Christopher Vernon Hassall (24 March 1912 – 25 April 1963) was an English actor,

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

librettist A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income de ...

and poet, who found his greatest fame in a memorable musical partnership with the actor and composer

Ivor Novello Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. He was born into a musical ...

after working together in the same touring company. He was also a noted biographer of

Rupert Brooke Rupert Chawner Brooke (3 August 1887 – 23 April 1915)The date of Brooke's death and burial under the Julian calendar that applied in Greece at the time was 10 April. The Julian calendar was 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar. was an En ...

(1964,

Faber and Faber Faber and Faber Limited, usually abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, Margaret Storey, William Golding, Samuel ...

) and Edward Marsh (1958,

James Tait Black Memorial Prize The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, U ...

1959).

Biography

Hassall was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and educated at

St Michael's College, Tenbury St. Michael's College (the College of St. Michael and All Angels) was founded by Frederick Ouseley, Sir Frederick Ouseley in 1856 as a boys Preparatory School. Ouseley created the school to provide a model for the performance of Anglican church ...

Brighton College Brighton College is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 3 to 18 in Brighton, England. The school has three sites: Brighton College (the senior school, ages 11 to 18); Brighton College Preparatory Sch ...

and

Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Doroth ...

. He was the son of the illustrator John Hassall and brother of

Joan Hassall Joan Hassall (3 March 1906 – 6 March 1988) was a wood engraver and Book illustration, book illustrator. Her subject matter ranged from natural history through poetry to illustrations for English literary classics. In 1972 she was elected ...

, who engraved the title page of his book of poetry, ''Devil's Dyke'', published in 1936. Hassall married the actress Eve Lynett, with whom he had a son and a daughter, the actress

Imogen Hassall Imogen Hassall (25 August 1942 – 16 November 1980) was an English actress who appeared in 33 films during the 1960s and 1970s. Early life Named after Shakespeare's '' Cymbeline'' heroine, she was born in Woking, Surrey, to a financially com ...

. Hassall was an experienced actor serving as

's understudy in a minor London drama when Novello invited him to provide the lyrics for a new musical. Their successful collaboration for '' Glamorous Night'' (1935) ("Shine Through My Dreams", "Fold Your Wings") began a fifteen-year partnership that included six long-running hits. ('Perchance to Dream' the other hit which Novello wrote during this period, had lyrics by Novello himself). While their musicals delighted West End audiences, they were judged "too British" for America.

Jeremy Northam Jeremy Philip Northam (born 1 December 1961) is an English actor and singer. After a number of television roles, he earned attention as Mr. Knightley in the 1996 film adaptation of Jane Austen's ''Emma''. He has appeared in the films ''An Ideal ...

, who played a character based on Ivor Novello in the 2001

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...

movie, ''

Gosford Park ''Gosford Park'' is a 2001 satirical black comedy mystery film directed by Robert Altman and written by Julian Fellowes. It was influenced by Jean Renoir's French classic ''La Règle du jeu'' ('' The Rules of the Game''). The film stars an ...

'', sang "I Can Give You the Starlight" from ''The Dancing Years'', Hassall's and Novello's 1939 musical. During World War II in 1940, Hassall served in an anti-aircraft gun emplacement with editor John Guest, architect

Denys Lasdun Sir Denys Louis Lasdun, CH, CBE, RA (8 September 1914, Kensington, London – 11 January 2001, Fulham, London) was an eminent English architect, the son of Nathan Lasdun (1879–1920) and Julie (''née'' Abrahams; 1884–1963). Probably his ...

, and socialite Angus Menzies. A man of many talents, he recorded a record album entitled ''Great Voices Read Poetry'' (1954-1955) along with

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable p ...

, Dame

Peggy Ashcroft Dame Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft (22 December 1907 – 14 June 1991), known professionally as Peggy Ashcroft, was an English actress whose career spanned more than 60 years. Born to a comfortable middle-class family, Ashcroft was deter ...

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Briti ...

, Robert Hardy, and

Anthony Quayle Sir John Anthony Quayle (7 September 1913 – 20 October 1989) was a British actor and theatre director. He was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role as Thomas Wolsey in the film '' Anne of the Thousand Days'' (196 ...

. Hassall's contributions included: Upon Westminster Bridge, Daffodils, and Ode: Intimations of Immortality by

William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's '' ...

; and Death Be Not Proud by

John Donne John Donne ( ; 22 January 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a cleric in the Church of England. Under royal patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's Cathedr ...

. Hassall lived at Tonford Manor, a house with a mediaeval stone tower situated by the River Stour on the outskirts of

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

. He delighted in its fine prospect and had a road named after him in the community. At St Nicholas's Church in nearby Thanington is a small pane of glass engraved in his memory. Shortly before his death in 1963, Hassall spoke about the first Stour Music Festival, saying:

The shared experience … a communion between listener and performer … impossible in a great assembly … (which) means the restoration of a large body of music to the private salon or to the church where it originally belonged. With the appropriate setting and a perceptive audience of proportionate size, the work will not only sound, but feel right.

Hassall died on a train at

Rochester, Kent Rochester ( ) is a town in the unitary authority of Medway, in Kent, England. It is at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway, about from London. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Rainham, Strood and Gil ...

, on 25 April John Wakeman,

Stanley Kunitz Stanley Jasspon Kunitz (; July 29, 1905May 14, 2006) was an American poet. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress twice, first in 1974 and then again in 2000. Biography Kunitz was born in Worcester, Massach ...

, ''World Authors, 1950-1970: A Companion Volume to Twentieth Century Authors'' Wilson (publisher), 1975, page 619 1963 after suffering a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...

whilst running for the train to see his daughter Imogen appear in a

Royal Ballet School The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especial ...

performance at

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

. He was 51.

Selected works and credits

* ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) 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 ...

'' (1955) English translation. ( TV) adaptation * '' King's Rhapsody'' (1955) screenplay for the film adaptation * '' The Dark Avenger'', also known as ''The Warriors'' (United States) (1955) — lyricist of " Bella Marie" * '' Anna Kraus'' (1952), librettist for the radio opera by composer Franz Reizenstein * ''

Dance Hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub. The majority of towns and cities i ...

'' (1950) ("You're Only Dreaming") lyricist. * '' Dear Miss Phoebe'' (1950) lyricist. (Music by Harry Parr Davies) * '' King's Rhapsody'' (1949) ("Some Day My Heart Will Awake", "Take Your Girl") lyricist. (Music and book by Ivor Novello). *''Arc de Triomphe'' (1943) ("Man of My Heart", "Waking Or Sleeping") lyricist. (Music by Ivor Novello). * '' The Dancing Years'' (1939) ("I Can Give You The Starlight", "Primrose", "Waltz of My Heart", "My Dearest Dear", "My Life Belongs To You") lyricist. (Music and book by Ivor Novello). * '' Crest of the Wave'' (1937) lyricist. (Music and book by Ivor Novello). * '' The Yellow Iris'' (1937) lyricist. (Music by Michael Sayer and arranged by Jack Beaver) * ''Christ's Comet: The Story of a Thirty Years' Journey that Began and Ended on the Same Day'' (1937) playwright. * ''Devil's Dyke, with Compliment and Satire'' (1936) poet. * ''Poems of Two Years'' (1935) poet. * '' Careless Rapture'' (1936) lyricist. (Music by Ivor Novello). * '' Glamorous Night'' (1935) lyricist (Music by Ivor Novello). * '' Song of Simeon'' (1959) libretto - Nativity Masque by

Sir Malcolm Arnold Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold (21 October 1921 – 23 September 2006) was an English composer. His works feature music in many genres, including a cycle of nine symphonies, numerous concertos, concert works, chamber music, choral music and musi ...

. * ''The Beatitudes'' (1961) libretto - Cantata by

Arthur Bliss Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss (2 August 189127 March 1975) was an English composer and conductor. Bliss's musical training was cut short by the First World War, in which he served with distinction in the army. In the post-war years he qu ...

. * ''Mary of Magdala'' (1962) libretto - Cantata by Arthur Bliss. * ''

Troilus and Cressida ''Troilus and Cressida'' ( or ) is a play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1602. At Troy during the Trojan War, Troilus and Cressida begin a love affair. Cressida is forced to leave Troy to join her father in the Greek camp. M ...

'' (1954) libretto / Chaucer-adaptation - Opera by Sir

William Walton Sir William Turner Walton (29 March 19028 March 1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include ''Façade'', the canta ...

. * '' Bell Harry And Other Poems'' (1963) poetry.

References

External links

National Portrait Gallery: Portrait of Christopher Hassall by his sister Joan HassallBibliography of Christopher Hassall books at Open Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hassall, Christopher 1912 births 1963 deaths Military personnel from London British Army personnel of World War II Royal Artillery personnel English male stage actors English biographers English lyricists English male television actors English opera librettists People educated at Brighton College Male actors from London James Tait Black Memorial Prize recipients Writers from London 20th-century English poets 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights 20th-century biographers 20th-century English male actors 20th-century British musicians English male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English male writers Male biographers