{{Short description|French composer and conductor}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} '''Willy''' (or '''Willie''') '''Redstone''' (24 September 1883 – 30 September 1949) was a French composer and conductor of light music who had a substantial career in England and Australia, where he became music editor for the ABC.
==History== Redstone (originally Rottenstein)<ref name=necrologie>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article161755947 |title=Necrologie |newspaper=Le Courrier Australien |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=7 October 1949 |access-date=22 April 2020 |page=5 |via=Trove }}</ref> was born in Paris, a nephew of the composer Charles Gounod (his mother was a half-sister).<!--son of François Louis Gounod and Victoire, née Lemachois --> and cousin of Albert Carré, director of the Paris Opéra-Comique.<ref name=music>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16093560 |title=Music and Drama |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=15 September 1923 |access-date=22 April 2020 |page=10 |via=Trove }}</ref> His parents were in Paris as refugees from Strasbourg, which had fallen to Germany in 1870.
He trained in Paris to be an engineer, but was more interested in music. He was four years at the Paris Conservatoire, on a scholarship won through his talent as a pianist.<ref name=music/> He studied harmony and counterpoint under Massenet.<ref name=stage>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article243618732 |title=Stage and Screen |newspaper=The Herald (Melbourne) |location=Victoria, Australia |date=8 August 1925 |access-date=20 April 2020 |page=20 |via=Trove }}</ref> His first composition, at the age of 20,<ref name=Nanette>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article168726330 |title=Nanette's Musical Director |newspaper=Truth |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=21 March 1926 |access-date=20 April 2020 |page=16 |via=Trove }}</ref> was a light opera which ran at the Théâtre des Arts for thirty weeks in 1905, setting his future as a writer of light music.
He was also in demand by theatre directors in Paris and London as a conductor, arranger and orchestrator.<ref name=death>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article59858048 |title=Death of Willy Redstone |newspaper=Centralian Advocate |location=Northern Territory, Australia |date=28 October 1949 |access-date=20 April 2020 |page=11 |via=Trove }}</ref> For Georges Gabriel Thenon he wrote the revue ''À perte de revue'' (1906), staged at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal starring Paul Ardot, the operetta ''Le Trou d'Almanzor'' (1907) at the Théâtre des Arts. He was commissioned to write a three-act burlesque on Edmond Rostand's ''Chantecler'',<ref name=stage/> named ''Mik 1<sup>ier</sup>'', with libretto by Charles-Alexis Carpentier (died 1929), published in 1911.<ref name=BnF>{{cite web|url=https://data.bnf.fr/fr/16516771/willie_redstone/ |title=Oevres de Willie Redstone |publisher=BnF |access-date=23 April 2020}} Carpentier also wrote libretti for composers Édouard Mathé (1863–1936), José Padilla (1889–1960), Maurice Yvain (1891–1965)</ref>
===England=== Redstone wrote some music for the Tiller Girls, who were at the time performing in Paris. This led to an invitation by John Tiller to visit his dance school in Manchester, and incidentally married one of his star performers.<ref name=music/> In 1907 he conducted a Christmas pantomime in Leeds, and later was associated with George Grossmith and George Edwardes at the London Gaiety, writing scores for musical comedies and revues.<ref name=Nanette/> He wrote the revue ''Everybody's Doing It'' which was produced at the Hackney Empire.<ref name=stage/> He worked as musical adviser for André Charlot at the Alhambra Theatre, writing the revues ''Eight pence a Mile'' and ''Keep Smiling'' with Lee White.
He composed the operetta ''Les Petits Crevés'' for Thenon, staged in 1913 at the Théâtre des Capucines, starring Jacques Bousquet. Songs published around this time include ''Lucy'' (1913) and ''Arabella'' (1914), both with lyrics by Pierre Chapelle.<ref name=BnF/> He contributed to Reynaldo Hahn's operetta ''Miousic'', libretto by Paul Ferrier, staged in 1914 at the Paris Olympia. He composed the operetta ''Berlingot'' with A. Stanislas for Lucien Boyer, staged in 1920 at the Concert Mayol.
At the outbreak of WWI he was in Paris, fulfilling a commitment to write three musical comedies,<ref name=stage/> In August 1914 he joined the French army, but was back at the Alhambra a year later, having been discharged in December as disabled,<ref name=Nanette/> following an accident during the retreat from Belgium,<ref name=stage/> which had far-reaching consequences for his newborn son George — with the outbreak of WWII he was posted as a deserter and papers served for his extradition despite only living in the country for few months as a baby, and not speaking a word of French.<ref name=Legion/>
When Charlot left the Alhambra, Redstone found employment with Grossmith and Laurillard, conducting ''To-Night's the Night'', ''Theodore and Co'', and ''Yes, Uncle!''.<ref name=music/> and it may have been around this time that he was associated with concert and stage personalities Leslie Henson, Tom Walls, Alice Delysia, Mistinguett, Maurice Chevalier and Charles CCochran.<ref name=death/> Songs composed around this time include ''Marche des gavroches'' (March of the Ragamuffins, 1916) with words by L. Boyn and Pierre Forgettes.<ref name=BnF/> It was during the run of ''Yes, Uncle!'' that he was recalled to the French army to act as an Agent, and interpreter with the American forces. Two years later he was back with Grossmlth and Laurillard to conduct ''Kissing Time'' at the Winter Garden. He was then commissioned to write the music for ''A Night Out''. He was for a time at Daly's Theatre with ''The Maid of the Mountains'' starring José Collins, and later toured with that production.<ref name=stage/>
Redstone wrote a song ''Were You the Only Girl in the World'', which he sold to London publisher Bert Feldman for £5 (some references say five guineas — £5/5s.), thereupon losing all rights to his composition. Nat D. Ayer took the song, changed the verses, and as ''If You Were the Only Girl (In the World)'' it was used in the revue ''The Bing Boys on Broadway'' and became a "hit".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article231579102 |title=Contact |newspaper=The Sun (Sydney) |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=16 September 1946 |access-date=20 April 2020 |page=1 |via=Trove }}</ref>
===Australia=== In 1922 he was appointed musical director for Hugh J. Ward, who was about to tour Australia with ''The O'Brien Girl'', starting with his new Princess Theatre, Melbourne, which ran for 202 performances, and ''Tangerine'' for 101. Ward had purchased the rights to the play ''Tons of Money'', which fared poorly in Melbourne, but recast as a musical with numbers by Redstone to lyrics by Vaib Solomon it was well received and had long seasons there and in Sydney's Grand Opera House.
His next project as musical director was ''No, No, Nanette'', the first musical he conducted for which he did not contribute any original work.<ref name=stage/> This was followed by ''Lady Be Good'' in 1927.
In 1928 he was called on by James Cassius Williamson to take charge of the first symphony concert to be broadcast in Australia.
He joined the ABC in 1932, and in 1938 was appointed its Federal Musical Editor; it was said he could write out a fresh arrangement for full symphony orchestra as swiftly as most people write a letter.<ref>{{Citation | author1=Australian Broadcasting Commission | title=Willy Redstone Loss to ABC |date=22 October 1949 | journal=ABC Weekly | publisher=ABC | volume=11 | issue=43 | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/236510473 | accessdate=20 April 2020 }}</ref> He exercised this facility for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article194199619 |title=Symphony Orchestra Here This Month |newspaper=Armidale Express & New England General Advertiser |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=9 May 1949 |access-date=22 April 2020 |page=4 |via=Trove }}</ref>
Redstone, Lindley Evans and Alfred Hill composed the score for Charles Chauvel's 1940 film ''Forty Thousand Horsemen''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article188517039 |title=The Music Hour |newspaper=South Coast Bulletin |location=Queensland, Australia |date=28 December 1949 |access-date=20 April 2020 |page=7 |via=Trove }}</ref> and was also involved in Chauvel's ''Rats of Tobruk'' (1944) alongside Lindley Evans and Charles Mackerras. He also composed the score for Lee Robinson's 1949 documentary Crocodile Hunters, commissioned by the Department of Information.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18465272 |title=Notes On The Beat |newspaper=The Sunday Herald (Sydney) |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=6 March 1949 |access-date=22 April 2020 |page=10 |via=Trove }} here referred to as "William Redstone"</ref> Perhaps his most famous work in this period was an arrangement of ''John Brown's Body''.<ref name=necrologie/>
He retained his youthful interest in engineering, and had an expert knowledge of aeronautics.<ref name=necrologie/>
He died in Sydney after a short illness, and his remains were cremated.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article248090554 |title=A.B.C. music editor dies |newspaper=Daily Telegraph (Sydney) |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=1 October 1949 |access-date=22 April 2020 |page=9 |via=Trove }} This obit includes a photo of Redstone.</ref> His last completed work was ''The Sphinx'', a ballet suite for orchestra.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18135419 |title=Composer of Famous Song Hit Dies |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=1 October 1949 |access-date=22 April 2020 |page=1 |via=Trove }} </ref> He was currently engaged on a musical "Life of Christ" with one Oscar Walters.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article231048217 |title=Sydney Diary |newspaper=The Sun (Sydney) |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=5 August 1949 |access-date=22 April 2020 |page=11 |via=Trove }}</ref>
==Family== Willy Redstone was born Charles Willy Adolphe Rottenstein in Paris on 24 September 1883, a son of Johann Baptist (or Jean Baptiste) Rottenstein and Jeanne Marie Marguerite Baretty. Redstone married Florence Annie Osborne, an accomplished dancer and comedienne,<ref name=plays/> in Paris on 23 July 1914. Though known as Redstone, the surname Rottenstein was not relinquished.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=31523111&isAv=N | title=A714, 10/4864 |publisher=National Archives of Australia |access-date=22 April 2020}}</ref> *George John Frederick Redstone (born in France 23 June 1914)<ref name=Legion>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article236333145 |title=Won't Obey Call to Foreign Legion |newspaper=Daily News |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=30 November 1939 |access-date=22 April 2020 |page=2 |via=Trove }}</ref> married June Lorraine Johnson in 1940. His arrangement of ''Advance Australia Fair'' was recorded by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, conductor Henry Krips on 4 May 1968.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=13211894&isAv=Y| title=B883, NX118304 |publisher=National Archives of Australia |access-date=22 April 2020}}</ref> *Laurette Jeanne Redstone married Thomas John Collins (born Deniliquin 21 May 1925)<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17734112 |title=Family Notices |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=4 January 1941 |access-date=22 April 2020 |page=12 |via=Trove }}</ref> *Wesley Redstone (born in Melbourne 12 June 1923),<ref name=plays>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article184809119 |title=Plays and the People In Them |newspaper=The Sporting Globe |location=Victoria, Australia |date=20 June 1923 |access-date=22 April 2020 |page=12 |via=Trove }}</ref> *Tony Redstone *Jacqueline Redstone They had a home at Pacific Street, Watsons Bay, later at 21 Fairweather Street, Bellevue Hill.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18135355 |title=Family Notices |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=1 October 1949 |access-date=22 April 2020 |page=36 |via=Trove }}</ref> <!--he was cited as C. W. Redstone in 1940 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/236370822-->
==See also== {{cite web|url=https://data.bnf.fr/fr/16516771/willie_redstone/ |title=Oevres de Willie Redstone |publisher=BnF |access-date=23 April 2020}} 35 works listed 1908–1921
== References == {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Redstone, Willy}} Category:1949 deaths Category:French emigrants to the United Kingdom Category:British emigrants to Australia Category:French musical theatre composers Category:20th-century French composers Category:20th-century French male composers Category:20th-century English composers Category:20th-century English male composers Category:English musical theatre composers Category:Australian musical theatre composers Category:Male musical theatre composers Category:Australian film score composers Category:1883 births