Description:
Ronald Erle “Ron” Grainer (11 August 1922 – 21 February 1981) was an Australian composer who worked for most of his professional career in the United Kingdom. He is mostly remembered for his film and television music.
Biography [ edit source | edit beta ]
Grainer was born in Atherton, Queensland, Australia, the son of Ronald Albert Grainer. He was a pupil at Edge Hill State School in Cairns during 1933 and 1934 at which time he had his first successes as a violin student, [1][2] In 1935 and 1936 he went to the Cairns State High School before relocating to the Brisbane suburb of Clayfield and completing his secondary
Ronald Erle “Ron” Grainer (11 August 1922 – 21 February 1981) was an Australian composer who worked for most of his professional career in the United Kingdom. He is mostly remembered for his film and television music.
Biography [ edit source | edit beta ]
Grainer was born in Atherton, Queensland, Australia, the son of Ronald Albert Grainer. He was a pupil at Edge Hill State School in Cairns during 1933 and 1934 at which time he had his first successes as a violin student, [1][2] In 1935 and 1936 he went to the Cairns State High School before relocating to the Brisbane suburb of Clayfield and completing his secondary education at St. Joseph's Nudgee College on Brisbane's Northside in 1937 and 1938 advancing to study first-year Engineering at Queensland University in 1939, all the while continuing his piano and violin studies, [3] gaining his ATCL on piano, and studying composition under Mr. P. Brier in Brisbane. As well as the standard classical syllabus he also learnt some modern piano of the Teddy Wilson style and boogie woogie of the Freddie Slack style. He applied to join the Royal Australian Air Force in January 1940, but was rejected on grounds of his age. In December 1940 he was successful and was sent to Amberley, Queensland, posted to 73 Signals, given a course at Point Cook, and assigned to No. 58 Radar Station, Townsville. While stationed there, and in subsequent similar postings, he contributed to barracks entertainment and was recommended by the area welfare officer for transfer to the Entertainment Unit, for which he applied in January 1944. He was admitted to the 3 R.A.A.F. Hospital as seriously ill in July 1944 after sustaining a severe leg injury, for which amputation was for a time considered, and was discharged from the R.A.A.F. as permanently medically unfit in September 1945. [4] A rehabilitation course took him to the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music, where he studied under (later Sir) Eugene Goossens. Australia was however no place for an ambitious musician and aspiring composer, and in 1952 he, his wife Margot and 10-year-old stepdaughter Rel left for London. Success did not come immediately; no-one was interested in a composer, but he found a three-month engagement playing piano in a nightclub, then other occasional jobs. At one stage to pay the rent on their room Ron and Margot were forced to work as caretakers of a huge block of flats with Ron stoking two large boilers morning and night while Margot washed stairs and cleaned rooms. [3] Ron slowly became known in the television business and after about four years began to receive commissions. Grainer collaborated with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop on a number of television series themes, including Giants of Steam (a documentary about railways) and in 1963 the science fiction series DoctorWho. Grainer was so impressed with Delia Derbyshire's electronic realisation of his score (which remained the standard version of the DoctorWho theme for 18 years) that he is reported to have said on hearing it, "Did I really write that?" - to which Derbyshire responded "most of it!" [5] He also offered co-composer credit to her, but this was prevented by BBC bureaucracy. Grainer composed music for several ITC productions, such as The Prisoner. Among his most eclectic film works was the music to The Omega Man, based upon the book I Am Legend by Richard Matheson and starring Charlton Heston. The soundtrack was not released on CD until 2002 in a limited run of 3,000 copies. It was remastered and given a general release in 2008, the original occasionally changing hands as a rarity. The music contains a mix of symphonic, jazz, avant garde and electronic music. Grainer's work on The Prisoner may have led to his being hired to score the film. It has been noted that the theme music and incidental music seemed remarkably similar to those of The Prisoner, with alternative notes removed, and the film itself contains visual elements that could be references to, or homage to, The Prisoner. One of Grainer's later themes was for Tales of the Unexpected.
Grainer was married twice, first to Margot (one stepdaughter: Rel), whom he left in 1964 and subsequently divorced [6] and later to Jennifer (1966–76; one son: Damian), whom he divorced in 1976. Grainer died from spinal cancer in Cuckfield, Sussex, England, aged 58. His second ex-wife was at his side. A compilation LP album, The Exciting Television Music ofRon Grainer, appeared in 1980. In 1994, a CD comprising 30 TV and film themes composed by Grainer, The A To Z Of British TV Themes - The Ron Grainer Years, was released by the Play It Again label.
[Link removed - login to see]
... (more)
(less)
My tags:
Add tags
Login
