Ernest Tomlinson facts for kids

Ernest Tomlinson (born September 19, 1924, died June 12, 2015) was an English composer. He was especially known for his "light music" compositions. This type of music is usually cheerful and easy to listen to. Sometimes, he used the name 'Alan Perry' for his work.

His Life and Musical Journey

Early Life and Education

Ernest Tomlinson was born in Rawtenstall, England. He came from a very musical family. His younger brother, Fred Tomlinson, was also a musician. Fred even founded a singing group that performed for Monty Python's Flying Circus!

When Ernest was nine, he became a singer in the choir at Manchester Cathedral. He was even chosen as the Head Boy there in 1939. He later went to Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School. At sixteen, he won a special scholarship. This allowed him to study at Manchester University and the Royal Manchester College of Music.

Serving His Country

Ernest studied music composition for two years. In 1943, he joined the Royal Air Force during World War II. Even though he was colour-blind, he became a wireless mechanic. He served in France in 1944 and 1945.

After the war, he returned to his studies in 1945. He graduated in 1947 with a degree in music composition. He also became a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists.

Starting His Career

After finishing his studies, Ernest moved to London. He worked as an arranger for music publishers. This meant he wrote music scores for radio, television, and recording studios. He also played the organ at a church in Mayfair.

In 1949, the BBC broadcast one of his pieces for the first time. By 1955, he had started his own group, the "Ernest Tomlinson Light Orchestra." He also led the Chingford Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society for a few years.

Leading Choirs and Orchestras

In 1976, Ernest took over the Rossendale Male Voice Choir from his father. He led the choir for five years. During this time, the choir won their class three times in a BBC competition called "Grand Sing."

He also started the Northern Concert Orchestra. With this orchestra, he performed many concerts and broadcasts. He was also an important advisor for Marco Polo Records. His music was often played on a radio show called Brian Kay's Light Programme.

Saving Music History

In 1984, Ernest found out that the BBC was getting rid of their old light music recordings. He decided to do something about it! He founded The Library of Light Orchestral Music. This amazing library is kept in a barn at his family's farmhouse in Longridge. It now holds about 50,000 pieces of music. Many of these pieces would have been lost forever without his efforts.

Ernest was married to Jean Lancaster from 1949 until she passed away in 2006. They had four children: Ann, Geoffrey, Hilary, and Linda. He also had eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Awards and Recognition

Ernest Tomlinson received several important awards for his music. In 1965, he won the Composers' Guild Award. He also won two Ivor Novello Awards. One was in 1970 for his contributions to light music. The other was in 1975 for his ballet called Aladdin.

He was also part of the Executive Committee for the Composers' Guild of Great Britain. He even served as its Chairman in 1964. From 1965, he was a composer-director for the Performing Right Society.

In 2012, Ernest was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award. This was to recognize his great service to music.

His Musical Works

Ernest Tomlinson was best known for his light orchestral pieces. He wrote many different types of music. These included overtures (pieces played at the start of a show), suites (collections of short pieces), and rhapsodies (single-movement pieces).

Two of his most popular short pieces are Little Serenade and Cantilena. He also arranged many English folk-dance tunes. In the 1960s, he wrote music for the Test Card on television. These included Stately Occasion and the funny Capability Brown.

One of his most famous works is Fantasia on Auld Lang Syne (1976). This 20-minute piece cleverly includes 129 short parts from other famous songs and classical works.

Ernest also wrote longer pieces. He created works in a symphonic jazz style, like Sinfonia '62. This piece won an Italian competition! He also wrote two symphonies and three concertos. A concerto is a piece for a solo instrument and an orchestra. One of his concertos was for the cornet, played by Maurice Murphy. He also wrote an opera, a "Festival of Song" for choir and orchestra, and many pieces for choirs, brass bands, and concert bands.

In 1966, Ernest Tomlinson conducted his Symphony '65 in Moscow. The Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra and Big Band played it. This was the first time a symphonic jazz work was heard in Russia! His Fantasia on Auld Lang Syne actually features 152 references to other classical works and folk songs.