Musical Beginnings
The second of four children in an exceptional family, Ernest Tomlinson
was born on the 19th of September 1924 in Beech Street, Rawtenstall, Lancashire.
His father, Fred Tomlinson, a talented, mainly self-taught musician, was choirmaster
at St. John's Church, Crawshawbooth, and also in 1924 became the founder-conductor
of the prestigious Rossendale Male Voice Choir, whilst his mother, May, a
schoolteacher exercised her musical talents at the local Sunday school.
Immersed in music from an early age, Ernest's ability was soon apparent.
He joined his father at St. John's when he was six, began composing at nine
and by the time he was twelve the children at his mother's Sunday school were
performing his, as yet simple, songs. In 1933 he was accepted as a chorister
at Manchester Cathedral Choir where he was later joined by his two younger
brothers James and Fred, themselves both accomplished musicians. He was made
Head Boy of the Choir in 1939, transferring to the Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar
School in 1940.
Throughout his schooling Ernest had piano lessons with Jos. Warburton of
Ewood Bridge. Both schools recognised and encouraged his performing and compositional
talents. Compositions from those school years include a variety of Church
music, songs and orchestral pieces. However, at the same time he was developing
a life-long fascination for the rich and varied sounds of the orchestra. This
was to prove the true medium for his great creativity and such was his ability
that he was able to learn enough of each instrument to coax performances from
the keen, but unprofessional school musicians.
Scholarship
In 1941, still aged only 16, Ernest won a scholarship to Manchester University
and the Royal Manchester College of Music to study composition, organ, piano
and clarinet. At this time he also became choir-master and organist at All
Souls Church, Ancoats. This was wartime and Manchester was an important industrial
target for bombing raids. Impoverished as students invariably are Ernest eked
out his grant by fire-watching and playing in a theatre orchestra. ( All experiences
are of value to the creative mind!) He also joined the Air Training Corps,
obtaining his proficiency certificate for pilot training.
Military Service
Inevitably the war interrupted his studies and in 1943 Ernest was among the last group of young men to be called up for active service. To his surprise Ernest was told he was colour-blind and thus ineligible for aircrew. Consequently he was detailed to train as a wireless mechanic. He has always been amused by the irony which introduced him to the one trade where perfect colour vision is essential - all those colour coded components. An extract from a training camp revue song sums up a little of the feelings of the time:
How many a man to Stockport came, clear-eyed and sound of brain
From the sunny plains of Padgate, from cool Skegnesian rain
They came with cheeks so sunburnt, with fighting blood afire
To play with little solenoids and solder bits of wire!!!
From The Radar/Mech's Revenge (by A.N. Other, Stockport 1943 piano ET)
However, he revelled in this introduction to the hitherto unknown world
of science and maintains his interest today (not least through the many ways
electronics contributes to modern music). The last 5 months of his training
were spent in South Kensington, London where the Victoria and Albert Museum
and Science Museum were taken over by the RAF housing the full range of wireless
and radar equipment in classrooms and aircraft mock-ups. Coincidentally he
was billeted in flats overlooking the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal College
of Music where he had gained his ARCO the previous January.
Ernest qualified for his "sparks" in May 1944 and after serving on airfields in Wales and England he volunteered for an undisclosed assignment which led to his service in France between 1944 and 1945. In the follow-up to the invasion and after three days floating in wait in the English Channel his 7-man Mobile Signals Unit landed on Omaha beach in Normandy and were sent to an airfield near Rheims to work on a ground station. This supported emergency landings of Lancasters, Halifaxes and other allied aircraft. The base was run jointly with the American 8th Army Airforce and so he had the opportunity to absorb some of the novel and exciting big-band sounds, an influence seen in the scoring of some of his later work.
New Horizons
After demobilisation Ernest returned to his studies in 1946 and graduated
in 1947 with a B.Mus. in composition and the FRCO (Fellow of the Royal College
of Organists) and ARMCM (Associate of the Royal Manchester College of Music).
In December 1947 he moved to London having obtained a post of copyist-assistant
to Ronald Hanmer and as an organist at a Mayfair church. In 1948 he began
work as a publisher's staff arranger, providing scores for a wide variety
of ensembles, small and large, for radio and television as well as for stage
and concert hall.
Broadcasts
1949 saw the first broadcasts of Ernest's compositions. By now his melodic gift and colourful scoring made it natural for him to move away from his earlier choral compositions to light orchestral music. Increasing numbers of performances and a BBC commission to write the music for a radio play, "The Story of Cinderella" made him decide to give up arranging in 1955 and earn his living as a composer. He also began broadcasting with the Ernest Tomlinson Light Orchestra and later the Ernest Tomlinson Singers.
His considerable output as a composer includes the prize-winning Sinfonia '62, three concertos, a one-act opera, a ballet Aladdin and a varied body of works for choir, brass and wind bands. He remains best known for his overtures, suites, rhapsodies and miniatures, of which Little Serenade is probably the most popular. His Fantasia on North-Country Tunes, commissioned by the Hallé Orchestra in 1977, has become a standard `Last Night of the Proms' audience rouser with orchestras such as the Hallé, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the English Northern Philharmonic Orchestra and other major orchestras north and even south of Watford. Pieces from his Cinderella music are heard regularly. For example performances of the Cinderella Waltz in the The London Symphony Orchestra Christmas Concerts at the Barbican Centre in London. His Fantasia on `Auld Lang Syne' has proved popular at the spectacular concerts by The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and the Performing Arts Orchestras at Kenwood House, Blenheim Palace and other stately homes.
Live Music
Ernest believes strongly in the composer's need to be involved in performance of every kind. For example conducting an operatic society, writing for a circus band, rehearsing the scouts gang-show, working in music festivals and brass band concerts and directing many choirs and choral societies.
Since 1955 he has broadcast many times with his own orchestras and singers and given numerous concerts. He always makes particular efforts to be present at performances of his work and has conducted his own compositions in many places, including the Royal Festival Hall and Royal Albert Hall, London, and the Tchaikowsky Hall, Moscow. His music is a natural choice for any light music concert and his conducting experience makes him an excellent choice as a guest conductor.
Music making has always been his main driving force and it he has been strongly involved in organisations which promote composer's and performer's interests. Ernest Tomlinson served for several years on the Executive Committee of The Composers' Guild of Great Britain, and was its Chairman in 1964. He was a composer-director of the Performing Right Society from 1965 to 1994.
Return to the North
After many years in the London area, Ernest and his family returned to their
roots in the North-West in 1968, to a near derelict farm in Longridge which
has been in his wife's family since 1722. His energies were divided between
rebuilding the house and composition although he still had time to found the
Northern Concert Orchestra, which made regular broadcasts from Manchester.
Amongst his concerts were several with his orchestra and the Rossendale choir.
The Rossendale Choir
The Rossendale Male Voice Choir was founded in 1924 (the year of Ernest's
birth) by his father, Fred, who was its conductor for 53 years. Ernest sang
with the choir after the war before his move to London. At his father's request
he took over as conductor in 1975. His aim over the next 6 years was to preserve
and develop the unique qualities that had made the choir such a successful
one. The choir was winner in its class in each of the 3 years of BBC TV's
Grand Sing competition. His need for local live music-making led to his founding,
in September 1989, the Ribble Vale Choir in Longridge, with regular concerts
in the area.
Library of Light Orchestral Music
One of the advantages of having moved to Longridge is the large stone barn
which belonged to the erstwhile farm. This now houses the Library of Light
Orchestral Music founded in 1984. Ernest has travelled all over the country
collecting scores to build up the library which now comprises much unique
material which would otherwise have been lost. It has proved to be a continually
valuable resource for orchestras, broadcasters and recording companies in
this country and abroad.
In the Recording Studio
Since 1991 Ernest Tomlinson has been closely involved in the Marco Polo
BRITISH LIGHT MUSIC CD series, conducting the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
of Bratislava in 4 CDs, two of them of his own compositions. For the same
company has conducted the RTE Concert Orchestra in Dublin and the New Zealand
Symphony Orchestra in Wellington, the latter recording some of his more substantial
works. Broadcasts of his music by the BBC have continued over nearly 50 years,
and his compositions are now heard regularly also on Classic FM and radio
stations world-wide..
Ernest Tomlinson married Jean Garnett Lancaster in 1949. They have four children,
eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren..
WORKS (Selective list)
Orchestral:
Three Pastoral Dances (1950); First and Second Suites of English Folk-Dances
(1951 and 1977); Festival Suite (1956); Lyrical Suite (1957); Rhapsody and
Rondo for horn and orchestra (1957); English Pageant (1961); Light Music Suite
(1965); Dances from Aladdin (1975) and other suites; Comedy Overture (1956);
An English Overture (19??); Little Serenade (1955); Kielder Water(1983); Best
Foot Forward (1966 - also Brass Band, Wind Band); and many other single movements;
120 plus titles of publishers "mood music" recordings, many under
pseudonym Alan Perry; Serenade for Strings (1958); Little Symphony (1972);
Fantasia on Auld Lang Syne (1976); Fantasia on North-Country Tunes (1978);
Concerto for Orchestra (1982); Sinfonia '62, Symphony '65 (combined jazz and
symphony orchestras); Concerto for 5 (5 Sax, orch.); Cornet Concerto (Brass
Band) (1974); Aerofantasy (Wind Band) (1978); Wind Quintet (1951); Concertino
for 10 Wind Instruments (1959); Three Lyrical Pieces (organ)(1952); clarinet
pieces; piano music.
Choral and Vocal:
Festival of Song (with orchestra. 1977); more than 200 songs and part-songs
including many folk-song arrangements.
Stage Works:
Opera (1 Act:W.W.Jacobs), Head of the Family;
Ballet (2 Acts), Aladdin (1974)
Radio musical plays:
Cinderella (1955); The King and the Mermaid (1956)