Eric Coates was born in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire in 1886. He studied violin and composition in Nottingham and then, at the age of 20, gained a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London. There he studied composition under Frederick Corder, and viola with Lionel Tertis. After leaving the Royal Academy, Coates joined the Beecham Symphony Orchestra and then the Queen's Hall Orchestra, under Sir Henry Wood, for whom he became principal viola from 1911 to 1919. Coates married Phyllis Black in 1913 and they had one son, Austin.
The illness neuritis barred Coates from involvement in the first world war and, ultimately, from playing the viola. He concentrated then upon composition and conducting and his most famous pieces include 'Sleepy Lagoon' and 'The Merrymakers Overture'. He wrote the 'Meadows to Mayfair' suite tracing his life from Nottinghamshire to London. He also wrote a separate London suite, a four centuries suite and several concert waltzes. Coates received popular acclaim in 1955 with his composition for the film, The Dambusters . He died in 1957.
From the guide to the Autograph manuscript of Eric Coates (1886-1957), composer, 1906, 1906, (The University of Nottingham)
