Ivor Novello: Welsh Composer and Stage Star
Ivor Novello (15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. He achieved fame first as a songwriter, then as a stage and film actor, and finally as a composer of lavish West End musicals.
Early Life and Education
Novello was born David Ivor Davies in Cardiff, Wales, to David Davies, a rent collector for the city council, and Clara Novello Davies, an internationally known singing teacher and choral conductor. As a boy, he was a successful singer in the Welsh Eisteddfod and met leading performers through his mother’s circle, including members of the Gaiety Theatre company and classical musicians such as Landon Ronald.
He was educated privately in Cardiff and then in Gloucester, where he studied harmony and counterpoint with Herbert Brewer, the cathedral organist. He won a scholarship to Magdalen College School in Oxford, where he sang as a solo treble in the college choir. After leaving school, he gave piano lessons in Cardiff before moving to London in 1913 with his mother. They took a flat above the Strand Theatre, which became his London home for the rest of his life. In London, Sir Edward Marsh, a patron of the arts and Winston Churchill’s secretary, became his mentor and encouraged his composing career.
Career and Achievements
Novello’s first major success came in 1914 when he wrote “Keep the Home Fires Burning,” a song set to lyrics by American Lena Guilbert Ford. The composition became enormously popular during the First World War and brought him money and fame at age 21. He avoided enlistment until June 1916, when he joined the Royal Naval Air Service as a probationary flight sub-lieutenant. After crashing aeroplanes twice, he was moved to the Admiralty office in central London for the remainder of the war.
While serving in the RNAS, Novello continued composing. His first stage success was Theodore & Co in 1916, a production by George Grossmith Jr. and Edward Laurillard with a score he composed alongside the young Jerome Kern. He contributed to André Charlot’s revue See-Saw in 1916 and wrote additional numbers for the operetta Arlette in 1917. After the war, he wrote for musical comedies including Who’s Hooper? (1919) and The Golden Moth (1921), for which he provided the entire score. He also contributed numbers to Charlot’s revues Tabs (1918), A to Z (1921) and Puppets (1924).
In the 1920s, Novello turned to acting with considerable success in both British films and on stage. He starred in two silent films directed by Alfred Hitchcock: The Lodger and Downhill, both released in 1927. On stage, he played the title character in the first London production of Liliom in 1926. Though he briefly went to Hollywood, he soon returned to Britain, where his stage career flourished.
His greatest successes came through lavish West End productions of musicals written in the operetta style, often composed to libretti by Christopher Hassall. Glamorous Night (1935) and The Dancing Years (1939) became his best-known works. From the 1930s onward, he frequently performed with actress Zena Dare, writing parts for her in his works. His later stage musicals included Perchance to Dream (1945), King’s Rhapsody (1949) and Gay’s the Word (1951).
Notable Events and Milestones
Novello adopted his mother’s middle name as his professional surname early in his career, though he did not change it legally until 1927. In 1917, Sir Edward Marsh introduced him to actor Bobbie Andrews, who became his life partner and connected him to the young Noël Coward. Coward, six years Novello’s junior, was deeply envious of Novello’s effortless glamour and wrote of the distance he felt between them in his own early career.
His film work extended beyond the Hitchcock films, with directors such as Swiss filmmaker Louis Mercanton seeking him out for silent-film roles based on his striking profile and matinee idol status. Though he continued to write for film throughout his career, his biggest successes in his later years came from stage musicals rather than cinema.
Awards and Honors
The Ivor Novello Awards were named after him in 1955, four years after his death, recognizing his enduring influence on British music and theatre.
Additional Resources
Ivor Novello’s life and work are documented in detail through Wikipedia and other biographical archives, which contain further information about his compositions, theatrical productions, and his influence on British entertainment in the twentieth century.
Observer Voice is the one stop site for National, International news, Sports, Editor’s Choice, Art/culture contents, Quotes and much more. We also cover historical contents. Historical contents includes World History, Indian History, and what happened today. The website also covers Entertainment across the India and World.
