Arnold was a relatively conservative composer of tonal works , but a prolific and popular one . He acknowledged Hector Berlioz as an influence , alongside Gustav Mahler , Béla Bartók and jazz . Several commentators have drawn a comparison with Jean Sibelius . Arnold 's most significant works are generally considered to be his nine symphonies . He also wrote a number of concertos , including one for guitar for Julian Bream , one for cello for Julian Lloyd Webber , two for clarinet for Frederick Thurston and Benny Goodman respectively , one for harmonica for Larry Adler and one – enthusiastically welcomed at its premiere during the 1969 Proms – for three hands on two pianos for the husband-and-wife team of Cyril Smith and Phyllis Sellick . His sets of dances — comprising two sets of '' English Dances '' ( Opp . 27 and 33 ) , along with one set each of '' Scottish Dances '' ( Op. 59 ) , '' Cornish Dances '' ( Op. 91 ) , '' Irish Dances '' ( Op. 126 ) , and '' Welsh Dances '' ( Op. 138 ) — are mainly in a lighter vein and are popular both in their original orchestral guise and in later wind and brass band arrangements . The '' English Dances '' also form the basis for Kenneth MacMillan 's short ballet '' Solitaire '' , and one of them has been used as the theme music for the British television programme '' What the Papers Say '' ( the '' Cornish Dances '' has provided the theme music for the television programmes of the cook Rick Stein ) . Arnold also wrote some highly successful concert overtures , including '' Beckus the Dandipratt '' ( an important stepping stone in his early career ) , the strikingly scored '' Tam o ' Shanter '' ( based on the famous Robert Burns poem ) , the rollicking '' A Grand Grand Overture '' ( written for a Hoffnung Festival and featuring three vacuum cleaners and a floor polisher , all in turn polished off by a firing squad in uproarious mock '' 1812 '' manner ) , and the dramatic '' Peterloo Overture '' ( commissioned by the Trades Union Congress to commemorate the historic massacre of protesting workers in Manchester ) . Another popular short work is his '' Divertimento for Flute , Oboe and Clarinet '' ( Op. 37 ) . Arnold is also known for his relatively large number of compositions and arrangements of his own compositions for brass band . In 1954 , '' Beckus the Dandipratt '' was given a radio studio performance by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski , the only great international conductor to have played any of Arnold 's music during the composer 's own lifetime , and he was thanked by the composer for his " wonderful performance . " A prolifically successful composer for the cinema , Malcolm Arnold is credited with having written over a hundred film scores for features and documentaries between 1947 and 1969 . In 1957 , Arnold won an Academy Award for the music to David Lean 's epic film '' The Bridge on the River Kwai '' . His two other collaborations with David Lean were '' The Sound Barrier '' ( 1952 ) and '' Hobson 's Choice '' ( 1954 ) , both of which were also resoundingly successful . '' The Inn of the Sixth Happiness '' ( 1958 ) won Arnold an Ivor Novello Award . Also during the 1950s — an especially prolific period for Arnold — he provided a series of successful scores for major British and American feature films , such as '' The Captain 's Paradise '' ( 1953 ) , '' The Sea Shall Not Have Them '' ( 1954 ) , '' The Night My Number Came Up '' ( 1955 ) , '' The Constant Husband '' ( 1955 ) , '' I Am a Camera '' ( 1955 ) , '' 1984 '' ( 1956 ) , '' Trapeze '' ( 1956 ) , '' A Hill in Korea '' ( 1956 ) , '' Dunkirk '' ( 1958 ) , '' The Key '' ( 1958 ) and '' The Roots of Heaven '' ( 1958 ) . He also wrote the music for the entire series of St Trinian 's films , including '' The Belles of St Trinian 's '' ( 1954 ) , which was a particular favourite with the composer . His 1960s scores included '' The Angry Silence '' ( 1960 ) , '' Tunes of Glory '' ( 1960 ) , '' No Love for Johnnie '' ( 1961 ) , '' Whistle Down the Wind '' ( 1961 ) , '' The Inspector '' ( 1962 ) , '' The Lion '' ( 1962 ) , '' Nine Hours to Rama '' ( 1963 ) , '' Tamahine '' ( 1963 ) , '' The Chalk Garden '' ( 1964 ) , '' The Thin Red Line '' ( 1964 ) , '' Sky West and Crooked '' ( 1965 ) , '' The Heroes of Telemark '' ( 1965 ) , '' Africa Texas Style '' ( 1967 ) and '' The Reckoning '' ( 1970 ) . His last film score was for a star-studded version of '' David Copperfield '' ( 1969 )
historic massacre
Peterloo Massacre
Malcolm Arnold