Billy Mayerl

Famous compositions:
He wrote over 300 pieces of music, including piano solos, band pieces and music for the theatre.
Gardening was one of his main hobbies which are shown in the titles of many of his pieces.

Marigold (1927),
Four Piano Exaggerations (1926, including Sleepy Piano),
Hollyhock (Syncopated Impression) (1927), Honky-tonk (1928),
Jasmine (1929),
Six Studies in Syncopation (1930 - 1931),
Four Aces Suite (1933),
Egyptian suite 1919.

Billy Mayerl’s life:

Born: May 31st 1902

Died: March 25th 1959

He was born to a musical family. People thought of him as a prodigy.

He was a classically trained pianist, learning from the age of seven. He played the Grieg piano
concerto in a public concert when he was twelve. He got a scholarship to Trinity College.

He was a frequent performer on the radio and had his own band between the 1920’s and 1950’s and
was a celebrity. Later, he was constantly on radio Luxemburg.

He played accompaniments for silent films and was known as ‘Wonder Boy’: this was before the
when film had sounds for voices and recorded music, so in the theatre where the silent films were
shown someone days played the piano or organ to improvise music to go with the actions and
moods of the film

In 1926, he opened his 'School of Syncopation’ which specialised in teaching modern music,
especially piano ragtime and jazz styles. It was during this period that he wrote his most famous solo
Marigold. His school had around 100 staff and 30,000 students. It finally closed in 1957.

On October 28, 1925, Mayerl was the soloist in the London premiere of George Gershwin's
Rhapsody in Blue. In December 1926, he appeared with Gwen Farrar (1899-1944) in a short film --
made in the Lee DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process -- in which they sang Mayerl's song "I've
Got a Sweetie on the Radio". He had a 26 piece orchestra. On Tuesday, 1 October 1929, Billy
Mayerl's orchestra performed at the opening of The Locarno Dance Hall in Streatham.

Today, there is a Billy Mayerl Society.

He was married to Ermengilda Bernini

Billy Mayerl’s musical styles in his compositions

Billy Mayerl’s music has syncopation usual accents and interesting melodies and a jazz or ragtime
rhythm with lots of different textures.

He died from a heart attack.

He played in the film blackmail.

He taught pop piano techniques.