Roger Roger (composer)

Roger Roger (5 August 1911 – 12 June 1995) was a French film composer and bandleader.[1] His aliases included Eric Swan and Cecil Leuter, the last being a pseudonym he used for his electronic productions. He was one of the first, with Pierre Henry and Jean-Jacques Perrey, to experiment with the Moog synthesizer; his Pop Electronique album was released in 1969,[2] five years after Bob Moog put his electronic device on the market.

Roger Roger was born in Rouen in Normandy. His father Edmond Roger was an operatic conductor who had been a classmate of Claude Debussy: he is said to have named his son Roger "to satisfy a personal whim".[3] He was taught in the classical tradition, influenced especially by Ravel, but he quickly also discovered American popular song, analysing the compositions and arrangements of George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin. He began conducting at the age of 18 in music halls, and quickly moved into the world of broadcast music, and by the late 1930s he was composing for French feature films and documentaries.[3]

After the war, Roger Roger came to the attention of the London publishing house Chappell & Co, who signed him up as part of their drive to expand the Chappell Recorded Music Library, formed in 1941.[4] He recorded over 20 albums of his own compositions for them, from the mid-1950s on.[3] He died in Paris in 1995. Since his death, renewed interest in light music has seen several CD albums released, both in dedicated albums and in compilations, including music used under the test card by the BBC.

Distinctive orchestral pieces by Roger Roger include Busy Streets, (1962)[5] Greenland Sleigh Dogs (aka Alaska) [6], which became a staple of the BBC Test Card music soundtracks during the 1960s and 1970s, and the four movement Snapshots Suite. He is listed as the composer for two episodes of the Flash Gordon (1954) television series, and for the series' incidental music.[7][8]

In 1971 he released the album Jungle Obssession, on Neuilly Records, with frequent collaborator of childhood friend Nino Nardini.[9][10]

Farmer Alfalfa

His piece "Komic Kapers" was used in the 1950s by the Commonwealth cartoon distribution company. They put it as the opening music when adding sound to many of Paul Terry's silent Farmer Alfalfa cartoons from the 1920s (also known as Farmer Grey). Although never chosen by Terry, Rogers's piece was indelibly imprinted on a whole generation of children as the signature tune for these strange, eerie, frantic cartoons.

Discography

Major records

Catalog Nr.	Artists	Track listing
5217	Roger Roger	A – 1. Dramatic Appasionata, 2. Dramatic Appasionata; B – Morning Breezes
5218	Roger Roger	A – The Fascinating Valse; B – 1. Peasant Dance, 2. Cavern Mysterioso
5219	Roger Roger	A – Dawn's Awakening; B – 1. Ballerina Petite, 2. Fanfare
5220	Roger Roger	A – The Coyote Serenade; B – Metropolitan Rhapsody
5222	Roger Roger	A – 1. The Queen's Processional, 2. The Clown's Frolic; B – 1. Devilish Menace, 2. Dismal Mists; 3. Caribbean Winds, 4. Rhythm of Doom
5224	Roger Roger	A – 1. Adoration of Love, 2. Komic Kapers, 3. Dramatic Finale, 4. Uplift Finale, 5. Steps of Mystery; B – Our Industrial World
5225	Roger Roger	A – 1. Love Triumphant, 2. Tipsy Mockingbird; B – 1. Deserted City, 2. Rue de la Paix, 3. The Cafe Musette Waltz
5231	Roger Roger	A – Hope's Awakening; B – Tread of Doom
5266	Geo. S. Chase/Roger Roger	A – Valse Charmante (Geo S. Chase); B – Ivory Coast (Roger Roger)
5267	Roger Roger	A – Damascus; B – Rendezvous, Romantic Interlude, Reverie
5270	Geo. S. Chase/Roger Roger	A – Fujiyama (Geo S. Chase); B – Himalaya/Chopsticks/Everest (Roger Roger)
5272	Geo. S. Chase/Roger Roger	A – A Coin in the Fountain (Geo S. Chase); B – Fun on Ice (Roger Roger)

Footnotes

1. "Roger Roger". Space Age Pop. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
2. "Pop Electronique". vadimmusic.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
3. David Ades, notes to 'Whimsical Days: Original Compositions of Roger Roger, Vocalion CDLK4229, 2003
4. Chappell Recorded Music Library
5. Roger Roger: Tourbillon De Paris
6. Alaska
7. Flash Gordon (1954) on IMDb
8. "Flash Gordon (science fiction)". ClassicThemes.com. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
9. "Nino Nardini - Jungle Obssession". Discogs. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
10. Strap, Flash (2 April 2012). "FLASH STRAP: Flash Strap Presents: Roger Roger & Nino Nardini- Obsession Exotique". Retrieved 8 September 2018.

External links

• Roger Roger on IMDb
• Roger Roger discography at Discogs