Charlie Skarbek (Charles John Skarbek, born 1953) is a singer, record producer, composer and lyricist. He has worked with many celebrated musicians from both the classical and popular fields.

General

Despite flourishing from circa 1985 to date, there is little biographical detail available on Skarbek. He has been one of the more significant ''éminences grises'' in British

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

. He never features as principal performer, but his name nevertheless appears in the credits for numerous tracks and albums in this time. His particular speciality, of putting pop

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...

to famous classical musical themes and

hymn tunes A hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part (or more) harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm (chords change frequently), with or without refrain ...

, may offend purists. However, it has brought awareness of this music to millions (see references to classical pieces in the list below). He is also noted for providing '

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...

s' relating to sporting events.

"World in Union"

He is perhaps best knownArticle: "Rugby World Cup: fans petition ITV to replace 'truly awful' Paloma Faith theme music" re rugby world cup theme music
''The Daily Telegraph''. Retrieved 5 February 2018Article covering works of Charlie Skarbek
(Skarbek listed variously as 'Lyricist', 'Composer' and 'Writer') ''musicbrainz.org''. Retrieved 5 February 2018Article re Charlie Skarbek
''www.discogs.com'', Retrieved 5 February 2018 for the lyrics he set to music originally from the central section of Jupiter, the fourth movement from

Gustav Holst Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...

's suite

The Planets ''The Planets'', Op. 32, is a seven- movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1917. In the last movement the orchestra is joined by a wordless female chorus. Each movement of the suite is name ...

to create "

World in Union "World in Union" is a theme song for the Rugby World Cup. Its melody is "Thaxted (tune), Thaxted", from the middle section of "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity", a movement (music), movement from Gustav Holst's ''The Planets'', and was originally a ...

". The tune, also known as "

Thaxted Thaxted is a town and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of north-west Essex, England. The town is in the valley of the River Chelmer, not far from its source in the nearby village of Debden, and is 97 metres (318 feet) above sea level (whe ...

", had previously been used for the patriotic song "

I Vow to Thee, My Country "I Vow to Thee, My Country" is a British patriotic hymn, created in 1921, when music by Gustav Holst had a poem by Sir Cecil Spring Rice set to it. The music originated as a wordless melody, which Holst later named "Thaxted", taken from the " ...

" and in various other word-settings. Skarbek made this setting in response to a commission by

World Rugby World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international rug ...

for the World Cup in 1991 and it has been used as the tournament's anthem on many occasions since.

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa , (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a retired New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". Te ...

recorded the first version of this song for the 1991

Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...

;

Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Best known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the theme songs to three James Bond films, Bassey is widely regarded as one of the most popular vocalists ...

and

Bryn Terfel Sir Bryn Terfel Jones, (; born 9 November 1965) (known professionally as Bryn Terfel) is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly '' Figaro'', ''Leporello'' and ''D ...

recorded a version in 1999;

Hayley Westenra Hayley Dee Westenra (born 10 April 1987) is a New Zealand classical crossover singer and songwriter. Her first internationally released album, ''Pure'', reached number one on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million c ...

recorded a version for The Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand, and

Paloma Faith Paloma Faith Blomfield (born 21 July 1981) is an English singer and actress. Her debut studio album, ''Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?,'' was released in 2009 and was certified double platinum in the UK. The album spawned the sing ...

recorded a version of the song for

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

's coverage of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. It also features in the soundtrack to the film '

Invictus "Invictus" is a short poem by the Victorian era British poet William Ernest Henley (1849–1903). It was written in 1875 and published in 1888 in his first volume of poems, ''Book of Verses'', in the section ''Life and Death (Echoes)''. Backgr ...

Selected other works

Skarbek's other works include: * "A Dream Come True" -A

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

Ik hou van jou The Netherlands was represented by Maribelle, with the song "Ik hou van jou", at the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Luxembourg City on 5 May. Maribelle was the winner of the Dutch national final for the contest, held on 14 Marc ...

Maribelle Maribelle (born Marie Kwakman on 4 April 1960) is a Dutch singer, best known for her participation in the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest. In 1981, Maribelle performed two songs, "Marionette" and "Fantasie", in the Dutch Eurovision pre-selection, o ...

but with words by Charlie Skarbek, performed by

Cilla Black Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer, actress and television presenter. Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her ...

and featured in Black's Through the Years (with Skarbek also on keyboards, production, etc.). * Anthem (Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé /

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December ...

) Various contributors including Charlie Skarbek (Producer) with The Crowd (Marcel Theunissen, Michel Diederiks, and Patrick de Schrevel) * " Gloryland" (after the traditional spiritual song

Glory, Glory (Lay My Burden Down) "Glory, Glory" (also known as "When I Lay My Burden Down", "Since I Laid My Burden Down", "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah" and other titles) is an American spiritual song, which has been recorded by many artists in a variety of genres, including folk, ...

- Charlie Skarbek (listed among the lyricists) with

Daryl Hall Daryl Franklin Hohl (born October 11, 1946), known professionally as Daryl Hall, is an American rock, R&B and soul singer and musician, best known as the co-founder and principal lead vocalist of Daryl Hall and John Oates (with guitarist and ...

Sounds of Blackness Sounds of Blackness is a vocal and instrumental ensemble from Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota who perform music from several genres music including gospel, R&B, soul, and jazz. The group scored several hits on the ''Billboard'' R&B and Hot Dan ...

, and the Swedish hard rock band Glory * "

Midnight Blue Midnight blue is a dark shade of blue named for its resemblance to the apparently blue color of a moonlit night sky around full moon. Midnight blue is identifiably blue to the eye in sunlight or full-spectrum light, but can appear black under ...

" co-written with

Tim Smit Sir Timothy Bartel Smit KBE (born 25 September 1954) is a Dutch-born British businessman, famous for his work on the Lost Gardens of Heligan, the Eden Project, and the Charlestown Shipwreck & Treasure Centre, all in Cornwall, England. Early li ...

(after

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

's Sonate Pathétique) Charlie Skarbek (producer and vocals) with

Louise Tucker Louise Tucker (born 1956) is an English mezzo-soprano opera singer from Bristol, England. She achieved success in the early 1980s by recording two albums with record producers Charlie Skarbek and Tim Smit. The albums are notable for combining Tuc ...

* ''Olympic Themes 1988 - Olympic Themes by Charlie Skarbek 1988 Seoul Olympics'' – album of works involving Charlie Skarbek * "Falling", (after

Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...

's "Clair de lune")Compositions by Charlie Skarbek -list
''www.allmusic.com'', Retrieved 5 December 2019 * "Give Me Tonight", (after Chopin's "Tristesse" Etude, Op. 10/3) * "Hold You in My Arms", (after

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

Clarinet Concerto A clarinet concerto is a concerto for clarinet; that is, a musical composition for solo clarinet together with a large ensemble (such as an orchestra or concert band). Albert Rice has identified a work by Giuseppe Antonio Paganelli as possibly th ...

) * "Don't Talk to Me of Love" (duet between

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", "I Write the Songs", " Can ...

and

Mireille Mathieu Mireille Mathieu (; born 22 July 1946) is a French singer. She has recorded over 1200 songs in eleven languages, with more than 122 million records sold worldwide. Biography and career Early years Mireille Mathieu was born on 22 July 1946 in A ...

) Mireille Mathieu Et Barry Manilow – Don't Talk To Me Of Love
''www.discogs.com'', Retrieved 5 December 2019 (from the French release of " Manilow") 1985; collaboration with Jean Lenoir and

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skarbek, Charlie British composers British lyricists Date of birth missing (living people) 1953 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people)