Kelville Ernest Irving (6 November 1878 – 24 October 1953) was an English music director, conductor and composer, primarily remembered as a theatre musician in London between the wars, and for his key contributions to British film music as music director at Ealing Studios from the 1930s to the 1950s. Early life Irving was born in Godalming, Surrey, and from the age of seven sang in the choir at Godalming Parish Church. He attended Charterhouse School. Other than that he was self-taught, and began his career applying for music director jobs advertised in The Stage. His first professional job conducting an orchestra was for the musical burlesque Villiano the Vicious at the Theatre Royal, Maidenhead in 1895. He then spent the next two decades learning his trade by touring with productions (of variable quality) all around the UK - in his own words conducting "third rate opera and second-rate musical comedy". The tours included some organised by the theatre manager George Edwardes. In 1907 he worked with Edward German to reduce the orchestral scoring for the opera Tom Jones down to 15 players for touring purposes. German liked his work, and asked him to do the same again the following year for Merrie England. His big break came in 1917 when he met Norman O'Neill at the Savage Club. At the time O'Neill was music director of the Haymarket Theatre and treasurer of the Royal Philharmonic Society. Irving became involved with both, deputising for O'Neill and conducting on tours of his productions, including the popular Mary Rose in 1920. He was a great admirer of O'Neill's work, and once compared a performance of Mary Rose without his music to "a dance by a fairy with a wooden leg." London theatre From the end of the First World War until the late 1940s, Irving became a permanent fixture of the London theatre scene, conducting, directing and often composing the music for operettas, musical plays and serious drama at most of the London theatres. A notable early success was the British version of Lilac Time, with music by Schubert adapted by George H. Clutsam, which opened at the Lyric Theatre on 22 December 1922 and ran for 626 performances. (Clarence Raybould was musical director for some performances). The following year he conducted Polly (sequel to The Beggar's Opera) with music restored by Frederic Austin. This began a lasting friendship between Irving and