Surprisingly, Lionel Bart (1930-1999), the British writer and composer of British pop music and musicals, could not read or write music, yet he wrote many songs and shows including Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'be, Twang!, Blitz! and the book, music and lyrics for Oliver!
Born on 1st August 1930, Lionel was the youngest of eleven children, born to Austrian-Jewish tailor, Morris Begleiter. He grew up in Stepney, in London's East End, and at the age of six was already regarded as a genius by his teachers. To encourage his musicality his father bought him a cheap violin, but the child did not practise and the lessons soon stopped. He also showed an early talent for painting and gained a scholarship to St Martin's School of Art, a scholarship he almost jeopardised by high jinks in the classroom!
Lionel abandoned his desire to be a painter and took on an assortment of jobs in commercial art studios and silk-screen printing factories. After completing National Service in the Royal Air Force, he formed a silk-screen printing company, G & B Arts, with his friend John Gorman, and it was at about this time that he changed his name to Bart, apparently inspired by St Bartholomew's Hospital.
Lionel Bart's Early Career
Bart wrote his first song, Rock With the Caveman in 1956. Recorded by the 19th-year-old Tommy Steele, the song was in the charts for five weeks. This was followed by Living Doll, recorded by a young Cliff Richard, which remained in the charts for more than 40 weeks. A third highly successful song, Do You Mind, was recorded by Anthony Newley. It was said that Bart could write a song in less than an hour, by singing into a tape recorder, and tapping out the rhythm, for someone else to write down. Bart also wrote the very successful title song for the James Bond film From Russia With Love, recorded by Matt Monro.
Musicals by Lionel Bart
It was not long before Bart started to write music to accompany plays such as the 1959 production, Lock Up Your Daughters. This was an adaptation by writer/director Bernard Miles of Rape Upon Rape, an 18th century comedy by Henry Fielding. Bart supplied the lyrics to music by Laurie Johnson. Lock Up Your Daughters was subsequently made into a film (1969) starring Glynis Johns, Christopher Plummer and Susannah York. Bart's songs were deleted.
In 1959, Cockney writer Frank Norman wrote a play, Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'be. Bart wrote both music and lyrics, and the play enjoyed instant success, running for almost 900 performances. The lyrics of the title song reflected the realities of the decade: ″They've turned our local Palais into a bowling alley... fings ain't wot they used to be... There's toffs with toffee-noses, and poofs in coffee houses...″ This daring play made Cockney speech fashionable and demands for cuts came from the Lord Chamberlain's office!
Oliver! came next, in 1960, for which Bart wrote the book, lyrics and music. The show features songs like As Long as He Needs Me, Where is Love, Consider Yourself! and, of course, the title song Oliver! The production ran for 2,618 performances in London winning Novello Awards for outstanding score of the year, outstanding song of the year and best-selling song. It was a hit on Broadway where it opened in 1963, winning Bart a Tony Award. In 1968, Oliver! was made into a film with Ron Moody in the role of Fagin. Bart received seven Oscars, including best film.
Not all Bart's musicals have been as successful as Oliver!. In 1962 Bart wrote the musical Blitz! set in the East End of London during World War II. The show was condemned by Noel Coward as being noisy and far too long. Twang! La Strada, and Winnie, a play about Winston Churchill, were all flops!
Fame and Fortune Led to Bart's Downfall
By the early 1970s Bart was broke. The money earned by Oliver! and other songs and shows, soon went on drink, drugs, and the most lavish life-style imaginable. Bankrupt, Bart was forced to sell the rights to Oliver!, which he later estimated cost him in the region of £100million. Lionel Bart died in 1999, and surprisingly, despite all his troubles, had managed to accumulate £1million. Some of the funds were divided between friends and family, and some was used to establish the Lionel Bart Foundation, a charity that helps struggling actors and musicians.
Source:
- Stafford, C., Stafford D., Fings ain't what they used t'be: the Lionel Bart story, London : Omnibus, 2011
Frances Spiegel - Frances Spiegel, B.A. Hons. (Open)., Dip.Eur.Hum., read Art History/European Modern History at the Open University.
