George Arnold Haynes Safroni-Middleton, also known asCount Safroni (3 September 1873 – 7 November 1950) was a British composer, director, violinist, harpist, writer and amateur astronomer. For several works he used the pseudonymWilliam H. Myddleton.
Safroni-Middleton was born inKent. He studied violin withPablo de Sarasate and afterwards started performing as violinist. He played the violin in theOrchestra of "Her Majesty's Theatre" in Sydney, theOrchestra of the Opera House in Auckland, theProvidence Opera House inProvidence (Rhode Island), theTokyo Orchestra, theGovernment House (Sarawak) Orchestra and theGovernment House (Hayti) Mexico Orchestra. As solo performer he toured around Australia, South America, Italy and Spain.
As a writer he wrote many novels, travel guides and poems. He explored Borneo, Papua New Guinea and Malaysia.
As a composer he is mainly known for his marches and dance music for the harmony orchestra. His best known piece is probablyImperial Echoes (1913), which for many years was the theme ofRadio Newsreel onBBC radio.
Bush Songs and Oversea Voices, including Songs of the South Sea Islands, Australia, Etc., London, John Long, 1914, 159 p.
Sailor and Beachcomber: Confessions of a Life at Sea, in Australia and amid the Islands of the Pacific, Grant Richards, London, UK, 1915, 304 p.
A Vagabond's Odyssey: Being Further Reminiscences of a Wandering Sailor-Troubadour in Many Lands, Dodd & Mead, 1916, 328 p.
Wine Dark Seas and Tropic Skies: Reminiscences and a Romance of the South Seas, Grant Richards, London, UK, 1918
Gabrielle of the Lagoon: A Romance of the South Seas, The Solomon Isles. J.B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia/London, 1919, 286 p.
South Sea Foam: The Romantic Adventures of a Modern Don Quixote in the Southern Seas, George H. Doran, 1920, 350 p.
Sestrina: A Romance of the South Seas, George H. Doran, 1920, 256 p.
No Extradition, Ward, Lock & Co., 1923
Tropic Shadows: Memories of the South Seas, Together with Reminiscences of the Author's Sea Meetings with Joseph Conrad, London: The Richards Press, 1927, 302 p.
Two Faces in Borneo: A Drama of a Dual Personality, London, The Richards Press, 1928
Tides of Sunrise and Sunset: The Fourth Dimension of Romance, London: Heath Cranton, 1932. 219 p.
In the Green Leaf: A Chapter of Autobiography, London: Fortune Press, 1950, 199 p.
Wolfgang Suppan,Armin Suppan:Das Neue Lexikon des Blasmusikwesens, 4th edition, Freiburg-Tiengen, Blasmusikverlag Schulz GmbH, 1994,ISBN3-923058-07-1
Paul E. Bierley, William H. Rehrig:The heritage encyclopedia of band music : composers and their music, Westerville, Ohio: Integrity Press, 1991,ISBN0-918048-08-7
Norman E. Smith:March music notes, Lake Charles, La.: Program Note Press, 1986,ISBN978-0-9617346-1-9
John L. Adams:Musicians' autobiographies - An annotated bibliography of writings available in English, 1800 to 1980, Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1982, 126p.
Leslie Gilbert Pine:Who's who in music, First post-war edition (1949–50), London: Shaw Publishing, 1950, 419 p.
Sir Landon Ronald:Who's who in music, London: Shaw Publishing, 1937