Trivia

Although the composer always gave his original name as Harry Philip Green, he was in fact registered as just "Henry Green" at Whitechapel Register Office six weeks after his birth in 1911. His parents were Phillip Green (a boot clicker by profession, which meant he made the holes for the laces) and Elizabeth Green, née Vogel. Their son's middle name was added at a later date.

The Philip and Dorothy Green Music Trust, founded by the composer and his wife, was established to help young musicians and composers. Projects included the Philip and Dorothy Green Making Music Award for Young Concert Artists, also the Philip and Dorothy Green Composer in Residence Scheme. Dorothy died in 1995.

At the peak of his career in the 1950's, he composed as many as fourteen film scores per year.

Began his recording career with EMI in 1933 and was for some time 'house arranger/conductor' at Decca. He later became resident musical director for the Rank Organisation.

Played piano by the age of seven. Studied at the Trinity College of Music on a scholarship. Green became London's youngest West End conductor at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

Green's first credited film work was on 1943's The Sky's the Limit, but his first notable success came with The Magic Bow (1946), a musical based on the life and loves of the Italian violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini. The 'Romance' from that film, as played by Yehudi Menuhin, became a great hit.

Between 1935 and 1939 became well known for his Radio Luxembourg programmes, which were broadcast to Britain.

A number of his production music pieces were used in Night of the Living Dead, Looney Tunes theatrical shorts (such as in 1958 when the musicians were on strike, or later added as part of TV prints for Freudy Cat). His stock music continues to be used in modern shows such as The Ren and Stimpy Show, The World's Greatest Magic and SpongeBob SquarePants.

Some of his pieces were written under pseudonyms, such as Ecstasy by Jose Belmont or Frenesi by Don Felipe.

After college he played in various orchestras, and then became conductor at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London.

He made his name in the 1930s playing in and conducting dance bands, performed with leading classical musicians, went on to score up to 150 films, wrote radio and television theme tunes and library music, and finally turned to church music at the end of his life in Ireland, a song from which proved so popular that it reached No 3 in the Irish charts in 1973.

He became house arranger and conductor for Decca and accompanied many of their vocalists such as Gracie Fields, Donald Peers and Anne Shelton.

Like many composers of film music, Green also composed and arranged light orchestral concert works and wrote prolifically for production music libraries. As a result, a number of his compositions are familiar through their use in radio and television programmes. They include pieces such as Cuban Suite and Cocktail Hat Suite, and single movement pieces such as Follow Me Around and White Orchids.

One of his bands during the war period featured a remarkable set of players from the classical music world: Green himself on accordion, Arthur Gleghorn (flute), Leon Goossens (oboe), Reginald Kell (clarinet), Victor Watson (double bass), Jack Collings (percussion), and Denis Gomm, piano - all members of the BBC Salon Orchestra at the time.

His themes for John and Julie (1954) and The March Hare (1956) both won Ivor Novello Awards.

While living in Ireland, he became interested in church music, and composed a full-scale St Patrick's Mass, which was recorded by the Trinity Chorale in 1971 with the composer conducting. It was followed a year later by the Mass of St. Francis of Assisi. This was recorded with the Cork Children's Choir and the Scottish tenor/celebrant Canon Sydney MacEwan and released in November 1972. The song "Suffer Little Children" from the Mass was released as a single in 1973 and reached No 3 in the Irish charts, remaining in the charts for five months.

Green conducted large orchestras and played piano and accordion in small bands across Europe. One of the small bands, put together for recording purposes, was the Ballyhooigans, using a line up of clarinet, two pianos, guitar, base and drums, which played in a "near-Dixieland" style.

Green made two cameo appearances in films that he worked on: as a bandleader in It Happened One Sunday (1944); and again as a bandleader in The Dream Maker (1963).

Green continued to compose and conduct for film and television, including the theme tune for The Golden Shot (1967), and to issue light orchestral music recordings until his retirement in 1966.

Along with his wife he established the Philip and Dorothy Green Music Trust to help young musicians and composers.

Harry Philip Green or Phil Green, was a British film and television composer and conductor, and also a pianist and accordion player.

He began learning the piano at the age of seven, and went on to study at Trinity College of Music in London, aged just 13.

Green composed more than 150 film scores, including The Yellow Balloon (1952), Carry On Admiral (1957), The Square Peg (1958, together with several other Norman Wisdom films), The League of Gentlemen (1960), the theme song for The Shakedown, (sung by Kathy Kirby), Victim (1961), The Singer Not the Song (1961), and The Intelligence Men (1965). He also composed the themes for the 1960s ATV television crime series Ghost Squad and Sergeant Cork.

During the war Green regularly conducted for BBC broadcasts with various orchestras, on programmes such as Salute to Rhythm, and Band Call. In these programmes he first introduced stars such stars as Dorothy Carless (1916-2012), Monte Ray (1900-1982) and Beryl Davis to British listeners.

He signed as a recording artist to EMI in 1933 at the age of 21 and continued to record for them throughout his lifetime.[.