Albert Ketelbey was born in Alma Street in the Lozells area of Birmingham, England, the son of George Ketelbey, and Sarah Aston. At the age of eleven he wrote a piano sonata that won praise from Edward Elgar. Ketelbey attended the Trinity College of Music in London, where he showed his talent for playing various orchestral instruments reflected in the masterfully colourful orchestration, especially of oriental inspiration, that became his trademark, and beat the runner-up, Gustav Holst, for a musical scholarship. He used the pseudonyms Raoul Clifford and Anton Vodorinski for some of his earlier works (some reference books mistakenly give Vodorinski as his true name and Ketelbey as the pseudonym). His name is frequently misspelt Ketelby.

Being appointed musical director of London's Vaudeville Theatre, Ketelbey continued writing diverse vocal and instrumental music. Later, he became famous for composing lightweight, popular music, much of which was used as accompaniments to silent films, and as mood music at tea dances. Success enabled him to relinquish his London appointments.

Once, whilst conducting a programme of his own music at a Royal Command Performance, Ketelbey gave a second rendering of the State Procession movement of his Cockney Suite during the interval, at the request of King George V, who had arrived too late to hear it performed at the beginning of the programme.

He was active in several other fields including being music editor to some well-known publishing houses and for some years Musical Director of the Columbia Graphophone Company.

Although not proven, he is frequently quoted as becoming Britain's first millionaire composer. In 1929, he was proclaimed in the "Performing Right Gazette" as "Britain's greatest living composer", on the basis of the number of performances of his works.

Ketelbey had a long and happy marriage to a singer, Charlotte Siegenberg (1871-1947). After her death he married Mabel Maud Pritchett. There were no children by either marriage. He died at his home, Egypt Hill, in Cowes, where he had moved in order to concentrate on writing and his hobby of playing billiards.

Ketelbey's music is frequently heard on radio. In a 2003 poll by the BBC radio programme Your Hundred Best Tunes, "Bells across the Meadows" was voted thirty-sixth most popular song of all time.

Works

His most famous compositions include:

The Heart's Awakening (1908)
In a Monastery Garden (1915) - at age 40, the hit that made his name. Ronnie Ronalde would make it famous again in 1958.
Phantasy for String Quartet Listed but never found (1915)
In the Moonlight (1919)
In a Persian Market (1920) - in 2006, a syncopated arrangement of this tune was used in a TV commercial for TomTom automotive navigation systems - this tune was also adapted for one of the songs (Persian Cat) by Taiwanese girl band S.H.E. Under the title Persian Cat, this tune was given a new lease of life in the '60s by Jamaican producer Duke Reid and saxophonist Tommy McCook. They recorded two versions, one credited to The Skatalites, the other to Tommy McCook and the Supersonics. Serge Gainsbourg used the theme for his song "My Lady Héroïne".
Romantic Suite (1922)
Bank Holiday (Appy 'Ampstead) (1924) from Cockney Suite
In a Chinese Temple Garden (1925)
By the Blue Hawaiian Waters (1927)
In the Mystic Land of Egypt (1931)
From a Japanese Screen (1934)
Italian Twilight (1951)
Cockney Suite
Jungle Drums
Tangled Tunes
Bells across the Meadows
Dance of the Merry Mascots
The Clock and the Dresden Figures
With Honour Crowned
Wedgwood Blue (Graceful Dance)
Sanctuary of the Heart