Colin Wark (1896 – 1939) was a British composer of film scores, theatre music and light music. Many of the films he scored were "

quota quickies Quota may refer to: Economics * Import quota, a trade restriction on the quantity of goods imported into a country * Market Sharing Quota, an economic system used in Canadian agriculture * Milk quota, a quota on milk production in Europe * In ...

", mostly low-cost, low-quality, quickly-accomplished films commissioned by American distributors active in the UK or by British cinema owners purely to satisfy the quota requirements. Wark was also the composer of the score for ''Tulip Time'', a comedy with music based on the play ''The Strange Adventures of Miss Brown'' by Robert Buchanan (1841-1901) and Charles Marlowe. ''Tulip Time'' opened at the

Alhambra Theatre The Alhambra was a popular theatre and music hall located on the east side of Leicester Square, in the West End of London. It was built originally as the Royal Panopticon of Science and Arts opening on 18 March 1854. It was closed after two yea ...

in London on August 14, 1935 and ran for 425 performances. In 1932 he was responsible for launching and managing ''Pasquale Troise and his Mandoliers'', an orchestra of about 16 mandolin, accordion, guitar and tuned percussion players that made a series of BBC broadcasts between 1932 and 1933. Light music compositions include the novelty intermezzo ''Animal Antics'', ''Bouncing Ball'' (xylophone or piccolo solo), and ''Chrysanthemums'' for orchestra and piano. Philip L Scowcroft has suggested that Wark used the pseudonym Michele Lesley for some compositions, such as ''Waltz Serene''.Scowcroft, Philip. 'A 349th Garland of British Light Music Composers' (2003)
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Selected filmography

References

External links

*
''Animal Antics'', played by the London Palladium Orchestra

Musicians from London 1896 births 1939 deaths 20th-century British composers English film score composers English male film score composers 20th-century British male musicians {{UK-composer-stub