Charles Le Thiere

Charles Le Thière was born in 1859 in London, England, under the birth name Thomas Wilby Tomkins. His father was a goldsmith and jeweller, and for this reason it remains unclear when, where, or why he first became interested in music.
A significant clue to his formative musical background appears in a newspaper article published in The Era in 1895, which states that Charles Le Thière had, at one time, been a member of the Grenadier Guards band. If this information is accurate and not merely a promotional statement, it suggests that Tomkins served for a period as a military bandsman, an experience that would have provided him with thorough practical training in ensemble playing, instrumentation, and the conventions of band music.
By the late 1870s, Tomkins was transitioning fully into a musical career. In December 1878, he married Ada Jackson at Holy Trinity Church in Islington, and around this time he began to work increasingly as a professional musician, composer, and arranger. Adopting the professional name Charles Le Thière, he became especially associated with the piccolo, on which he was regarded by contemporaries as an exceptional performer, even if his flute playing was considered less distinguished. He did not hold a permanent orchestral appointment but instead pursued a freelance career, composing, arranging, and performing while working closely with music publishers.
Charles Le Thière’s background in military and band music strongly informed his professional activities. Although many of his published works were written for solo instruments or small ensembles, he clearly possessed a strong command of full band scoring and structure. This expertise was publicly recognised: according to the Uxbridge and West Drayton Gazette of 5 July 1890, Charles Le Thière served as one of two judges at a Military Tournament and Band Contest held in Uxbridge, indicating that he was trusted and respected within the band-music community. He also occasionally worked as a conductor. An article in The Era dated 7 December 1889 names him as the conductor of the orchestra for the play The Spy: A Story of the American Rebellion at the Novelty Theatre in London.
Throughout the 1880s and 1890s, Le Thière was a prolific composer, particularly of light concert music and virtuosic display pieces. His works were published widely in Britain and abroad and included piccolo showpieces such as Danse de Satyrs and L’oiseau du bois, as well as marches, galops, characteristic dances, and fantasias for piano, wind instruments, orchestra, and band. He also produced instructional material and tutors. Despite this steady output, he appears never to have enjoyed long-term financial security. Later accounts suggest that in his old age he lived in poverty, and an undated letter indicates that he spent time in a London workhouse.
There is no confirmed information regarding the exact date of Charles Le Thière’s death. His name appears in newspaper articles from 1935, reporting that money had been stolen from him. With this in mind, it is possible that Charles Le Thière died around 1940, although this cannot be stated with certainty.

Lucy Long

In my possession is the autograph manuscript of the work "Lucy Long" for bassoon and piano by Charles Le Thiere. The work is an own arrangement of an original work with the same title by Fred Godfrey. That fact is interesting because during the years in which Charles Le Thiere might have served in military duties, the bandmaster of the Grenadier Guards was Dan Godfrey, the brother of Fred. My manuscript is not dated but the Godfrey connection might point to his early years, so something aroung 1880.