Paul Rubens (composer)
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Paul Alfred Rubens, (b London, 29 April 1875; d Falmouth, 25 February 1917) was a songwriter and scribe of the musicals and songs for the Victorian and Edwardian musical comedy stage.
[edit] Life and career
Eldest son of a German-born, Jewish stockbroker, Rubens supplied lyrics and music to songs for a number of successful musicals in the 1890s, including The Shop Girl at the age of 19 ("The Little Chinchilla" sung by Ellaline Terriss). He wrote songs for Arthur Roberts for Dandy Dan the Lifeguardsman (1898, "There's Just a Something Missing") and Milord Sir Smith; for Little Miss Nobody ("Trixie of Upper Tooting", "A Wee Little Bit of a Thing Like That", "We'll Just Sit Out", and "The People All Come to See Us"); and for San Toy (1899, "Me Gettee Outee Velly Quick").
He also provided several lyrics and music for songs in the score of Florodora ("Inkling", "Tact", "When I Leave Town", "I Want to Marry a Man", "When an Interfering Person", "Queen of the Philippine Islands", and "When We're on the Stage"). After this success, George Edwardes put Rubens under contract as an "additional material" writer, and he used some of his numbers in The Messenger Boy in 1900 ("Tell Me Pretty Maiden", "How I Saw the CIV", and "A Perfectly Peaceful Person"); The Toreador in 1901 ("Everybody's Awfully Good to Me"); A Country Girl in 1902 ("Two Little Chicks" and "Coo"); The Girl from Kays in 1902 ("I Don't Care"); The School Girl in 1903; The Cingalee in 1904 ("Sloe Eyes", "Make a Fuss of Me", "She's All Right", '"You and I and I and You", "Golly-wogs", and "Somethings Devilish Wrong"); Lady Madcap (1904); and Mr. Popple of Ippleton in 1905, for which he also wrote the book.
Frank Curzon then hired Rubens to write both the words and music for musicals starring his wife, Isabel Jay (who had already starred in two of Reubens' shows), at the Prince of Wales Theatre with exotic sets, elaborate costumes and a host of beautiful chorus girls. The first was Miss Hook of Holland in 1907. This was followed by the disappointing My Mimosa Maid (1908) and the more successful Dear Little Denmark (1909).
Rubens supplied melodies for a number of mostly successful later shows including The Balkan Princess in 1910 (also starring Jay), The Sunshine Girl in 1912, The Girl from Utah in 1913, After the Girl in 1914, Betty and Tina, both in 1915, and The Happy Day in 1916. His best and most enduringly popular work from this period, however, is heard in his melodies for Tonight's the Night (1914).
Rubens met actress Phyllis Dare when she was cast in The Sunshine Girl, and he wrote a number of songs for her. They began a relationship and ultimately became engaged, but Rubens who had suffered severe ill-health through virtually his whole career, became too sick to marry and died at the age of 41 of consumption.
[edit] References
- Hyman, Alan (1978). Sullivan and His Satellites. London: Chappell.
- Obituary: Paul Rubens, Musical Times, Vol. 58, No. 889 (March 1, 1917), p. 117.
