Ernest Lough
| Ernest Arthur Lough | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 November 1911 |
| Origin | Forest Gate, Essex, England |
| Died | 22 February 2000 (aged 88) |
| Genres | Choral |
| Occupation(s) | Boy soprano singer |
| Years active | 1920-30s |
| Labels | Greensleeves Records |
Ernest Arthur Lough (pronounced "Luff"; 17 November 1911 – 22 February 2000) was an English boy soprano who sang the famous solo "O for the Wings of a Dove" from Mendelssohn's "Hear My Prayer" for the Gramophone Company (later HMV and then EMI) in 1927. The record became HMV's biggest seller for 1927, and made the piece, the choir and the soloist world-famous. The original master recording wore out and a second version had to be recorded to replace it in 1928. In 1962, it became EMI's first million-selling classical record, earning it "gold disc" status.
Lough was born in Forest Gate, County borough of West Ham, Essex. His father worked for an insurance company. He was a treble in the local church choir, at St Peter's, Forest Gate. He auditioned at Southwark Cathedral, but joined the choir of the Temple Church in London in 1924, which was under the direction of organist and choirmaster George Thalben-Ball (later Sir George Thalben-Ball), who had just succeeded Sir Henry Walford Davies. As a chorister of the Temple Church, Lough had a choral scholarship to the nearby City of London School.
Lord Justice Eldon Bankes suggested that the Temple choir should make a record, and on 15 March 1927, the Gramophone Company brought its new mobile recording unit to the Temple Church where the choir recorded Mendelssohn's "Hear My Prayer", in which the famous solo "O for the Wings of a Dove" was sung by Ernest Lough, then aged 15. It is said that he had to stand on two large books in order to be near enough to the microphone. The recording sold over one million copies by 1962, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA.
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