Denis Wright- The Boy who sang at the 48th season of the Henry Wood Promenade Concert.
Denis Wright - The Story

The story of Denis and the other boy soprano and the preservation of their youthful singing came about because of the discovery of how to make audio records. Photography had been pioneered in the 19th century and so too had the know-how of recording the play back of sound.Radio was also a late 19th century discovery and its usefulness was exploited in the 20th century.

The 1920's saw the creation of the BBC and its output of programmes to educate and entertain. Radio made many singers household names and the record companies supplied the demand for their records.

It is the records which have survived and have captured the different styles of singing. None more so than the voices of boy soprano singers.

Throughout the 20's,30,40's many exceptional choir boy singers found fame on the radio because of their extraordinary singing ability. One of these youthful radio and record personalities was Denis Wright. Here is his story.

History of the BBCweb site:http://www.bbc.co.uk/heritage/story/


Many of the pictures contain links to web pages and larger photographs. You can visit these by clicking on the picture.


This photograph of Denis was taken from a school photograph.Denis was born in Mansfield on St Swithin's Day 1926. He had gorown up brothers and sisters and was the youngest member of his family.He is sitting next to Harry Smith, his singing teacher who Denis said was responsible for making him famous.


Several of the former famous child singers of the 30's and 40's. Denis is second left. On the far right is Stephen Beet. It is through his research and historical record collection that a record of choir boy singing in the first half of the 20th century has been preserved.

My sources are the rememberances of Denis and Stephen Beet's informative Better Land C.D booklet which was issued with the C.D Collection. Stephen Beets Book about the Boy singers can be ordered fromRectory Press. Click the link on the Children's picture at the bottom of the page.


Denis and his wife. Photograph taken August 2004


Denis with his dog.

Denis is relaxing in his garden after taking his dog for a along walk around Skegby. Maybe Denis was able to think of times past and key moments in his life.

One moment may be from his boyhood. The year was 1938 and Denis was then 12. It was the year he he made his first radio broadcast.

The B.B.C had planned a musical programme which was to be broadcast around the world. Denis was one of the performers. The venue for the broadcast was the B.B.C Leeds Studio.

Denis rehearsed the Faery Song from the Immortal Hour. On the day of the broadcast he was taken aback when he learnt that he would not be singing this but ' The Market Square' by Fraser Simpson. Denis was able to get through it without faltering but he admits it was not his best performance.


Denis and his wife have created a lovely colourful garden. It is a place of peace and quietness. It is a good place to sit and relax and watch the world go by.

Denis was not always able to relax and take the slow road. From his boyhood he was living an energetic life invilving much hustle and bustle. He had to attend school and study hard as did all the boys.

When school finished Denis was still working. After tea which he had with his singing teacher there was a daily practice from around 5pm until 9 pm. Then it was home to bed and a goodnights sleep.

At the weekend Denis would be on a train to some location where he was taking part in a concert.Even on the train there was often work to do. He would go over the words and practice singing them.


St Andrew's Church Skegby.

Dennis still sings regularly in the choir at St Andrew's Church Skegby. He has also been a member of several Male Voice Choirs. Music is a very important part of Denis's life. It was a gift he had and he is happy that his singing brings pleasure to people.

It had been Denis's dream to sing in Promenade Concert. This opportunity came in 1942. He was asked to sing at the opening concert on Friday July 10th. This was Sir Henry Wood's 48th season. It was the first time this concert had been held at the Royal Albert Hall. The previous concerts had been performed at the Queen's Hall but I think it was destroyed by a bomb during the Nazi bombing raids on London in the Second World War.

Denis was then 16.The concert was under the direction of Sir Henry Wood.This might have been Sir Henry's last promenade Concert because I believe he died in the early 1940's.

Denis sang the first performance of the Symphonis poem Pannychis. The words are by Eleanor Farjeon. For Denis this was the high point of his singing career.


In the 1940's Denis sang a poem called the Better Land in a radio broadcast. This became a popular song that featured regulary in the programmes. It was arranged by Doris Arnold. H.M.V made a recording of it. This and another H.M.V recording have survived and are features on the Better Land audio C.D collection.

Denis made about 18 records for H.M.V but because it was wartime the issue of records was strictly controlled and many of these records were never issued.


Denis did have a potfolio of his gramophone records. Unfortunately it has been lost. Stephen Beet has been able to trace a about 3 of Denis's recordings. These are featured on the Better Land discs.


One of the pieces is Denis singing  'The Better Land song. A piece of music he made his own.


In May 2004 at the Opera Ballet Theatre in Dushanbe,Tajikistan children from around the world gathered to present a concert of verse and song. One of the items was The Better Land poem. It was a very emotional moment watching the performance and knowing that this poem still had the power to inspire a modern day audience with its philosophy of a better world for our children. 


Thanks Denis for the pleasure you have brought to many with your love of music.


'Far beyond the clouds and beyond the tomb,Tis there my brothers, the better land.'