Click the quotation text to discover what it refers to!
Click the quotation text to discover what it refers to!
John Mitchell was born in West Byfleet, Surrey, and, after spending the first twelve years of his life in Southeast London, has lived mainly in Kent. Studying pharmacy at Portsmouth, he qualified as a pharmacist in 1968, and has worked in community pharmacy ever since. His interest in music began in his teenage years, and he was initially largely self taught as a composer. However, in 1974 he embarked on a period of private study with Carey Blyton which continued until 1980. During that time he successfully took the AMus diploma from Trinity College, London in 1977.
Apart from composition itself, arranging music has been another activity to which John Mitchell has devoted some time – partly in transcribing other composers’ music, but also in numerous arrangements for handbells (he was Musical Director of the Martello Ringers from 1983 to 1999). More recently he has been involved in accompanying, and he is currently the principal rehearsal pianist for the Canterbury Operatic Society. For several summers he has joined the Marley Players as pianist in a Victorian Music Hall production as part of the Broadstairs Dickens Festival.
In addition to the works published by Fand Music Press, listed below, his music is also published by Modus Music.
In 2020, John Mitchell expended a good deal of time and effort recording a significant number of the piano pieces that have been published by Fand but not yet recorded. These new recordings have been published on the pages about the individual pieces, and some of them have also formed the basis of new YouTube videos on the Fand channel. However, to make John’s recordings easy to find, they have all been collected here on this page. Fand Music Press would like to express its thanks and appreciation to John for his efforts in making these excellent recordings.
| Peter Warlock (arr. Mitchell): ‘Songs Without the Words’ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Bachelor | |||
| Late Summer | |||
| The Night | |||
| Adam lay ybounden | |||
| The Lover Mourns for the Loss of Love | |||
| Sweet Content | |||
| A Sad Song | |||
| Lullaby | |||
| Captain Stratton’s Fancy | |||
| The Birds | |||
| Thou Gav’st Me Leave to Kiss | |||
| Piggesnie | |||
| The Fox | |||
| Sweet-and-Twenty | |||
| Sleep | |||
| Rest, Sweet Nymphs | |||
| Mourn No Moe | |||
| Fill the Cup, Philip | |||
| E. J. Moeran (arr. Mitchell): ‘Songs Without the Words’ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| In Youth is Pleasure | |||
| The Bean Flower | |||
| Willow Song | |||
| The Sweet o’ the Year | |||
| The Constant Lover | |||
| Loveliest of Trees | |||
| ’Tis time, I think, by Wenlock town | |||
| The Pleasant Valley | |||
| The Lover and his Lass | |||
| John Mitchell original compositions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| In Oxford City… | |||
| Joss Sticks | |||
| December Spring | |||
| The Rambling Sailor | |||
| Clodhopper! | |||
| To Wheelbarrow Town | |||
| Barcarolle Blanche | |||
| Pieces by Frank Bayford | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Invention no 3 | |||
| Theydon Bois (left hand only) | |||
| Carey Blyton (arr. Mitchell): ‘Mood Music Medley’ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Valse Musette | |||
| Minuet for Octet | |||
| Pan and Echo | |||
| Table for Two | |||
| Music Hall Memories | |||
| Other arrangements by John Mitchell | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Constant Lambert: Aubade Héroïque | |||
| Work | Grade | Vocal range | Duration | Published | Price | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Barcarolle Blanche for Piano | 6 | 3 mins | 27th July 2024 | £5.45 | |||
| Forces: Piano | ||||||||
 | Beauty’s Hour Four John Drinkwater Songs for voice and piano | C to E(G)' | 5¼ mins | 26th February 2023 | £9.95 | |||
| Words: John Drinkwater Forces: Voice, Piano | ||||||||
 | Bright Clouds Four Edward Thomas Songs for voice and piano | C to E' | 5¾ mins | 21st July 2023 | £9.95 | |||
| Words: Edward Thomas Forces: Voice, Piano | ||||||||
 | Dance Cameos for two violins | 5 to 7 | 11 mins | 3rd June 2021 | £10.50 | |||
| Forces: Two Violins | ||||||||
 | December Spring for Piano | 5 to 6 | 3¾ mins | 23rd February 2019 | £7.95 | |||
| Forces: Piano | ||||||||
 | In Oxford City… for piano | 2¾ mins | 2003 | £5.00 | ||||
| Forces: Piano | ||||||||
 | Morningtide Three Housman Songs for voice and piano | 4½ mins | 3rd September 2022 | £10.45 | ||||
| Words: A. E. Housman Forces: Voice, Piano | ||||||||
 | Pagodas for piano duet | 1½ mins | 2004 | £6.00 | ||||
| Forces: Piano duet | ||||||||
 | Pale Shadows Three Clifford Bax Songs for voice and piano | D♭ to E' | 5½ mins | 24th February 2023 | £9.50 | |||
| Words: Clifford Bax Forces: Voice, Piano | ||||||||
 | Perambulation Un petit morceau de ‘Franglais’ musicale for piano duet | 1¾ mins | 2007 | £7.50 | ||||
| Forces: Piano duet | ||||||||
 | Secret Joys Five Mary Webb Songs for voice and piano | C♯ to F♯' | 7½ mins | 12th November 2023 | £11.25 | |||
| Words: Mary Webb Forces: Voice, Piano | ||||||||
 | Soft Smiling Time Songs for Three Seasons for voice and piano | C to E' | 4½ mins | 24th February 2023 | £9.95 | |||
| Words: A. E. Coppard Forces: Voice, Piano | ||||||||
 | Summer’s Hue Four Edward Shanks Songs for voice and piano | C♯ to G' | 6¼ mins | 27th July 2024 | £9.95 | |||
| Words: Edward Shanks Forces: Voice, Piano | ||||||||
 | The Fand Grade 5 Piano Album A selection of pieces to Grade 5 standard | 5 | 2008 | £9.95 | ||||
| Forces: Piano | ||||||||
 | The Fand Left-Hand Piano Album Contemporary Pieces for the Left Hand alone | 2004 | £11.45 | |||||
| Forces: Piano (left hand) | ||||||||
 | The Rambling Sailor for Piano Solo | 7 | 3 mins | 20th July 2020 | £6.50 | |||
| Forces: Piano | ||||||||
 | Thomphoonery! A Romp for The Thomp for piano | 6 to 7 | 2 mins | 8th August 2017 | £4.95 | |||
| Forces: Piano | ||||||||
 | To Wheelbarrow Town for piano | 6 | 5½ mins | 26th July 2021 | £7.50 | |||
| Forces: Piano | ||||||||
| Attribution | Work | Grade | Vocal range | Duration | Published | Price | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Constant Lambert arr. John Mitchell | Aubade Héroïque for piano | 6 to 7 | 7 mins | 28th February 2022 | £8.95 | |||
| Forces: Piano | |||||||||
 | Sir Arnold Bax arr. John Mitchell | Dance in the Sun arranged for solo piano | 8 to Advanced (post-Grade 8) | 7¼ mins | 7th November 2015 | £9.50 | |||
| Forces: Piano | |||||||||
 | Carey Blyton arr. John Mitchell | Girl Friday Piano arrangement for easy piano | 4 to 5 | 2½ mins | 2nd April 2024 | £5.50 | |||
| Forces: Piano | |||||||||
 | Walter Leigh arr. John Mitchell | Jolly Roger Overture for piano duet | 7 | 4 mins | 24th December 2021 | £9.50 | |||
| Forces: Piano duet | |||||||||
 | E. J. Moeran arr. John Mitchell | Lonely Waters arranged for solo piano with optional voice part | 8 to Advanced (post-Grade 8) | C♯ to D♯' | 9½ mins | 1st July 2012 | £9.95 | ||
| Forces: Voice, Piano | |||||||||
 | Carey Blyton arr. John Mitchell | Mood Music Medley for solo piano | 6 to 8 | 10 mins | 3rd June 2024 | £10.95 | |||
| Forces: Piano | |||||||||
 | Hubert Bath arr. John Mitchell | Out of the Blue for piano duet | 4¼ mins | 26th April 2022 | £9.50 | ||||
| Forces: Piano duet | |||||||||
 | Sir Arnold Bax arr. John Mitchell | Pensive Twilight arranged for solo piano | 8 | 5¼ mins | 4th March 2016 | £8.50 | |||
| Forces: Piano | |||||||||
 | Peter Warlock arr. John Mitchell | Six English Tunes Originally for String Quintet arranged for piano duet | 7 | 20th July 2020 | £12.50 | ||||
| Forces: Piano duet, String Quintet | |||||||||
 | Peter Warlock arr. John Mitchell | Songs Without the Words Volume 1 for solo piano | 5 to 8 | 13 mins | 31st December 2019 | £11.50 | |||
| Forces: Piano | |||||||||
 | Peter Warlock arr. John Mitchell | Songs Without the Words Volume 2 for solo piano | 5 to 8 | 13 mins | 31st December 2019 | £11.50 | |||
| Forces: Piano | |||||||||
 | E. J. Moeran arr. John Mitchell | Songs Without the Words for solo piano | 5 to 8 | 15 mins | 10th March 2021 | £13.50 | |||
| Forces: Piano | |||||||||
 | E. J. Moeran arr. John Mitchell | Whythorne’s Shadow arranged for solo piano | 8 | 6¼ mins | 14th December 2020 | £11.95 | |||
| Forces: Piano | |||||||||