Graham Peel

Gerald Graham 'Graham' Peel (1877—November 1937) was an English composer.

Life

Graham Peel's father was Gerald Peel, a millionaire Lancashire cotton spinner[1] and magistrate of Pendlebury, near Manchester, England.

During his life, Peel was one of the first persons 'to take parties inside prisons to entertain the inmates', and of unobtrusive character, was later remembered for his generosity.[2] Clothes and jobs for prisoners were provided through Peel with his involvement in the Dorset and Bournemouth Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society.[3]

He was a resident of 'Marden Ash', Bournemouth on his death, after a year's illness.[4] A philanthropist, he died leaving £191,499.[2]

Compositions

Peel wrote more than 100 songs, many of them settings of A. E. Housman.[5] Many settings were for folk songs and pianoforte solos,[4] and performed afar as Australia.[6] His tunes included:

Almond, wild almond
Go down to Kew in lilac time
Her loveliness
In summer time on Bredon (well regarded, and written c. 1908)[2]
Loveliest of trees
Oh like a Queen
Spring waters
The early morning
The lute-player
The wild swan

The 1920 tune 'The challenge' was composed by Peel to the words of the poem of the same name by Scottish-Australian poet and bush balladeer Will H. Ogilvie (1869–1963).[7]

References
  1. "Music Stage Radio". The Daily Telegraph. II (312). New South Wales, Australia. 21 March 1938. p. 11 (Daily Telegraph Home Magazine). Retrieved 10 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. "Composer's fortune". The Newcastle Sun (6279). New South Wales, Australia. 29 January 1938. p. 7. Retrieved 10 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "His forte is helping crooks". King Island News. 24 (1187). Tasmania, Australia. 16 October 1935. p. 2. Retrieved 10 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. "Composer's death". The Newcastle Sun (6232). New South Wales, Australia. 4 December 1937. p. 9. Retrieved 10 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. Charles Osborne - The Concert Song Companion: A Guide to the Classical ...2012 - - Page 231 1475700490 "Graham Peel (1877—1937), composer of more than 100 songs, the best of them pleasantly tuneful, was especially drawn to A. E. Housman, as, understandably, were most composers of his generation. Peel's setting of “In summertime on ..."
  6. "Entertainments". The Telegraph (17614). Queensland, Australia. 18 May 1929. p. 3 (Second edition). Retrieved 10 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. Peel, Graham; Ogilvie, Will H. (Will Henry), 1869-1963 (1920), The challenge : song, Chappell & Co, retrieved 10 February 2019CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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