Arthur Wellesley Hughes

Hughes, Arthur Wellesley

Hughes, Arthur Wellesley. Composer, band arranger, instrumentalist, b eastern Ontario ca 1870, d New York? ca 1945. Little is known about Hughes' musical background except that he played the piano and a brass instrument, at one time operated the steam calliope for Barnum's Circus, and was a teacher of L.F. Addison. At the turn of the century he began editing and arranging for a succession of music publishers, including Whaley Royce in Toronto, Waterloo in Waterloo, Ont, and Cundy-Bettoney in Boston. Hughes was one of Canada's most prolific writers of marches and dance music, producing ca 1890-1930 some 50 published works and numerous arrangements. Typical are United Empire March, In Old Quebec, The Rosedale Three-Step, Hail Edward VII, and March of the Allies. He frequently used the pseudonyms Arthur Wellesley and H.W. Arthurs. His publishers included Anglo-Canadian, W.H. Billing, Cundy-Bettoney, A.H. Goetting, W.H. Hodgins, W.F. Shaw, H.H. Sparks, Gordon V. Thompson, Waterloo, and Whaley Royce. Recordings of his compositions for band were issued on the Columbia, Pathé, Victor, and other labels (see Roll Back the Years).