Roger Barsotti
From Marchdb.net
September 17, 1901 - January 1, 1980
Roger Barsotti, British conductor and composer, was born on September 17, 1901, in London. His father, Luigi Barsotti, gave him his first music lessons. Luigi Barsotti was a professional musician and at one time professor of music at the Milan Conservatory of Music. Roger Barsotti made his first appearance in public at age 14 as a deputy flutist with the Hastings Municipal Orchestra. He joined the "Buffs" regiment as a band boy in 1916 and made rapid progress and was promoted to band sergeant when he was 22.
He attended the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, and was appointed bandmaster of the Queen's Royal Regiment in August, 1930, a position he held for 15 years. He retired in 1946 after serving 30 years in the British Army. After retiring from the army Barsotti was appointed director of the Metropolitan Police Band in London. Under his direction, the band achieved very high standards. It took part in many of the important events in London and played often during the summer months in Edinburgh and Glasgow. It broadcast regularly at BBC and recoreded several albums. Barsotti retired from the Metropolitan Police Band in October, 1958.
In 1961 he was awarded the M.B.E. at the Queen's Birthday Ceremony for his outstanding service to military band music. He was regularly engaged as an adjudicator for national brass band contests and has conducted massed bands at festival concerts in Royal Albert Hall. His Neapolitan Suite was chosen as the test piece for the fourth section in the 1965 brass band contest. In August, 1966, Barsotti visited the United States, where he directed the students' symphonic band and appeared on radio and television with the New England Music Association. His compositions include over thirty marches and over forty concert selections.
Roger Barsotti died on January 1, 1980, in Bournemouth.
Marches composed by Roger Barsotti:
- Ad Astra
- Banners of Victory
- The Capitol
- Celebrities
- Colonel and Commodore
- The Commissioner
- The Coronation Tattoo
- Estremadura, Spanish march
- Gallipole
- Golden Trumpet
- The King's Colours (1937)
- The King's Company
- Legion of Honour
- London-New York
- Majestic Trumpets, funeral march
- Metropolitan (1948)
- Mexican
- Motor Sport
- The Polish Emblem
- The Queen's Colour
- Silver Heralds
- State Pageantry
- Tenacity (1943)
