Francis Chagrin
| Francis Chagrin | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Alexander Paucker November 15, 1905 Bucharest, Romania |
| Died |
November 10, 1972 (aged 66) Hampstead, London, England |
| Residence | England |
| Occupation | Composer |
Francis Chagrin (born Alexander Paucker, 15 November 1905 - 10 November 1972),[1][2]) was a composer of film scores and popular orchestral music, as well as a conductor.
Career
He was born in Bucharest, Romania, to Jewish parents and at their insistence studied for an engineering degree in Zurich while secretly studying at that city’s music conservatoire.[1] He graduated in 1928 but when his family failed to support his musical ambitions, left home and moved to Paris where he adopted his new, French-sounding name.[1]
By playing in night clubs and cafes and writing popular songs, he funded himself though two years, from 1933, at the Ecole Normale, where his teachers included Paul Dukas and Nadia Boulanger, and settled in England in 1936.[1]
At the outbreak of World War II, he was appointed musical adviser and composer-in-chief to the BBC French Service, and the programme, Les Francais parlent aux Francais.[1] For this, he was decorated Officier d'Academie by the French government in 1948.[1]
He spoke French fluently, as well as perfect English (with a French accent), Romanian and German, and good Italian and Spanish.[1] For a trip to the USSR in October 1966, he studied Russian.[1]
In 1951 he formed his own chamber ensemble.[1] He composed the score for the 1955 film about Colditz, The Colditz Story. His harmonica work Romanian Fantasy was composed in 1956 for Larry Adler.
In 1959 he composed the theme and incidental music for the Sapphire Films TV series The Four Just Men for ITV.
In 1963, he won the Harriet Cohen International Music Award as "film composer of the year".[1] The following year, he composed music for the Doctor Who television episodes The Dalek Invasion of Earth.[1][3]
Family
His sons are the actors Nicolas and Julian Chagrin,[4] husband of actress and comedian Rolanda Chagrin.
Works
Chagrin's work includes 200 film scores, television and commercials.
Concert
Including:
Film scores
- Last Holiday (1950)
- The Happy Family (1952)
- An Inspector Calls (1954)
- The Beachcomber (1954)
- The Colditz Story (1955)
- Danger Within (1959)
- Greyfriars Bobby (1961)
- In the Cool of the Day (1963)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 Francis Chagrin at Chester Novello
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Scowcroft, Philip (January 2009). "Francis Chagrin". MusicWeb-International. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
- ↑ "The Dalek Invasion of Earth". Dr Who guide. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
- ↑ Julian Chagrin profile
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