George Wilford Bulkley Byng (1861 – 29 June 1932)[2][3] was an English conductor, composer, music arranger and musical director of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is known for composing music for ballet productions staged at the Alhambra Theatre in London during the Edwardian era, for his theatre compositions, and as a conductor for HMV from World War I up to about 1930. Byng was his stage name.
As a child, he received a musical education and at age 11 joined the orchestra at the Theatre Royal, Dublin, and played in orchestras throughout Britain for two decades before beginning a conducting career. By the 1890s, his compositions of incidental music for plays were used in London theatres. From 1898 to 1913, as the musical director of London's Alhambra Theatre, he composed, arranged and conducted the music for approximately 30 ballets and scenas. During this period, he continued to compose new music, including theatre scores, for other companies. For two years thereafter, he was the musical conductor at the Gaiety Theatre, London.
After conducting for Thomas Edison's British recording studio for several years, in 1915 Byng joined HMV full-time, where he conducted a great number of recordings. From 1917 to 1924, he conducted many of the early acoustic sets of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas in cooperation with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. He remained with HMV for at least 15 years.
- ^ Shepherd, Marc. "The 1920 HMV Pirates", Gilbert and Sullivan Discography, 2008, accessed 5 July 2020
- ^ "George Wilford Bulkley", England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837–1915 for 1861, Ancestry.com (subscription required)
- ^ 1891 England Census for George W Bulkley Byng, Yorkshire, Halifax, Ancestry.com (subscription required)
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