Fred Hartley (1905–1980) was a Scottish pianist, conductor and composer of light music best known for his waltz ''Rouge et Noir''. He sometimes composed music under the pseudonym Iris Taylor.Philip Scowcrof
76th Garland
Retrieved 17 September 2010 Hartley was born in

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

in 1905, where he attended

Harris Academy Harris Academy is a co-educational comprehensive school in the West End of Dundee, Scotland. Harris Academy was founded in 1885 and is the oldest state school in Dundee. Harris Academy is also one of the largest state run schools in Dundee in ...

. He later attained a scholarship to the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

. He made his first public broadcast as a solo pianist in 1925 and in 1931 went on to form his "Novelty Quintet", which regularly made broadcasts on the BBC. In 1946, he was made Head of BBC Light Music.Fred Hartley piano solos
Celtic Music. Retrieved 17 September 2010 He composed mainly in the light music genre and his compositions were often featured on the

BBC Light Programme The BBC Light Programme was a national radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and light music from 1945 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 1. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the ...

. In addition to "Rouge et Noir", compositions for orchestra include the "Scherzetto for Children", "The Hampden Roar", "Alpine Festival", "The Ball at Aberfeldy", "Whispering Breeze", "Hampden Road March" and "A Dream of Hawaii". A fuller list is available at Philip Scowcroft's Light Music Garland site.Philip Scowcroft
7th Garland
Retrieved 17 September 2010 Fred Hartley published several of his piano works under the name Iris Taylor: "Dreamy Afternoon", "Cuckoo in Love", "Twentieth Century Nocturne" and "Starry Night".

References

1905 births 1980 deaths Scottish composers Light music composers Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Musicians from Dundee Scottish pianists People educated at Harris Academy 20th-century British pianists 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century British composers 20th-century Scottish musicians {{UK-pianist-stub