Arnold Safroni-Middleton
George Arnold Haynes Safroni-Middleton, also known as Count Safroni was a British composer, director, violinist, harpist, writer and amateur astronomer. For several works he used the pseudonym William H. Myddleton.
Biography
Safroni-Middleton was born in Kent. He studied violin with Pablo de Sarasate and afterwards started performing as violinist. He played the violin in the Orchestra of "Her Majesty's Theatre" in Sydney, the Orchestra of the Opera House in Auckland, the Providence Opera House in Providence (Rhode Island), the Tokyo Orchestra, the Government House Orchestra and the Government House Mexico Orchestra. As solo performer he toured around Australia, South America, Italy and Spain.Later he became bandmaster of the Orchestra of the Carl Rosa Opera Company in London.
As a writer he wrote many novels, travel guides and poems. He explored Borneo, Papua New Guinea and Malaysia.
As a composer he is mainly known for his marches and dance music for the harmony orchestra. His best known piece is probably Imperial Echoes, which for many years was the theme of Radio Newsreel on BBC radio.
He died in Streatham and was buried at West Norwood Cemetery on 10 November 1950, age 77.
Compositions
Works for orchestra
Imperial Echoes The Leek - A Selection of Welsh Melodies published by Boosey and Hawkes early 20th c.The Rose - A Selection of English Melodies published by Boosey and Hawkes early 20th c.The Shamrock - A Selection of Irish Melodies published by Boosey and Hawkes early 20th c.The Thistle - A Selection of Scotch Melodies published by Boosey and Hawkes 1903.Works for harmony orchestra
American President, marchBoys of The Old BrigadeBy Imperial Command, marchBy Order of the King, marchCall of the Empire, marchChanson de la Nuit, entr'acteDown SouthFirenze, waltzHouse of Hanover, marchImperial Echoes, marchImperial March, marchKing's Cavalier, marchLight of the RegimentMen of the Mist, marchNegro dreamSalute the Standard, marchSamoan Love WaltzSierra Leone, marchThe Dashing British, marchThe Last Tryst, concert waltzThe Monk's DreamThe Night Riders, marchThe Phantom Brigade, marchThe Relief, marchThe ShamrockThe Scottish ThistleThe Stronghold, marchStage plays
La Foresta, musical comedyGabrielle, musical comedyPublications
Bush Songs and Oversea Voices, including Songs of the South Sea Islands, Australia, Etc., London, John Long, 1914, 159 p.Sailor and Beachcomber: Confessions of a Life at Sea, in Australia and amid the Islands of the Pacific, Grant Richards, London, UK, 1915, 304 p.A Vagabond's Odyssey: Being Further Reminiscences of a Wandering Sailor-Troubadour in Many Lands, Dodd & Mead, 1916, 328 p.Wine Dark Seas and Tropic Skies: Reminiscences and a Romance of the South Seas, Grant Richards, London, UK, 1918Gabrielle of the Lagoon: A Romance of the South Seas, The Solomon Isles. J.B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia/London, 1919, 286 p.South Sea Foam: The Romantic Adventures of a Modern Don Quixote in the Southern Seas, George H. Doran, 1920, 350 p.Sestrina: A Romance of the South Seas, George H. Doran, 1920, 256 p.No Extradition, Ward, Lock & Co., 1923Tropic Shadows: Memories of the South Seas, Together with Reminiscences of the Author's Sea Meetings with Joseph Conrad, London: The Richards Press, 1927, 302 p.Two Faces in Borneo: A Drama of a Dual Personality, London, The Richards Press, 1928Tides of Sunrise and Sunset: The Fourth Dimension of Romance, London: Heath Cranton, 1932. 219 p.In the Green Leaf: A Chapter of Autobiography, London: Fortune Press, 1950, 199 p.- ''Australian Bush Lyrics''