Education
He graduated from the Verdi Conservatory in Milan in 1928, having studied composition and conducting as well as honing his skills at the piano.
He graduated from the Verdi Conservatory in Milan in 1928, having studied composition and conducting as well as honing his skills at the piano.
Born in Bath, Somerset, England, of Italian ancestry, Semprini showed early talent for both the piano and cello. He hosted a light music programme, Semprini Serenade, which he introduced with the words: "Old ones, new ones, loved ones, neglected ones". The program first aired on British Broadcasting Corporation Radio in 1957 and continued for around 25 years.
Although his "house band" was the New Abbey Light Symphony Orchestra on his commercial records, on radio he was always accompanied by one of the British Broadcasting Corporation"s own staff orchestras – initially the British Broadcasting Corporation Revue Orchestra.
Semprini also wrote a number of original compositions on the lighter side of the musical repertoire, including Mediterranean Concerto, which he used as the theme tune for his radio show. In the Monty Python"s Flying Circus segment known as The Chemist Sketch, a number of "naughty" words said to be banned, including bum, botty, and wee-wee.
The final word prohibited is "Semprini". This provokes an objection, but for the rest of the episode anyone saying Semprini was arrested.
Quotations: "Old ones, new ones, loved ones, neglected ones".