Percy Faith (7 April 1908 – 9 February 1976) was a Toronto-born conductor, arranger, and bandleader whose influential work helped shape the easy listening genre—an elegant, string-forward orchestral style designed to bring pop melodies into living rooms with calm and sophistication. This recognition aims to inspire appreciation and admiration in music enthusiasts and casual learners.
His signature achievement was translating cinematic and popular themes into orchestral “singing” lines, creating music that resonated deeply with audiences. The peak of this approach was “Theme from A Summer Place,” a major chart success that also won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year (awarded in 1961). This aims to evoke admiration and curiosity among music enthusiasts and students.
Faith’s legacy extends beyond nostalgia; it’s rooted in his technique. By emphasizing strings and refined orchestration, he set a lasting template for orchestral pop. His work helped shape how mid-century audiences experienced romance, sentiment, and spectacle—often without a single sung lyric-aiming to inspire respect and admiration among casual learners and researchers.