Roy Ashton
Encyclopedia
Roy Ashton was an Australian tenor
, associated for a while with Benjamin Britten
's English Opera Group
, and make-up artist who became particularly associated with his work on the Hammer Horror films.
and Glyndebourne
. In 1947, he joined Benjamin Britten's English Opera Group, understudying Peter Pears
and creating the role of the Mayor in Albert Herring
. During the summer months he worked as a make-up artist to support his life as a singer during the winter.
In 1955, due to clashing commitments, Ashton was forced to make a choice; since his work as a make-up artist was a more lucrative and stable source of income, he devoted himself to that career. However he would always fondly remember his singing career: "Nothing can compare with the thrill of appearing before a great gathering, of hearing the thunder of the applause delivered to a sincere artist," he wrote.
Although he had a long and varied career in British films, Ashton is chiefly remembered for his work on the Hammer Horror films. After assisting Phil Leakey
on The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Ashton took the reins in The Hound of the Baskervilles
(1959) and created some of the studio's most celebrated images in films, such as The Mummy
(1959), The Curse of the Werewolf
and The Reptile
(1966).
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
, associated for a while with Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
's English Opera Group
English Opera Group
The English Opera Group was a small company of British musicians formed in 1947 by the composer Benjamin Britten for the purpose of presenting his and other, primarily British, composers' operatic works. The group later expanded in order to present larger-scale works, and was renamed the English...
, and make-up artist who became particularly associated with his work on the Hammer Horror films.
Career
After World War II he began his career as a principal with both Covent GardenRoyal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. 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 Opera, The...
and Glyndebourne
Glyndebourne Festival Opera
Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an English opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England.-History:...
. In 1947, he joined Benjamin Britten's English Opera Group, understudying Peter Pears
Peter Pears
Sir Peter Neville Luard Pears CBE was an English tenor who was knighted in 1978. His career was closely associated with the composer Edward Benjamin Britten....
and creating the role of the Mayor in Albert Herring
Albert Herring
Albert Herring, Op. 39, is a chamber opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten.Composed in the winter of 1946 and the spring of 1947, this comic opera was a successor to his serious opera The Rape of Lucretia...
. During the summer months he worked as a make-up artist to support his life as a singer during the winter.
In 1955, due to clashing commitments, Ashton was forced to make a choice; since his work as a make-up artist was a more lucrative and stable source of income, he devoted himself to that career. However he would always fondly remember his singing career: "Nothing can compare with the thrill of appearing before a great gathering, of hearing the thunder of the applause delivered to a sincere artist," he wrote.
Although he had a long and varied career in British films, Ashton is chiefly remembered for his work on the Hammer Horror films. After assisting Phil Leakey
Phil Leakey
Philip Leakey was a British make-up artist known chiefly for his work on Hammer films.He provided Christopher Lee's celebrated makeup for Hammer's The Curse of Frankenstein , whose "monster" had to be memorable and terrifying without infringing the copyright on Universal's earlier makeup, created...
on The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Ashton took the reins in The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of four crime novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set largely on Dartmoor in Devon in England's West Country and tells the story of an...
(1959) and created some of the studio's most celebrated images in films, such as The Mummy
The Mummy (1959 film)
The Mummy is a 1959 Technicolor British Hammer Horror film starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.Though the title suggests Universal Pictures' 1932 film of the same name, the film actually derives its plot and characters entirely from two later Universal films, The Mummy's Hand and The Mummy's...
(1959), The Curse of the Werewolf
The Curse of the Werewolf
The Curse of the Werewolf is a British film based on the novel The Werewolf of Paris by Guy Endore. The film was made by the British film studio Hammer Film Productions and was shot at Bray Studios.-Plot:...
and The Reptile
The Reptile
The Reptile is a 1966 horror film made by Hammer Film Productions. It was directed by John Gilling, and starred Noel Willman, Jacqueline Pearce, Ray Barrett, Jennifer Daniel and Michael Ripper.-Plot synopsis:...
(1966).
Discography
- The Beggar's Opera (John GayJohn GayJohn Gay was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for The Beggar's Opera , set to music by Johann Christoph Pepusch...
, arr. Britten); with English Opera Group conducted by Benjamin Britten. BBC broadcast recorded 22 September 1948. Released on Pearl - Albert Herring (Benjamin Britten); with English Opera Group conducted by Benjamin Britten. Live recording in the Theatre Royal, Copenhagen, on 15 September 1949. Released on Nimbus
External links
- Roy Ashton "Personal Information" on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Roy-Ashton/232334141399?v=info