Harold Fraser-Simson (15 August 1872 – 19 January 1944) was an English composer of light music, including songs and the scores to
musical comedies. His most famous musical was the
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
hit ''
The Maid of the Mountains
''The Maid of the Mountains'', called in its original score a musical play, is an operetta or "Edwardian" musical comedy in three acts. The music was by Harold Fraser-Simson, with additional music by James W. Tate, lyrics by Harry Graham a ...
'', and he later set numerous children's poems to music, especially those of
A. A. Milne.
Life and career
Fraser-Simson
[“Fraser” was his middle name; he used the hyphenated "Fraser-Simson" for his musical career, but formally he seems to have retained his original surname "Simson". See census return, 1911 (at Woodend, Witley, Surrey), Harold Fraser Simson (no hyphen), Ship-owner & merchant. It lists May Frances Simson (no Fraser), wife and Lilian Frances Simson (no Fraser), daughter; Marriage register index, July–September 1919, St Martin, vol. 1a, p. 1553, Harold F Fraser and Anna C M Devenish; and Register of deaths, county of Inverness, 19 January 1944, ref 098/0a 0041; but see Probate at Llandudno, June 1944, to Cecily Fraser-Simson and John Henry Lang Rose of the estate of Harold Fraser-Simson of Dalcross Castle Croy Inverness-shire] was born in London, the second child and eldest son of an East Indies merchant, Arthur Theodore Simson and his wife, Jane Anne Catherine née Fraser, of Reelig, Scotland.
[Lamb, Andrew]
"Harold Fraser-Simson (1872–1944); ''The Maid of the Mountains''"
excerpts from the sleeve notes to Hyperion's recording of ''The Maid of the Mountains'', 2000, accessed 17 June 2013 He was educated at
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Godalming, Surrey, England. Founded by Thomas Sutton in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian monastery in Charter ...
, then at
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is a 2-18 private, day and boarding school for boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a public school, it began as the College of God's Gift, founded in 1619 by Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn, with the original purpose of ...
, then at
King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...
and in France. As a young man he joined a ship-owning firm in London before turning to music as a full-time occupation in his early forties.
['']The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' obituary, 20 January 1944, p. 7
Musical comedies
Fraser-Simson published his first song, "My Sweet Sweeting", in 1907. His first theatre score was for the 1911
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film
Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
''Bonita'', with a libretto by Walter Wadham Peacock, which played at
Queen's Theatre.
[Scowcroft, Philip. , MusicWebUK (1994)]
Fraser-Simson's biggest success was the score for the
operetta
Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...
''
The Maid of the Mountains
''The Maid of the Mountains'', called in its original score a musical play, is an operetta or "Edwardian" musical comedy in three acts. The music was by Harold Fraser-Simson, with additional music by James W. Tate, lyrics by Harry Graham a ...
'', which played at
Daly's Theatre in London in 1917 and finally closed after 1,352 performances. This was, at the time, a phenomenal run second only to that of ''
Chu Chin Chow''. Several songs from this work (not all of them by Fraser-Simson) have remained "standards" ever since. Fraser-Simson's best-known songs for this show included "Love will Find a Way", "Farewell" and "Husbands and Wives".
[Gänzl, Kurt]
"Simson, Harold Fraser- (1872–1944)"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 18 September 2008, ''The Maid of the Mountains'' has been frequently revived by both professional and amateur groups, and was filmed in 1932.
[ It was one of the three most important musical hits of the London stage during ]World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
(the other two being a revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...
, '' The Bing Boys Are Here'', and the musical ''Chu Chin Chow''). Music or scenes from all of these have been included as background in many films set in this period, and they remain intensely evocative of the "Great War" years. Audiences wanted light and uplifting entertainment during the war, and these shows delivered it.
After ''The Maid of the Mountains'', Fraser-Simson wrote music for more operettas and musicals, including ''A Southern Maid
''A Southern Maid'' is an operetta in three acts composed by Harold Fraser-Simson, with a book by Dion Clayton Calthrop and Harry Graham and lyrics by Harry Graham (poet), Harry Graham and Harry Miller. Additional music was provided by Ivor No ...
'' (premiered in Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
in 1917 and produced at Daly's in London after ''Maid'' closed in 1920); ''Our Peg'' (1919, with a libretto by Harry Graham and Edward Knoblock at Prince's Theatre
The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. It opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, with a capacity of 2,500. The current capacity is 1,416. The title "Shaftesbury Theatr ...
); ''Missy Jo'' (1921 touring); ''Head over Heels'' ( Adelphi Theatre, 1923); '' Our Nell'' (1924, Lyric Theatre – a rewrite of ''Our Peg'' replacing Peg Woffington as principal character with Nell Gwynne), ''The Street Singer'', based on the 1912 film of the same name (1924, 360 performances at the Lyric, starring Phyllis Dare); and ''Betty in Mayfair'' (1925, Adelphi Theatre).[
Fraser-Simson's music tended towards the old-fashioned European romantic songs, in contrast to the ]ragtime
Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
, jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
and other American dance music that began to be used in musicals during World War I.[ His other stage works include a ballet, ''Venetian Wedding'' (1926), and incidental music for ''The Nightingale and the Rose'' (1927).][
]
Children's songs and later years
Fraser-Simson is also known for his many settings of children's verse by A. A. Milne and Kenneth Grahame
Kenneth Grahame ( ; 8 March 1859 – 6 July 1932) was a British writer. He is best remembered for the classic of children's literature ''The Wind in the Willows'' (1908). Born in Scotland, he spent most of his childhood with his grandmother in ...
, including the music for a children's play by Milne, based on Grahame's ''The Wind in the Willows
''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and get ...
'', entitled ''Toad of Toad Hall
''Toad of Toad Hall'' is a play written by A. A. Milne – the first of several dramatisations of Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel ''The Wind in the Willows'' – with incidental music by Harold Fraser-Simson. It was originally produced by William ...
'' (1929), which was successful and enjoyed many revivals and adaptations. His settings of Milne's verse include a children's song cycle ''The Hums of Pooh'', based on verses from ''Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh (also known as Edward Bear, Pooh Bear or simply Pooh) is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by ...
'' and '' The House at Pooh Corner''. This was included in Julian Slade's 1970 adaptation of ''Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh (also known as Edward Bear, Pooh Bear or simply Pooh) is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by ...
''. Fraser-Simson published six volumes of songs setting verses from Milne's ''When We Were Very Young
''When We Were Very Young'' is a best-selling book of poetry by A. A. Milne. It was first published in 1924, and it was illustrated by E. H. Shepard. Several of the verses were set to music by Harold Fraser-Simson. The book begins with an intro ...
'', including " Christopher Robin Is Saying His Prayers".[Kreindler, William]
"Enchanted Places – Complete Settings of Songs by A.A. Milne"
''MusicWeb International'', 7 November 2023 A number were first recorded for HMV in 1926 by George Baker, accompanied by the composer, and later again accompanied by Gerald Moore in 1930.[Gammond, Peter. Sleeve notes to EMI LP HQM 1200 (1970)] His other songs included the collection ''Teddy Bear and Other Songs'' and songs from ''Alice in Wonderland
''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...
'', which were published in 1932 and recorded by Baker and Moore the same year.[ Baker later recalled Fraser-Simson as "a very polite, retiring man, looking more like a businessman than a composer of successful musicals."][
Fraser-Simson married May Frances, ''née'' Bucknall, in 1897, with whom he had a daughter, Lilian Frances. He married his second wife, (Anna) Cicely Devenish, in 1919.][ In later years, he lived the life of a country squire at Dalcross Castle, a home that he bought in Scotland.][ He was an avid sportsman, enjoying golf, tennis, shooting and fishing.][
Fraser-Simson died at a nursing home in ]Inverness
Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...
, Scotland, following a fall on a stone staircase at his home in nearby Croy, Highland, at the age of 71.[
]
Notes
References
*Gammond, P. ''The Oxford companion to popular music'' (1991)
*Gänzl, Kurt. ''The encyclopaedia of the musical theatre'', 2 vols. (1994)
*Gänzl, Kurt. ''The British musical theatre'', 2 vols. (1986)
*Parker, J. ed., ''Who's who in the theatre'', 6th edn (1930)
External links
*
Biography of Fraser-Simson
*
*
Links to recordings of ''The Maid of the Mountains''
*
Links to recordings of works by Fraser-Simson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser-Simson, Harold
1872 births
1944 deaths
English people of Scottish descent
People educated at Charterhouse School
People educated at Dulwich College
Alumni of King's College London
English composers