Harry Mortimer

(Sir) Harry Mortimer (born April 10, 1902 in Hebden Bridge , Yorkshire , † January 23, 1992 in London ) was an English composer and conductor .

The father Fred Mortimer (1880-1953) was the conductor of the local brass band and gave Harry as well as his brothers Rex and Alex lessons in music theory and cornet . He later received lessons from William Rimmer (1862–1936). In 1916 the whole family moved to Luton . There he became a cornet soloist in the Luton (brass) band and, at the age of 14, conductor of The Luton Red Cross Junior Band . The Luton band was also conducted by his father at the time. This led the band to a remarkable level. With the conductor William Halliwell in 1923, the National Championships at Crystal Palace in London were won, something that no other southern English brass band has repeated. The family had to move again. This time it went to Sandbach , where father Fred Mortimer became the conductor of the famous Foden's Motor Works Band . Of course, his three sons also played in this band, Alex euphonium , Rex bass tuba , and Harry cornet .

All three became well-known conductors. In 28 competitions between 1930 and 1968, a brass band champion in 20 competitions, which was conducted by one of the three Mortimers. Father Fred was champion seven times with his Foden's Band , Harry nine times, especially with Black Dyke Mills , Alex three times and Rex once. Harry also won the Open British Championships nine times with the Fairey FP (Music) Band , in which brass bands from outside Great Britain can also take part. As the conductor of the Fairey FP (Music) Band , Black Dyke Mills , Munn & Felton's (now GUS-Brass-Band), Bickershaw Colliery Band and the Brighouse and Rastrick Band he celebrated numerous successes. In 1945 he became musical director of the Morris Concert Band, with whom he also had numerous successes at competitions, radio broadcasts and recordings on long-playing records. From 1935 to 1970 he was the professional conductor of the Fairey FP (Music) Band .

Between 1933 and 1940 Harry Mortimer was a soloist with the Halle Orchestra in Manchester , the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Northern Orchestra . From 1936 to 1940 he was a lecturer in trumpet at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. In 1942 he gave up his solo career with the major orchestras and became supervisor for wind orchestras and brass bands at the BBC . He held this position until 1964.

He also achieved great fame as a conductor of so-called mass concerts at festivals and competitions. Countless long-playing records were recorded from these concerts, in which the Fairey Band, Coventry Band, for which the Foden's Band later stepped in , and the Morris Motors Band, often with the title Men O'Brass . Mortimer brought the Black Dyke Mills and Grimethorpe Colliery to the glamorous Proms concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London .

Works

Works for wind orchestra (brass band)

• The medallion