Fritz Spiegl
Fritz Spiegl (born January 27, 1926 in Zurndorf , Burgenland , † March 23, 2003 in Liverpool ) was a British composer, writer and journalist of Austrian origin.
Born in Zurndorf as the son of a Jewish mother, he and his sister were able to flee to England in 1939 on a children's transport . Spiegl studied at the Royal Academy of Music and was a flautist in the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra .
For the BBC he composed the Radio 4 UK Theme , a medley of famous folk songs from all over the UK. The piece served as the signature melody of the BBC radio channel Radio 4 and was heard every night from 1978 to 2006 when the program closed . When it was removed from the program, angry listeners protests even preoccupied the House of Commons .
Works
- 1966: How to Talk Proper in Liverpool (Lern Yerself Scouse S.)
- 1983: Keep Taking the Tabloids. What the Papers Say and How They Say It
- 1986: The Joy of Words. A Bedside Book for English Lovers
- 1996: Fritz Spiegl's Book of Musical Blunders and other Musical Curiosities ; ISBN 1-86105-075-5
- 1997: The Lives, Wives and Loves of the Great Composers , Marion Boyers Inc, 2000, ISBN 0-7145-2917-6
- 1998: An Illustrated Everyday History of Liverpool and Merseyside
- 2001: MuSick Notes: A Medical Songbook , Informa Healthcare 2002, ISBN 1-84214-086-8
literature
- Alfred Lang, Barbara Tobler, Gert Tschögl (eds.): Displaced. Memories of Burgenland Jews. , Mandelbaum Verlag, Vienna 2004, ISBN 3-85476-115-5 DNB
Web links
- Fritz Spiegl on Telegraph.co.uk
- Dennis Barker: Fritz Spiegl. Witty musical polymath and broadcaster The Guardian March 25, 2003
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Spiegl, Fritz |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British composer, writer and journalist |
DATE OF BIRTH | January 27, 1926 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Zurndorf , Burgenland |
DATE OF DEATH | March 23, 2003 |
Place of death | Liverpool |