William Merrick Farran (1906 – 26 November 1991)[1] was a London-born composer, conductor and violinist.
Farran was educated at Stonyhurst Castle. He won a scholarship to the Manchester Royal College of Music to study composition (with E. J Moeran) and violin. As an orchestral player he toured America with Sir Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.[2]
He established himself as a conductor[3] of both classical and popular music, and a composer of library music for KPM and Bruton.[4][5] His House of Horror music was used in TV productions such as Prisoner Cell Block H and SpongeBob SquarePants.[6] There was also some concert music, including Symphonic Variations On A Rock 'N Roll Theme (the theme being from 'Rock Around the Clock'), which was issued on a Melodisc LP in 1958,[7] and the three movement Stranger in London suite.[8] Farran was the arranger of 'The Ghost of Your Past' and 'Quite Suddenly' for Matt Monro in 1961.[9]
He died at the Acland Hospital in Oxford.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b 'Announcements', Daily Telegraph, 4 December 1991, p. 20
- ^ Reuben Musiker and Naomi Musiker. Conductors and Composers of Popular Orchestral Music (1998), p. 82
- ^ for instance, London Studio Orchestra broadcast, BBC Radio 4, 11 April 1968
- ^ KPM 1005, Sacred Music (1966); 1081, Cartoon Capers (1970); and 1085, Electronic Music (1971)
- ^ Oliver Lomax. The Mood Modern, (2018), p. 64
- ^ House of Horror, Bruton BRM5 (1980), Internet Archive
- ^ Melodisc MLP 12 103
- ^ Philip L Scowcroft. A 303rd Garland of British Light Music Composers (2002)
- ^ Michele Monro. Matt Monro: The Singer's Singer (2011)