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William Blezard was best known as a piano accompanist to prominent stage performers such as Joyce Grenfell, Marlene Dietrich, and Honor Blackman. He was also a distinguished composer, especially of theatre and film music. Born in Padiham near Burnley, he was the son of mill workers, with a tenor father who sang semi-professionally. William displayed musical talent early on, first on the harmonium and later on the piano, which he played at the local cinema. A mill owner, Teddy Higham, sponsored his piano lessons until, in 1938, William won a Lancashire County scholarship. Leaving Clitheroe Royal Grammar School—where he had already performed Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue—he went on to study at the Royal College of Music (RCM) in London.
His studies were interrupted in 1940 when he served in the RAF as a Morse code operator in Wick during World War II. However, he found access to a piano and continued studying and composing. Returning to the RCM in 1946, he studied piano under Arthur Benjamin and Frank Merrick, composition with Herbert Howells, and orchestration with Gordon Jacobs. He was awarded the prestigious Cobbett Prize for his Fantasy String Quartet.
This achievement led Muir Mathieson to invite him to Denham Studios to work as a composer and arranger for documentaries. He arranged and orchestrated Noël Coward's music for the film adaptation of Coward's play The Astonished Heart (1949).
Through his future wife, conductor and teacher Joan Kemp Potter, William met pianist Donald Swann, who introduced him to Joyce Grenfell. Beginning in 1954, William participated in Joyce Grenfell Requests The Pleasure and remained her accompanist throughout her career, including several BBC broadcasts, four world tours, and her final performance for the royal family at Windsor Castle in June 1973. William notably contributed The Battle March Of Delhi, a Victorian parlour song, with enthusiasm.
William enjoyed a distinguished career as a composer and musical director in theatre. In 1957, he worked on two Royal Shakespeare Company productions directed by Peter Brook—Titus Andronicus and The Tempest. That same year, he became musical director for John Osborne's The Entertainer, starring Laurence Olivier as Archie Rice, a failing music-hall artist. He reprised this role for the 1974 Max Wall revival, which subsequently led to his involvement in Wall's solo show, Aspects Of Max Wall.
In 1965, William succeeded Burt Bacharach as accompanist and musical director for Marlene Dietrich. With characteristic modesty, he credited securing the role to sharing the correct zodiac sign. They embarked on three world tours, concluding in 1975 when Dietrich suffered a broken leg on stage in Sydney—her final performance.
William also served as musical director for Noël And Gertie, a show written and narrated by Sheridan Morley about Coward and Gertrude Lawrence, collaborating with Joanna Lumley, Ian Ogilvy, Patricia Hodge, and Maria Aitken. In the 1980s, he began a long-standing partnership with Honor Blackman in her one-woman shows, Yvette and Dishonourable Ladies. In 1990, he accompanied the first of many performances of Tim Heath's Not Yet The Dodo, based on Coward's poem.
His improvisational skills were showcased on the BBC children's programme Play School from 1964 onwards. Frequently, he was called upon to improvise “onomatopoeic music,” as presenter Johnny Ball described it—music that evoked sounds like running water or splashing puddles on the spot.
In later years, William was pleased to see several of his works performed. The Royal Ballet Sinfonia recorded his Battersea Park Suite, Caramba, The River, and Duetto For Strings; oboist Jill Crowther and the English Northern Philharmonia recorded his Two Celtic Pieces; and Eric Parkin released two CDs featuring his piano music. A Francophile, William admired Ravel’s music, influences of which are evident in his own compositions. He enjoyed traveling abroad and had a knack for languages.
Ironically, away from the piano, William was known for his clumsiness and lack of spatial awareness. He often joked that inanimate objects conspired against him, frequently greeting visitors with a rueful tally: “Inanimate objects three – Blezard nil.”
William continued performing up until his death and was often seen cycling around Barnes. His wife passed away in 2001. He was survived by his son Paul and daughter Pookie.
