John Lanchbery facts for kids

John Arthur Lanchbery (born May 15, 1923 – died February 27, 2003) was a talented English-Australian composer and conductor. He was especially famous for creating amazing music arrangements for ballets. He led the music for some of the world's most famous ballet companies, like the Royal Ballet, the Australian Ballet, and the American Ballet Theatre. Many people, including the famous dancer Rudolf Nureyev, believed he was the best ballet conductor of his time. He helped make ballet music sound even better!

John Lanchbery's Early Life and Music Beginnings

John Lanchbery was born in London on May 15, 1923. He started learning to play the violin and compose music when he was just eight years old. He went to Alleyn's School, where he worked with other talented students like Peter Stanley Lyons and Kenneth Spring. Kenneth's mother, who was a composer, really encouraged John's musical gifts.

In 1942, John won a special scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. He studied there until World War II interrupted his education. He served in the Royal Armoured Corps during the war. After the war, he returned to the Royal Academy for two more years. Later, he worked for a music publisher.

John Lanchbery's Musical Journey

Leading Ballet Orchestras

John Lanchbery began his professional conducting career with the Metropolitan Ballet in 1948. Even though that orchestra closed, he continued to work on exciting projects. With choreographer Celia Franca, he wrote The Eve of St Agnes, which was one of the first ballets shown on BBC television.

In 1951, he joined the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet. There, he helped create the music for Somnambulism in 1953, which was the first professional ballet by Kenneth MacMillan. He also arranged music for The House of Birds in 1955.

Principal Conductor of the Royal Ballet: 1959–1972

From 1959 to 1972, John Lanchbery was the main conductor for the famous Royal Ballet. He arranged the music for the ballet La fille mal gardée in 1960. This music was a mix of pieces by different composers, plus some new music by Lanchbery himself. The famous Clog Dance from this ballet was even used as a theme song on BBC radio!

In 1960, the legendary dancer Rudolf Nureyev asked Lanchbery to arrange music for a scene from the ballet La Bayadère. Lanchbery later created a full new version of the music for the entire ballet. His musical arrangements were so popular that ballet companies all over the world used them. This helped him earn money from copyrights.

He also worked with choreographer Frederick Ashton on other ballets like The Two Pigeons, A Month in the Country, and The Dream. In 1966, Rudolf Nureyev again asked Lanchbery to re-orchestrate the music for the ballet Don Quixote. Even after he left his main role in 1972, he continued to conduct for the Royal Ballet until 2001.

Leading the Australian Ballet: 1972–1977

John Lanchbery became the Principal Conductor of the Australian Ballet from 1972 to 1977. He arranged the music for Kenneth MacMillan's ballet Mayerling, which premiered in 1978. He also arranged the music for the first full-length ballet version of The Merry Widow for the Australian Ballet in 1976.

Director of the American Ballet Theatre: 1978–1980

The American Ballet Theatre used many of Lanchbery's arrangements. He was their Musical Director from 1978 to 1980. One important production was his arrangement of La Bayadère for Natalia Makarova in 1980.

When Rudolf Nureyev staged La Bayadère for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1992, he asked Lanchbery to help fix parts of the original music score that were missing. Nureyev trusted Lanchbery to make sure the music sounded just as the original composer intended.

Guest Conductor Around the World

Besides his main roles, Lanchbery was a guest conductor at many famous opera houses and toured in Japan, Russia, and China.

John Lanchbery's Famous Works

John Lanchbery was known for taking music written for other purposes and arranging it perfectly for ballets. He was one of the most successful and active arrangers of music for ballet.

Here are some of his famous ballet arrangements:

• The Tales of Beatrix Potter – music by Michael William Balfe and others, plus Lanchbery's own music.
• A Month in the Country – music by Frédéric Chopin.
• La fille mal gardée – music by Ferdinand Hérold.
• The Merry Widow – music by Franz Lehár.
• Mayerling and Dracula – music by Franz Liszt.
• The Dream – music by Felix Mendelssohn.
• Don Quixote and La Bayadère – music by Ludwig Minkus.
• The Tales of Hoffmann – music by Jacques Offenbach.
• Rosalinda – music by Johann Strauss II (based on Die Fledermaus).

Lanchbery also wrote music for several British films in the 1950s, including Deadly Nightshade (1953) and Colonel March Investigates (1955). He was involved in the film The Turning Point (1977) and his music for Evil Under the Sun (1982) was based on songs by Cole Porter. He even wrote scores for silent film classics like The Birth of a Nation and The Iron Horse.

Awards and Recognition

John Lanchbery received many important awards for his contributions to music. He was the first non-Soviet conductor to receive the Bolshoi Medal. He also received the Carina Ari Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award, which is Britain's highest professional award. In 1990, he was honored as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

Personal Life

John Lanchbery married ballet dancer Elaine Fifield in 1951. They had a daughter named Margaret. They later divorced in 1960. John became an Australian citizen in 2002 and lived in Melbourne, where he passed away on February 27, 2003. He is survived by his daughter, Margaret.