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

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwri ...

librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) 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 writer 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 derives ...

and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

, 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 1915The 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, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply 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, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...

) 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, Un ...

1959).

Biography

Hassall was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and educated at

St Michael's College, Tenbury St Michael's College (the College of St Michael and All Angels) at Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, England, was founded by Frederick Ouseley, Sir Frederick Ouseley in 1856 as a boys' Preparatory school (United Kingdom), preparatory school. Ousele ...

Brighton College Brighton College is a fee-charging, co-educational, boarding and day public school for boys and girls aged 3 to 18 in Brighton and Hove, England. The school has three sites: Brighton College (the senior school, ages 11 to 18), Brighton Co ...

and

Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street, Oxford, Broad Street and Parks Road ...

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

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

, 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. His film credits include '' The Net'' (1995), '' Emma'' (1996), '' An Ideal Husband'' (1999), '' Amistad'' (1997), ''The Winslow Boy'' (1999), ''Gosford Park'' (2001) and '' Eni ...

, 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 film producer, producer. He is considered an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, known for directing subversive and sat ...

movie, ''

Gosford Park ''Gosford Park'' is a 2001 satirical black comedy mystery film directed by Robert Altman and written by Julian Fellowes. The film, which is influenced by Jean Renoir's French classic '' The Rules of the Game'', follows a party of wealthy Brito ...

'', 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 b ...

, 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 mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

, Dame

Peggy Ashcroft Dame Edith Margaret Emily "Peggy" Ashcroft (22 December 1907 – 14 June 1991) was an English actress whose career spanned more than 60 years. Born to a comfortable middle-class family, Ashcroft was determined from an early age to become ...

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 Britis ...

Robert Hardy Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy (29 October 1925 – 3 August 2017) was an English actor who had a long career in theatre, film and television. He began his career as a classical actor and later earned widespread recognition for roles such as Siegf ...

, and

Anthony Quayle Sir John Anthony Quayle (7 September 1913 – 20 October 1989) was a British actor. 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'' (1969). He also played impor ...

. 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 poetry, Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romanticism, Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Balla ...

; and Death Be Not Proud by

John Donne John Donne ( ; 1571 or 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a clergy, cleric in the Church of England. Under Royal Patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's, D ...

. 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 City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

. He delighted in its fine prospect and had a road named after him in the community. At St Nicholas's Church in nearby

Thanington Thanington is a civil parish on the west edge of Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom. It extends to the south-west of A2 from Wincheap to the Milton Bridge in Chartham. In 2011 the parish had a population of 2662. The north ward of Thanington W ...

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 east-southeast of London. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Kent, Chatham, ...

, on 25 April John Wakeman,

Stanley Kunitz Stanley Jasspon Kunitz (; July 28, 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, Massac ...

, ''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 Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

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, especially ...

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

* ''Rupert Brooke. A Biography'' (1964) * ''Ambrosia and Small Beer: The Record of Correspondence Between Edward Marsh and Christopher Hassall'' (editor, 1964) * '' Bell Harry And Other Poems'' (1963) poetry. * ''Mary of Magdala'' (1962) libretto - Cantata by Arthur Bliss. * ''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 qui ...

. * ''Edward Marsh: Patron of the Arts. A Biography'' (1959) * ''

Song of Simeon The Nunc dimittis (), also known as the Song of Simeon or the Canticle of Simeon, is a canticle taken from the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke, verses 29 to 32. Its Latin name comes from its incipit, the opening words, of the Vulgate transl ...

'' (1959) libretto - Nativity Masque by Sir Malcolm Arnold. * ''The Prose of Rupert Brooke'' (editor, 1956) * ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...

'' (1955) English translation. ( TV)

adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...

* '' King's Rhapsody'' (1955) screenplay for the film adaptation * '' The Dark Avenger'', also known as ''The Warriors'' (United States) (1955) — lyricist of " Bella Marie" * ''

Troilus and Cressida ''The Tragedy of Troilus and Cressida'', often shortened to ''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 forc ...

'' (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 cantat ...

. * '' Anna Kraus'' (1952), librettist for the

radio opera Radio opera (German: 'Funkoper' or 'Radiooper') is a genre of opera. It refers to operas which were specifically composed to be performed on the radio and is not to be confused with broadcasts of operas which were originally written for the stage. ...

by composer Franz Reizenstein * ''

Dance Hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing, but usually refers to a specific type of twentieth-century venue, with dance clubs (nightclubs) becoming more popular towards the end of the century. The palais de danse was a term ap ...

'' (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). * ''The Timeless Quest:

Stephen Haggard Stephen Hubert Avenel Haggard (21 March 1911 – 25 February 1943) was a British actor, writer and poet. Early life A member of the Haggard family, he was born on 21 March 1911 in Guatemala City, Guatemala, to Sir Godfrey Digby Napier Hagg ...

'' (1948) *''Arc de Triomphe'' (1943) ("Man of My Heart", "Waking Or Sleeping") lyricist. (Music and book by Ivor Novello). * ''

The Dancing Years ''The Dancing Years'' is a musical with book and music by Ivor Novello and lyrics by Christopher Hassall, set in Vienna, from 1911 until 1938. It follows a Jewish composer and his love for two women of different social classes, with an ending set ...

'' (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 and book by Ivor Novello). * '' Glamorous Night'' (1935) lyricist (Music and book by Ivor Novello).

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 Actors from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Military personnel from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 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 Actors educated at Brighton College Male actors from London James Tait Black Memorial Prize recipients Writers from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 20th-century English poets 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights 20th-century British biographers 20th-century English male actors 20th-century British musicians English male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English male writers British male biographers

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...