Arthur Benjamin
An Australian composer with a gift for infectious melody, whose Jamaican Rumba and Hitchcock film score achieved global popularity.
1893–1960 (age 67)·Australian composer, pianist, conductor and teacher·Birthday: September 18·The Lost Generation
Biography
Arthur Benjamin carried the sun-drenched energy of his native Brisbane with him, even as he built a career across the continents. After surviving as a prisoner of war in World War I, he settled in London, becoming a respected teacher at the Royal College of Music and a conductor known for his advocacy of contemporary music. His own compositions, however, are what captured the public's ear. A brief trip to Cuba inspired the irrepressibly catchy Jamaican Rumba, a miniature that became a global hit. His larger canvas was the cinema; his dramatic Storm Clouds Cantata was used by Alfred Hitchcock in two different versions of *The Man Who Knew Too Much*, its ominous chords forever linked with suspense. Benjamin's work bridges the concert hall and popular culture with effortless tunefulness and vivid orchestral color.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Arthur was born in 1893, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Arthur Was Born
The biggest hits of 1893
Arthur's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1893Born
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
1898Started school
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1906Became a teenager
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1909Could drive
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1911Could vote
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1914Turned 21
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Turned 30
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1933Turned 40
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1943Turned 50
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1953Turned 60
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1960Died at 67
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
Key Achievements
- Composed the wildly popular "Jamaican Rumba," a staple of light classical repertoire.
- Wrote the "Storm Clouds Cantata," famously featured in Alfred Hitchcock's 1934 and 1956 films *The Man Who Knew Too Much*.
- Served as a professor at the Royal College of Music in London, teaching composers like Benjamin Britten.
Did You Know?
He was a celebrated pianist and often performed his own works, including concertos he wrote for himself.
During World War I, he served as an infantryman and later as a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps, was shot down, and spent time as a POW.
He wrote an opera, *The Devil Take Her*, based on a story by John Masefield.
“I want to write music that makes people tap their feet.”
