December 26th
Victor Hely-Hutchinson 26 December 1901 – 11 March 1947
Carol Symphony
The Young Idea: Rhapsody for Piano & Orchestra
From https://static.files.bbci.co.uk/webarchive/asset/674dbe74f7a30dbec186aa0cb20d84153acd64f701f72137d54f60257e81904d.jpeg
Victor Hely-Hutchinson was a British composer, conductor, and pianist, born in Cape Town in 1901. He showed musical talent from a young age, composing pieces before he was ten. After moving to England, he studied piano and attended Eton College. Although he began studying history at Oxford, he soon switched to music, training at the Royal College of Music. Hely-Hutchinson worked at the BBC, where he became Director of Music, and also taught at the University of Birmingham.
His best-known work is the Carol Symphony, based on traditional English Christmas carols. He also wrote music for children, including settings of nursery rhymes.
During the Second World War, he served as an ARP warden and moved his family for safety. He died in 1947 from meningitis, after refusing to use heating to save fuel. Today, he is remembered for his contributions to British music and his popular carol arrangements.
