117-621: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber , KG (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway . He has composed 21 musicals, a song cycle , a set of variations , two film scores , and a Latin Requiem Mass . Several of Lloyd Webber's songs have been widely recorded and widely successful outside their parent musicals, such as " Memory " from Cats , " The Music of
234-539: A Golden Globe , a Brit Award , the 2006 Kennedy Center Honors , and two Classic Brit Awards (for Outstanding Contribution to Music in 2008, and for Musical Theatre and Education in 2018). In 2018, after Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) , he became the thirteenth person to win an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Tony . He has
351-674: A Royal Peculiar , was not under diocesan jurisdiction. The office of Chancellor was removed from the Bishop of Oxford (the outgoing bishop, Thomas Strong , had been outspoken in the Edward VIII abdication crisis ), and so it was withheld from his successor, Kenneth Kirk , and has since been held by one of the Knights and Ladies Companion. The office of Register has been held by the Dean of Windsor since 1558. The Garter Principal King of Arms
468-476: A cocked hat with a plume , and a sword on a white baldric. For the Order's ceremonial occasions, such as the annual Garter Day, the members wear elaborate vestments and accoutrements , which include: Up until the middle part of the 20th century, it was customary to wear Tudor style under-dress, consisting of white silk embroidered doublet , breeches , full hose , white doeskin pumps with satin bows and
585-697: A film version of Cats , which was filmed at the Adelphi Theatre in London. David Mallet directed the film, and Gillian Lynne choreographed it. The cast consisted of performers who had been in the show before, including Ken Page (the original Old Deuteronomy on Broadway), Elaine Paige (original Grizabella in London) and John Mills as Gus: the Theatre Cat. In 1998, Whistle Down the Wind made its debut,
702-867: A state visit to the United Kingdom. The Emperor was particularly pleased by the restoration to the Garter. The Order has six officers: the Prelate , the Chancellor , the Register, the Garter Principal King of Arms , the Usher , and the Secretary. The offices of Prelate, Register, and Usher were created on the order's establishment; those of Garter Principal King of Arms and Chancellor, in
819-612: A Problem Like Maria? . Its aim was to find a new Joseph for his revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat . Lee Mead won the contest. Viewers' telephone voting during the series raised more than £ 500,000 for the BBC's annual Children in Need charity appeal, according to host Graham Norton on air during the final. In 2007, Lloyd Webber's cat, Otto, leaped onto his Clavinova piano and "destroyed
936-627: A backer. Although composed in 1965, The Likes of Us was not publicly performed until 2005, when a production was staged at Lloyd Webber's Sydmonton Festival . In 2008, amateur rights were released by the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA) in association with the Really Useful Group. The first amateur performance was by a children's theatre group in Cornwall called "Kidz R Us". Stylistically, The Likes of Us
1053-694: A compilation of documents called a "book of life". A short parody sketch of the programme featured in the first series of The Armstrong & Miller Show in which Alexander Armstrong plays a fictionalised version of himself, discovering that his paternal grandfather and maternal grandmother were a child molester and a brothel -owner respectively. Another parody sketch of the programme featured in Walliams & Friend in which Harry Enfield plays Queen Elizabeth II, who attempts to trace her family lineage. Series 1–11, 13, 15 and 16 of Who Do You Think You Are? are all available on Region 2 DVD, whilst
1170-580: A concert of music from the Lloyd Webber musicals on 24 August 2007. Denise Van Outen introduced songs from Whistle Down the Wind , The Beautiful Game , Tell Me on a Sunday , The Woman in White , Evita and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – as well as Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music , which Lloyd Webber revived in 2006 at the London Palladium , and
1287-519: A favourable review in The Times . For its subsequent performances, Rice and Lloyd Webber revised the show and added new songs to expand it to a more substantial length. Continued expansion eventually culminated in a 1972 stage musical and then a two-hour-long production being staged in the West End in 1973 on the back of the success of Jesus Christ Superstar . In 1969, Rice and Lloyd Webber wrote
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#17327719368721404-416: A feat that his heroes Rodgers and Hammerstein had previously achieved. Lloyd Webber's memoir, Unmasked , was published in 2018. On 9 September 2018, Lloyd Webber, along with Tim Rice and John Legend each won an Emmy for Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert . With this win, Lloyd Webber, Rice and Legend joined the list of people who have won Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards . Lloyd Webber wrote
1521-609: A grueling period in the wilderness, one characterized by failures, disappointments and missteps. ... It seemed, for a time, as though the Lloyd Webber formula, which relied on swooning, rapturous melodies and razzle-dazzle, had grown stale. In 2022, Lloyd Webber appeared alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda in the BBC Platinum Jubilee Concert for Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II . They initially appeared singing alternative words to "The King's Song" from Jesus Christ Superstar and " Any Dream Will Do " from Joseph and
1638-501: A mentor when the 6 finalists had to select one of his songs to perform for the judges that week. Lloyd Webber accepted the challenge of managing the UK's entry for the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest , to be held in Moscow. In early 2009 a series, called Eurovision: Your Country Needs You , was broadcast to find a performer for a song that he would compose for the competition. Jade Ewen won
1755-434: A musical based on the life of Eva Perón . As with Jesus Christ Superstar , Evita was released first as a concept album (1976) featuring Julie Covington singing the part of Eva Perón. The song " Don't Cry for Me Argentina " became a hit single and the musical was staged at the West End's Prince Edward Theatre in a production directed by Harold Prince and starring Elaine Paige in the title role. This original production
1872-649: A musical written with lyrics supplied by Jim Steinman . Originally opening in Washington, Lloyd Webber was reportedly not happy with the casting or Harold Prince's production and the show was subsequently revised for a London staging directed by Gale Edwards. The production included the Boyzone number-one hit " No Matter What ", which remained at the top of the UK charts for three weeks. His The Beautiful Game opened in London and has never been seen on Broadway. The show had
1989-442: A new dramatic tension to Mendelssohn's original melody through the confused emotions of Mary Magdalene. The opening theme may be Mendelssohn, but the rhythmic and harmonic treatment along with new lines of highly effective melodic development are Lloyd Webber's. The song works in its own right as its many performers and audiences can witness. An accusation of plagiarism regarded the 1971 Pink Floyd album Meddle . The sixth track of
2106-897: A number of new songs for the production to supplement the songs from the film. On 1 March 2011, The Wizard of Oz opened at The Palladium Theatre, starring Hope as Dorothy Gale and Michael Crawford as the Wizard of Oz . In 2012, Lloyd Webber fronted a new ITV primetime show Superstar which gave the UK public the chance to decide who would play the starring role of Jesus in an arena tour of Jesus Christ Superstar . The arena tour started in September 2012 and also starred comedian Tim Minchin as Judas Iscariot , former Spice Girl Melanie C as Mary Magdalene and BBC Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles as Herod Antipas . Tickets for most venues went on sale on 18 May 2012. In 2013, Lloyd Webber reunited with Christopher Hampton and Don Black on Stephen Ward
2223-486: A part of the composer's upbringing and the composition was inspired by an article he had read about the plight of Cambodian orphans. Lloyd Webber had on a number of occasions written sacred music for the annual Sydmonton Festival . Lloyd Webber received a Grammy Award in 1986 for Requiem in the category of best classical composition. Pie Jesu from Requiem achieved a high placing on the UK Singles Chart and
2340-471: A project with his cellist brother Julian, the Variations , based on the 24th Caprice by Paganini ; this reached number two in the pop album chart in the United Kingdom. The main theme was used as the theme tune for ITV 's long-running South Bank Show throughout its 32-year run. The same year, Lloyd Webber also composed a new theme tune for the long-running documentary series Whicker's World , which
2457-549: A respectable run at The Cambridge Theatre in London. The show was re-worked into a new musical, The Boys in the Photograph , which had its world première at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in April 2008. Having achieved great popular success in musical theatre, Lloyd Webber was referred to by The New York Times in 2001 as "the most commercially successful composer in history". In 2002 he turned producer, bringing
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#17327719368722574-516: A role he had recently played in the West End. Following the opening of Love Never Dies , Lloyd Webber again began a search for a new musical theatre performer in the BBC One series Over the Rainbow . He cast the winner, Danielle Hope , in the role of Dorothy Gale , and a dog to play Toto in his forthcoming stage production of The Wizard of Oz . He and lyricist and composer Tim Rice wrote
2691-484: A search for three young actors to play and share the title character's role, but the show's main focus was on the search for Nancy. The role was won by Jodie Prenger despite Lloyd Webber's stated preference for one of the other contestants; the winners of the Oliver role were Harry Stott, Gwion Wyn-Jones and Laurence Jeffcoate. Also in April 2008, Lloyd Webber was featured on the U.S. talent show American Idol , acting as
2808-439: A similar series called Coming Home , made by Yellow Duck Productions, which features celebrities with a Welsh background. In 2007, Wall to Wall Media developed You Don't Know You're Born for ITV1. The series saw various celebrities taking on their ancestors' jobs. UKTV broadcast My Famous Family in 2007. The PBS series Finding Your Roots , premiered in 2012, features celebrities discovering their ancestry through
2925-504: A song for the Eurovision Song Contest called "Try It and See", which was not selected. With rewritten lyrics, it became "King Herod's Song" in their third musical, Jesus Christ Superstar (1970). Debuting on Broadway in 1971, by 1980 the musical had grossed more than $ 237 million worldwide. Running for over eight years in London between 1972 and 1980, it held the record for longest-running West End musical before it
3042-601: A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame , is an inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame , and is a fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors . The Really Useful Group , Lloyd Webber's company, is one of the largest theatre operators in London. Producers in several parts of the UK have staged productions, including national tours, of Lloyd Webber musicals under licence from
3159-426: A statute of Queen Elizabeth II, the installation of "Ladies Companion of the Garter" became possible. In 2022, Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos , became the first Black Lady Companion of the Order since its foundation. Eliza Manningham-Buller , Baroness Manningham-Buller, became the first Lady Companion to be appointed chancellor of the Order , on 18 June 2024. Membership in the Order is strictly limited and includes
3276-613: A successful Broadway show, opening with the largest advance in Broadway history, and winning seven Tony Awards that year. Even so, by its closing in 1997, "it had not recouped its reported $ 13 million investment." From 1995 to 2000, Lloyd Webber wrote the Matters of Taste column in The Daily Telegraph where he reviewed restaurants and hotels, and these were illustrated by Lucinda Rogers. In 1998, Lloyd Webber released
3393-472: A sword belt with sword, under the robes. Nowadays, morning dress or a lounge suit is worn, except for coronations when Tudor under-dress is worn by the canopy-bearers. On other occasions when decorations are worn, the members wear simpler insignia: On the death of a member, the Lesser George and breast star are returned personally to the sovereign by the former member's nearest male relative, and
3510-783: A worship service, before which the formal installation of the new knights takes place. While (then just) knights continued to be invested with their ensigns, the formal installation of knights at St George's Chapel ceased in 1805. Installation, along with the annual Garter service, returned in 1948; on the occasion of the order's 600th anniversary. Members are assigned positions in the order of precedence , coming before all others of knightly rank, and above baronets . The wives, sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Companion are also assigned precedence. Relatives of Ladies Companion are not, however, assigned any special positions. (Generally, individuals can derive precedence from their fathers or husbands, but not from their wives.) The Chancellor
3627-546: Is ex officio the senior officer of the College of Arms (the heraldic authority of England), and is usually appointed from among the other officers of arms at the College. As the title suggests, Garter Principal King of Arms has specific duties as the Order's officer of arms, attending to the companions' coats of arms and banners of arms , which are exhibited in the chapel. The Secretary, who acts as deputy to Garter in
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3744-646: Is also assigned precedence, but since 1837 the office has been held by a diocesan bishop of the Church of England or a peer , who have a higher precedence than that bestowed by the Chancellorship. Knights Companion prefix " Sir " and Ladies Companion prefix " Lady " to their forenames. Wives of Knights Companion may prefix "Lady" to their surnames, but no corresponding privilege exists for husbands of Ladies Companion. Such forms are not used by royalty, peers, peeresses, or Anglican clergymen, who instead use only
3861-455: Is fashioned after the Broadway musical of the 1940s and 1950s; it opens with a traditional overture comprising a medley of tunes from the show, and the score reflects some of Lloyd Webber's early influences, particularly Richard Rodgers , Frederick Loewe , and Lionel Bart . In this respect, it is markedly different from the composer's later work, which tends to be either predominantly or wholly through-composed , and closer in form to opera. In
3978-749: Is likely to have been inspired by the Castilian Order of the Band , established in about 1330. At the time of its foundation, the Order consisted of King Edward III, together with 25 Founder Knights, listed in ascending order of stall number in St George's Chapel : They are all depicted by individual portraits in the Bruges Garter Book compiled c. 1431 , and now in the British Library . Various legends account for
4095-700: Is outranked in precedence only by the decorations of the Victoria Cross and the George Cross . The Order of the Garter is dedicated to the image and arms of Saint George , England's patron saint . Appointments are at the Sovereign 's sole discretion, typically made in recognition of national contribution, service to the Crown, or for distinguished personal service to the Monarch. Membership of
4212-401: The 2005 BAFTAs . Cherie Lunghi was the narrator between Series 10 and 13. In the first series, the last ten minutes of each episode featured presenter Adrian Chiles and genealogical researcher Nick Barratt giving tips on tracing a family tree. In 2007, a special episode was broadcast in conjunction with the BBC's "Family Wanted" campaign featuring Nicky Campbell , who was adopted when he
4329-632: The Black Rod . St George's Chapel in Windsor is the mother church of the Order of the Garter and the location of special services in relation to the Order. During their lifetime, all members of the Order of the Garter are entitled to display their heraldic crests and banners in St George's Chapel. While the Garter stall plates ( see below ) stay in the chapel permanently, the crests and banners of deceased knights are, following presentation at
4446-566: The Old Testament . The request for the new piece came with a 100- guinea advance from Novello. This resulted in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat , a retelling of the biblical story of Joseph , in which Lloyd Webber and Rice humorously pastiched a number of pop-music styles such as Elvis-style rock'n'roll, Calypso and country music . Joseph began life as a short cantata that gained some recognition on its second staging with
4563-683: The "best record of the Sixties", and Dusty Springfield 's rendition of " Son of a Preacher Man " the song that taught him "the power of a perfect pop song". He studied history for a term at Magdalen College, Oxford , although he abandoned the course in the winter of 1965 to study at the Royal College of Music in London and pursue his interest in musical theatre. "The names of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice are, of course, forever bound together in musical theatre history, like those of Gilbert and Sullivan ." —Theatre critic Mark Shenton on
4680-470: The 15th century; and that of Secretary, in the 20th century. William of Edington , Bishop of Winchester , was the first Prelate of the Order, and that office has since been held by his successors at Winchester, traditionally a senior bishopric of the Church of England . The office of Chancellor is now held by one of the companions of the order. For most of its existence, the Bishop of Salisbury has held
4797-498: The 17th century, there were only thirteen such knights. King Charles II increased the number to 18 (in large part because of funds allocated from Sir Francis Crane's will) after his coronation in 1660. After the knights objected to being termed "poor", King William IV redesignated them in the 19th century as the Military Knights of Windsor. The poor knights were impoverished military veterans, required to pray daily for
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4914-422: The 19 yere [ sic ] of this kinge, he made a solempne feest at Wyndesore, and a greate justes and turnament, where he devysed, and perfyted substanegally, the order of the knyghtes of the garter; howe be it some afferme that this order began fyrst by kynge Rycharde, Cure de Lyon, at the sege of the citye of Acres; where, in his great necessyte, there were but 26 knyghtes that fyrmely and surely abode by
5031-512: The 2002 musical Bombay Dreams . In April 2008, Lloyd Webber reprised his role as judge, this time in the BBC musical talent show I'd Do Anything . The show followed a similar format to its Maria and Joseph predecessors, this time involving a search for an actress to play the role of Nancy in a West End production of Lionel Bart 's Oliver! , a musical based on the Charles Dickens ' novel Oliver Twist . The show also featured
5148-489: The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and " The Phantom of the Opera " from The Phantom of the Opera were parts of the musical theatre section. In 2023, Lloyd Webber was one of twelve composers asked to write a new piece for the coronation of Charles III and Camilla . His anthem, "Make a Joyful Noise", was performed during the enthronement of Queen Camilla . Among the accusations of plagiarism that Lloyd Webber has received,
5265-558: The Companions of the Order and their spouses, and by the Officers of the Order. After the banquet all the knights and ladies of the order, together with the prelate, chancellor and other officers of the order, in their mantles and ceremonial robes, led by the Military Knights of Windsor, move in procession, watched by a great crowd of spectators, through the castle, down the hill, which is lined with soldiers, to Saint George's Chapel for
5382-581: The Crown. From the late 15th century, there was a formal ceremony of degradation, in which Garter King of Arms , accompanied by the rest of the Heralds , processed to St George's Chapel. While the Garter King read aloud the Instrument of Degradation, a Herald climbed up a ladder and removed the former Knight's banner , crest , helm , and sword , throwing them down into the quire . Then the rest of
5499-610: The Dutch composer Louis Andriessen stated that he: "has yet to think up a single note; in fact, the poor guy's never invented one note by himself. That's rather poor". Lloyd Webber's biographer, John Snelson, acknowledged a similarity between the andante movement of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor and the Jesus Christ Superstar song " I Don't Know How to Love Him ", but wrote that Lloyd Webber: ...brings
5616-521: The French throne, and the Order of the Garter was created to help pursue this claim. The use of the garter as an emblem may have derived from straps used to fasten armour, and may have been chosen because it held overtones of a tight-knit "band" or "bond" of knightly "supporters" of Edward's cause. There is a connection between the Order of the Garter and the Middle English poem Sir Gawain and
5733-453: The Garter named was Queen Alexandra, by her husband King Edward VII . King George V also made his consort, Queen Mary , a Lady of the Garter and King George VI subsequently did the same for his wife, Queen Elizabeth , and his daughter Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II). Throughout the 20th century, women continued to be associated with the Order, but save for foreign female monarchs, they were not made Companions. In 1987, by
5850-408: The Garter", belong to the royal family . These titles were introduced in 1786 by King George III so that his many sons would not curtail the number of non-royal companions. He created the statute of supernumerary members in 1805 so that any descendant of King George II could be installed as such a member. In 1831, this statute was extended again to include all descendants of King George I . With
5967-657: The Garter, the Order of the Thistle and the dormant Order of St Patrick ) became a personal gift of the Sovereign once again. Thus, the sovereign personally selects Knights and Ladies Companion of the Garter, without political influence. Appointments are typically announced on Saint George's Day (23 April). The Order includes supernumerary members, whose number do not count towards the limit of 24 companions. Several supernumerary members, known as "Royal Knights and Ladies of
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#17327719368726084-465: The Garter. Each June, on Garter Day, the members of the Order, wearing their habits and garter insignia, meet at Windsor Castle . When any new Knights and/or Ladies of the Garter are due for installation, an investiture ceremony is held in the Throne Room of Windsor Castle on the morning of Garter Day. This ceremony is attended by all available Knights and Ladies Companion of the Order, wearing
6201-473: The Garter. Knights and Ladies Companion are also entitled to receive heraldic supporters , a privilege granted to few other private individuals. While some families claim supporters by ancient use, and others have been granted them as a special reward, only members of the Royal Family, peers, Knights and Ladies Companion of the Garter, Knights and Ladies of the Thistle, and Knights and Dames Grand Cross of
6318-449: The Garter. Queen Elizabeth I replaced the mantles in the 16th and 17th centuries with blue and purple gowns, but the red mantles returned in the 17th century under King Charles I . When the knights were renamed, the mantles were abandoned. The military knights now wear the old military uniform of an "army officer on the unattached list": black trousers with red stripe, a red double-breasted swallow-tailed coat, gold epaulets and brushes,
6435-605: The Green Knight (late 14th century). The motto is inscribed, as hony soyt qui mal pence , at the end of the text in the sole surviving manuscript in the British Library , albeit in a later hand. In the poem, a girdle , very similar in its erotic undertones to the garter, plays a prominent role. A rough equivalent of the Order's motto has been identified in Gawain's exclamation corsed worth cowarddyse and couetyse boþe ('cursed be both cowardice and coveting', v. 2374). While
6552-529: The Heralds kicked them down the length of the chapel, out of the doors, and into the castle ditch. The last such formal degradation was that of James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde , in 1716. During the First World War, two Royal Knights and six Stranger Knights, all monarchs or princes of enemy nations and including Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, and Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria , were struck off
6669-511: The High Altar, removed from the chapel. Sometimes they are then given to institutions that were connected with the late knight, or kept privately depending on family wishes. Originally after a knight's death, the crests became the property of Garter King of Arms, and these crests have been the subject of occasional exhibitions in the Earl Marshal's Court at the College of Arms . Garter stall plates are small enamelled and engraved brass plates located in St George's Chapel as memorials to Knights of
6786-425: The Knights Companion. In return, they received a salary and lodging in Windsor Castle. The knights are no longer necessarily poor, but are still military pensioners. They participate in the Order's processions, escorting the members, and in the chapel services. However, they are not considered members of the Order. The poor knights originally wore red mantles , each of which bore St George's Cross, but did not depict
6903-425: The Marquis Theatre on 17 November 2005. Garnering mixed reviews from critics, due in part to the frequent absences of the show's star Maria Friedman due to breast cancer treatment, it closed only a brief three months later on 19 February 2006. Lloyd Webber produced a staging of The Sound of Music , which débuted in November 2006. He made the controversial decision to choose an unknown to play leading lady Maria, who
7020-406: The Monarch, the Prince of Wales , not more than 24 Companion members, and various supernumerary members. The monarch alone decides who is appointed. The monarch is known as the Sovereign of the Garter , and the Prince of Wales is known as a Royal Knight Companion of the Garter . Male members of the Order are titled "Knights Companion" and female members are called "Ladies Companion". Formerly,
7137-513: The Musical . For his next project, a 2015 musical adaptation of the 2003 film School of Rock , auditions were held for children aged nine to fifteen in cooperation with the School of Rock music education program , which predated the film by several years. In April 2016, the English National Opera staged a revival of Sunset Boulevard at the London Coliseum . The limited run, semi-staged production directed by Lonny Price brought Glenn Close to reprise her star turn as Norma Desmond, which
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#17327719368727254-414: The Night " and " All I Ask of You " from The Phantom of the Opera , " I Don't Know How to Love Him " from Jesus Christ Superstar , " Don't Cry for Me Argentina " from Evita , and " Any Dream Will Do " from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat . In 2001, The New York Times referred to him as "the most commercially successful composer in history". The Daily Telegraph named him in 2008
7371-416: The Opera played its 10,000th show on Broadway. With over 14,200 London productions it is the second longest-running West End musical . The Broadway production closed on 16 April 2023, having played 13,981 performances, the most in Broadway history. Aspects of Love followed in 1989, a musical based on the story by David Garnett . The lyrics were by Don Black and Charles Hart and the original production
7488-431: The Opera . Elaine Paige collaborated again with Lloyd Webber, originating the role of Grizabella in Cats , and had a Top 10 UK hit with " Memory ". Starlight Express (1984) was a commercial hit, but received negative reviews from the critics. It ran for 7,409 performances in London, making it the ninth longest-running West End show . It ran for less than two years on Broadway. The show has also seen two tours of
7605-401: The Order, women were appointed "Ladies of the Garter", but some historians argue that they were not appointed Companions, as they were not Knights. Queen Philippa was the first Lady to be appointed in 1358. King Henry VII discontinued the practice in 1488; his mother, Margaret Beaufort , was the last Lady of the Garter before Queen Alexandra . Except for female sovereigns, the next Lady of
7722-441: The Phantom. The production was directed by Harold Prince, who had also earlier directed Evita . Charles Hart wrote the lyrics for Phantom with some additional material provided by Richard Stilgoe , with whom Lloyd Webber co-wrote the book of the musical. It became a hit and is still running in the West End; in January 2006 it overtook Lloyd Webber's Cats as the longest-running show on Broadway . On 11 February 2012, Phantom of
7839-460: The Queen's birthday, first performed at Windsor Castle . Several of the tunes were later used for Aspects of Love and Sunset Boulevard . Lloyd Webber premiered The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre in the West End in 1986, inspired by the 1911 Gaston Leroux novel . He wrote the part of Christine for his then wife, Sarah Brightman , who played the role in the original London and Broadway productions alongside Michael Crawford as
7956-420: The Really Useful Group. He is also the president of the Arts Educational Schools , London, a performing arts school located in Chiswick, west London. Lloyd Webber is involved in a number of charitable activities, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation , Nordoff Robbins , Prostate Cancer UK and War Child . In 1992, he started the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation which supports the arts, culture, and heritage of
8073-415: The UK. Lloyd Webber was born on 22 March 1948 at Westminster Hospital in London, the elder son of William Lloyd Webber (1914–1982), a composer and organist, and Jean Hermione Johnstone (1921–1993), a violinist and pianist. His younger brother, Julian Lloyd Webber , is a world-renowned solo cellist. On the BBC's genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? , he learned that his mother's great-great-uncle
8190-553: The US, as well as an Australian/Japanese production, a three-year UK touring production, which transferred to New Zealand later in 2009. Starlight Express runs full-time in a custom-built theatre in Bochum , Germany, where it has been running since 1988. The German production holds the Guinness World Record for most visitors to a musical in a single theatre. Lloyd Webber wrote a Requiem Mass dedicated to his father, William, who had died in 1982. It premiered at St. Thomas Church in New York on 24 February 1985. Church music had been
8307-408: The West End's Adelphi Theatre . Lloyd Webber embarked on his next project without a lyricist, turning instead to the poetry of T. S. Eliot . Cats (1981) was to become the longest-running musical in London, where it ran for 21 years and 8,949 performances before closing. On Broadway, Cats ran for 18 years, a record which would ultimately be broken by another Lloyd Webber musical, The Phantom of
8424-556: The album, " Echoes ", has a riff on which Lloyd Webber allegedly based the opening organ riff in " The Phantom of the Opera ". The two riffs share very similar notes and the order of the notes played. Lloyd Webber's pipe organ riff from "Phantom of the Opera" plays D, C ♯ , C, B, A ♯ , then ascending A ♯ , B, C, C ♯ , D. Pink Floyd's "Echoes" plays C ♯ , C, B, A ♯ , A, then ascending A, A ♯ , B, C, C ♯ . Pink Floyd bassist and co-lead vocalist Roger Waters pointed this out and said it
8541-399: The author of that poem remains disputed, there seems to be a connection between two of the top candidates and the Order of the Garter, John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster , and Enguerrand de Coucy , seventh Sire de Coucy . De Coucy was married to King Edward III's daughter, Isabella , and was given admittance to the Order of the Garter on their wedding day." Soon after the founding of
8658-592: The ceremonial aspects of the Order, has since 1952 typically also been selected from the other officers of the College of Arms. The office of Usher is held by the Usher of the Black Rod , who is also the Serjeant-at-Arms of the House of Lords . At the founding of the Order of the Garter, 26 "poor knights" were appointed and attached to the Order and its chapel. This number was not always maintained, and by
8775-461: The ceremonial habits and garter insignia, and also by their spouses. The wording of the oath sworn by the new knights at this ceremony and of the Admonitions addressed to them in turn by the prelate and chancellor of the order when the several items of insignia are placed upon them are extremely similar to the traditions of the past. At the investiture ceremony, two senior knights or ladies of
8892-415: The earliest written version of this story dates from the 1460s, and it seems to have been conceived as a retrospective explanation for the adoption of what was then seen as an item of female underclothing as the symbol of a band of knights. In fact, at the time of the Order's establishment in the mid-14th century, garters were predominantly an item of male attire. According to another legend, King Richard I
9009-470: The entire score for the new 'Phantom' in one fell swoop". The Phantom in question was The Phantom of Manhattan , a planned sequel to The Phantom of the Opera . On 1 July 2007, Lloyd Webber presented excerpts from his musicals as part of the Concert for Diana held at Wembley Stadium , London, an event organised to celebrate the life of Princess Diana almost 10 years after her death. BBC Radio 2 broadcast
9126-554: The fifth-most powerful person in British culture, on which occasion lyricist Don Black said that "Andrew more or less single-handedly reinvented the musical." Lloyd Webber has received numerous awards, including a knighthood in 1992, followed by a peerage for services to the arts, six Tonys , seven Olivier Awards , three Grammys (as well as the Grammy Legend Award ), an Academy Award , 14 Ivor Novello Awards ,
9243-750: The film caused him to get a dog. Lloyd Webber's new version of Cinderella opened at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in the West End in 2021. The opening, which was originally set to take place in August 2020, was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Based on a book by Emerald Fennell , Lloyd Webber wrote: "Emerald Fennell has written something truly exciting and original, and the moment I read her outline I knew I'd found my latest collaborator." He garnered press attention in July 2021 for saying that he
9360-448: The installation of Emperor Alexander I of Russia in 1813, supernumerary membership was extended to foreign monarchs, who are known as "Stranger Knights and Ladies of the Garter". Each such installation originally required the enactment of a statute; however, a 1954 statute authorises the regular admission of Stranger Knights or Ladies without further special enactments. The sovereign may " degrade " members who have taken up arms against
9477-533: The junior orders of chivalry are automatically entitled to them. Who Do You Think You Are%3F (British TV series) Who Do You Think You Are? is a British genealogy documentary series that has aired on the BBC since 2004, in which celebrity participants trace their family history. It is made by the production company Wall to Wall . The programme has regularly attracted an audience of more than 6 million viewers. More than ten international adaptations of
9594-565: The kynge; where he caused all them to were thonges of blew leyther about theyr legges. And afterwarde they were called the knyghtes of the blew thonge." I am obliged for this passage to John Fenn, Esq; a curious and ingenious gentleman of East-Dereham, in Norfolk, who is in possession of the most rare book whence it is taken. Hence some affirm, that the origin of the garter is to be dated from Richard I* and that it owes its pomp and splendor to Edward III. The motto in fact refers to Edward's claim to
9711-430: The latest notice (according to the book) is 20 October 1345. Other dates from 1344 to 1351 have also been proposed. The King's wardrobe account shows Garter habits first issued in the autumn of 1348. Also, its original statutes required that each member of the Order already be a knight (what would now be referred to as a knight bachelor ) and some of the initial members listed were only knighted that year. Its foundation
9828-669: The musical Bombay Dreams to London. With music by Indian Music composer A.R. Rahman and lyrics by Don Black, it ran for two years at the Apollo Victoria Theatre . A revised Broadway production at the Broadway Theatre two years later ran for only 284 performances. On 16 September 2004, his production of The Woman in White opened at the Palace Theatre in London. It ran for 19 months and 500 performances. A revised production opened on Broadway at
9945-438: The musical Jeeves with Alan Ayckbourn , who provided the book and lyrics. Jeeves failed to make any impact at the box office and closed after a run of only 38 performances in the West End in 1975. Many years later, Lloyd Webber and Ayckbourn revisited this project, producing a thoroughly reworked and more successful version entitled By Jeeves (1996). Lloyd Webber collaborated with Rice once again to write Evita (1978),
10062-458: The office, although laymen held it from 1553 to 1671. In 1837, after boundary changes made Windsor Castle fall in the diocese of Oxford , the Chancellorship was transferred to the Bishop of Oxford . A century later, the Bishop of Salisbury challenged this transfer, on the grounds that the Chancellorship had been attached to his office regardless of the diocese in which the chapel of the order lay; and that, in any event, St George's Chapel , as
10179-483: The order assist the Sovereign by placing the garter around the left leg of the new knight, or left arm of the new lady, and in the fastening of the riband and Lesser George about the body of the new knight or lady, and in the adjustment of the mantle and the collar. After the investiture ceremony at Windsor is concluded, a state luncheon is held in the Banqueting Room. This is attended by the royal family, by all
10296-526: The order is limited to the sovereign, the Prince of Wales , and no more than 24 living members, or Companions. The order also includes Supernumerary Knights and Ladies (e.g., members of the British royal family and foreign monarchs). The order's emblem is a garter circlet with the motto Honi soit qui mal y pense ( Anglo-Norman for 'Shame on him who thinks evil of it') in gold script. Members of
10413-489: The order wear it on ceremonial occasions. King Edward III founded the Order of the Garter around the time of his claim to the French throne . The traditional year of foundation is usually given as 1348 (when it was formally proclaimed). However, The Complete Peerage , under "The Founders of the Order of the Garter", states the order was first instituted on 23 April 1344, listing each founding member as knighted in 1344. The list includes Sir Sanchet D'Abrichecourt , of whom
10530-465: The origin of the Order. The most popular involves the "Countess of Salisbury", whose garter is said to have slipped from her leg while she was dancing at a court ball at Calais . When the surrounding courtiers snickered, the King picked it up and returned it to her, exclaiming, " Honi soit qui mal y pense! " ('Shame on him who thinks ill of it!'), which phrase has become the Order's motto . However,
10647-633: The other insignia to the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood , save the riband, mantle and hat. For ceremonial occasions of the Order, the officers wear the following garments and accessories: The chancellor carries a purse, which is embroidered with the royal arms impaled by the Cross of St George. The purse contains the seal of the Order. Garter Principal King of Arms carries his baton of office . The usher carries their staff of office,
10764-409: The partnership of Lloyd Webber and Rice. In 1965, when Lloyd Webber was a 17-year-old budding musical-theatre composer, he was introduced to the 20-year-old aspiring pop-song writer Tim Rice . Their first collaboration was The Likes of Us , an Oliver! -inspired musical based on the true story of Thomas John Barnardo . They produced a demo tape of that work in 1966, but the project failed to gain
10881-440: The post-nominal letters. Knights and Ladies Companion use the post-nominal letters "KG" and "LG" respectively. When an individual is entitled to use multiple post-nominal letters, those of the Order of the Garter appear before all others, except "Bt" or "Bart" ( Baronet ), "VC" ( Victoria Cross ) and "GC" ( George Cross ). In their heraldic achievements , members of the Order of the Garter may encircle their escutcheon with
10998-421: The programme have been produced. The first two series were broadcast on BBC Two and the first was the channel's highest-rating programme of 2004. This led to episodes being shown on BBC One from the third series onwards. The current narrator, as of Series 14 in 2017, is Phil Davis . Mark Strong took over from David Morrissey after the first series, which was nominated for "Best Factual Series or Strand" in
11115-551: The project did not come to fruition until after the completion of Aspects of Love when the composer finally managed to secure the rights from Paramount Pictures , The composer worked with two collaborators, as he had done on Aspects of Love ; this time Christopher Hampton and Don Black shared equal credit for the book and lyrics. Sunset Boulevard opened at the Adelphi Theatre in London on 12 July 1993, and ran for 1,529 performances. In 1994, Sunset Boulevard became
11232-483: The public. The songwriter Ray Repp claimed in a court case that Lloyd Webber had stolen a melody from his own song "Till You", but the court ruled in Lloyd Webber's favour. Knight of the Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. The most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system , it
11349-596: The right to represent Britain, winning with " It's My Time ", by Lloyd Webber and Diane Warren . At the contest, Lloyd Webber accompanied her on the piano during the performance. The United Kingdom finished fifth in the contest. On 8 October 2009, Lloyd Webber launched the musical Love Never Dies at a press conference held at Her Majesty's Theatre , where the original Phantom has been running since 1986. Also present were Sierra Boggess , who had been cast as Christine Daaé , and Ramin Karimloo , who portrayed Phantom ,
11466-429: The roll of the order, their appointments being annulled in 1915. The banner of King Victor Emmanuel III was removed from the chapel after Italy entered World War II against the United Kingdom and its allies in 1940. The banner of Emperor Hirohito was removed from St George's Chapel when Japan entered World War II in 1941, but that banner and his knighthood were restored by Elizabeth II in 1971, when Hirohito made
11583-471: The song " Beautiful Ghosts " with Taylor Swift for the film adaptation of Cats , produced by Greg Wells and released in December 2019. In an interview in August 2020, Lloyd Webber called the film "ridiculous" in the ways that it changed the musical: "The problem with the film was that Tom Hooper decided that he didn't want anybody involved in it who was involved in the original show." He said that seeing
11700-422: The sovereign acting alone, with no prior nominations. The statutes prescribing the former procedure were not amended, however, until 1953. From the 18th century, the sovereign made their choices on the advice of the government . In 1946, with the agreement of Prime Minister Clement Attlee and Opposition Leader Winston Churchill , membership of Great Britain's highest ranking orders of chivalry (the Order of
11817-497: The sovereign filled vacancies upon the nomination of the members. Each member would nominate nine candidates, of whom three had to have the rank of earl or higher, three the rank of baron or higher, and three the rank of knight or higher. The sovereign would choose as many nominees as were necessary to fill any vacancies in the order. They were not obliged to choose those who received the most nominations. Candidates were last nominated in 1860, and appointments have since been made by
11934-481: The stage door into the world of the theatre. His father enrolled him as a part-time student at the Eric Gilder School of Music in 1963. At this time he was working on a Genghis Khan musical called Westonia! . From 1960 to 1965, Lloyd Webber was a Queen's Scholar at Westminster School . An avid listener of 1960s rock and pop music, he called The Rolling Stones song " (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction "
12051-584: The summer of 1967, Alan Doggett, a family friend of the Lloyd Webbers who had assisted on The Likes of Us and who was the music teacher at the Colet Court school in London, commissioned Lloyd Webber and Rice to write a piece for the school's choir. Doggett requested a "pop cantata" along the lines of Herbert Chappell 's The Daniel Jazz (1963) and Michael Hurd 's Jonah-Man Jazz (1966), both of which had been published by Novello and were based on
12168-484: Was "prepared to be arrested" to open Cinderella to full houses in spite of rising Covid cases and in defiance of Government advice. A 2021 feature in Variety suggested: Lloyd Webber, at 73, appears to have been reanimated creatively in recent years. Both School of Rock and Cinderella earned him some of the best reviews of his career and had a lightness and wit that had been missing from his work. They came after
12285-662: Was "probably actionable", but stated that he did not care to take it to court. Noting similarities between Lloyd Webber's " The Music of the Night " and a recurring melody in Giacomo Puccini 's 1910 opera, La fanciulla del West ( The Girl of the Golden West ), in 1987 the Puccini estate filed a lawsuit against Lloyd Webber, accusing him of plagiarism. The case was settled out of court , but details were not released to
12402-475: Was asked to write a song for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and he composed " Amigos Para Siempre — Friends for Life" with Don Black providing the lyrics. This song was performed by Sarah Brightman and José Carreras . Lloyd Webber had toyed with the idea of writing a musical based on Billy Wilder 's critically acclaimed movie, Sunset Boulevard , since seeing the film in the early 1970s, but
12519-462: Was certified silver. Perhaps because of its large orchestration, live performances of the Requiem are rare. In 1986, Prince Edward , the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II , commissioned a short musical from Lloyd Webber and Rice for his mother's 60th birthday celebration. Cricket (1986), also called Cricket (Hearts and Wickets) , reunited Lloyd Webber with Rice to create this short musical for
12636-412: Was directed by Trevor Nunn. Aspects had a run of four years in London, but closed after less than a year on Broadway. It has since gone on a tour of the UK. It is famous for the song " Love Changes Everything ", which was performed by Michael Ball in both the West End and Broadway casts. It stayed in the UK Singles Chart for 14 weeks, peaking at number 2 and becoming Ball's signature tune. Lloyd Webber
12753-490: Was enormously successful, eventually running for nearly eight years in the West End. Evita transferred to Broadway in 1979, in a production starring Patti LuPone as Eva and Mandy Patinkin as Che; it won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, helped launch the careers of both LuPone and Patinkin, and ran for almost four years. Rice and Lloyd Webber parted ways soon after Evita , although they have sporadically worked together since then. In 1978, Lloyd Webber embarked on
12870-528: Was found through the BBC 's reality television show How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria? , in which he was a judge. The winner of the show was Connie Fisher . A 2006 project, The Master and Margarita , was abandoned in 2007. In September 2006, Lloyd Webber was named a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors with Zubin Mehta , Dolly Parton , Steven Spielberg , and Smokey Robinson . He
12987-642: Was her first time performing the role in London; she had originated the role in Los Angeles in December 1993 and then on Broadway in November 1994 (which won her the 1995 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical). The 2016 London revival was so well-received that the production transferred to the Palace Theatre on Broadway in February 2017, making Lloyd Webber the first musical-theatre composer since 1953 to have four musicals running simultaneously on Broadway –
13104-604: Was inspired in the 12th century by St George the Martyr while fighting in the Crusades to tie garters around the legs of his knights, who subsequently won the battle. King Edward supposedly recalled the event in the 14th century when he founded the Order. This story is recounted in a letter to the Annual Register in 1774: In Rastel's Chronicle, I. vi. under the life of Edward III is the following curious passage: "About
13221-520: Was just a few days old. The theme tune was composed by Mark Sayer-Wade, who also provided the background music for earlier episodes. The music in later episodes was provided by Julian Hamlin, Edmund Jolliffe , Mark Russell and Mike MacLennan. Theo Elwell is the current composer, as of Series 20 in 2023. The TV format of the series has proved popular around the world and the BBC has licensed it to many foreign television companies who have produced their own individual versions. BBC Cymru Wales has
13338-450: Was overtaken by Cats in 1989. The planned follow-up to Jesus Christ Superstar was a musical comedy based on the Jeeves and Wooster novels by P. G. Wodehouse . Tim Rice was uncertain about this venture, partly because of his concern that he might not be able to do justice to the novels that he and Lloyd Webber so admired. Rice backed out of the project and Lloyd Webber subsequently wrote
13455-468: Was recognised for his outstanding contribution to American performing arts. He attended the ceremony on 3 December 2006; it aired on 26 December 2006. On 11 February 2007, Lloyd Webber was featured as a guest judge on the reality television show Grease: You're the One that I Want! . Between April and June 2007, he appeared in BBC One's Any Dream Will Do! , which followed the same format as How Do You Solve
13572-554: Was the soldier Sir Peregrine Maitland who in 1815 served as a major general at the Battle of Waterloo . Lloyd Webber started writing his own music at a young age: a suite of six pieces at the age of nine. He also put on "productions" with Julian and his aunt Viola in his toy theatre (which he built at Viola's suggestion). In his memoir, he writes: "mum was determined that I should be a prodigy in something or other." His aunt Viola, an actress, took him to see many of her shows and through
13689-531: Was used from 1978 to 1980. He also composed the instrumental " Argentine Melody " as the theme music for the BBC's coverage of the 1978 FIFA World Cup held in Argentina. Lloyd Webber was the subject of This Is Your Life in November 1980 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews in the foyer of Thames Television 's Euston Road Studios in London. He would be honoured a second time by the television programme in November 1994 when Michael Aspel surprised him at
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