Ernest Tomlinson: Highway to the Sun - (Rhythmic Overture)

Ernest Tomlinson MBE 1924 - 2015. An English composer, particularly noted for his light music compositions.
At the age of nine he became a chorister at Manchester Cathedral, where he was eventually appointed as Head Boy in 1939. He later attended Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School and at sixteen won a scholarship to Manchester University and the Royal Manchester College of Music. He spent the next two years studying composition until in 1943 he left to join the Royal Air Force, where, although colour-blind, he became a Wireless Mechanic and saw service in France during 1944 and 1945. He returned to England in 1945 to resume his studies and graduated in 1947, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Music for composition as well as being made a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and an Associate of the Royal Manchester College of Music.
Ernest left northern England for London, where he worked as a staff arranger for Arcadia and Mills Music Publishers, providing scores for radio and television broadcasts as well as for the stage and recording studios. He continued his interest in the organ by taking up a post at a Mayfair church.
His first piece broadcast by the BBC in 1949 and by 1955 he had formed his own orchestra, the "Ernest Tomlinson Light Orchestra". From 1951 to 1953 he was musical director of the Chingford Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society. In 1976, he took over the directorship of the Rossendale Male Voice Choir from his father, a post he held for five years, during which the choir won their class for three years in the BBC's "Grand Sing" competition. He was also the founder of the Northern Concert Orchestra, with whom he gave numerous broadcasts and concerts. He was a chief consultant for the Marco Polo Records label, and was featured a number of times on Brian Kay's Light Programme.
In 1984, after discovering that the BBC were disposing of their light music archive, Tomlinson founded The Library of Light Orchestral Music, which is housed in a barn at his family's farmhouse near Longridge in Lancashire. The library currently contains around 50,000 pieces, including many items that would otherwise have been lost.
On this video a lovely 'Rhythmic Overture' entitled 'Highway to the Sun'. It stems from the composer's experience of a 1962 car journey through Milan. The video theme is more British traditional seaside holiday. The clips are typical of the British Pathé News and 'Look at Life' features still popular in the 1960's. It was often for the newsreel type of documentary that this sort of light orchestral music was composed and very often done to order. The images are of 1960's traffic the likes of which many of us will be nostalgically familiar. Through London then on to the Devon coast to meet that glorious elusive sun. The Summers WERE warmer and longer then, or is that just the proverbial rose coloured glasses again? The video finishes at Cockington on horse drawn transport with the looming, less than agreeable thought of the long journey home.

Why not own this lovely album!
'British Light Music Premieres' - Volume 3.
Royal Ballet Sinfonia - Gavin Sutherland.
Dutton Digital
CDLX 7170.

Apologies for any unintended infringement of copyright. In mitigation there is no element of profit or personal gain in the making of this video and any offence caused is totally unintentional.