Warrack, Guy (Douglas Hamilton)
Warrack, Guy (Douglas Hamilton)
Warrack, Guy (Douglas Hamilton), Scottish conductor and composer, father of John (Hamilton) Warrack; b. Edinburgh, Feb. 8, 1900; d. Englefield Green, Feb. 12, 1986. He studied at the Univ. of Oxford and received training in conducting from Boult and in composition from Vaughan Williams at the Royal Coll. of Music in London, where he subsequently taught (1925-35); in 1925 he made his conducting debut in London. After conducting the BBC Scottish Orch. in Glasgow (1936-45), he returned to London to serve as music director of the Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet (1948-51). He publ. the book Sherlock Holmes and Music (1947) and wrote articles for many journals. Among his compositions are a Sym. and a number of documentary film scores, including the official coronation film for Queen Elizabeth II, A Queen Is Crowned (1953).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire