Olive Turner 1890-1954

 

Olive Turner was a composer, arranger, pianist and vocalist who worked and composed for de Wolfe up until 1954. She created a vast and varied body of work that ranged from masquerades and singalongs to comedy musicals and soundtracks for cinema. 

The Power GameDWLP 2988
Stirring 1960s Orchestral Music
1930s CinemaDWMIL 007
All the drama, action, romance and adventure from the movies of the 30s
1940s Cinema 1DWMIL 008
Movie action, romance and adventure from the 1940s
Olive Turner was born in 1890 and, following her time at the Royal Academy of Music, she had a fruitful career as a versatile and decorated soprano singer, performing ballads, recording film music and becoming a medallist of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. She was also a recipient of the Betzemann gold medal for Opera and, before composing, spent many years touring and singing on the stage.
 
From 1911, Turner toured with the D’Oyly Carte Repertory Opera Company, performing as the principal soprano in roles such as Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Elsie Maynard in The Yeomen of the Guard and Princess Ida in the eponymous comic opera. 
 
1920 was notable for her first London Stage appearance as Danese in a single matinee performance of the operetta Mountain Lovers. The 1920s also saw her perform with Tom Howell’s 'Opieros’, so named because they sang excerpts from operas on piers alongside the popular songs of the day. Backing her singing with piano was her husband Harry Baynton-Power, who she married in 1925.
 

Such a strong musical background and career naturally informed her compositions, and she would write for de Wolfe for the next two decades. Her pieces embody the feel of her era, with much of her work still being used today. Often commemorative and moving, works such as The Jubilee Song are symbolic of the time she wrote in.

Her years performing with her husband would also manifest in some joint compositions, such as on this Turner/Baynton-composed Hail Elizabeth II:

 


Olive Turner - Hail Elizabeth II

Over her lifetime, Turner played a big part in the de Wolfe story. When not singing and composing, she was affectionally known as ‘Tuppence-a-page Olive’ whilst working for de Wolfe as a copyist in the 1940s. In fact, during her lifetime, musicians and publishers alike were ever evolving, and Turner’s career reflected well the changing face of the music industry. 
 
Up until the late 1920s, in-house musicians would accompany films live during the silent era. It wasn’t until 1927 that the ability to synchronize music and sound to celluloid was developed and many orchestral composers turned to cinema.
 
With the advent of golden age of film scoring, Olive went from writing for musical comedies such as 1931’s Daphne to composing stock music for cinema, including the films Crow Hollow (1952) and Night of the Silvery Moon (1954).

 

Olive Turner died in 1954, two years after her husband, leaving behind an extensive oeuvre reflecting a musical life well-lived. In addition, their musical legacy continues with their grandson David, drummer for English rock band 'James'. Turner’s music lives on as part of the de Wolfe library and continues to be used today, epitomising both the sound of her era and her enduring independence as a female composer.