PAUL RUBENS (COMPOSER)

'Paul Alfred Rubens', (b London, 29 April 1875; d Falmouth, 25 February 1917) was a songwriter and scribe of the musicals and songs for the Victorian and Edwardian musical comedy stage.
Eldest son of a German-born, Jewish stockbroker, Rubens supplied lyrics and music to songs for a number of successful musicals in the 1890s, including ''The Shop Girl'' at the age of 19 ("The Little Chinchilla" sung by Ellaline Terriss). He wrote songs for Arthur Roberts for ''Dandy Dan the Lifeguardsman'' (1898, "There's Just a Something Missing") and ''Milord Sir Smith''; for ''Little Miss Nobody'' ("Trixie of Upper Tooting", "A Wee Little Bit of a Thing Like That", "We'll Just Sit Out", and "The People All Come to See Us"); and for ''San Toy'' (1899, "Me Gettee Outee Velly Quick").
He also provided several lyrics and music for songs in the score of ''Florodora'' ("Inkling", "Tact", "When I Leave Town", "I Want to Marry a Man", "When an Interfering Person", "Queen of the Philippine Islands", and "When We're on the Stage"). After this success, George Edwardes put Rubens under contract as an "additional material" writer, and he used some of his numbers in ''The Messenger Boy'' in 1900 ("Tell Me Pretty Maiden", "How I Saw the CIV", and "A Perfectly Peaceful Person"); ''The Toreador'' in 1901 ("Everybody's Awfully Good to Me"); ''A Country Girl'' in 1902 ("Two Little Chicks" and "Coo"); ''The Girl from Kays'' in 1902 ("I Don't Care"); ''The School Girl'' in 1903; ''The Cingalee'' in 1904 ("Sloe Eyes", "Make a Fuss of Me", "She's All Right", '"You and I and I and You", "Golly-wogs", and "Somethings Devilish Wrong"); and ''Mr. Popple of Ippleton'' in 1905, for which he also wrote the book.
Frank Curzon then hired Rubens to write both the words and music for musicals starring his wife, Isabel Jay (who had already starred in two of Reubens' shows), at the Prince of Wales Theatre with exotic sets, elaborate costumes and a host of beautiful chorus girls. The first was ''Miss Hook of Holland'' in 1907. This was followed by the disappointing ''My Mimosa Maid'' (1908) and the more successful ''Dear Little Denmark'' (1909).
Rubens supplied melodies for a number of mostly successful later shows including ''The Balkan Princess'' in 1910 (also starring Jay), ''The Sunshine Girl'' in 1912, ''The Girl from Utah'', ''After the Girl'', ''Betty'' in 1915, and ''The Happy Day'' in 1916. His best and most enduringly popular work from this period, however, was his melodies in ''Tonight's the Night'' (1914). Rubens was reputedly in love with the actress Phyllis Dare and wrote a number of songs for her. The light musicals that Rubens worked on at the end of his career continued to be highly successful the British theatre, but Rubens who had suffered severe ill-health through virtually his whole career, died at the age of 41.

Contents

Reference

External links

Reference

Obituary: Paul Rubens, ''Musical Times'', Vol. 58, No. 889 (March 1 1917), p. 117.

External links

★ Biography of Rubens

★ List of Broadway credits

★ Links to Midi files from 16 of Rubens' shows, among others