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

_______________________________ 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

_____________________________ 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

___________________________ 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