Richard Hartley (composer)
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Richard Neville Hartley is an English composer, best known for his work on ''
The Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to the science fiction and horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s, the musical tells the story of a newly engaged couple ...
''. He grew up in
Holmfirth Holmfirth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England, on the A635 and A6024 in the Holme Valley, at the confluence of the River Holme and Ribble, south of Huddersfield and west of Barnsley. It mostly consist ...
.


Career

In the 1970s he began a long association with
Richard O'Brien Richard Timothy Smith. known professionally as Richard O'Brien, is a British-New Zealand actor, writer, musician, composer, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' in 1973, which has remained in conti ...
. Hartley was originally part of the four-piece band for ''The Rocky Horror Show''. He went on to arrange the score for the London Stage and film adaptation (''
The Rocky Horror Picture Show ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' is a 1975 musical comedy horror film by 20th Century Fox, produced by Lou Adler and Michael White and directed by Jim Sharman. The screenplay was written by Sharman and actor Richard O'Brien, who is also ...
'') as well as its follow-up ''
Shock Treatment ''Shock Treatment'' is a 1981 American musical comedy film directed by Jim Sharman, and co-written by Sharman and Richard O'Brien. It is a follow-up to the 1975 film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show''. While not an outright sequel, the film doe ...
'', and then worked with O'Brien on another, as yet unproduced, sequel, '' Revenge of the Old Queen''. His other 1970s film scores included ''
Galileo Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...
'' (1975), ''
The Romantic Englishwoman ''The Romantic Englishwoman'' is a 1975 British film directed by Joseph Losey and starring Michael Caine, Glenda Jackson, Helmut Berger. It marks the feature-length screen debut for Kate Nelligan. The screenplay was written by Tom Stoppard and T ...
'' (1975), '' Aces High'' (1976), and the remake of ''
The Lady Vanishes ''The Lady Vanishes'' is a 1938 British mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave. Written by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder, based on the 1936 novel ''The Wheel Spins'' by Ethel Lina ...
'' (1979).


Musical works


Film and Television

In the 1980s, Hartley worked primarily in television, including providing the music for the 1986 ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' story ''
Mindwarp ''Mindwarp'' is the second serial of the larger narrative known as ''The Trial of a Time Lord'' which encompasses the whole of the 23rd season of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast in four wee ...
'', and TV movie productions, such as ''
Kennedy Kennedy may refer to: People * John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), 35th president of the United States * John Kennedy (Louisiana politician), (born 1951), US Senator from Louisiana * Kennedy (surname), a family name (including a list of persons with t ...
'' (1983), '' Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil'' (1985), ''
Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...
'' (1987) and ''Rules of Engagement'' (1989). However he also composed for film, including the
Nicolas Roeg Nicolas Jack Roeg (; 15 August 1928 – 23 November 2018) was an English film director and cinematographer, best known for directing '' Performance'' (1970), ''Walkabout'' (1971), ''Don't Look Now'' (1973), ''The Man Who Fell to Earth'' (1976 ...
film ''
Bad Timing ''Bad Timing'' is a 1980 British psychological drama film directed by Nicolas Roeg and starring Art Garfunkel, Theresa Russell, Harvey Keitel, and Denholm Elliott. The plot focuses on an American woman and a psychology professor living in V ...
'' (1980), '' Bad Blood'' (1982), '' The Trout'' (1982), ''
The Return of Captain Invincible ''The Return of Captain Invincible'' is a 1983 Australian superhero film, superhero musical film, musical comedy film directed by Philippe Mora, and starring Alan Arkin and Christopher Lee. It was a box office disappointment on release but has be ...
'' (1983), '' Sheena'' (1984) (for which Hartley was
nominated A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * ...
for a
Golden Raspberry Award The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, ...
), '' Dance with a Stranger'' (1985), ''
Parker Parker may refer to: Persons * Parker (given name) * Parker (surname) Places Place names in the United States *Parker, Arizona *Parker, Colorado * Parker, Florida * Parker, Idaho * Parker, Kansas * Parker, Missouri * Parker, North Carolina *Park ...
'' (1985), '' The Good Father'' (1985), ''
Consuming Passions ''Consuming Passions'' is a 1988 black comedy film which stars Vanessa Redgrave, Jonathan Pryce, and Sammi Davis and was directed by Giles Foster. Synopsis The film is based on '' Secrets'' by Michael Palin and Terry Jones a BBC television pl ...
'' (1988) and ''
Tree of Hands ''Tree of Hands'' (released in the US as ''Innocent Victim'') is a 1989 British psychological drama film directed by Giles Foster and starring Helen Shaver, Lauren Bacall, Malcolm Stoddard and Peter Firth. It is based on the 1984 novel ''The ...
'' (1989). However, one of his lesser known works is the music for The Fifth Dimension, a dark ride at ''
Chessington World of Adventures Chessington World of Adventures Resort is a theme park, zoo and hotel complex in Chessington, Greater London, England, around southwest of Central London. The complex opened as Chessington Zoo in 1931, with the theme park being developed along ...
''. In 1986, he composed additional music for the
Wham! Wham! (briefly known in the US as Wham! U.K.) were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981. The duo consisted of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They became one of the most commercially successful pop acts of the 1980s, selling more ...
documentary '' Wham! in China: Foreign Skies'' directed by
Lindsay Anderson Lindsay Gordon Anderson (17 April 1923 – 30 August 1994) was a British feature-film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading-light of the Free Cinema movement and of the British New Wave. He is most widely remembered for h ...
. In the 1990s he provided the scores for many films including ''
Afraid of the Dark ''Afraid of the Dark'' is a 1991 French-British drama film directed by Mark Peploe Mark Peploe (born 3 March 1943) is an English screenwriter and film director. He was the brother of Clare Peploe, and the brother-in-law of director Bernardo ...
'' (1991), ''
The Railway Station Man ''The Railway Station Man'' is a 1992 British drama film directed by Michael Whyte, and starring Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland and John Lynch. It was based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Irish writer Jennifer Johnston. It was filme ...
'' (1992), '' The Secret Rapture'' (1993), ''
Princess Caraboo Mary Baker (née Willcocks; 11 November 1792 (alleged), Witheridge, Devonshire, England – 24 December 1864, Bristol, England) was an English impostor. Posing as the fictional Princess Caraboo, Baker pretended to come from a far-off island ki ...
'' (1994), ''
Victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal Duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitu ...
'' (1995), ''
An Awfully Big Adventure ''An Awfully Big Adventure'' is a 1995 British coming-of-age film directed by Mike Newell. The story concerns a teenage girl who joins a local repertory theatre troupe in Liverpool. During a winter production of ''Peter Pan'', the play quickly ...
'' (1995, which was released on CD), ''
Rough Magic ''Rough Magic'' is a 1995 comedy film directed by Clare Peploe, starring Bridget Fonda and Russell Crowe. The screenplay was written by Robert Mundi, William Brookfield, and Clare Peploe. ''Rough Magic'' is based on the 1944 novel ''Miss Shumway ...
'' (1995), ''
Stealing Beauty ''Stealing Beauty'' (french: Beauté volée; it, Io ballo da sola) is a 1996 drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and starring Liv Tyler, Joseph Fiennes, Jeremy Irons, Sinéad Cusack, and Rachel Weisz. Written by Bertolucci and Susan Mi ...
'' (1996), ''
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'' (1999), and ''
Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...
'' (1999), in which he won an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
for Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries or a Movie (Dramatic Underscore). Hartley provided music for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
/
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
film ''
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers ''The Life and Death of Peter Sellers'' is a 2004 television film about the life of English comedian Peter Sellers, based on Roger Lewis's book of the same name. 1108 pagesPublished in the U.S. via Applause BooksA very comprehensive biography, w ...
'' in 2004, and wrote the music for the film ''
Flashbacks of a Fool ''Flashbacks of a Fool'' is a 2008 British drama film about a Hollywood actor who, following the death of his childhood best friend, reflects upon his life and what might have been, had he stayed in England. The film was directed by Baillie Wal ...
'' (2008).


Stage productions

* ''Dionysius 73'' (Harrowgate Opera House, 1973) – composer, musical director * ''The Threepenny Opera'' (Sydney Opera House, 1973) – musical arrangements * ''The Rocky Horror Show'' (Royal Court Theatre, 1973) – musical director * ''Tooth of Crime'' (Royal Court Theatre, 1974) – musical director * ''T. Zee'' (Royal Court Theatre, 1976) – composer, musical director * ''The Rocky Horror Show'' (Broadway, 1975) – vocal and dance music arrangements * ''Disaster'' (Institute of Contemporary Arts, 1978) – composer, musical director * ''The Stripper'' (Sydney Theatre Company, 1982) – composer, musical director * ''The Rocky Horror Show'' (London, 1990) – musical arrangements * ''The Stripper'' (UK tour, 2009) – composer, musical director


Other

Hartley is credited as producer of two of the four tracks on "The Music of Torvill and Dean" EP, which reached #9 on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
in the wake of
Torvill and Dean Torvill and Dean (Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean) are English ice dancers and former British Ice Figure and Dance Championships, British, European Figure Skating Championships, European, Figure skating at the Olympic Games, Olympic, and Wor ...
's success at the
1984 Winter Olympics The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games (Serbo-Croatian and Slovene: ''XIV. Zimske olimpijske igre''; Cyrillic: XIV Зимске олимпијске игре; mk, XIV Зимски олимписки игр ...
.


References


External links


Richard Hartley – official website
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hartley, Richard British film score composers British male film score composers British television composers English film score composers English male film score composers English television composers Living people Male television composers Varèse Sarabande Records artists Year of birth missing (living people)