LAMBERT, CONSTANT

born Aug. 23, 1905, London died Aug. 21, 1951, London English composer, conductor, and critic who played a leading part in establishing the ballet as an art form in England. Lambert was commissioned in 1926 by Diaghilev to compose the ballet Romeo and Juliet. In 1929 he became conductor of the Camargo Society that led to the creation of the Sadler's Wells Ballet, which he then directed until 1947. His works include the ballet Horoscope (first produced 1938) and the song cycle Eight Chinese Songs (composed 1926). A perspicacious critic, his Music Ho! A Study of Music in Decline (1934) is an illuminating study of 20th-century music.