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 26-50 of 111 Available Recordings
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  • 26.
    British Composers - Guide To Britain
    British Composers - Guide To Britain
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 29001 Release Date: 08/23/2011   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Sir Edward Elgar,  Percy Grainger,  Gustav Holst,  Ralph Vaughan Williams  ... 
    Performer:  Daniel Adni,  Garth Benson,  Owen Brannigan,  Ernest Lush  ... 
    Conductor:  Sir John Barbirolli,  Norman Del Mar,  Boris Ord,  André Previn  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Polyphony (Vocal Ensemble),  Music Group of London
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  • 27.
    Shakespeare Inspired / Michelle Breedt, Nina Schumann
    Shakespeare Inspired / Michelle Breedt, Nina Schumann
    Label: Twopianists (Label)   Catalog: 1039077 Release Date: 05/31/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Sir Edward Elgar,  Thomas Augustine Arne,  Mervyn Horder,  Roger Quilter  ... 
    Performer:  Michelle Breedt,  Nina Schumann
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  • 28.
    The Golden Age Of Light Music: The Lost Transcriptions, Vol. 1
    The Golden Age Of Light Music: The Lost Transcriptions, Vol. 1
    Label: Guild   Catalog: 5174 Release Date: 05/10/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin,  Jerome Kern,  Edward B. Claypoole,  David Rose  ... 
    Performer:  Lou Whiteson
    Conductor:  Sidney Torch,  Percy Faith,  David Rose,  Dolf van der Linden  ... 
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  • 29.
    The Golden Age Of Light Music: War And Peace - Light Music Of The 1940s
    The Golden Age Of Light Music: War And Peace - Light Music Of The 1940s
    Label: Guild   Catalog: 5171 Release Date: 01/11/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  John Belton,  Hoagy Carmichael,  Eric Coates,  Sir William Walton  ... 
    Performer:  Laurance Turner,  Peggy Cochrane,  Henry Bronkhurst,  Guy Fletcher
    Conductor:  Charles Shadwell,  Percy Faith,  Eric Coates,  Sir William Walton  ... 
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  • 30.
    The Golden Age Of Light Music: A First A-Z Of Light Music
    The Golden Age Of Light Music: A First A-Z Of Light Music
    Label: Guild   Catalog: 5169 Release Date: 12/14/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Vivian Ellis,  George Forrest,  David Rose,  Aldo Von Pinelli  ... 
    Performer:  Queen's Hall Light Orchestra,  Warren Barker and His Orchestra,  David & His Orchestra Rose,  Hans-Georg Arlt Orchestra  ... 
    Conductor:  Sidney Torch,  Warren Barker,  David Rose,  Hans-Georg Arlt  ... 
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  • 31.
    Pure Diva - Tribute To Joan Hammond / Cheryl Barker
    Pure Diva - Tribute To Joan Hammond / Cheryl Barker
    Label: Melba   Catalog: 301129 Release Date: 11/09/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  Giuseppe Verdi,  Antonín Dvorák,  Erich Wolfgang Korngold  ... 
    Performer:  Cheryl Barker
    Conductor:  Guillaume Tourniaire
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Queensland Symphony Orchestra
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  • 32.
    Best Of British - The Nation's Favourite Classical Music
    Best Of British - The Nation's Favourite Classical Music
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 31600 Release Date: 09/28/2010   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Ralph Vaughan Williams,  Gustav Holst,  Sir Edward Elgar,  George Frideric Handel  ... 
    Performer:  David Nolan,  Robert Cohen,  Paul Beniston,  Mair Jones  ... 
    Conductor:  Vernon Handley,  Simon Rattle,  Norman Del Mar,  Sir Charles Mackerras  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Virtuosi of England
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  • 33.
    Musical Handyman
    Label: Abc Classics   Catalog: 4764022 Release Date: 08/17/2010   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Carl Orff,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Joaquin Rodrigo,  Georges Bizet  ... 
    Performer:  Michael Dudman,  Karin Schaupp,  David Hobson,  Teddy Tahu Rhodes  ... 
    Conductor:  Anthony Walker,  Benjamin Northey,  Thomas Woods,  Leonard Dommett  ... 
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  • 34.
    The Best Of British Light Music
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 7707372 Release Date: 07/19/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Ron Goodwin,  Vivian Ellis,  Robert Farnon,  Eric Coates  ... 
    Performer:  Vernon Handley
    Conductor:  Vernon Handley
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  • 35.
    The Golden Age Of Light Music - The Hall Of Fame, Vol. 3
    The Golden Age Of Light Music - The Hall Of Fame, Vol. 3
    Label: Guild   Catalog: 5162 Release Date: 04/13/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Nacio Herb Brown,  Victor Herbert,  Ron Goodwin,  José Belmonte  ... 
    Performer:  William Hill-Bowen
    Conductor:  Buddy Bregman,  Percy Faith,  David Carroll,  Philip Green  ... 
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  • 36.
    An Anthology Of English Song
    An Anthology Of English Song
    Label: Dal Segno   Catalog: 55 Release Date: 03/30/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Henry David Leslie,  Amy Woodeforde-Finden,  Carrie Jacobs-Bond,  Roger Quilter  ... 
    Performer:  Stuart Burrows,  Valerie Masterson,  Thomas Allen,  Sarah Walker  ... 
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  • 37.
    Showtime: 25 Years Of Bbc Concert Orchestra Favourites
    Showtime: 25 Years Of Bbc Concert Orchestra Favourites
    Label: Dutton Laboratories/Vocalion   Catalog: 7242 Release Date: 02/09/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Sir William Walton,  Georges Bizet,  Kenneth Alford,  Traditional  ... 
    Performer:  Alasdair Malloy,  Stephen Whibley
    Conductor:  Roderick Dunk
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  • 38.
    The Golden Age Of Light Music - The 1930s Revisited
    The Golden Age Of Light Music - The 1930s Revisited
    Label: Guild   Catalog: 5163 Release Date: 02/09/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Hal Mooney,  Eduard Kunneke,  Carl Robrecht,  Ivor Novello  ... 
    Performer:  Louis Mordish
    Conductor:  Andre Kostelanetz,  Eduard Kunneke,  Charles Prentice,  Charles Shadwell  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  J. H. Squire Celeste Octet
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  • 39.
    Golden Age Of Light Music - More Strings In Stereo!
    Golden Age Of Light Music - More Strings In Stereo!
    Label: Guild   Catalog: 5159 Release Date: 01/12/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Victor Herbert,  Bert Kaempfert,  Manuel Ponce,  Angela Morley  ... 
    Conductor:  Percy Faith,  Robert Farnon,  Pierre Challet,  Angela Morley  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Percy Faith Orchestra,  Robert Farnon Orchestra,  Pierre Challet Orchestra  ... 
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  • 40.
    A Royal Pageant
    A Royal Pageant
    Label: Gift Of Music   Catalog: 1212 Release Date: 01/01/2009   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Sir Edward Elgar,  Elgar Howarth,  Matthew Locke,  Eric Coates  ... 
    Conductor:  James Judd,  Major Geoffrey Kingston,  Christopher Robinson
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  New Zealand Symphony Orchestra,  Stockholm Philharmonic Brass Ensemble,  Malmo Brass Ensemble  ... 
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  • 41.
    We Love A Parade / Mccann, Sellers Engineering Band
    We Love A Parade / Mccann, Sellers Engineering Band
    Label: Chandos   Catalog: 4527 Release Date: 10/29/2008   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Alan Fernie,  Johann Strauss Sr.,  Joseph John Richards,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Sellers Engineering Band
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  • 42.
    Golden Age Of Light Music - Bandstand In The Park Vol 2
    Golden Age Of Light Music - Bandstand In The Park Vol 2
    Label: Guild   Catalog: 5147 Release Date: 10/14/2008   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Tony Lowry,  Karel Komzak II,  Alexander Borodin,  Eric Coates  ... 
    Conductor:  Capt. G. Nieuwland,  Julius Herrmann,  B. Walton O'Donnell,  A. E. Sims  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Royal Netherlands Navy Band,  Deutschmeister Kapelle,  BBC Wireless Military Band  ... 
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  • 43.
    Best Of London - Sullivan, Elgar, Handel, Holst, Walton, Etc
    Best Of London - Sullivan, Elgar, Handel, Holst, Walton, Etc
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8572098-99 Release Date: 07/29/2008   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Franz Joseph Haydn,  Francis Cutting,  Charles Hubert Parry,  Gustav Holst  ... 
    Performer:  Dorothy Linell,  Matthew Larkin,  John Lenehan
    Conductor:  Barry Wordsworth,  Noel Edison,  Howard Griffiths,  Kees Bakels  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Capella Istropolitana,  Elora Choir of St. John's,  English Sinfonia  ... 
    CD: $19.99
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  • 44.
    British Light Classics / Dunn, Lanchbery, Kilbey
    British Light Classics / Dunn, Lanchbery, Kilbey
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 28285 Release Date: 07/08/2008   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Robert Farnon,  Ronald Binge,  Ray Martin,  Arthur Wood  ... 
    Conductor:  Sidney Torch,  John Scott,  Ray Martin,  Charles Williams  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Queen's Hall Light Orchestra,  John Scott Orchestra,  Ray Martin Concert Orchestra  ... 
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  • 45.
    40 Most Beautiful Summer Classics - Mozart, Vivaldi, Debussy, Etc
    40 Most Beautiful Summer Classics - Mozart, Vivaldi, Debussy, Etc
    Label: Warner Classics   Catalog: 511596 Release Date: 06/24/2008   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Antonio Vivaldi,  Alexander Glazunov,  Manuel de Falla,  Claude Debussy  ... 
    Performer:  Jean-François Heisser,  Howard Cook,  Helen Huang,  Malcolm Martineau  ... 
    Conductor:  Claudio Scimone,  José Serebrier,  Jesús Lopez-Cobos,  Alain Lombard  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  I Solisti Veneti,  Royal Scottish National Orchestra,  Lausanne Chamber Orchestra  ... 
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  • 46.
    Coates: Sound And Vision, Etc / Wilson, Allen, Et Al
    Coates: Sound And Vision, Etc / Wilson, Allen, Et Al
    Label: Dutton Laboratories/Vocalion   Catalog: 7198 Release Date: 05/13/2008   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Eric Coates
    Performer:  Richard Edgar-Wilson,  Thomas Allen
    Conductor:  John Wilson
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  BBC Concert Orchestra
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  • 47.
    Golden Age Of Light Music - Light Music For All Seasons
    Golden Age Of Light Music - Light Music For All Seasons
    Label: Guild   Catalog: 5138 Release Date: 04/08/2008  
    Composer:  Vernon Duke,  Eric Coates,  Claude Thornhill,  Leroy Anderson  ... 
    Performer:  Ethel Smith
    Conductor:  Michel Legrand,  Eric Coates,  Leroy Holmes,  Walter Collins
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Michel Legrand Orchestra,  Leroy Holmes Orchestra,  London Promenade Orchestra
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  • 48.
    Moonlight Serenade / Fiedler, Boston Pops
    Moonlight Serenade / Fiedler, Boston Pops
    Label: Rca   Catalog: 35046 Release Date: 01/07/2008   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Mitchell Parish,  Denny Randell,  Pee Wee King,  André Popp  ... 
    Conductor:  Arthur Fiedler
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Boston Pops
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  • 49.
    Dambusters! Organ X-plosion Vol II / Kevin Bowyer
    Dambusters! Organ X-plosion Vol II / Kevin Bowyer
    Label: Regis   Catalog: 8104 Release Date: 01/01/2008   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Jackson Hill,  Eric Coates,  Arthur Meale,  Arthur Willis  ... 
    Performer:  Kevin Bowyer
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  • 50.
    The Best Of British
    The Best Of British
    Label: Emi Laser Series   Catalog: 62528 Release Date: 11/30/2007   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Thomas Augustine Arne,  Sir William Walton,  Henry Walford Davies,  Sir Edward Elgar  ... 
    Performer:  Anne Collins,  Noel Rawsthorne
    Conductor:  Sir Charles Groves,  Sir Philip Ledger
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra,  Liverpool Chorus,  Cambridge University Music Society  ... 
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