Landon Ronald - Biography

Sir Landon Ronald (born Landon Ronald Russell) (7 June 1873 – 14 August 1938) was an English conductor, composer, pianist, singing teacher and administrator. He was the son of Henry Russell, noted composer of popular songs, and the half brother of the impresario Henry Russell, founder of the Boston Opera Company.

Landon Ronald was born in London and educated at St Marylebone Grammar School. He studied at the Royal College of Music, 1884-1890. He then worked at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and became conductor of Augustus Harris's touring company. In 1894, he toured the United States as accompanist for Nellie Melba. From 1900 he worked for the recording company The Gramophone & Typewriter Ltd, predecessor of His Master's Voice (HMV), initially as pianist; he accompanied early recordings by distinguished singers such as Charles Santley and Adelina Patti.

From 1908 he was principal conductor of the New Symphony Orchestra (known as the Royal Albert Hall Orchestra between about 1915 and 1928), with which he began to make records in 1909. He also worked with the Scottish Orchestra (afterwards the Royal Scottish National Orchestra) and in Birmingham, where (according to the local critic Sydney Grew) he was distinguished by his imaginative programme-building.

As a conductor Ronald was especially noted as a concerto accompanist; the critic Robert Elkin paid him an extraordinary compliment by describing Arthur Nikisch as "the finest accompanist until Landon Ronald". Ronald was also closely associated with the music of Edward Elgar; but since they both worked for the same record company, Ronald only recorded one of Elgar's works, the "Coronation March", on 7 March 1935, a year after Elgar's death. However, he was the pianist in the first performance of Elgar's Violin Sonata in E minor in 1919, with W.H. Reed the violinist.

He composed over 200 songs. These include "Serenade espagnole" recorded by the Italian tenor Enrico Caruso. The song describes a trip to Spain to see the capital city. An English song, "Down in the Forest", is still performed.

He was knighted in 1922, and published his memoirs Variations on a Personal Theme in the same year.

Some re-issues of his recordings now available at www.historic-recordings.co.uk

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