No one appreciated the need for colour and romance in musicals more than Ivor Novello. He knew that even the most serious playgoer enjoyed an occasional change, an escape from his own London, Bradford or Worthing environment. And Ivor offered the ideal form of escape, the Ruritanian musical.

There was less sheer vitality in Ivor’s musicals than in the popular American product of today, and less noise for noise’s sake. His characters were unreal, their situations unlikely, and their sentimentality occasionally on the ripe side. But these musicals had glamour and an irresistible magic of their own. They also had lilting tunes that required singing, not mere bawling – tunes that lingered obstinately in the mind years after one had seen the show.

British composers who complain today that they cannot get a fair hearing might look back on Ivor’s successes and learn some valuable lessons. Their own shows often have a brilliant type of university wit, but university wit is generally accompanied by undergraduate cynicism. What they would learn from the books and scores of Careless Rapture, Perchance to Dream and King’s Rhapsody is that enchantment is all. And until they have learned this lesson they should not try to compete with their streamlined American rivals.