Anthony Bernard was a British conductor, organist, pianist, and composer born Alan Charles Butler in 1891 in West Ham, Essex. He began his career as an organist at St. Augustine's, Ramsgate, in 1910. In 1919, Bernard participated as a pianist in the premiere performance of Edward Elgar’s “Violin Sonata in E minor”. That same year, he formed the London Chamber Orchestra, leading the ensemble in repertoire including works by Frederick Delius. From 1922 to 1926, he conducted the Dutch Chamber Orchestra and took his ensemble on a tour of Spain in 1926. Bernard’s recordings include the first release of the work Sea Drift (1929) and a complete recording of the Brandenburg Concertos (1929). He also composed incidental music for theater and radio plays including the works In Parenthesis and Queen Mary. Bernard died in 1963.
