Albert Ketèlbey (9 August 1875 – 26 November 1959) was an English
composer, conductor, and pianist, best known for his light orchestral
music. He was born in Birmingham, moving to London in 1889 to study at
Trinity College of Music where he became musical director of the
Vaudeville Theatre. For many years Ketèlbey worked for music publishers
including Chappell & Co and the Columbia Graphophone Company, providing
arrangements for smaller orchestras. He composed accompanying music for
silent films; In a Monastery Garden (1915) sold over a million copies
and brought widespread notice. Later soundtracks for exotic scenes such
as In a Persian Market (1920, cover pictured), In a Chinese Temple
Garden (1923), and In the Mystic Land of Egypt (1931), became best-
sellers; by the late 1920s Ketèlbey was Britain's first millionaire
composer. His popularity waned during the Second World War. In 1949 he
retired to the Isle of Wight, where he died in obscurity. In a 2003 poll
by the BBC's Your Hundred Best Tunes, Bells across the Meadows was voted
the thirty-sixth most popular tune of all time.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Ket%C3%A8lbey>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1173:
Construction began on a campanile, which would eventually
become the Leaning Tower of Pisa (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa>
1914:
World War I: France launched its first attack of the war in an
ultimately unsuccessful attempt to recover the province of Alsace from
Germany.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mulhouse>
1945:
World War II: USAAF bomber Bockscar dropped a "Fat Man" atomic
bomb, devastating Nagasaki, Japan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Man>
1971:
The Troubles: British authorities began arresting and interning
(without trial) people accused of being republican paramilitary members.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Demetrius>
2006:
British police arrested 24 people for conspiring to detonate
liquid explosives carried on board at least 10 airliners travelling from
the United Kingdom to the United States and Canada.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_transatlantic_aircraft_plot>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
Pinkerton syndrome:
(chiefly Singapore, derogatory) The tendency of some Asians to regard
Caucasians as superior or more desirable, especially where marriage or
relationships are concerned. […]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Pinkerton_syndrome>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am transparent An open book; There's no choice in the matter But
the breath from my mind Is living air, And the notes from my heart Are
what I share. Words weren't made for cowards.
--Happy Rhodes
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Happy_Rhodes>