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Jonah Barrington (journalist)

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Jonah Barrington was the pseudonym of Cyril Carr Dalmaine (1904–1986) the radio critic of the Daily Express, a British newspaper, during the Second World War.

His first used the term "Lord Haw-Haw" to describe a German radio broadcaster:[1]

“He speaks English of the haw-haw, damn-it-get-out-of-my-way variety, and his strong suit is gentlemanly indignation.[2]

He studied at Eastbourne College, and graduated from the Royal College of Music. He was Music master at Uppington School, and chorus master to the BBC. He composed chamber music,[3] and transcribed cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach for piano.[4]

Jonah Barrington was also a record presenter in the pre-1955 days. He was responsible for the "discovery" of the then deceased Italian tenor, Alessandro Valente. At a time when the great Swedish tenor Jussi Björling's recording of "Nessun dorma" was popular, Barrington played a version by Valente which, he said, was the best he had ever heard. It was instantly popular and Valente enjoyed a posthumous vogue.

References

  1. ^ Hall, J. W. (1954). "William Joyce". In Hodge, James H. (ed.). Famous Trials. Vol. 4. Penguin Books. p. 80. Usually, the inventor of popular nicknames is unidentifiable, but the 'onlie begetter' of Lord Haw-Haw was undoubtedly Mr Jonah Barrington, then of the Daily Express
  2. ^ Sam Thwaites (26 August 2009). "GERMANY CALLING! LORD HAW-HAW'S MIC IS UP FOR SALE". The Daily Express.
  3. ^ http://www.organ-biography.info/index.php?id=Dalmaine_Cyril_1904
  4. ^ http://www.bach-cantatas.com/NVD/PT-Dalmaine.htm