{"id":1555,"date":"2013-10-06T12:32:00","date_gmt":"2013-10-06T11:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.geraldgarcia.com\/wordpress\/?p=1555"},"modified":"2013-10-03T13:12:11","modified_gmt":"2013-10-03T12:12:11","slug":"all-in-the-golden-afternoon-betty-roe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/geraldgarcia.com\/?p=1555","title":{"rendered":"All in the golden Afternoon – Betty Roe"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Betty Roe<\/strong> – her father was a fishmonger in Shepherd’s Bush – is a distinguished composer (in 2011 she was awarded an MBE<\/strong>) and performer of English song<\/strong>, instrumental music, choral music and musicals She was Director of Music at the\u00a0London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art<\/a>\u00a0from 1968\u201378.\u00a0Her website simply states ‘Musician’.<\/p>\n

Recently a society<\/a>\u00a0(The Betty Roe Society<\/strong>) was formed to promote the performance of Betty’s music and their first CD<\/a>\u00a0funding round is about to see the light of day. The CD will feature nine performers and 12 songs which Betty has chosen and is called “All in the Golden Afternoon”.
\nMembers of the society can also get a discount off her\u00a0CD\u00a0Classic Children’s Songs<\/a>.<\/em>\"\"<\/p>\n

Betty’s songs, often written in collaboration with Marian Lines<\/a>, are sometimes outrageously funny, sometimes poignantly sad and run the gamut of the human condition.
\nShe has written a substantial number of songs with guitar accompaniment and as well as \u00a0 guitar pieces<\/strong>.
\nI first came across her pieces “Larcombe’s Fancy” when I was at school and they seemed to look at guitar music from a fresh perspective, plus it was playable!
\nIn 1976, she wrote a piece for flautist Alison Roseveare and myself called “Temperaments”.
\nHer other guitar works<\/strong> include\u00a0Larcombe’s Fancy, a sonata, two sonatinas and a guitar quartet<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>written for the Omega Quartet.
\nMost of these are available from Thames publishing (now part of William Elkin Music Services<\/a>) , a company she set up with her husband John Bishop.<\/p>\n

Her music can be bitter sweet in a tonal sense and is always crystal clear in intention, often with a wicked sense of humour. Reminiscent of Noel Coward and Flanders and Swann.
\nShe and I have been sharing a singing and guitar course<\/a><\/strong> together with regulars since around 1987 and it is always a great pleasure and privilege to listen to her and her students perform. Now in her eighties, she is as active as ever.<\/p>\n

Some videos of her music<\/p>\n