Keeping it in the family
The Lloyd Webbers at home
The Lloyd Webber household in the late 1960s was rarely a quiet one. Living under the same roof at that time were, among others, the established composer William Lloyd Webber, his older son Andrew, already following in his father’s footsteps, and his younger son Julian, in the early stages of becoming a world-renowned cellist.
‘There was always music around the house,’ remembers Julian. ‘I remember my father, who was still just about composing at that stage, would bury himself away every morning in his room, which was equipped with this extraordinary contraption – a pedal piano, which was basically a piano that was fitted with organ pedals so he could practise at home. My mother, meanwhile, specialised in teaching the piano to young children who would come round for lessons. Then there was Andrew, who was always into theatre music and composing his own tunes.’
Musical guests coming to stay was also a regular feature, says Julian. ‘The pianist John Lill (above) came to live with us for a while when he was a student and would be practising the whole time. And Andrew’s lyricist, Tim Rice, also lived with us – my grandmother lived in the next room to Tim plus his girlfriends, who would wander around in various states of undress. We had a lot of people coming in and out of the house the whole time and you never knew what was going to happen next. It’s a time I look back at with great affection.’