Classical organist sues pop singers who stole his music!

The Andantino in D-flat was written by English organist and composer Edwin Lemare in 1888, and it remained one of his most popular works throughout his lifetime. Although he performed it at almost every concert he played, and it sold tens of thousands of copies, he didn’t make profit on it until its publication in 1892, but even then he only received a small flat fee.

In 1925, the music was used without Lemare’s permission by American songwriters Ben Black and Charles N. Daniels, who added lyrics and the title “Moonlight and Roses”. Lemare sued and won, resulting in him finally earning the royalties that he deserved, due to the renewed popularity of his music through the pop song. Some stolen-music stories do have a happy ending!

This piece was introduced to us by a fan and supporter of ours while we were doing weekly live-streamed recitals from our home in spring 2020. Each week we had a new theme for the program, and at the end of the concert we would always ask our audience for suggestions for the upcoming week. When we requested night-themed music, “Moonlight and Roses” was suggested, and that’s how we got to know the piece! Since it has fallen into relative obscurity today, we were happy be able to arrange and perform it and hopefully help to revive it for today’s audiences.

-Scott