Jones, (James) Sidney

Jones, (James) Sidney, English composer and conductor; b. London, June 17, 1861; d. there, Jan. 29, 1946. He was the son of Sidney James, the conductor of the Leeds Grand Theatre and municipal band. He learned to play the clarinet and served as a musician under his father before setting out on his own as a touring theater conductor. In 1891 he toured the U.S. and Australia as conductor of London’s Gaiety Theater company. Returning to England, he composed his first operetta, Our Family Legend (Brighton, Oct. 8, 1892). He made London the center of his activities, where he conducted at several theaters and had his first major success as a composer with A Gaiety Girl (Oct. 14, 1893). After bringing out An Artist’s Model (Feb. 2, 1895), Jones scored a triumphant success with The Geisha (April 25, 1896). It subsequently was given around the globe and remained a staple in the repertoire of light theater works for decades. Following the premiere of A Greek Slave (June 8, 1898), he scored another outstanding success with San Toy (Oct. 21, 1899). Success also attended My Lady Molly (Brighton, Aug. 11, 1902). His London efforts resumed with the unsuccessful The Medal and the Maid (April 25, 1903), but he had better luck with See See (June 20, 1906). While his King of Caledonia (Sept. 3, 1908) met with public favor, A Persian Princess (April 27, 1909) did not. After an unsuccessful collaboration with Paul Rubens on The Girl from Utah (Oct. 18, 1913) and The Happy Day (May 13, 1916), Jones abandoned the musical theater.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire