What is Light Music?

The term Light Music covers an enormous range of music – the operas of Gilbert & Sullivan or Offenbach, the waltzes of Strauss, the marches of Sousa, tuneful orchestral music by Eric Coates, Edward German, Leroy Anderson, Robert Farnon, Ron Goodwin, Ernest Tomlinson, Trevor Duncan and many others, Palm Court music, symphonic jazz, the lighter moments of Mozart, Schubert, Dvorak, Elgar or Walton, ballet music by Tchaikowsky and Delibes, show music by Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Leonard Bernstein or Andrew Lloyd Webber, popular songs and ballads of  this or any age, film music, TV themes.  The list is endless.

We think of Light Music as music with an immediate appeal, music with melody, music to entertain -  music to enjoy! 

The Light Music Society was founded in 1957 with Eric Coates as its first President. Sir Arthur Bliss was later President, and when the first newsletters were introduced Billy Mayerl edited them. This was the heyday of light music, with many light orchestras broadcasting throughout the day, week in week out. So why was a society thought necessary?

 In Billy Mayerl's own words:

“The sober fact is that light music is in danger, not from direct assault, but from the fact that the lover of light music has no-one to speak for him. There are many societies for ‘serious’ music and many for jazz, but until now, none for light music. The Light Music Society's declared object is to foster the interests of light music throughout the world and to obtain increased facilities for those interested in this form of culture by means of broadcasting, recording and general performances.”

For twenty years the Society was very active, with regular meetings, concerts, competitions, bulletins and social events taking place.  In 1966 Ernest Tomlinson became Chairman.  With the help of other members of the Society he succeeded in keeping light music “on the air ” through the Society's influence with the BBC.

The Orchestra of the Light Music Society, launched at the the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London in 1968, broadcasted regularly in the early 1970s and recorded two LPs for HMV which continue to receive broadcast performances.  Around 1976, principally due to lack of support for light music in the broadcasting world, the Society reduced its activities and appointed a small caretaker committee.

The Library of Light–Orchestral Music

In 1969 the LMS sponsored an LP called Britain's Choice, the "choice" having been made by the votes of LMS members. Continuing royalties from its sales caused the Chairman to seek a worthy project on which to use this income. The Library of Light-Orchestral Music was subsequently created with the combined objectives of preserving orchestral material - much of it in danger of being destroyed for all time - and furthering interest in this range of music.

In 1984 the Light Music Society was confirmed as a backing organisation for the new library. Ernest Tomlinson was re-appointed as Chairman and a caretaker committee set up.

The library is now housed at Ernest Tomlinson's home in Lancashire. It contains upwards of 35,000 orchestral sets and incorporates the personal libraries of such musicians as Frank Cantell (conductor of the BBC West of England Orchestra), Bob Sharples, Monia Liter, Neil Richardson, Walter Collins and other composers and conductors.  It also has many sets from now defunct orchestras and several public libraries. The library also holds more than 5,000 songs and several thousand Dance Band sets.

Members of the LMS can hire from the library and buy duplicate sets of parts if they are out of copyright.  For a fuller account of the library, including details of hire charges, click on the Library Menu of this website.

  
Orchestral playing members of the LMS from all over the country outside the home of Chairman Ernest Tomlinson in 2003. This is where the Library of Light-Orchestral Music is currently housed. Members played through works from the library conducted by ET.