Eric Gilder (25 December 1911 – 1 June 2000) was an English

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

, and also a teacher, conductor, composer and pianist. He was best known as the principal of the Eric Gilder School of Music.

Biography

Gilder was a pupil at Henry Thornton School in Clapham from 1926 until 1931, and composed the original school song. He initially studied mathematics and physics, but in 1936 he gained a scholarship to the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

where he studied under

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and Sir

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. He continued there until interrupted by war service.The 'Eric Gilder' entry from his own ''Dictionary of Composers and Their Music'' (1985)
/ref> After the war he worked variously as a pianist, conductor and broadcaster, and as principal of his own school of music. He began his career as a teacher at the Central School of Dance Music at 15

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in London. This was originally established in 1950 by jazz guitarist

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, primarily for jazz, big band and popular music players. Mairants handed the school over to Gilder in 1960 and it became the Eric Gilder School of Music. By then its address was 195

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(original building has been demolished). Among the teaching staff at the school were

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, Kenny Baker,

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and Ike Isaacs, as well as Gilder himself. Gilder is remembered with gratitude by the poet and musician

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in his poem "education education education". Siffre studied at the Gilder school, as did Richard Wright of

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and (as a part-time student in the spring of 1963) the 15 year-old

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. The school attracted notable expatriate musicians from Africa and the Caribbean including

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, (the

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ian

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guitarist, composer and bandleader),

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(considered the father of

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) and

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(founder member of

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, a band that played a central role in developing a more international awareness of African music in the 1970s). As a conductor Gilder was an active choral director and arranger. In April 1951 he was appointed Musical Director of the 50-strong Ilford Girls' Choir and secured some high-profile bookings for them, including a live broadcast of

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on the

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, accompanying the young

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. However, something went wrong and he resigned from the post in April 1952. He also arranged choral parts for Geraldo and his Orchestra (as chorus master of "the Geraldo Glee Club") and appeared at the

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in London as a conductor and pianist. Gilder also wrote plays, poetry and fiction and contributed to music periodicals. He was married (on 23 December 1939) with two daughters, and lived in his later years at 21 Fieldend
Twickenham

Composer

As a composer Gilder has been entirely forgotten, but he wrote orchestral, choral, theatre and television music,

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

music and lyrics, collaborating with the actor and writer John Crocker (1925-2015), as well as 200 songs (some with salon orchestra parts) and numerous solo piano pieces.

Selected works

*''Seascape'' for piano and orchestra (1939) *''The Tide'' for soprano, baritone, chorus, organ and orchestra (1945) *''Christmas Sounds'' for soli, chorus and orchestra (1950) * ''A Busy Song'': three part song for soprano, mezzo and alto with piano (words and music by Gilder) (published Curwen, 1951) * ''Gavotte'' for piano (published Noel Gay Music, 1951) * ''Hear Our Music'', choir and piano (published Manor Music Co, 1951) * ''I Will Wait'', song (words and music by Gilder) (published Manor Music Co, 1951) *''Nursery Suite'' for orchestra (1953) *''A Sea Suite'' for orchestra (1954) * ''La Contadina'' (The Little Match Girl), soli and light orchestra (published Ricordi, 1954) * ''Three Gifts'', soli and light orchestra (words and music by Gilder) (published, Ricordi, 1954) *''A Processional Overture'' (1975) *Sonata for Violin and Piano (1979) *''Three Pastorals'' for orchestra (1981) * ''Danse Fantastique'', piano duet * Many pantomime scores and lyrics in collaboration with John Crocker, still in use, including ''Aladdin, Puss in Boots'' and ''Red Riding Hood'' (1960s)

Author

* ''Troubled Waters'' (radio play, broadcast 17 July 1946, BBC Home Service) * ''Mister Potter's Play'' (radio play, broadcast 15 May 1948, BBC Home Service) * ''Dictionary of Composers and Their Music'' (with June G Port, 1978) * ''The Back Stairs'', short story (broadcast 18 June 1980)''Radio Times'' issue 2953, 12 June 1980, p 53
/ref>

References

> {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilder, Eric English musicologists English conductors (music) British male conductors (music) English classical pianists Male classical pianists Alumni of the Royal College of Music 1911 births 2000 deaths Place of birth missing 20th-century British conductors (music) 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century English composers 20th-century British musicologists 20th-century British male musicians British music educators Music schools in England