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Kirkstall woman behind famous theme tunes dies
A Kirkstall woman who was behind a host of world famous theme tunes including Dallas, Star Wars and E.T. has died after a long battle with cancer.
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Angela Morley, who grew up on Kirkstall Road, helped create famous theme tunes for both TV and film including Watership Down, Dynasty and Superman.
The 84-year-old, who died in Arizona last week, was born Wally Stott and underwent a sex change in 1972.
Just before she died, Miss Morley dedicated a new piece for violin and orchestra to Geoff Allan, Northern Ballet Theatre's (NBT) Orchestra Leader.
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Geoff said: "I first contacted Angela Morley about five years ago when I wrote her a fan letter.
"I had admired her music for so long that I wanted to tell her how I felt.
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"Perhaps partly because of the coincidence of her origins in Leeds and my position with NBT, we struck up a correspondence and I was soon encouraging her to write something for me to play.
Beautiful
"We met the following year, and I found her to be as delightful and interesting a person as her music suggests.
"Recently Angela composed a piece called Rverie for violin and string orchestra.
"She asked me to record it for her with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.
"It is a really beautiful piece and I am truly honoured that she dedicated it to me.
"I am deeply saddened to hear about her death and know that she will be greatly missed."
Born in Leeds in 1924, Angela grew up on Kirkstall Road where her father had a jeweller's shop.
On her website, Miss Morley has written: "My earliest musical memory was of sitting on the floor surrounded by records of the bands of Jack Payne and Henry Hall and playing them on our enormous wind-up gramophone.
"When I was eight-years-old, my dad bought a brand new Challen upright piano that had pride of place in our over-the-shop Sunday sitting room and sent me to a lady a few streets away for piano lessons.
"Three months later, my dad became ill and very unexpectedly died at the early age of thirty-nine.
"My piano lessons were immediately stopped and never recommenced.
"They are the only piano lessons that I ever had."
Miss Morley went on to play the saxophone and became a member of Geraldo's Band in 1944.
However, she soon decided to concentrate on composition and arranging.
She became Musical Director of Phillips Records, writing and conducting for albums by many famous UK singers, as well as American artists including Rosemary Clooney and Mel Torm.
She also wrote the theme and incidental music for the BBC comedy series Hancock's Half Hour and for The Goon Show.
In the 1960s she worked with Shirley Bassey, Dusty Springfield and the first three highly regarded solo albums by Scott Walker.
During this time she also wrote the scores for a number of films, including Watership Down and When Eight Bells Toll, as well as The Slipper and the Rose for which she received Oscar and Bafta nominations.
She also received an Oscar nomination for The Little Prince.
Dallas
On moving to California in the 70s she wrote music for many TV series including Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crest and Cagney and Lacey.
She developed a close relationship with famous film composer John Williams and Miss Morley worked on the scores for many of his blockbusters such as Star Wars, Superman, E.T. and Schindler's List.
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 19 May 2012
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