The Snowman: Howard Blake says he 'owes a lot' to Brighton

Howard Blake composed the music for the original 1982 animated film

It has been 40 years since the release of the much-loved Christmas film, The Snowman.

Howard Blake, who grew up in Brighton, composed the soundtrack including the famous theme tune, Walking in the Air.

He said: "I wrote the tune of Walking in the Air on a beach in Cornwall, 50 years ago, in 1972."

He said he had looked for somewhere to place the song and never found it, until he saw a picture of the boy and the snowman.

"I thought that tune would work marvellously," he told BBC South East.

The 1982 animated film was based on Raymond Briggs' picture book of the same name which was published in 1978.

Howard Blake, who composed the soundtrack for 'The Snowman', grew up in Brighton

Mr Blake moved from London to Brighton after World War Two.

He says he "owes a lot" to the city that had plenty of theatres, cinemas and art schools, and was "really coming to life" following the war.

After winning a scholarship to Brighton Grammar School, Mr Blake said he got the lead part in the annual school opera after singing a scale up to a top C, which was "unheard of".

For the next four years, he played the lead soprano part in the school's productions.

Peter Auty performed the original Walking in the Air as a 13-year-old choirboy at St Paul's Cathedral. The song was later recorded by Aled Jones.

Mr Auty recalls watching the film for the first time at the studio. He remembers not knowing it was going to be.

"I got the feeling then it might actually be a bit bigger than just another recording session," he said.

Peter Auty is now regarded as one of Britain's leading tenors. He has worked with a number of major opera companies and went on to sing at Glyndebourne Festival Opera in East Sussex.

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