Full Description
Madeleine Dring: Lady Composer is a biography that examines the British composer's life and music, supported by extensive archival research and
primary sources. With London at its center, the story of Dring's life follows
her through formal training in the Junior Department of the Royal College of
Music, the horrors of World War II, the lively atmosphere of revues in the West
End, the lack of recognition during her final years, and her premature death
from a brain aneurysm at the age of fifty-three. Her contributions to the
diverse musical worlds of popular song, serious music, radio, and television
are surveyed, with attention to the qualities that characterize her distinctive
musical style. The narrative arc is compelling: education as a classical
composer, success on the popular stage, return to "serious" composition, and
death when her art was at the highest level. An underlying theme is the
encouragement and success Dring experienced in a profession that is typically
the domain of men. Her achievement as a composer is due to the excellence of
her music, which is increasingly being appreciated for its imagination and sophistication,
as evidenced by numerous performances and recordings.
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
List of Illustrations xiii
List of Musical Examples xvii
List of Tables xix
Prologue: In Search of the Lady Composer 1
1 The Lady Composer Makes Her Entrance: Youth and Formative Years (1923-33) 7
2 The Lady Composer Takes Her First Steps: Junior Exhibitioner (1933-41) 19
Interlude: The Lady Composer in Her Own Words: Diaries (1935-43) 55
3 The Lady Composer Learns Her Craft: The Royal College of Music (1941-45) 87
4 The Lady Composer Steps Out: First Professional Engagements (1946-52) 115
5 The Lady Composer in Demand: Composing, Acting, Singing (1953-67) 1496 The Lady Composer at the End: The Last Ten Years (1967-77) 205
Coda: The Lady Composer in Print 255
Epilogue: The Lady Composer Rediscovered 259
Appendix A: Catalog of Works 263
Appendix B: Personnel in West End Revues 289
Notes 293
Index of Works 343
General Index 351
