeanne Loriod,  Michel Béroff,  Simon Preston,  Andre Previn  ... 
    Conductor:  Eugen Jochum,  André Previn,  Sir Adrian Boult,  Lamberto Gardelli  ... 
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  • 5.
    The Golden Age Of Light Music: Great British Composers, Vol. 1
    The Golden Age Of Light Music: Great British Composers, Vol. 1
    Label: Guild   Catalog: 5195 Release Date: 11/13/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Eric Coates,  Haydn Wood,  Frederic Curzon,  Sir Arthur Bliss  ... 
    Conductor:  Eric Johnson,  Charles Williams,  Frederic Curzon,  Sir Arthur Bliss  ... 
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  • 6.
    100 Famous Marches
    100 Famous Marches
    Label: Altissimo   Catalog: 1072 Release Date: 10/30/2012   Number of Discs: 5
    Composer:  Julius Fucik,  Charles Beisterling,  Harry L. Alford,  Roland Forrest Seitz  ... 
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  • 7.
    Essential British Classics
    Essential British Classics
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 40306 Release Date: 10/09/2012   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  George Frideric Handel,  Henry Purcell,  Jeremiah Clarke,  Ralph Vaughan Williams  ... 
    Performer:  Emmanuelle Haďm,  Susan Graham,  Maurice André,  Jane Parker-Smith  ... 
    Conductor:  Sir Neville Marriner,  Alexander Briger,  Sir Charles Mackerras,  Emmanuelle Haďm  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Le Concert D'Astrée,  Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
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  • 8.
    The Golden Age Of Light Music: Stereo Into The Sixties
    The Golden Age Of Light Music: Stereo Into The Sixties
    Label: Guild   Catalog: 5192 Release Date: 09/11/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin,  Herman Clebanoff,  Annuncio Paolo Mantovani,  Ron Goodwin  ... 
    Performer:  Russ Conway,  Neill Sanders
    Conductor:  Frederick Fennell,  Herman Clebanoff,  Annuncio Paolo Mantovani,  Ron Goodwin  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Ferrante & Teicher
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  • 9.
    Organ Extravaganza! / Kevin Bowyer
    Organ Extravaganza! / Kevin Bowyer
    Label: Musical Concepts   Catalog: 1187 Release Date: 08/14/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Jeremy Nicholas,  Camille Saint-Saëns,  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Charles Williams  ... 
    Performer:  Kevin Bowyer
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  • 10.
    The Merrymakers: British Light Classics
    The Merrymakers: British Light Classics
    Label: Musical Concepts   Catalog: 1192 Release Date: 08/14/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Eric Coates,  Trevor Duncan,  Ernest Tomlinson,  Hamish McCunn  ... 
    Conductor:  Iain Sutherland
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  BBC Concert Orchestra
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  • 11.
    The Golden Age Of Light Music: The Art Of The Arranger, Vol. 1
    The Golden Age Of Light Music: The Art Of The Arranger, Vol. 1
    Label: Guild   Catalog: 5188 Release Date: 07/10/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Jacques Offenbach,  Con Conrad,  Frederick Loewe,  Ray Henderson  ... 
    Performer:  Jack Laroque
    Conductor:  Hal Mooney,  Buddy Bregman,  Cyril Ornadel,  Morton Gould  ... 
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  • 12.
    Alla Marcia / Chevallard, United States Air Force Band Of The Golden Gate
    Alla Marcia / Chevallard, United States Air Force Band Of The Golden Gate
    Label: Altissimo   Catalog: 70262 Release Date: 06/26/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Howard Hanson,  Jean Sibelius,  Sr. Johann Strauss I,  John Philip Sousa  ... 
    Performer:  U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden Gate
    Conductor:  Philip C. Chevallard
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  United States Air Force Band Of The Golden Gate
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  • 13.
    Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant
    Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant
    Label: Lpo   Catalog: 63 Release Date: 06/05/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Sir William Walton,  Ralph Vaughan Williams,  Eric Coates,  Fritz Spiegl  ... 
    Conductor:  David Parry
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Philharmonic Orchestra
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  • 14.
    100 Best British Classics
    100 Best British Classics
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 27315 Release Date: 05/22/2012   Number of Discs: 6
    Composer:  George Frideric Handel,  Thomas Tallis,  John Goss,  Charles Villiers Stanford  ... 
    Performer:  Jacqueline Du Pré,  Hugh Bean,  Gerald Moore,  Dame Janet Baker  ... 
    Conductor:  Stephen Cleobury,  Sir Philip Ledger,  Sir David Willcocks,  Sir Adrian Boult  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Academy of Ancient Music,  Cambridge King's College Choir,  Academy of St. Martin in the Fields  ... 
    CD: $21.99
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  • 15.
    50 Best British Classics
    50 Best British Classics
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 27359 Release Date: 05/22/2012   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  George Frideric Handel,  Thomas Tallis,  John Goss,  Charles Villiers Stanford  ... 
    Performer:  Thomas Williamson,  Stephen Cleobury,  Sir David Willcocks,  Benjamin Bayl  ... 
    Conductor:  Stephen Cleobury,  Sir Philip Ledger,  Sir David Willcocks,  Sir John Barbirolli  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Academy of Ancient Music,  Wallace Collection (Brass Ensemble)
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  • 16.
    Time Traveller - Wartime Britain
    Time Traveller - Wartime Britain
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 79012 Release Date: 04/10/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Sir William Walton,  Cecil Armstrong Gibbs,  Richard Addinsell,  Walter Kent  ... 
    Performer:  Daniel Adni,  Vera Lynn,  Noel Coward,  Al Bowlly  ... 
    Conductor:  Sir William Walton,  Vivian Dunn,  Kenneth Alwyn,  Tony Osborne  ... 
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  • 17.
    A Royal Fanfare
    A Royal Fanfare
    Label: Gift Of Music   Catalog: 1263 Release Date: 03/27/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Sir Edward Elgar,  Elgar Howarth,  Matthew Locke,  Eric Coates  ... 
    Conductor:  James Judd,  Geoffrey A. Kingston,  Christopher Robinson
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Stockholm Philharmonic Brass Ensemble,  Malmö Brass Ensemble
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  • 18.
    John Williams & The Boston Pops - A Celebration
    John Williams & The Boston Pops - A Celebration
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 001649302 Release Date: 02/21/2012   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  John T. Williams,  Vangelis,  Max Steiner,  Henry Mancini  ... 
    Conductor:  John T. Williams
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Boston Pops
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  • 19.
    The Lost Transcriptions - Vol. 2 / Percy Faith, Mantovani, Sidney Torch
    The Lost Transcriptions - Vol. 2 / Percy Faith, Mantovani, Sidney Torch
    Label: Guild   Catalog: 5181 Release Date: 02/14/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Richard Rodgers,  Cole Porter,  Louis Silvers,  Ray Noble  ... 
    Performer:  Edward "Duke" Ellington,  Vincent Abato
    Conductor:  Percy Faith,  Annuncio Paolo Mantovani,  Sidney Torch
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  • 20.
    British Composers - British Light Classics
    British Composers - British Light Classics
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 0887962 Release Date: 01/10/2012   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Eric Coates,  Ronald Binge,  Albert William Ketčlbey,  Percy Aldridge Grainger  ... 
    Conductor:  Gilbert Vinter,  Sir Charles Groves,  Reginald Kilbey,  Sir Vivian Dunn  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Pro Arte Orchestra,  Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra,  Studio Two Concert Orchestra  ... 
    CD: $23.99
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  • 21.
    Icon: Charles Mackerras - Master Of Orchestral Texture
    Icon: Charles Mackerras - Master Of Orchestral Texture
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 98189 Release Date: 10/11/2011   Number of Discs: 5
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Antonín Dvorák,  Arthur Sullivan,  Leos Janácek  ... 
    Performer:  Julian Lloyd Webber,  Elisabeth Schwarzkopf,  Malcolm Stewart,  Elizabeth Harwood
    Conductor:  Sir Charles Mackerras
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Philharmonic Orchestra,  London Symphony Orchestra,  Pro Arte Orchestra  ... 
    On sale! $33.98
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  • 22.
    The Golden Age Of Light Music: Portrait Of My Love
    The Golden Age Of Light Music: Portrait Of My Love
    Label: Guild   Catalog: 5179 Release Date: 10/11/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Cyril Ornadel,  Eric Coates,  Cole Porter,  Sammy Fain  ... 
    Performer:  Cyril Ornadel,  Danish State Radio Orchestra,  Victor Silvester,  Mantovani & His Orchestra  ... 
    Conductor:  Cyril Ornadel,  Robert Farnon,  Victor Silvester,  Annuncio Paolo Mantovani  ... 
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  • 23.
    Sounds Of The Sea
    Label: Decca   Catalog: CFMD21 Release Date: 09/27/2011   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Felix Mendelssohn,  Aram Khachaturian,  Claude Debussy,  Benjamin Britten  ... 
    Performer:  Della Jones,  Nadia Cole,  Myleene Klass,  Werner Haas
    Conductor:  Frans Brüggen,  Aram Khachaturian,  Ernest Ansermet,  Benjamin Britten  ... 
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  • 24.
    Golden Age Of Light Music - The Composer Conducts Vol 2
    Golden Age Of Light Music - The Composer Conducts Vol 2
    Label: Guild   Catalog: 5178 Release Date: 09/13/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Sir Arthur Bliss,  Alfred Newman,  Don Gillis,  Robert Farnon  ... 
    Performer:  Arthur Sandford,  Montague Ewing,  Albert W. Ketčlbey,  Harriet Cohen
    Conductor:  Sir Arthur Bliss,  Alfred Newman,  Don Gillis,  Robert Farnon  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Neapolitan Novelty Band
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  • 25.
    Nettle & Markham In England
    Nettle & Markham In England
    Label: Netmark   Catalog: 200 Release Date: 09/13/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Richard Addinsell,  Percy Grainger,  Ralph Vaughan Williams,  Jeremy Nicholas  ... 
    Performer:  Richard Markham,  David Nettle
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