Cyril Ornadel (b. 1924) is a Britishconductor, songwriter and composer chiefly in musical theatre. Year 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Look up conductor in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... The Fantasticks was the longest-running musical in history. ...
As well as being musical director for several West End shows, he scored several musicals of his own, including Pickwick (1963) and Great Expectations (1975), both adapted from Charles Dickens. He also penned the song Portrait of My Love, a hit for Matt Monro in 1960. The title of music director is used by many symphony orchestras to designate the primary conductor and artistic leader of the orchestra. ... // West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre in London, or sometimes more specifically for shows staged in the large theatres of Londons Theatreland . Along with New Yorks Broadway Theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of theatre in the... Pickwick was a musical based on Charles Dickenss The Pickwick Papers, which opened on July 4, 1963. ... Great Expectations is a Bildungsroman (a novel tracing the life of the protagonist) by Charles Dickens and first serialized in All the Year Round from December 1860 to August 1861. ... Dickens redirects here. ... Matt Monro (December 1, 1932- February 7, 1985) was a ballad singer of the 1960s and one of great international postwar entertainers. ...
Ornadel's one unquestionable smash hit came in 1963 with Pickwick at the Saville Theatre, a substantial success for Harry Secombe.
Ornadel's last score was for Once More, Darling, modestly billed as 'a farce with music', with a book by Ray Cooney and John Chapman adapted from their play Not Now, Darling, and with lyrics by Norman Newell.
Ornadel was musical director and played at one of the two pianos that made up the show's orchestra.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Cyril Stapleton was a well-known orchestra leader in Britain and overseas, thanks to his regular BBC broadcasts and his many recordings.
Cyril Stapleton was a talented conductor whose musical prowess extended far beyond waving a baton.
Cyril Stapleton is not unique among his peers - there were many arrangers and conductors who came from the same demanding school - but he offered good taste and showmanship that few others have equalled.