Neil Brand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Neil Brand (born March 18, 1958), is a British writer, composer, and a renowned silent film accompanist.
He was born in Essex, England, and attended Junction Road Primary School in Burgess Hill where he was affectionately known as "Bogey Brand". On passing his 11+ exam, he joined a small group of boys from rural areas of central Sussex making the multi-train commute past other schools in Brighton to Hove County Grammar School for Boys. He was often found entertaining other students in the school hall at lunchtime on the school's grand piano. At the age of 18, he went to the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth to study Drama under John Edmunds. However, he had a talent for music, and it was at Aberystwyth that he began writing and playing music seriously for the first time.
He has appeared in Switch, a BBC drama for the hearing impaired, as Ted, a bullying businessman. He has worked with the BBC over 70 times, including composing music, and writing plays. He composed the score for Channel Four's three-part documentary series on the Crimean War in 1997.[1]
One of his plays, Stan, was broadcast as a radio-play on BBC Radio 4 and then dramatised as a television-play first broadcast on BBC Four. It documents Stan Laurel's touching last moments with best friend and comedy partner Oliver Hardy, who lies bedridden after a stroke.
Another play broadcast on Radio 4, in 2007 Seeing It Through, dealt with Charles Masterman and his efforts to coordinate writers and journalists for the British propaganda effort in World War I.
He has been accompanying silent films for over 17 years, regularly at the National Film Theatre on London's South Bank and throughout the UK and increasingly at film festivals and special events throughout the world.
His book, Dramatic Notes, was published by the University of Luton Press.
