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David Ivor Davies ( January 15, 1893 - March 6, 1951), better known as Ivor Novello , was one of the most popular entertainers of the 20th century. He was born at Llwyn-yr-Eos (Grove of Nightingales), Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff, Wales, to Dame Clara Novello Davies (1861-1943), a well-known singer and teacher, and David Davies, a tax collector. He first became well known as a result of the song, "Keep the Home Fires Burning", which he composed during World War I. After the war, he appeared on stage in the West End, in musical shows of his own devising, the best known being The Dancing Years (1939). He also went to Hollywood and appeared in films, but the stage remained his first love and the medium for his major successes.Novello wrote his musical shows in the style of operetta, and was one of the last major composers in this form. He generally composed his music to the librettos of Christopher Hassall.
During World War II, Novello was convicted of illegal use of rationed petrol (gasoline) and was briefly imprisoned. This downfall from his luxurious lifestyle completely broke his spirit, and he was never the same man after his release. However, he continued to appear on stage until the day before his sudden death.
Novello was a homosexual, well known for some of his more glamorous affairs. For 35 years, he was the lover of the British actor Bobby Andrews , and he had an affair with the British poet and writer Siegfried Sassoon.
The Ivor Novello AwardThe Ivor Novello Awards named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are prizes awarded for songwriting and composing. The "Ivors" are presented yearly in London by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters, and were first introduced in 1955. External is a prize awarded for songwriting, named for Ivor Novello, and awarded each year by the record industry to song writers and arrangers rather than the performing artistes.
Novello was portrayed in the fictional film Gosford ParkGosford Park is a 2001 film, basically a comedy of manners, which tells the story of a murder committed during a pheasant shooting weekend at an English manor. The murder reverberates through the entire house, from lord of the manor to chamber maid. It is ( 2001See also 2000 in film, other events of 2001, 2002 in film and the list of 'years in film'. For the 1968 science-fiction film and novel, see 2001: A Space Odyssey''. Events August 8 Actor Tom Cruise and actress Nicole Kidman get divorced. November 2 Monste) by Jeremy NorthamJeremy Philip Northam (born December 1, 1961 in Cambridge, England) is an actor. Trained at the Old Vic Theatre School in London, Northam received an Olivier Award in 1990 as "most promising newcomer". He made his American film debut in The Net ( 1995), b and several of his songs were used for the film's soundtrack.
1 Principal Shows
- Glamorous Night ( 1935Events January January 1 Italian colonies of Tripoli and Kyrenaika are joined together as Libya January 7 World War II: Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French foreign minister Pierre Laval conclude agreement in which each power undertakes not to oppo)
- Careless Rapture ( 1936Events January-February January 15 The first building to be completely covered in glass is completed in Toledo, Ohio, for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company. January 20 Death of George V of the United Kingdom. His son Edward VIII succeedes him as King of th)
- Crest of the Wave ( 1937Events January January 1 Anastasio Somoza becomes President of Nicaragua January 11 The first issue of Look magazine goes on sale in the United States. January 19 Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in 7 hours,)
- The Dancing YearsThe Dancing Years was one of the most popular musicals by Ivor Novello. It was first produced in London's West End in 1939. ( 1939)
- Arc de Triomphe ( 1943)
- Perchance to Dream ( 1945)
- King's Rhapsody ( 1949)
- Gay's the Word ( 1951)
