THE ART OF BEING (Peter) CIVIL :

MANTOVANI'S FRENCH HORN PLAYER TELLS US HIS STORY  

  
 

Among the earlier Mantovani musicians with an Irish Guards background were trumpeter George Swift and trombonist Bill Brown, both of whom played with Mantovani regularly in the 1950s. Of a later era was another ex-Irish Guardsman, Peter Civil, who signed on with Mantovani in 1964. He filled the French horn chair which had been previously occupied by James Buck senior and Aubrey Thonger and remained with the Orchestra on a freelance basis until Monty's retirement through ill-health in 1975. As will be shown here, Peter Civil is an accomplished musician who became a Professor at the Royal Marine School of Music at Deal in Kent (southern England) in 1988. At an early age he was exposed to music; his father was a trumpeter and his father's three brothers took up trumpet, French horn and trombone respectively. Peter was born in the county town of Northampton in the English midlands on 18 March 1929, and commenced trumpet lessons as a teenager during the 1939/45 war. He made such quick progress that at the early age of 12 he was appointed principal cornet player in the Northampton Town Band.

  At 15 Peter formed his own dance orchestra and he made numerous appearances in the locality and over a wider area. At 17 he was a member of the Royal Tank Regiment Band under the bandmaster Dennis Plater who was a fellow trombone player with Peter's father in the Northampton Boys' Brigade Band. In 1947 Peter studied at the world famous Royal Military School of Music at Kneller Hall in Twickenham. By now his principal instrument was the French horn which was also played by his younger cousin Alan Civil, then with the Royal Artillery Band at Woolwich but later a musician of renown in his own right. In the following year Peter had the opportunity to perform with an orchestra for the first time when he was released from Army duties to play concerts with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Later came an opportunity to join the band of the Irish Guards. Being permanently stationed in London, Peter was able to accept engagements at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and fulfill guest spots with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Thomas Beecham.

 

 

  In the 1960s Peter came back into civilian life to perform with many renowed orchestras, among them the London Symphony Orchestra, the Halle Orchestra, the Liverpool Philharmonic, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic (where his son Rowland was a member of the horn section). On the lighter side he played for Henry Mancini, Geraldo, John Fox, the BBC Radio Orchestra and ... Mantovani's woodwind section which also included such first class musicians as Lionel Solomon (flute), Norman Barker (clarinet), Paul Mosby (oboe) and George Alexandra (bassoon). Peter appeared on many recordings, made several British tours with the Orchestra and featured in many of Monty's BBC TV shows, the last of these being in the autumn of 1973. He says that he found Mantovani very approachable and he was always treated with respect, adding that it was a privilege to play with so many fine musicians. At one stage he agreed to score some arrangements for Monty, but this came to end with Monty's forced retirement in 1975.

Peter was always interested in conducting and was invited into the BBC pool of light music conductors to make many radio and television programmes. In the 1970s he worked as musical director with the BBC Northern Ireland Orchestra and in the following decade was a musical director of West End theatre productions. When Kneller Hall was refurbished and opened by HM The Queen in 1990, he was presented to her Majesty who was intrigued to learn that two of Peter's contemporaries had also been in the Irish Guards. It prompted the Royal query: "Is this some kind of Mafia then?"

  In 1999 Peter Civil received a 70th birthday surprise - and a great honour - when he was invited to be a guest conductor at a summer concert at Kneller Hall. He has now returned to his roots in Northamptonshire, but recalls his Mantovani days with fondness and pride. He says that if it were at all possible he would dearly love to help re-form a British Mantovani touring orchestra to show off the true Mantovani style with all its nuances in the country of its origin.

  Colin MacKenzie. With many thanks to Peter Civil and Alan Dixon for their assistance.

 

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