Birthday profile

Richard Addinsell

English composer (1904–1977)

Born
January 13, 1904
Died
November 14, 1977
Zodiac sign
Capricorn
Birth year
1904

About Richard Addinsell

Richard Stewart Addinsell (13 January 1904 – 14 November 1977) was an English composer, known early in his career for his music for the theatre in collaboration with Clemence Dane, and later for his film music. This included his best-known piece, the Warsaw Concerto, composed for the 1941 film Dangerous Moonlight. He was subsequently known for his musical collaboration with the lyricist and performer Joyce Grenfell. == Life and career == === Early years === Richard Addinsell was born in Woburn Square, London, on 13 January 1904, the younger son of William Arthur Addinsell, who was a chartered accountant, and his wife, Annie Beatrice née Richards. Addinsell was educated at home before attending Hertford College, Oxford, to study law but going down after 18 months. He became interested in music as an alternative career. In 1925 he enrolled at the Royal College of Music (RCM) but lasted only two terms before leaving, again without obtaining any formal qualification. While still a student at the RCM, Addinsell (billed as Dick, rather than Richard) was contributing the music for a revue, The Charlot Show of 1926, with Noel Gay. A revue for Fred Karno followed in 1927, again with Gay. In 1928 Addinsell first collaborated with the author Clemence Dane.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

Richard Addinsell timeline

  1. Richard Stewart Addinsell (13 January 1904 – 14 November 1977) was an English composer, best known for film music, primarily his Warsaw Concerto, composed for the 1941 film Dangerous Moonlight (also known under the later title Suicide Squadron).
  2. The Warsaw Concerto was written for the 1941 film Dangerous Moonlight, and continues to be a popular concert and recording piece.

The world when Richard Addinsell was born

Richard Addinsell was born in 1904. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1904

  • Best-selling book"The Crossing" – Winston Churchill

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentFirst Olympic Games in the Americas (St. Louis)
  • Top headlineRusso-Japanese War begins
  • Technology milestoneNew York subway opens
  • World population~1.64B

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderTheodore Roosevelt
  • U.S. population81.8M

1904 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Richard Addinsell's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19042026
Population81.8M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, MusicBrainz. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.