Harry Clifton (singer)

Harry Clifton was a British music hall singer and prolific songwriter, best known for writing and performing Pretty Polly Perkins of Paddington Green.

Biography

Born 1832 (full name Harry Robert Clifton), and nicknamed "Handsome Harry Clifton" during his career, he married and had one child Fanny Alice who died aged six months.[1] He died aged 40 in July 1872, and is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery in London.[2]

Career

Most of Clifton's songs adapted their tunes from old folk songs[3] but he wrote his own lyrics, and performed his own songs in 19th century English music halls. A list of songs for sale held at the British Library names fifteen songs by Harry Clifton, described as "without exception, the best comic songs of the day".[4] He was also famous for composing "motto" songs such as 'Paddle Your Own Canoe' which became as popular in the drawing-room as they were in the music halls.[5] Many of Clifton’s songs taught a moral lesson, for example, "Pretty Polly Perkins" was about the pitfalls of pride and vanity.[6] Lithographs of several of his other songs are also held in the British Library online archive e.g "The Dark Girl Dress'd In Blue" (which has a colour portrait of Harry Clifton on the front page),[7] "Isabella, The Barber's Daughter"[8] and "The Railway Bell(e)".[9]

References

  1. ↑ Monuments Restored, The Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery, retrieved 22 May 2014
  2. ↑ Harry Robert Clifton, Find A Grave Memorial, retrieved 22 May 2014
  3. ↑ Let me make a nation's songs, and let who will make their laws, Roy Hudd, The Hiss and Boo Company, retrieved 19 May 2014
  4. ↑ Hopwood & Crew's Bulletin of New Music, Victorian popular music, Polly Perkins Of Paddington Green part 08, British Library online gallery, retrieved 22 May 2014
  5. ↑ The Kathleen Barker Collection, University of Bristol Theatre Collection, by Christopher Robinson, Published in Scenes from Provincial Stages: Essays in Honour of Kathleen Barker ed. Richard Foulkes (The Society for Theatre Research, 1994)
  6. ↑ “Pretty Polly Perkins of Paddington Green” (1863), The Music Hall, The Victorian Web, retrieved 22 May 2014
  7. ↑ The Dark Girl Dress'd In Blue part 01, British Library online gallery, retrieved 22 May 2014
  8. ↑ Isabella, The Barber's Daughter part 01, British Library online gallery, retrieved 22 May 2014
  9. ↑ The Railway Bell(e) part 01, British Library online gallery, retrieved 22 May 2014

External links

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