![English composer Sidney Jones](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/English_composer_Sidney_Jones.jpg)
James Sidney Jones (17 June 1861 – 29 January 1946), usually credited as Sidney Jones, was an English conductor and composer, who was most famous for composing the musical scores for a series of
musical comedy
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
hits in the late
Victorian and
Edwardian
The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...
periods. Jones's most famous musical was ''
The Geisha
''The Geisha, a story of a tea house'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts. The score was composed by Sidney Jones to a libretto by Owen Hall, with lyrics by Harry Greenbank. Additional songs were written by Lionel Monckton and James ...
'', but several of his pieces were among the most popular shows of the era, enjoying long runs, international tours and revivals.
In 1892, after nine years of conducting touring companies of British operettas for
Alfred Cellier
Alfred Cellier (1 December 184428 December 1891) was an English composer, orchestrator and conductor.
In addition to conducting and music directing the original productions of several of the most famous Gilbert and Sullivan works and writing t ...
and
George Edwardes
George Joseph Edwardes (né Edwards; 8 October 1855 – 4 October 1915) was an English theatre manager and producer of Irish ancestry who brought a new era in musical theatre to the British stage and beyond.
Edwardes started out in theatre ma ...
, Edwardes engaged Jones to conduct several operettas and musical comedies in London. Jones had begun composing incidental music and supplemental songs for some of the shows he conducted and even wrote scores of his own in 1889 and 1892. In 1893, one of his songs, "Linger Longer, Loo", composed for the 1892
burlesque ''Don Juan'' at the Gaiety Theatre, became popular throughout the English-speaking world.
Jones's first hit show was ''
A Gaiety Girl
''A Gaiety Girl'' is an English musical comedy in two acts by a team of musical comedy neophytes: Owen Hall (book, on an outline by James T. Tanner), Harry Greenbank (lyrics) and Sidney Jones (music). It opened at Prince of Wales Theatre in ...
'' (1893), one of the first major successes of the
Edwardian musical comedy
Edwardian musical comedy was a form of British musical theatre that extended beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions, beginning in the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the A ...
genre. A series of Jones hits followed: ''
An Artist's Model
''An Artist's Model'' is a two-act musical by Owen Hall, with lyrics by Harry Greenbank and music by Sidney Jones, with additional songs by Joseph and Mary Watson, Paul Lincke, Frederick Ross, Henry Hamilton and Leopold Wenzel. It opened at Daly' ...
'' (1894), ''The Geisha'' (1896), ''
A Greek Slave
''A Greek Slave'' is a musical comedy in two acts, first performed on 8 June 1898 at Daly's Theatre in London, produced by George Edwardes and ran for 349 performances. The score was composed by Sidney Jones with additional songs by Lionel Monckto ...
'' (1898) and ''
San Toy
''San Toy, or The Emperor's Own'' is a "Chinese" musical comedy in two acts, first performed at Daly's Theatre, London, on 21 October 1899, and ran for 768 performances (edging out the same composer's '' The Geisha'' as the second longest run f ...
'' (1899). After this, Jones had less frequent and intense successes, but his more popular shows included ''
My Lady Molly'' (1902), ''See See'' (1906), ''
King of Cadonia'' (1908), ''
The Girl from Utah'' (1913) and ''
The Happy Day
''The Happy Day'' is a musical comedy in two acts by Seymour Hicks, with music by Sidney Jones and Paul Rubens, and lyrics by Adrian Ross and Rubens. It was produced by George Edwardes's company (by the estate's executor, Robert Evett) and was ...
'' (1916).
Life and career
Jones was born in
Islington, London. His father, James Sidney Jones, Sr. (1837–1914) originally of
Suffolk, was a military bandmaster. His mother was Ann Jones, née Eycott. As a child, Jones moved frequently as his father was transferred to new military stations in England and Ireland. The young Jones learned to play a variety of instruments in the band. In
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
, he studied with Sir Robert Stewart (1825–1894) of
Trinity College Trinity College may refer to:
Australia
* Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales
* Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
. The family later moved to
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
, where his father became conductor of the Leeds Rifles, was the musical director of the
Leeds Grand Theatre
The Grand Theatre, also known as Leeds Grand Theatre and Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House, is a theatre and opera house in Briggate, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It seats approximately 1,500 people.
Building
It was designed by James ...
and later conducted a band and the Spa Orchestra at
Harrogate
Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa w ...
. Jones was the eldest son and second of six children. His youngest brother, Guy Sidney Jones (1875–1959), also became a conductor and composer whose musical scores included ''The Gay Gordons'' (1907).
[Lamb, Andrew]
"Sidney Jones (1861–1946); ''The Geisha''"
sleeve notes from the Hyperion recording of ''The Geisha'' (1998)
In 1885, Jones married Kate Linley, an actress, and the couple produced five children.
[Gänzl, Kurt. ]
"Jones, (James) Sidney (1861–1946)"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 18 September 2008,
Early career
Jones gained his first professional experience playing the
clarinet in his father's band and orchestra. He also gave piano lessons. In 1882, he was hired as a conductor for tours of operettas and other musical theatre pieces, such as
Robert Planquette
Jean Robert Planquette (31 July 1848 – 28 January 1903) was a French composer of songs and operettas.
Several of Planquette's operettas were extraordinarily successful in Britain, especially '' Les cloches de Corneville'' (1878), the length of ...
's ''
Les Cloches de Corneville
''Les cloches de Corneville'' (''The Bells of Corneville'', sometimes known in English as ''The Chimes of Normandy'') is an opéra-comique in three acts, composed by Robert Planquette to a libretto by Louis Clairville and Charles Gabet.
The st ...
''
[ and a popular American musical show, ''Fun on the Bristol''. He next toured with the Vokes family and also composed incidental music and songs for their farcical entertainment. ''In Camp''.]["Sidney Jones"]
at the ''British Musical Theatre site (2004) In 1886, actress/producer Kate Santley
Evangeline Estelle Gazina (c. 1837Culme, John ''Footlight Notes'', No. 361, 14 August 2004, accessed 7 September 2012; an"Kate Santley by Sarony Cabinet Card" ''Remains to Be Seen'', accessed 7 September 2012 – 18 January 1923), better known u ...
engaged Jones as musical director for the tour of her musical ''Vetah''.[
Jones then worked for Henry Leslie for nearly four years as conductor of tours of ]Alfred Cellier
Alfred Cellier (1 December 184428 December 1891) was an English composer, orchestrator and conductor.
In addition to conducting and music directing the original productions of several of the most famous Gilbert and Sullivan works and writing t ...
's comic opera
Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue.
Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...
hit '' Dorothy'' (starring Lucy Carr Shaw, sister to George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
), '' Doris'' and ''The Red Hussar
''The Red Hussar'' is a comedy opera in three acts by Edward Solomon, with a libretto by Henry Pottinger Stephens, concerning a young ballad singer who disguises herself as a Hussar to follow her penniless beloved to France. By a feat of gallantry ...
''. He was then music director for a tour of the Gaiety Theatre piece ''Little Jack Sheppard
''Little Jack Sheppard'' is a Victorian burlesque, burlesque melodrama written by Henry Pottinger Stephens and William Yardley (cricketer), William Yardley, with music by Meyer Lutz, with songs contributed by Florian Pascal,Florian Pascal was a ps ...
'' under the management of comedian J. J. Dallas.[ After that, ]George Edwardes
George Joseph Edwardes (né Edwards; 8 October 1855 – 4 October 1915) was an English theatre manager and producer of Irish ancestry who brought a new era in musical theatre to the British stage and beyond.
Edwardes started out in theatre ma ...
hired him as musical director for the Gaiety Theatre's 1891 tour of America and Australia, conducting the burlesques ''Ruy Blas and the Blasé Roué
''Ruy Blas and the Blasé Roué'' is a Victorian burlesque, burlesque written by A. C. Torr and Herbert F. Clark with music by Meyer Lutz. It is based on the Victor Hugo drama ''Ruy Blas''. The piece was produced by George Edwardes. As with man ...
'' and '' Cinder-Ellen Up-too-Late''. He briefly returned to conducting in the British provinces, but in 1892, after nine years of touring, Edwardes hired Jones to conduct the musical '' In Town'' at the Prince of Wales Theatre
The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...
on London's West End. He next was musical director for another West End musical, ''Morocco Bound
''Morocco Bound'' is a farcical English Edwardian musical comedy in two acts by Arthur Branscombe, with music by F. Osmond Carr and lyrics by Adrian Ross. It opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London, on 13 April 1893, under the management o ...
'' (1893), and for the London production of ''The Gay Parisienne
''The Gay Parisienne'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts with a libretto by George Dance. It premiered at the Opera House in Northampton, England, in October 1894, with music by Ernest Rousden.Adams, William Davenport.''A Dictionary of ...
'' (1896).[
]
First composing successes
At the same time as these conducting engagements, Jones had begun composing incidental music and songs as needed for the shows he conducted. In 1889, he wrote the musical score for the pantomime ''Aladdin II'', which played at Leeds. When Edwardes's touring company produced ''Cinder Ellen'' in Australia, Jones wrote a dance number that was added to Meyer Lutz
Wilhelm Meyer Lutz (19 May 1829 – 31 January 1903) was a German-born British composer and conductor who is best known for light music, musical theatre and Victorian burlesque, burlesques of well-known works.
Emigrating to the UK at the age of ...
's score. Jones also composed an operetta, ''Our Family Legend'' (1892), with a libretto by Reginald Stockton, which was produced at Brighton.[ In 1893, one of his songs, "Linger Longer, Loo" was added to Lutz's 1892 burlesque ''Don Juan'' at the Gaiety Theatre.]['']The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' obituary, 30 January 1946, p. 7 The song became popular throughout the English-speaking world and inspired a drawing by Toulouse-Lautrec
Comte Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901) was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist and illustrator whose immersion in the colourful and theatrical life of Paris in the l ...
of Yvette Guilbert
Yvette Guilbert (; born Emma Laure Esther Guilbert, 20 January 1865 – 3 February 1944) was a French cabaret singer and actress of the '' Belle Époque''.
Biography
Born in Paris into a poor family as Emma Laure Esther Guilbert, Guilbert b ...
singing it.[
In 1893, for '']A Gaiety Girl
''A Gaiety Girl'' is an English musical comedy in two acts by a team of musical comedy neophytes: Owen Hall (book, on an outline by James T. Tanner), Harry Greenbank (lyrics) and Sidney Jones (music). It opened at Prince of Wales Theatre in ...
'', with a libretto by Owen Hall, Edwardes gave Jones the opportunity to write the music, and the result was a hit show that enjoyed a long run and toured internationally, setting the trend for a new genre of popular musical theatre that came to be known as Edwardian musical comedy
Edwardian musical comedy was a form of British musical theatre that extended beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions, beginning in the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the A ...
.[ The ballad "Sunshine above" from the show was popular parlour song. Jones's style was similar in technique to the music of Arthur Sullivan and Cellier, which Jones had conducted for so long, but it was lighter and breezier, appealing to the popular tastes of the time.][
]
Daly's Theatre years and later years
Jones soon became house composer and music director for George Edwardes's new Daly's Theatre
Daly's Theatre was a theatre in the City of Westminster. It was located at 2 Cranbourn Street, just off Leicester Square. It opened on 27 June 1893, and was demolished in 1937.
The theatre was built for and named after the American impresar ...
. After ''A Gaiety Girl
''A Gaiety Girl'' is an English musical comedy in two acts by a team of musical comedy neophytes: Owen Hall (book, on an outline by James T. Tanner), Harry Greenbank (lyrics) and Sidney Jones (music). It opened at Prince of Wales Theatre in ...
'', Jones again collaborated with Hall and lyricist Harry Greenbank to produce another success, ''An Artist's Model
''An Artist's Model'' is a two-act musical by Owen Hall, with lyrics by Harry Greenbank and music by Sidney Jones, with additional songs by Joseph and Mary Watson, Paul Lincke, Frederick Ross, Henry Hamilton and Leopold Wenzel. It opened at Daly' ...
'' (1894), which ran for fifteen months. This was followed by three of the most successful musical comedies of the 1890s: ''The Geisha
''The Geisha, a story of a tea house'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts. The score was composed by Sidney Jones to a libretto by Owen Hall, with lyrics by Harry Greenbank. Additional songs were written by Lionel Monckton and James ...
'' (1896), ''A Greek Slave
''A Greek Slave'' is a musical comedy in two acts, first performed on 8 June 1898 at Daly's Theatre in London, produced by George Edwardes and ran for 349 performances. The score was composed by Sidney Jones with additional songs by Lionel Monckto ...
'' (1898), and ''San Toy
''San Toy, or The Emperor's Own'' is a "Chinese" musical comedy in two acts, first performed at Daly's Theatre, London, on 21 October 1899, and ran for 768 performances (edging out the same composer's '' The Geisha'' as the second longest run f ...
'' (1899). Jones's musical plays were "written in a more musically substantial style than the featherweight entertainment given at the Gaiety. Their librettos sported a solid and serious romantic backbone (confided to the baritone hero Hayden Coffin
Charles Hayden Coffin (22 April 1862 – 8 December 1935) was an English actor and singer known for his performances in many famous Edwardian musical comedies, particularly those produced by George Edwardes.
Hayden achieved fame as Harry Sh ...
and the soprano Marie Tempest
Dame Mary Susan Etherington, (15 July 1864 – 15 October 1942), known professionally as Marie Tempest, was an English singer and actress.
Tempest became a famous soprano in late Victorian light opera and Edwardian musical comedies. Later, s ...
) alongside their comic and soubrette elements, and the scores which Jones provided included, alongside the lighter material, numbers sentimental and dramatic, as well as some impressive and vocally demanding concerted ensembles and finales."[
Jones song from ''The Geisha'', "The Amorous Goldfish" became an oft-sung hit, as did several of his other songs for these shows. ''The Geisha'' and ''San Toy'' took advantage of the fad for oriental settings in musical theatre that had reached a peak in Gilbert and Sullivan's '']The Mikado
''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...
'' in 1885.[ These two musicals were frequently revived, recorded and widely toured in Europe as well as throughout the English-speaking world. The former became the most frequently-performed English-language work of musical theatre in Europe for many decades.][ The piece figures prominently in Anton Chekhov's popular short story, '']The Lady with the Dog
"The Lady with the Dog" (russian: Дама с собачкой, translit=Dama s sobachkoy) is a short story by Anton Chekhov. First published in 1899, it describes an adulterous affair between an unhappily married Moscow banker and a young married ...
'', and it was adapted as a Russian film in 1959 that featured its music, including "The Amorous Goldfish".[
Other musicals followed, but Jones's only real successes during this period were '' My Lady Molly'' (produced by Jones) in 1902 and '' King of Cadonia'' in 1908 (produced by ]Frank Curzon
Frank Curzon (17 September 1868 – 2 July 1927) was an English actor who became an important theatre manager, leasing the Royal Strand Theatre, Avenue Theatre, Criterion Theatre, Comedy Theatre, Prince of Wales Theatre and Wyndham's Theatre, am ...
), although ''See See'' (with a book by Charles Brookfield
Charles Hallam Elton Brookfield (19 May 1857 – 20 October 1913) was a British actor, author, playwright and journalist, including for '' The Saturday Review''. His most famous work for the theatre was '' The Belle of Mayfair'' (1906).
Brookfie ...
and lyrics by Adrian Ross
Arthur Reed Ropes (23 December 1859 – 11 September 1933), better known under the pseudonym Adrian Ross, was a prolific writer of lyrics, contributing songs to more than sixty British musical comedies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries ...
) did reasonably well in 1906 at the Prince of Wales Theatre
The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...
. As musical director at the Empire Theatre, Jones wrote the ballets, ''The Bugle Call'' (1905) and ''Cinderella'' (1906), which was danced at Christmas-time.[ Later, back at the light-hearted Gaiety Theatre, with '' The Girl from Utah'' in 1913, and at Daly's Theatre, with '']The Happy Day
''The Happy Day'' is a musical comedy in two acts by Seymour Hicks, with music by Sidney Jones and Paul Rubens, and lyrics by Adrian Ross and Rubens. It was produced by George Edwardes's company (by the estate's executor, Robert Evett) and was ...
'' in 1916, Jones achieved two last successes. However, Jones, like his sometime collaborator Lionel Monckton
Lionel John Alexander Monckton (18 December 1861 – 15 February 1924) was an English composer of musical theatre. He became Britain's most popular composer of Edwardian musical comedy in the early years of the 20th century.
Life and career
...
, fell victim to changing musical fashions around the time of World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, such as syncopated dance rhythms like ragtime
Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott J ...
, and retired from composition.[
Jones died at his home at ]Kew
Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...
, Surrey, at the age of 84.[
]
Major works and collaborations
*1889 ''Aladdin II''
*1892 ''Our Family Legend''
*1892 ''Don Juan'' ("Linger Longer, Loo" contributed)
*1893 ''A Gaiety Girl
''A Gaiety Girl'' is an English musical comedy in two acts by a team of musical comedy neophytes: Owen Hall (book, on an outline by James T. Tanner), Harry Greenbank (lyrics) and Sidney Jones (music). It opened at Prince of Wales Theatre in ...
''
*1894 ''An Artist's Model
''An Artist's Model'' is a two-act musical by Owen Hall, with lyrics by Harry Greenbank and music by Sidney Jones, with additional songs by Joseph and Mary Watson, Paul Lincke, Frederick Ross, Henry Hamilton and Leopold Wenzel. It opened at Daly' ...
''
*1896 ''The Geisha
''The Geisha, a story of a tea house'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts. The score was composed by Sidney Jones to a libretto by Owen Hall, with lyrics by Harry Greenbank. Additional songs were written by Lionel Monckton and James ...
''
*1898 ''A Greek Slave
''A Greek Slave'' is a musical comedy in two acts, first performed on 8 June 1898 at Daly's Theatre in London, produced by George Edwardes and ran for 349 performances. The score was composed by Sidney Jones with additional songs by Lionel Monckto ...
''
*1899 ''San Toy
''San Toy, or The Emperor's Own'' is a "Chinese" musical comedy in two acts, first performed at Daly's Theatre, London, on 21 October 1899, and ran for 768 performances (edging out the same composer's '' The Geisha'' as the second longest run f ...
''
*1902 '' My Lady Molly''
*1903 ''The Medal and the Maid''
*1905 ''The Bugle Call'' (ballet)
*1906 ''Cinderella'' (ballet)
*1906 ''See See''Links to the lyrics, MIDI files and cast list for ''See See''
/ref>
*1908 '' King of Cadonia''
*1909 '' A Persian Princess''
*1913 '' The Girl from Utah''
*1916 ''The Happy Day
''The Happy Day'' is a musical comedy in two acts by Seymour Hicks, with music by Sidney Jones and Paul Rubens, and lyrics by Adrian Ross and Rubens. It was produced by George Edwardes's company (by the estate's executor, Robert Evett) and was ...
''
Notes
References
*
* Murray, Roderick: "Sidney Jones and Star Blossom" in ''The Gaiety'' Annual (2002), pp. 15–18
* Gänzl, Kurt. ''The encyclopaedia of the musical theatre'', 2 vols. (1994)
* Gänzl, Kurt. ''The British musical theatre'', 2 vols. (1986)
*
* "Sidney Jones", ''The Musical Times'', Vol. 87, No. 1236 (February 1946), p. 63
*''The Times'', 27 April 1946
External links
Links to MIDI files, lyrics and cast lists for many of Jones's shows
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Sidney
1861 births
1946 deaths
English male composers
English musical theatre composers