Charles Ancliffe

Charles William Ancliffe (1880 – 20 December 1952) was an Irish born composer of light music, chiefly remembered for his salon piano music, genre dance pieces, light character pieces and his Nights of Gladness waltz.

After studying at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, he followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a bandmaster himself.

[1][2] During this period he wrote many popular pieces of music including marches such as "The Liberators", and "Castles in Spain".

Around the time of the First World War Ancliffe composed many waltzes and light character solo pieces, and it is mainly for these that he is remembered.

The waltz became so popular all over the world that in later years the BBC named a long-running series of light music programmes after it, using it as the signature tune[3] [4] More than a hundred years after it was written it is still to be found included on many CD compilations of light music, played by notable orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.