Sir
Landon Ronald (
Landon Ronald Russell) (1873–1938), was an English
conductorConducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other musical ensembles often have conductors.-Nomenclature:...
,
composerA composer is a person who creates music, usually by musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of...
,
pianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers....
, singing teacher and administrator, born in London, England. He was the son of
Henry RussellHenry Russell was an English pianist, baritone singer and composer, born into a distinguished Jewish family.-Biography:...
, noted composer of popular songs.
He studied at the
Royal College of MusicThe Royal College of Music is a conservatoire located in the South Kensington district of London, England.-Background:The Royal College of Music's building, designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield, is situated on Prince Consort Road in the district of South Kensington, next to Imperial College, directly...
, 1884-1890. He then worked at the
Royal Opera HouseThe Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in the London district of Covent Garden. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal...
,
Covent GardenCovent Garden is a district in London, England, located in the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwestern corner of the London Borough of Camden...
, and became conductor of
Augustus HarrisSir Augustus Henry Glossop Harris , was a British actor, impresario, and dramatist.-Early life:Harris was born in Paris, France, the son of Augustus Glossop Harris , who was also a dramatist...
's touring company. In 1894, he toured the USA as accompanist for
Nellie MelbaDame Nellie Melba GBE , born Helen Porter Mitchell, was an Australian opera soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian Era and the early 20th century due to the purity of her lyrical voice and the brilliance of her technique. Melba was the first Australian to achieve...
. 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 SantleySir Charles Santley was an English-born opera and oratorio star with a bravura technique who became the most eminent English baritone and male concert singer of the Victorian era...
and
Adelina PattiAdelina Patti was one of the most highly regarded opera singers of the 19th century, earning huge fees at the height of her career....
.
Sir
Landon Ronald (
Landon Ronald Russell) (1873–1938), was an English
conductorConducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other musical ensembles often have conductors.-Nomenclature:...
,
composerA composer is a person who creates music, usually by musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of...
,
pianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers....
, singing teacher and administrator, born in London, England. He was the son of
Henry RussellHenry Russell was an English pianist, baritone singer and composer, born into a distinguished Jewish family.-Biography:...
, noted composer of popular songs.
He studied at the
Royal College of MusicThe Royal College of Music is a conservatoire located in the South Kensington district of London, England.-Background:The Royal College of Music's building, designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield, is situated on Prince Consort Road in the district of South Kensington, next to Imperial College, directly...
, 1884-1890. He then worked at the
Royal Opera HouseThe Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in the London district of Covent Garden. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal...
,
Covent GardenCovent Garden is a district in London, England, located in the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwestern corner of the London Borough of Camden...
, and became conductor of
Augustus HarrisSir Augustus Henry Glossop Harris , was a British actor, impresario, and dramatist.-Early life:Harris was born in Paris, France, the son of Augustus Glossop Harris , who was also a dramatist...
's touring company. In 1894, he toured the USA as accompanist for
Nellie MelbaDame Nellie Melba GBE , born Helen Porter Mitchell, was an Australian opera soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian Era and the early 20th century due to the purity of her lyrical voice and the brilliance of her technique. Melba was the first Australian to achieve...
. 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 SantleySir Charles Santley was an English-born opera and oratorio star with a bravura technique who became the most eminent English baritone and male concert singer of the Victorian era...
and
Adelina PattiAdelina Patti was one of the most highly regarded opera singers of the 19th century, earning huge fees at the height of her career....
. From 1908 he was principal conductor of the New Symphony Orchestra (known as the
Royal Albert HallThe Royal Albert Hall is an arts venue situated in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
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 OrchestraThe Royal Scottish National Orchestra is Scotland's national symphony orchestra. Based in Glasgow, the 89-strong professional orchestra also regularly performs in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee, and abroad....
) 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
concertoThe term Concerto is usually a three-part musical work in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra...
accompanist; the critic Robert Elkin paid him an extraordinary compliment by describing
Arthur NikischArthur Nikisch ; October 12, 1855 – January 23, 1922) was a Hungarian conductor who performed mainly in Germany. He was considered an outstanding interpreter of the music of Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Liszt.- Biography :...
as "the finest accompanist until Landon Ronald". Ronald was also closely associated with the music of
ElgarSir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, OM, GCVO was an English composer. Several of his first major orchestral works, including the Enigma Variations and the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, were greeted with acclaim. He also composed oratorios, chamber music, symphonies, instrumental concertos,...
; it is unfortunate that, because the record company for which he worked also had Elgar himself on its books, he recorded only one work, the "Coronation March" on 7 March 1935, a year after Elgar's death.
He composed over 200 songs. These include "Serenade espagnole" recorded by the Italian tenor
Enrico CarusoEnrico Caruso was an Italian tenor who sang to acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and North and South America...
. The song describes a trip to
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
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 1922.