Archibald Joyce

Who was Archibald Joyce?

Archibald Joyce was a light music composer known for his early waltzes.

He first came to prominence with the publication of his Songe d'Automne Waltz which fast became a hit. The style of this piece was unusual from its contemporaries in that the principal melody was in a minor key played in a relatively low tenor register.

The following year he repeated this success with his Visions of Salome Waltz also in the same low-pitched minor-key style. He was billed by his publishers Ascherberg Hopwood and Crew as the "English Waltz King".

His music was immensely popular with dance orchestras of the period together with amateur pianists. The piano solo sheet music for his waltzes sold in very large quantities in the UK. He continued primarily with his distinctive waltzes until the start of the WW1 period. His other principal hits during this period were Dreaming waltz, Charming and The Passing of Salome waltzes, 1000 Kisses and Always Gay waltzes and Remembrance waltz.

He co-wrote the musical Toto with Merlin Morgan. After a try-out in Plymouth it opened at London's Duke of York's Theatre on April 19, 1916. Despite good initial reviews it did not take off and was withdrawn after only 77 performances.