Sir
Landon Ronald (born
Landon Ronald Russell) (7 June 1873 – 14 August 1938) was an
English conductor,
composer,
pianist, singing teacher and administrator. He was the son of
Henry Russell, noted composer of popular songs, and the half brother of impesario
Henry Russell, founder of the
Boston Opera Company.
Landon Ronald was born in
London,
England and educated at
St Marylebone Grammar School. He studied at the
Royal College of Music, 1884-1890. He then worked at the
Royal Opera House,
Covent Garden, and became conductor of
Augustus Harris's touring company. In 1894, he toured the
United States as accompanist for
Nellie Melba. From 1900 he worked for the recording company The Gramophone & Typewriter Ltd, predecessor of
His Master's Voice (HMV), initially as pianist; he accompanied early recordings by distinguished singers such as
Charles Santley and
Adelina Patti.
From 1908 he was principal conductor of the New Symphony Orchestra (known as the
Royal Albert Hall Orchestra between about 1915 and 1928), with which he began to make records in 1909. He also worked with the Scottish Orchestra (afterwards the
Royal Scottish National Orchestra) and in Birmingham, where (according to the local critic Sydney Grew) he was distinguished by his imaginative programme-building.
As a conductor Ronald was especially noted as a
concerto accompanist; the critic Robert Elkin R.H. Elkin,
Queen's Hall (London, 1944) paid him an...
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