RONALD BINGEwas born in Derby, UK on 15th July 1910. In his early life he was a cinema organist and later started working in summer orchestras in British seaside resorts, for which he learned to play the piano accordian. His skill as a cinema organist was put to good use, and he played the latter instrument in Mantovani’s first band, the Tipica Orchestra. During the second world war, Binge served in the Royal Air Force, during which time he was much in demand organising camp entertainment.After the end of the war, Mantovani offered him the job of arranging and composing for his new orchestra. In 1951, his arrangement of Charmaine and his invention of the cascading strings, gave him and Mantovani worldwide success and recognition. However, he later tired of writing arrangements and turned to composing original works such as Elizabethan Serenade, The Water Mill, Sailing by (used for the Radio 4 weather forecast at night) and many others as well as film scores. He died of liver cancer on 6th September 1979, aged 69.I was fortunate to be his copyist for a while and got to know him as a true gentle and very kind man. George Pollenhttp://www.gpollenmus ic.co.uk/
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