Percy Greenbank

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Percy Greenbank (24 January 1878 -- 9 December 1968) was an English lyricist, best known for his contribution of lyrics to a number of successful musical comedies around the turn of the 20th Century.

[edit] Life and career

Greenbank was born in London and died in Rickmansworth. He was Harry Greenbank's younger brother. Percy studied law, but instead decided to become a journalist, contributing to such journals as Punch, The Sketch and The Tatler, and to write for the theatre.

After Harry's death, George Edwardes asked the younger Greenbank to collaborate with Adrian Ross on the lyrics for The Messenger Boy and also interpolated two of his lyrics into San Toy when that score was revised ("Somebody" and "All I Want is a Little Bit of Fun"). He began to collaborate with compsers Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton, as well as with Ross and the deviser of the Gaiety show plots and outlines, James Tanner.

Cover of Vocal Score

For the remaining 14 years of the Edwardes era Greenbank worked at the Gaiety, Daly's and later the Adelphi, contributing sometimes much and sometimes only a few lyrics to most of Edwardes's shows, including hits like The Toreador (1901), A Country Girl (1902), The Orchid (1903), The Earl and the Girl (1903), Véronique (1904), The Cingalee (1904), The Little Michus (1905), The Spring Chicken (1905), The Girl Behind the Counter (1906), The New Aladdin (1906), Our Miss Gibbs (1909), and The Quaker Girl (1910).

After Edwardes death in 1915, Greenbank continued for a further decade to supply songwords and occasionally libretti to the musical stage, only rarely venturing into the world of revue (Half Past Eight and Vanity Fair). His last major work for the West End was the adaptation from the German of what was to become the book to the Jean Gilbert-Vernon Duke musical Yvonne. He subsequently did occasional work as a play doctor (El Dorado et al) or an adapter. He modernized San Toy with Percy Barrow for its 1931 revival, but slowed down into a long retirement.

Greenbank died at the age of 90, and as a result, the Edwardian musical comedies to which he contributed remain in copyright well into the 21st century.