Lancashire-born Crosse, who studied at Oxford University, was a musical academic and composer. As the latter, he wrote many songs, some to works by Ted Hughes and Rudyard Kipling. Operas included Purgatory, The Story of Vasco and, for children, Potter Thompson. His ballet scores were Young Apollo and Playground. His instrumental/orchestral pieces featured symphonies, concertos, piano sonatas and chamber music, also Brief Encounter for recorder, oboe d’amore and strings and Rhyming With Everything (oboe, violin and cello).

Philip L. Scowcroft