to animated films produced by Halas & Batchelor, including Animal Farm (1954). The substantial Sonata for violin and piano, a commission for the Cheltenham Festival, was completed just before his death in 1960. Two comic operas, A Palágyi Pekek and Balaton, were composed for the Hungarian theatre in London, the "Londoni Pódium". A Palágyi Pékek, (libretto, György Mikes) (1943), was the first collaboration of Mátyás Seiber and George Mikes. Balaton, (libretto, György Mikes) (1944), as George Mikes has reported, was aired during the war by the BBC and, after the end of the war even made it to Budapest. A setting of the Scottish "poet and tragedian" William McGonagall's work, The Famous Tay Whale was written for the second of Gerard Hoffnung's music festivals in 1958. Seiber used a pseudonym for his jazz works and popular music: G. S. Mathis or George Mathis (a rearrangement of his name using Anglicised forms); under this name, he wrote for John Dankworth, most notably 1959's Improvisations for Jazz Band and Orchestra. In 1956 he was awarded the inaugural Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for "By the Fountains of Rome," which was a hit that year in the UK Single Charts, making it to the Top Twenty. (The lyrics were by Norman Newell, and it was sung by David Hughes). Alternative name spellings There are articles with references to Seiber as Seyber and Mátyás as Matthis. Compositions (selected) Orchestral Sinfonietta for string orchestra (1925/1964) (from String Quartet No 1, transcribed for string orchestra by Antal Doráti) Besardo Suite No. 1 (1940) Besardo Suite No. 2 for strings (1942; 14 mins.; Schott; BL) Fantasia Concertante for violin and string orchestra (1943; 17 mins.; Ars Viva Verlag, Mainz ; BL) Notturno for horn and string orchestra (1944) (8.5 mins.; Schott; BL) Concertino for clarinet and string orchestra (1951; 15 mins.) Elegy for viola and small orchestra (1954; 8 mins.) Tre Pezzi for cello and orchestra (1957; 20 mins.; Schott; BL) Improvisations for Jazz Band and Orchestra (with John Dankworth) (1959; 10 min.; BL) Instrumental and chamber music Divertimento for Clarinet and string Quartet ( 1925; Schott) Serenade for six wind instruments (1925; Wilhelm Hansen, Copenhagen ; BL ) String Quartet No. 1 (1925; 18 mins.; BL) Two Jazzolettes for 2 saxophones, trumpet, trombone, piano, bass, and drums (1929 and 1932; Wilhelm Hansen, Copenhagen ; BL ) String Quartet No. 2 (1935; 22