Robert Joseph Farnon
CM (24 July 191723 April 2005) was a
Canadian-born composer, conductor, musical arranger and trumpet player. As well as being a composer of original works (often in the
light music genre), he was commissioned by film and television producers for theme and incidental music. In later life he composed a number of more serious orchestral works, including three symphonies, and was recognised with four
Ivor Novello awards and the
Order of Canada.
Life
Born in
Toronto, he was commissioned as a captain in the
Canadian Army and became the conductor/arranger of the Canadian Band of the
Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force
Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF; ) was the headquarters of the Commander of Allied forces in north west Europe, from late 1943 until the end of World War II. U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was the commander in SHAEF th ...
sent overseas during
World War II, which was the Canadian equivalent of the American Band of the SHAEF led by Major
Glenn Miller
Alton Glen Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Arm ...
. He was noted as a jazz trumpeter–his longtime friend
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...
once stated that he was pleased that Farnon took up composing, arranging and conducting, because Robert was the better jazz trumpeter.
[David Ades]
Robert Farnon biography
, Robert Farnon Society, accessed 20 November 2010
He married Joanne Dallas, a singer from the SHAEF band, whom he later divorced. At the end of the war Farnon decided to make
England his home, and he later moved to
Guernsey
Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency.
It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...
in the
Channel Islands with his new wife Patricia Smith and his five children. His friend and fellow composer
Wally Stott composed "A Canadian in Mayfair" as a tribute.
[
He was considered by his peers to be the finest arranger in the world, and his talents influenced many composer-arrangers, including Quincy Jones, all of whom acknowledged his contributions to their work. Conductor ]André Previn
André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...
called him "the greatest writer for strings in the world."[ He was the musical director and conductor for Tony Bennett's 1972 series for Thames Television, '']Tony Bennett at the Talk of the Town
''Tony Bennett at the Talk of the Town'' was a British television series hosted by American pop standards and jazz singer Tony Bennett that aired during 1972. It was staged in London from the Talk of the Town nightclub in conjunction with Thame ...
''.
He won four Ivor Novello Awards, including one for "Outstanding Services to British Music" in 1991, and in 1996 he won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement for "Lament" performed by J. J. Johnson
J.J. Johnson (January 22, 1924 – February 4, 2001), born James Louis Johnson and also known as Jay Jay Johnson, was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger.
Johnson was one of the earliest trombonists to embrace bebop.
Biograph ...
& his Robert Farnon Orchestra
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
.[ He was also awarded the Order of Canada early in 1998.][
Robert Farnon died at the age of 87, at a hospice near his home of 40 years in Guernsey. He was survived by his wife Patricia and their five children, as well as two children from his previous marriage and his many grandchildren.][ Farnon's older brother Brian and his younger brother ]Dennis
Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius.
The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is someti ...
were also orchestral composers, arrangers and conductors.
Works
Farnon is probably best known for two famous pieces of light music, "Jumping Bean" and "Portrait of a Flirt", which were originally released in 1955 as the A and B sides on the same 78, and for "Westminster Waltz", and "A Star is Born".[
Farnon also wrote the music for more than forty motion pictures, including '' Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.'' (1951), '' Gentlemen Marry Brunettes'' (1955), '' The Road to Hong Kong'' (1962), The Prisoner (1967-68), '']Shalako
Shalako is a series of dances and ceremonies conducted by the Native American Zuni people for the Zuni people at the winter solstice, typically following the harvest. The Shalako ceremony and feast has been closed to non-native peoples since 1 ...
'' (1968) and '' Bear Island'' (1979). He wrote the theme tune and other music for many, mostly British, television series including '' Colditz'' (1972–74), '' Secret Army'' (1977–79), '' Kessler'' (1981), and ''A Man Called Intrepid
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
'' (1979).[ His score for the first episode of the spy-fi series '' The Champions'' (1968) was released on CD by Network DVD in 2009.
From the early 1960s, Farnon was a prominent orchestral arranger for vocalists. He arranged and conducted ]Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
's only album recorded outside of the United States, '' Sinatra Sings Great Songs from Great Britain'' (1962), in London.Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...
's album '' Lena: A New Album'' (1976),Snowfall
Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes.
It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
'' (1968),Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer.
Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...
's albums recorded in Denmark, ''Vaughan with Voices
''Vaughan with Voices'' is a 1964 studio album by Sarah Vaughan, arranged by Robert Farnon.
Recorded in Copenhagen, Denmark, produced by Quincy Jones, and accompanied by the Svend-Saaby Danish Choir, this was Vaughan's only album arranged by Rob ...
'' (1964).[ he was commissioned to compose the test piece for the 1975 Brass Band Championships of Great Britain finals held at the Albert Hall and constructed ''Un Vie de Matelot'' (A Sailor's Life), a set of variations based on an original theme.
The last piece he composed was entitled ''The Gaels: An American Wind Symphony'', as a commission for the Roxbury High School band in honour of the school's mascot, the gael. The piece had its world premiere in May 2006. It was performed by the Roxbury High School Honors Wind Symphony under the direction of Dr. ]Stanley Saunders
Stanley Saunders (3 May 1927 – 25 January 2019) was a Welsh and Canadian educator, clarinetist, violinist, and conductor. Born in Newport, Wales, Newport, Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshire, he was a founding member of the first youth orc ...
, a close friend of Farnon.
His 1954 piece, "Derby Day", was used for Rádio e Televisão de Portugal television services when they commenced on 7 March 1957. It became one of the station's anthems.
Selected filmography
See also
* Music of Canada
* List of Canadian composers
References
Further reading
Articles
"A Hit With Morning Listeners"
''The Vancouver Sun''. 24 November 1937.
"There Are Smiles"
''The Youngstown-Alberta Plaindealer''. 28 April 1938.
"Getting Into a Happy Frame of Mind"
''The Vancouver Sun''. 16 May 1938.
"The 'Happy Gang' broadcasts Monday at 11"
''Saskatoon Star-Phoenix''. 30 August 1941.
"Canada's most famous fun-makers coming to Windsor"
''The Windsor Star''. 23 May 1942.
"Another New Network Show on CFCN; "the Voice of Victor" feat.'Bob' Farnon's Orchestra"
''Calgary Herald''. 29 October 1942.
"Happy Gang's Fan Mail Largest in Canada"
''The Coaticook Observer''. 5 January 1940.
"The Happy Gang"
''The Ottawa Citizen
The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
History
Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris, it was renamed the ''Citizen'' in 1851. The newsp ...
''. 5 May 1942. (Drag image down to access adjoining photo.)
*Canadian Press
The Canadian Press (CP; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pre ...
"No More Stories of Bob's 'Gram'"
''The Ottawa Citizen''. 8 May 1942.
*Cowan, Cal
"Program Reviews: 'The Voice of Victor'"
''Billboard''. 5 December 1942.
"Tunefulness Of Musical Score One Big Hit In the Army Show"
''The Ottawa Citizen''. 8 May 1943.
* Reuters
"Robert Farnon Denies Peace Group's Position"
'' The Montreal Gazette''. 22 June 1951.
*Canadian Press
"Aiming at Early Retirement, Farnon Plans Composer Role"
''The Ottawa Citizen''. 31 October 1955.
* Lees, Gene
"Afterthoughts"
''Downbeat
' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...
''. 16 February 1961. (Reproduced following 9-paragraph remembrance of Lees posted 26 May 2014 by the Robert Farnon Society.)
"Radio-TV: Trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie On Ed Sullivan Show"
''Jet
Jet, Jets, or The Jet(s) may refer to:
Aerospace
* Jet aircraft, an aircraft propelled by jet engines
** Jet airliner
** Jet engine
** Jet fuel
* Jet Airways, an Indian airline
* Wind Jet (ICAO: JET), an Italian airline
* Journey to Enceladus a ...
''. 4 May 1961.
"CBC Is Celebrating Its 25th Anniversary"
(Captioned photo). ''The Ottawa Citizen''. 14 November 1961. (Drag image up to read caption.)
* Gleason, Ralph
"Rhythm Section: Satch Will Take a Year Off to Rest His Chops - and Listen; Liner Notes"
'' The Milwaukee Journal''. 3 March 1962.
*Tomkins, Les
''National Jazz Archive''. 1967.
*Tomkins, Les
''National Jazz Archive''. 1967.
*Forester
"Sparkling 'Porgy'"
'' The Age''. 26 October 1967.
*Radcliffe, Joe
"Talent in Action: Tony Bennett"
''Billboard''. 23 October 1971.
*Siskind, Jacob
"NACO Delivers Rich Sound Under Farnon Baton"
''The Ottawa Citizen''. 15 January 1983.
*Shaw, Peter
"Canada's Arranger for the Stars"
''The Ottawa Citizen''. 31 March 1984.
*McDonald, Tim
"Robert Farnon: Prolific light music composer famed for film and television themes"
'' The Guardian''. 25 April 2005.
*Oliver, Myrna
"Robert Farnon, 87; Composer and Arranger for Movies, Pop and Jazz"
''The Los Angeles Times''. 27 April 2005.
*Riley, John
'' The Independent''. 14 May 2005.
*Cerra, Steven A
"Jazz Profiles - Robert Farnon: An Arranger’s Arranger"
Blogspot. 31 December 2011.
*Sultanof, Jeff
"Robert Farnon, Part 1"
ArtsJournal. 5 February 2013.
*Sultanof, Jeff
ArtsJournal. 6 February 2013.
Books
*
*Perito, Nick (2004)
"Hello, Danny!"
''I Just Happened to Be There: Making Music With the Stars''. Philadelphia: Xlibris Corp. pp. 138–139. .
*Barrett, Joshua; Bourgeois III, Louis G. (2005)
"Why Indianapolis - Why Not Indianapolis?!"
''The Musical World of J.J. Johnson''. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. pp. 213–216. .
External links
Robert Farnon Society
*
"Robert Farnon"
''The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farnon, Robert
1917 births
2005 deaths
Members of the Order of Canada
Canadian male composers
Canadian conductors (music)
Male conductors (music)
Canadian film score composers
British male film score composers
Canadian music arrangers
British composers
British male conductors (music)
Easy listening musicians
Grammy Award winners
Light music composers
Musicians from Toronto
Jazz arrangers
Canadian emigrants to the United Kingdom
Canadian military musicians
20th-century Canadian composers
British film score composers
British music arrangers
20th-century British conductors (music)
20th-century Canadian male musicians
Canadian male jazz musicians
Canadian Army officers
Canadian Army personnel of World War II
Military personnel from Toronto