Obituary: William Paton Brown, 1932–2022

Bill was a member of the LSO Second Violin section from 1971 until his retirement in 1997.

Bill was born in Glasgow in 1932, the youngest of 8 children and his love of music began when he was very young, attending Sunday afternoon concerts with his brother. However, it was not until he went to Secondary school that he had the opportunity to start violin lessons. On leaving school he secured a place at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and after serving his National Service with the Salon Orchestra of the Grenadier Guards, he applied for one year at the Royal College of Music in London. Jobs for musicians were scarce in those days so for some years he was  forced to find employment in the world of commerce.

In 1956 he auditioned for the Scottish (National) Orchestra where he was offered a permanent position, touring all over Scotland. After six years he moved to Birmingham and joined the CBSO.

After seven years there, he became restless again and this time decided to move to London. Luckily, he was offered a week’s work with the LSO at the end of which he was invited to become a member of the Second Violin section. Consequently, he and his wife, Norma, moved to London and bought a house in Southgate where they lived for nearly 50 years.

Bill travelled the world with the LSO and performed in many recordings, including the soundtracks for the Star Wars movies. He was a keen writer of songs, poems and stories. His book, Quirky Quavers published in 2016, is available on Amazon.

Our condolences go to his daughter Frieda, his son Conrad and all his family and friends.