Nabokov, Nicolas [Nikolay]

Noble, Dennis (William)

(b Bristol, 25 Sept 1899; d Jávea, Alicante, 14 March 1966). English baritone. He studied in London with Dinh Gilly before making his début with the British National Opera Company in 1924 as Silvio. He was soon elevated to the international seasons at Covent Garden, where he appeared regularly until 1939. His roles included both Figaros, Rigoletto, Germont (to Ponselle's Violetta), Tonio, Valentin and a much praised Amonasro. He also sang leading parts in the premières of operas by British composers. In the 1947–8 season he reappeared at Covent Garden as Massenet's Lescaut and Escamillo. He was the first, and markedly effective, soloist in Walton's Belshazzar's Feast, and was an alternately fiery and dejected exponent of Elijah. His firm, easily produced tone, emphasis on a consistently true line and gift for placing words naturally on it were enhanced by his excellent stage presence. He was equally adept at projecting comedy, heroism, pathos and tragedy as his many recordings, made for Columbia and HMV, amply confirm. Most notable among them are the extracts from Rigoletto and La traviata, arias from Faust and Pagliacci and solos from Elijah, all of which show Noble's exemplary articulation and definition of tone and text.

ALAN BLYTH

Noble, (John) Jeremy

(b London, 27 March 1930). English critic and musicologist. He was educated at Aldenham School and at Oxford, where he read Greats (1949–53). He studied music independently, specializing at first in English music of the Renaissance but later ranging more widely, with Venetian music of the 16th and 17th centuries and Josquin Des Prez among his main interests. From the mid-1950s he contributed music criticism and reviews to various periodicals, and in 1960 he was appointed a music critic on the staff of The Times. He relinquished that post in 1963 to take a research fellowship at Birmingham University and in 1966 went to teach at the State University of New York at Buffalo (spending 1967–8 in Florence as Fellow of the Harvard Institute for Renaissance Studies). He returned to London in 1970, becoming music critic of the Sunday Telegraph in 1972, but resumed teaching in Buffalo in 1976 until he retired and returned to London in 1995. His research has been directed mainly towards the music of Josquin and his contemporaries (he became a member of the board of the new Josquin edition in 1994), as well as its historical background, and the history of the Office of the Antonine Order from the 12th century onwards. Although only a fraction of his research has been published, the breadth and depth of his knowledge and his generosity towards fellow scholars have made him an important participant in late 20th-century musicology.

WRITINGS

‘Le répertoire instrumental anglais (1550–1585)’, La musique instrumentale de la Renaissance: Paris 1954, 91–114

‘Purcell and the Chapel Royal’,Henry Purcell, 1659–1695: Essays on his Music, ed. I. Holst (London, 1959), 52–66

‘Clash and Consonance in the 16th Century’,MT, civ (1963), 555–7, 630–31

‘Igor Stravinsky, 1882–1971’,MT, cxii (1971), 534–6

‘New Light on Josquin’s Benefices’,Josquin des Prez: New York 1971, 76–102

‘A New Motet by Josquin?’, MT, cxii (1971), 749–53, suppl.

‘Ottaviano Petrucci: his Josquin Edition and some Others’, Essays Presented to Myron P. Gilmore, ed. S. Bertelli and G. Ramakus, ii (Florence, 1978), 433–46

STANLEY SADIE

Noble, Ray(mond Stanley)

(b Brighton, 17 Dec 1903; d London, 2 April 1978). English bandleader, arranger and composer. He studied classical piano but became interested in dance music, serving as house conductor for HMV records from 1929 and attracting attention with the recordings of his New Mayfair Dance Orchestra (1930–34), particularly those with the singer Al Bowlly. He moved to the USA to direct his own band at the Rainbow Room in New York (1935–7), then went to Los Angeles and worked as a bandleader and radio personality into the 1950s. In the jazz field Noble’s significance was as a catalyst rather than as a performer. His own arrangements and performances were generally of ‘sweet’ dance music, and his major compositions were highly successful romantic ballads such as Goodnight, sweetheart (1931), Love is the sweetest thing (1932), The very thought of you (1934), The Touch of your Lips (1936), and I hadn’t anyone till you (1938). However, his New York band, assembled by Glenn Miller (who also provided its more jazz-oriented arrangements, and thereby discovered his own distinctive way of writing), included such musicians as Pee Wee Erwin, Charlie Spivak, Sterling Bose, Johnny Mince, Bud Freeman, Will Bradley and Claude Thornhill. Noble’s instrumental composition Cherokee became the theme tune of Charlie Barnet’s band (1938); as a familiar test piece for jazz musicians in the early bop style, Charlie Parker, among others, used its structure as the basis for new compositions, including Koko.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A. McCarthy: The Dance Band Era: the Dancing Decades from Ragtime to Swing, 1910–1950 (London, 1971/R)

G.T. Simon: The Big Bands (New York, 1967, enlarged 2/1971, 4/1981)

J.H. Klee: ‘Noble American, 1935-37’, Mississippi Rag, iv/1 (1976), 1–3

C. Garrod: Ray Noble and his Orchestra (Zephyrhills, 1991) [discography]

ANDREW LAMB/ALYN SHIPTON

Noble, (Thomas) Tertius

(b Bath, 5 May 1867; d Rockport, MA, 4 May 1953). English church musician and composer. From 1881 he was organist of All Saints, Colchester, whose rector housed him and supervised his education. He entered the RCM in 1886 to study with Parratt, Bridge and Stanford, and he joined the staff there on completing his studies. In 1889 he left Colchester to become organist of St John's, Wilton Road, London, and he was then assistant organist to Stanford at Trinity College, Cambridge (1890–92). Later appointments as organist and choirmaster took him to Ely Cathedral (1892–8), York Minster (1898–1912) and St Thomas's, Fifth Avenue, New York (1912–47). This last was an important post, since the church had recently been rebuilt with the aim of establishing cathedral-like liturgical conditions. It was Noble's task to establish the musical traditions: a magnificent organ was installed under his supervision and a choir school was founded. Besides music for the Anglican liturgy his compositions include secular choral works, incidental scores, orchestral pieces and chamber music.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

GroveA (W. Osborne)

F.G. Edwards: ‘York Minster’, MT, xliv (1903), 297–304

W.G. Alcock: ‘Mr T. Tertius Noble’, MT, liv (1913), 97–8

‘Dr T. Tertius Noble’, American Organist, xxvii (1944), 273 [incl. complete list of works]

Obituaries: The Times (6 May 1953); MT, xciv (1953), 281

J.A. FULLER MAITLAND, H.C. COLLES/DUNCAN J. BARKER