George W. Byng

[5] For three years he was sub-conductor in London at the Empire, Leicester Square, before being appointed musical director at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

Together with A. McLean and Reginald Somerville he composed the score for the musical farce, The White Silk Dress, which opened at The Prince of Wales's Theatre in 1896,[7] starring Decima Moore and Arthur Roberts.

[15] Also in 1912, Byng constructed a score for The Guide to Paris, an updated version of La Vie parisienne with words by George Grossmith, Jr.; Byng included music from other Offenbach scores, including La belle Hélène, Madame Favart and Barbe-bleue.

[16] Byng listed his principal compositions as Jack Ashore, Inspiration, Gretna-Green, Santa Claus, The Devil's Forge, On the Heath, Our Flag and H.M.S.

[17] Byng composed music for several other stage shows, including The Variety Girl (1902), The Belle of the Baltic, Guy Fawkes, The Duchess of Sillie Crankie (1904), and The Mad Pierrot (1911).

[18] His other songs and compositions include "Cupid Wins", "The Two Flags", "Paquita", "The Polar Star", "Femina", "On the Sands", "My sword and I" (sung by Peter Dawson), "My Heart and I" (duet) and an orchestral suite: A Day in Naples[12][n 2] In 1913 he left the Alhambra and was appointed conductor at the Gaiety Theatre, London, in succession to Leopold Wenzel.

These featured many well-known artists of the time, for example the singers Elisabeth Schumann,[23] Feodor Chaliapin, Peter Dawson, the Black Diamonds (Brass) Band and the Mayfair Dance Orchestra.

[24] During and after the First World War Byng was one of the conductors, along with Arthur Wood and Harry Norris, who worked on the HMV project to record the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas.

[25] The Gilbert and Sullivan operas Byng conducted for HMV were The Mikado (1917),[n 3] The Yeomen of the Guard (1920),[25][27] The Pirates of Penzance (1920),[25][28] Patience (1921),[25][29] Iolanthe (1922),[n 4] H.M.S Pinafore (1922)[25][31] and Princess Ida, 1924.