Merrick Farran

{{Short description|British composer, arranger and violinist (1906–1991)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}

William Merrick Farran (14 January 1906 – 26 November 1991) was a London-born composer, conductor and violinist.

Farran was educated at Stonyhurst Castle. He won a scholarship to the Manchester Royal College of Music to study composition (with E. J Moeran) and violin. As an orchestral player he toured America with Sir Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.Reuben Musiker and Naomi Musiker. Conductors and Composers of Popular Orchestral Music (1998), p. 82

He established himself as a conductorfor instance, [https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/b0448df50c8244cfa4a028a8f946814b London Studio Orchestra broadcast, BBC Radio 4, 11 April 1968] of both classical and popular music, and a composer of library music for KPM and Bruton.KPM 1005, Sacred Music (1966); KPM 1081, Cartoon Capers (1970); and KPM 1085, Electronic Music (1971)Oliver Lomax. The Mood Modern, (2018), p. 64 His House of Horror music was used in TV productions such as Prisoner Cell Block H and SpongeBob SquarePants.House of Horror, Bruton BRM5 (1980), Internet Archive There was also some concert music, including Symphonic Variations On A Rock 'N Roll Theme (the theme being from 'Rock Around the Clock'), which was issued on a Melodisc LP in 1958,Melodisc MLP 12 103 and the three movement Stranger in London suite.Philip L Scowcroft. [https://www.musicweb-international.com/garlands/303-309.htm A 303rd Garland of British Light Music Composers] (2002) Farran was the arranger of 'The Ghost of Your Past' and 'Quite Suddenly' for Matt Monro in 1961.[https://books.google.com/books?id=sDu_BgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Farran%22+%22Matt+Monro%22&pg=PT191 Michele Monro. Matt Monro: The Singer's Singer (2011)]

He died at the Acland Hospital in Oxford.'Announcements', Daily Telegraph, 4 December 1991, p. 20