Leroy Anderson

Born in Massachusetts in 1908, and dying in Connecticut in 1975, this American composer is probably most famous for 'The Typewriter' (which my own, very much non-classical-music, father was happy to play to me aged about 6, and which kept me amused for longer than it should have!) He was far more musically grounded than that source of fame perhaps suggests, though: he studied counterpoint, fugue and composition at Harvard, obtaining his Master of Arts degree there in 1930. Between 1930 and 1934, he travelled to Germany and Scandanavia to further his musical studies.

From 1935 to 1942, he worked as an arranger and orchestra in Boston; his war years were spent as a translator and interpreter in Iceland and the USA (he was fluent in Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, German, French, Italian and Portuguese). His war service (including time in Korea) did not seem to prevent him composing swathes of 'light' music: Blue Tango from 1951 was the first instrumental recording ever to sell more than a million copies in the US.

The New Groves explains that his music appeals because of its infectious melodies, popular dance rhythms and novel orchestral effects, which may all be true. The Other Half, who is not known to adore classical music, claims instead to find that going for energetic walks is much easier with Anderson's music playing in the headphones than without: something about the rhythms apparently helps pick up the pace! Of course, “true classical music afficionados” will sneer at Anderson's 'lightweight' output and dismiss it as merely popular music. They would be foolish to do so: Anderson is quite as capable of touching the heart, albeit in different ways, as a Mahler or a Wagner.

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