The Complete C.W. Orr Songbook- Volume 2

Charles Wilfred Orr (1893-1976)

Five Songs from ‘A Shropshire Lad’: With rue my heart is laden, This time of year, Oh, when I was in love with you, Is my team ploughing?, On your midnight pallet lying (1924-6) Plucking the rushes (1921) Four Songs: Bahnhofstrasse; Requiem, The time of roses, Since thou, O fondest and truest, (1932-57) Hymn before sleep (1953) While summer on is sleeping (1953) The lads in their hundreds (1936) The Isle of Portland (1938) '1887' (?) In valleys green and still (1952) Three Songs from ‘A Shropshire Lad’: Into my heart an air that kills, Westward on the high-hilled plains, Oh see how thick the goldcup flowers (1935-29)

Mark Stone (baritone) Simon Lepper (piano)

Stone Records 5060192780192

It does not seem long ago since I reviewed Volume 1 of this most desirable CD production. In fact, it was only March of this year.  I am delighted that the second volume has followed so rapidly: often these projects get a wee bit bogged down in cash-flow matters and time scales.  However, the present CD concludes what is an exceptionally valuable and important programme of English song. Let us be honest: if C.W. Orr had been called ‘Henri Duparc’ there would probably have been over a hundred discs devoted to his music. As it is, there are only odd songs in remote corners of song recital CDs. The ‘Complete Songs of C.W. Orr’ will probably be the one and only ‘complete’ survey of Orr’s vocal music in my lifetime. Yet these songs are not only important, they are (often) beautiful examples of the genre.

Twelve out of nineteen songs are settings of texts by Alfred Edward Housman. The disc opens with the important Five Songs from ‘A Shropshire Lad.’ These include ‘With rue my heart is laden’, ‘This time of year’, ‘Oh, when I was in love with you’, ‘Is my team ploughing’ and ‘On your midnight pallet lying’. These were composed between 1924-26 and were published a couple of years later.  However, they were not issued as a collection until 1959. It is fair to say they are not a ‘song-cycle’ but a set of songs that benefit being sung together and in the order presented.

Perhaps the finest song in this group is ‘Is my team ploughing?’ It is hard to forget the R.V.W. and Butterworth settings of this text; however, Orr does not try to parody these. There is always a danger that this poem can sound a little banal – especially with the line ‘The goal stands up, the keeper/Stands up to keep the goal’ eschewed by Vaughan Williams. Orr has managed to create a sound world that explores the depth of the poem rather than the detail.

The other song that stood out for me was ‘On your midnight pallet lying’ which reflects the thoughts of a young man about to leave his lover and join his comrades setting out for war. Its mood sums up the depressing thoughts of the soldier.

Arthur Waley was a well-known ‘Orientalist’ who taught himself Japanese and Chinese. He published many books including a number of volumes of poetry in translation.  ‘Plucking the Rushes’ was first published in the 1918 collection of 170 Chinese Poems.  The song is remarkable for its attractive melody and unexpected chromatic twists. The setting is Orr’s earliest surviving song. 

For his ‘Four Songs’ (1959) Orr turned his attention to a wide variety of poets. The first is ‘Banhofstrasse’ by James Joyce (1882-1941).  This was the composer’s contribution to the ‘Joyce Book’ which were settings by various hands of 13 poems from the poet’s volume Pomes Pennyeach. Joyce suffered from his first attack of glaucoma on Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse. The poem is a reaction to a realisation that ‘youth was behind him, but that he had yet to obtain the sagacity of old age.’ This, to my mind this is one of the best of Orr’s songs: it is an ideal musical evocation of the poem’s sentiment.

Helen Waddell (1889-1965) is justly famous for her translation of ‘Medieval Latin Lyrics’ published in 1929 and still in print. The liner notes point out that the words ‘Take, him, earth for cherishing’ are best-known in Herbert Howells’ choral setting in memory of John F. Kennedy. However, Orr’s 1954 song is equally moving and once again reflects on the the composer’s sense of his own mortality. This is a powerful song that is both introverted and lugubrious. The original Latin text was written by the Christian poet Prudentius.

Thomas Hood (1799-1845) provides the words for ‘The time of rose.’ It is one of the more optimistic settings on this CD, although the words can be interpreted as being more depressing than the music would suggest.

Robert Bridges (1844-1930) is a poet who is largely ignored today, in spite of the fact he was Poet Laureate.  ‘Since thou, O fondest and truest’ was Orr’s final song. I must admit that it is hard work to listen to: I would love to be able to appreciate and enjoy this work being the composer’s last ‘word’ on song-composition; however, I find it too miserable and dirge-like.

Two other settings from Helen Waddell translations are included on this CD. The first is the withdrawn ‘Hymn before Sleep’, also translated from Prudentius. ‘While summer on is sleeping' is taken from the Benediktbeuern Manuscript is the easiest on the mind in this present collection. The text is taken from the same source as Carl Orff’s well-known Carmina burana.  It is a simple, if passionate, love song that does not end in tragedy or too much despair. 

It is difficult to get George Butterworth’s setting of ‘The lads in their hundreds’ out of one’s head when reading Housman’s text. It is a problem that Orr faced when he wrote this song some twenty-five years later.  The liner notes point out that Butterworth’s is a strophic setting whereas Orr has applied melodic development. I prefer the earlier number.

‘The Isle of Portland’ is a ‘sea-scape’ for singer and piano. The accompanist plays a rocking barcarolle that suggests the ‘star-filled seas are smooth tonight.’ However, the song does become more animated as the singer reflects on the fact that ‘Far from his folk a dead lad lies.’ It has to be recalled that prisoners were sent to Portland to quarry stone as penal labour. It was a dangerous occupation.

I am baffled by the inclusion of a song called ‘1897’. Ok, it is a confection. C.W. Orr’s only offering for the orchestra is the short but near-perfect Cotswold Hill Tune.  This was originally composed for string orchestra in 1937.  In this present CD it has been ‘arranged’ as a song compassing the words of A.E. Housman’s poem From ‘Clee to heaven the beacon burns’.  It is a great poem – there is no doubt about that. The poet contrasts the celebrations for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887, with thoughts about the fallen in a variety of ‘colonial wars.’    There is nothing fundamentally wrong with this ‘song’ it just appears to my mind to have been forced into the mould of the the little tone poem.  I guess that it only appears as a makeweight to bring the CD duration up to nearly the hour mark. It should be promptly forgotten.

‘In valleys green and still’ was the last of C.W. Orr’s Housman settings.  In many ways, I feel that it is one of his best. Like much of the poet’s output, this poem meditates on the theme of soldiers going to war.  It is an involved number that sounds just a little bit awkward for the voice. The piano part is quite minimalist, creating an unfocused mood.

The final three tracks on this CD are settings of Housman’s poems. These ‘Three Songs from ‘A Shropshire Lad’’ were published as a group in 1940. However, they were composed over a period of some five years. The first, ‘Into my heart and air that kills’ was composed in 1935. It makes an interesting song-form being a set of variations on the melodic phrase from the first line. It is a deeply moving setting that reflects the mood of anyone ‘away from the place they love.’

The liner notes explain that Orr’s setting of ‘Westward on the high-hilled plains’ reflects the composer’s yearning for his ‘old life’. The poem itself is construed as an elderly man looking at someone much younger and reflecting on the dichotomy between ‘plus ca change’ and the continuity of existence between generations (vide ‘On Wenlock Edge’) It is not a setting that immediately appeals, but repeated hearing reveals the song’s character and ultimate strength. The piano part is powerful and essential to the song’s success.  The final song in this group ‘Oh see how thick the goldcup flowers’ was composed in 1939. It is another example of Housman meditating of the transience of time and the need to ‘seize the moment.’ 

With the exception of ‘1887’ (noted above), I relished this CD. As I noted in my review of Volume I it is great to hear a number songs by Orr that have eluded me for many years.  The two soloists give a sterling performance of all (most) of these numbers that is both sympathetic and enthusiastic. It is obvious to any listener that Mark Stone and Simon Lepper both have a deep understanding of the words and music of these songs.

As with the previous volume, the liner notes are helpful and are required reading before approaching the music.  The format of each song having its own little mini-programme note has been maintained. The text of the song is included. Part II of the essay Charles Wilfred Orr: The Unsung Hero of English Song is presented as a preface to the notes.

I guess that I would have enjoyed a little bit of variety in these songs – a mezzo-soprano perhaps. However, this is an album to sample – not to through-listen to. Much of the music is melancholic and could become a touch depressing if listened to end-to-end. It is fair to suggest that these songs need to be approached no more than three or four at a time.

However, there is much here to listen to, to think about and ultimately to enjoy. 

With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.

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George Melachrino: ‘Winter Sunshine’

The liner notes of the Naxos recording of this work suggest that the composer set out to reflect the glamorous ski slopes and the even more glamorous people who frequented them. Presumably he had France, Austria and Switzerland in mind. However, when I hear this piece I think of the North Yorkshire Moors. I remember a happy day walking along part of the Cleveland Way – there was a carpet of snow, the sun was shining and there were clear blue skies. I had extensive views towards the Pennines across the Vale of York. They used to say that in the days of steam locomotives a keen-sighted person could see the smoke trail of a train leaving York and arriving in Darlington some forty miles to the North.   That was not the case in the electric age when I visited this viewpoint; however, after the walk I remember returning to a lovely hotel in Helmsley where there was a warm coal fire!

George Melachrino was a successful composer and musical director during the 1940s and 1950’s. He was born in London in 1909 and began to compose music at an early age. When he was fourteen he commenced studies at Trinity College of Music.  In 1927 he began his performance career working in many of the then popular bands, including at the Savoy Hotel off the Strand. In 1939 he was leading his own band and had an important contract at the Café de Paris. During the war years he trained as a PT instructor in the Corps of Military Police. However, Melachrino managed to keep up his musical playing and duly became Musical Director at the Army Broadcasting Department. He conducted the British Band of Allied Expeditionary Forces – which was the British equivalent of Glen Miller.  After the conclusion of hostilities he formed the George Melachrino Orchestra. This band led him to considerable success and he is rated alongside Ron Goodwin, Frank Chacksfield and Mantovani.  George Melachrino died in 1965.

‘Winter Sunshine’ is written in simple ternary form. The piece opens with a catchy tune that possibly suggests a sleigh ride – certainly there are sleigh bells. There is considerable movement and activity. However, a romantic tune soon tries to establish itself into the prevailing fun. The middle section is introduced by harp figures, before a slower version of the ‘big’ tune is presented. Eventually the lovers are left to their own devices, as the fast-moving music returns before a flashy coda brings the piece to a conclusion. The composer makes good use of woodwind as well as the strings. Altogether this is a vibrant, well-balanced piece.

Winter Sunshine is one George Melachrino’s most famous works: others beings the ‘Starlight Roof Waltz’ and the ‘Autumn Concerto’ which charted at No.18 in 1956.

This work can be heard on British Light Miniatures: NAXOS  8.570332 Unfortubnealty there is no YouTube file, however a sample can be heard on Amazon

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Lennox Berkeley and Friends: Writings, Letters and Interviews

Lennox Berkeley and Friends: Writings, Letters and Interviews

Edited by Peter Dickinson, The Boydell Press, Woodbridge

ISBN 978-1-84383-785-5

£45.00 Hardcover

I believe that this book will serve a double-purpose. Anyone who is studying or reviewing the life and works of the Sir Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989) will find a tremendous amount of primary material here. Furthermore, because of Berkeley’s largely cosmopolitan nature and his wide-ranging interests all students of twentieth-century music will find this a key text in developing their understanding of much that happened in British and European music during the middle years of the 20^th century.  

The literature about Sir Lennox Berkeley is rather meagre bearing in mind that he is one of the most important 20^th century composers. Most recently, Tony Scotland produced an excellent study of Lennox and Freda (2011). This book combined a study of the life and times of the composer as well as being an interesting and often moving love-story. It is the main biographical study of the composer presently available, even although it does not claim to be a ‘biography’.

Peter Dickinson has contributed the only significant study of Berkeley’s music. This was originally published in 1988 but was extensively revised and reissued in 2003. Stewart R. Craggs has made a valuable contribution to the musicologist with his essential Lennox Berkeley: A Source Book. This was published in 2000 so is to a certain extent out of date. However, it is still the starting point for any serous study of the composer. Over and above these basic texts there is a great deal of periodical essays, reviews and articles. Douglas Stevens has recently [2011] produced a PhD thesis ‘Lennox Berkeley: a Critical Study of his Music’ however this does not appear to be readily available. Perhaps it will be published in the near future? 

Lennox Berkeley and Friends is conveniently divided into a number of sections. After an important introduction, which deserves to be read (!) the first group of texts are Berkeley’s reports from Paris. These were originally published in the Monthly Musical Recordwhich was one of the most influential journals of its day (1871-1960). In 1927, Berkeley went to Paris to study under the redoubtable Nadia Boulanger: he remained there for five years. During this period he met all the ‘big’ names in 20^th century music, including Francis Poulenc, Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger, Albert Roussel and Igor Stravinsky. These letters are a fascinating and informative account of concert and opera life in the French capital during a vibrant era of musical history.

Part 2 consists of letters written by Berkeley to Nadia Boulanger.   A few words about Juliette Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979) may be of interest. She was one of most important figures in Western music of the twentieth century. Her dates show that she straddled a huge variety of musical developments. She was a composer, a conductor and perhaps most significantly a teacher.  It is in this latter role that she had the most considerable influence. The list of major American and European composers and performers who studied with her must be one of them most impressive lists in musical history. These include Aaron Copland, John Elliot Gardiner, Philip Glass, Astor Piazzolla, Virgil Thomson, Ned Rorem, Richard Stoker, Nicolas Maw, Thea Musgrave and Lennox Berkeley. Boulanger taught in the great music schools including the Julliard, the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music. However much of her teaching was based at her flat in 36 Rue de Ballu, Paris. She continued work until her death aged 92 years.

The letters have been ‘selected and annotated’ from the collection held at the Bibliotheque National in Paris. The author tells me that the content of these letters becomes less concerned with musical matters as time goes by. In fact, by the 1950s they tail off into family news, Christmas greetings and other day to day matters. These more ephemeral letters have been omitted. Everything of interest from the pre-war letters is included. Peter Dickinson suggests that more than 70% of Berkeley’s side of the correspondence has been given.

The idiomatic translation of these letters makes for easy reading. Footnotes have been provided to give the reader a context for each letter and to explain the many allusions and references. Unfortunately, most of the letters from Nadia Boulanger to Lennox Berkeley have not survived.

Part III includes a large selection of Lennox Berkeley’s contributions to journals and newspapers as well as interviews with the composer.  In this digital age, more and more publications are finding their way into various databases. No longer does the student have to order dusty copies of The Musical Times or The Sackbut from the ‘stacks’. However, most of these are only available to academics or to people ‘signed up’ to various libraries. Secondly, there are still many publications not available ‘on-line’ – just yet.

Many of the articles given here are from The Times or The Listener (the BBC’s erstwhile arts magazine). However, a number of the present writings and talks come from these hard-to-find sources – for example the essay on Maurice Ravel is from the Adam International Review(1978) and ‘Britten’s [Operatic] Characters’ from About the House (1963).  Of special interest is the programme note for the first performance of Francis Poulenc’s Piano Concerto in England (1950).  Of greater difficulty to access are the various radio interviews and ‘talks’.  I enjoyed reading the composer’s thoughts on being a ‘song-writer’ transcribed from a Radio 3 broadcast 16 November 1973. He states there that ‘very well known poetry of the past is probably best left alone [by the composer]’. It is certainly a view that deserves a thesis!

The next subdivision (Part IV) of the book includes four important interviews with the composer. The first two are with Peter Dickinson; one is with three literati and lastly a wide-ranging discussion of the Fourth Symphony with Michael Oliver.

The interview with C.B. Cox, Alan Young and Michael Schmidt was published as ‘Talking with Lennox Berkeley’ and appeared in the Poetry Nation No.2 journal. Michael Schmidt is the well-known founder of the Manchester-based Carcanet Press Ltd that has successfully published poetry since 1969. The present interview is of considerable length and detail; however, it is not musically ‘technical’. The interviewers quiz Berkeley on a number of subjects including his view on John Cage’s ‘4’33”.  Berkeley replies, ‘Quite honestly it doesn’t mean anything at all to me.’ However, the question that caught my eye was ‘Is there a distinctive English quality in English music? The composer responds by suggesting there is a ‘distinctive sort of English nostalgia which you find in Vaughan Williams sometimes, and Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro that’s quite unique.’  This idea of ‘English nostalgia’ is certainly something to ponder.

Part V of the book is a comprehensive selection of Lennox Berkeley’s diaries drawn from the years 1966-1982.  Peter Dickinson notes that the composer ‘wrote his diaries with some reluctance.’ I do not know if there are earlier diaries in existence, however the editor has told me that all of interest is contained in this selection.  The short entries tell of the composer’s travels, his meetings with ‘VIP’s and accounts of performances of music by him, and many other composers. Footnotes have been provided to help explain the context.   A good example of his forthright style may be seen in the entry for 19 December 1971. The LPO had just given a performance of Berkeley’s Third Symphony at the Royal Festival Hall. He wrote, ‘I think it is one of my better things and I enjoyed hearing it. (So far so good). However, he suggests that ‘John Pritchard conducted a rather perfunctory performance.’ He added that he hoped the ‘record is very much better than this.’ Finally he admits to two good notices of the works given by William Mann (‘to my very great astonishment’) and Ronald Crighton.’ This Symphony was duly released on LYRITA SRCS.57 (LP) (1972).

The last major section (Part VI) of this book is the ‘Interviews with Performers, Composers, Family and Friends’ 1990-1991. The list is striking and includes Colin Horsley who was a powerful advocate of Berkeley’s music and Nicolas Maw (1935-2009) one of ‘the leading British composers of his generation’ who studied with Berkeley. The family is represented by two excellent interviews with the composer’s wife, Freda and his eldest son, Michael.  The ‘Friends’ section includes a conversation with Desmond Shaw-Taylor who was chief music critic of The Times between 1958 -83. He was especially drawn to Berkeley’s music. All these eminent people were in discussion with Peter Dickinson in the early 1990s.

Part VII of this book as a reprint if the ‘Memorial Address’ given by Sir John Manduell CBE. Manduell (b.1928) is both composer and musical administrator, having worked for the BBC, and the Cheltenham Festival (1969-94). He was Director of Music at Lancaster University (1968-71) and Principal of the Royal Northern College of Music between 1972 and 1996. At present he is the President of the Sir Lennox Berkeley Society.  The Address was delivered at Westminster Cathedral on 10 March 1990 at the Memorial Requiem Mass for the composer. It is a moving tribute from a former student of Berkeley 

A very useful inclusion in this book is the ‘Catalogue of Works’. I accept that Berkeley-enthusiasts will have most of this information at their fingertips in either Craggs’ Source Book or Peter Dickinson’s study of the composer. However, for anyone not possessing these volumes this catalogue is essential in assisting them to a structured hearing of Berkeley’s music. It goes way beyond the listings in Wikipedia and even the Sir Lennox Berkeley Society Website. This catalogue is arranged by genre and includes date of composition, first performance (for major works) and the publisher.

The bibliography is impressive, if not exhaustive. All the extant writings of Lennox Berkeley are listed in chronological order. Some of these texts are included in the present volume, however, there are still a considerable number of essays and articles that will of interest to the musicologist and deserve to be hunted down. The second part of the bibliography is a selective list of articles, essays and books published about the composer since 1929. Helpfully, this is also chronological. The bibliography concludes with a useful list of general works that deal with contemporary composers, poets and history

There is an extensive index, conveniently divided into two parts – ‘Berkeley’s Music’ and a general index. The former section will be particularly useful to the reviewer or essay writer studying a particular work.

Peter Dickinson is a well-respected name –as an academic, a composer and a performer. I have had the pleasure of reviewing a number of his recently issued CDs and I am impressed by the wide range of his imagination and technical achievement. His style has allowed him to cross a number of compositional boundaries – from jazz to electronic and from ragtime to aleatory music. This is always done with skill and sympathy and results in interesting and enjoyable music. As a pianist, Dickinson has achieved much for contemporary music, most especially with his sister, the mezzo-soprano, Meriel Dickinson.  Apart from his books about Lennox Berkeley, Peter Dickinson has contributed a major study of the ‘popular’ composer-pianist Billy Mayerl and a study of Lord Berners, which highlights this eccentric’s achievement as a composer, a writer and a painter. Other volumes, which reflect the author’s deep interest in American music includes CageTalk: Dialogues with and about John Cage, Samuel Barber Remembered and Copland Connotations: Studies and Interviews.  I find that most of these books are on my bookshelves!

I was impressed with the quality of the production of this book. The excellent paper and strong binding is typical of The Boydell Press and adds greatly to the general impression of this book. Included in the text are a fine selection of rare photographs of Berkeley, his family and friends.  

‘Lennox Berkeley and his Friends’ is an expensive book, being priced at £45.00. However, when one considers the vast amount of primary material contained in these pages it does put the matter into perspective.   The price is similar to many ‘academic’ books on the market at present. Research, in any discipline, does not come cheap.  This book is essential reading for all enthusiasts of 20^th century music, and will be of tremendous value to all scholars of British music in particular and Western music in general. 

With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.

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Four Christmas Sleighrides

I was looking back at a couple of Christmas posts on this blog and found that for some reason this one was not working.  So  I had another look at it and decided to ‘repost’ as it is seasonal.

I was doing a little bit of research into Frederick Delius’s Drei Symphonische Dichtungen, Winter Nach – Schlittenfarht, which is better known to enthusiasts of the composer as Winter Night- Sleigh Ride from Three Small Tone Poems. It has always been a favourite piece of mine, since coming across it on an old Thomas Beecham disc. The results of my investigation may appear on these pages [it never happened!] or in other places in due course, however whilst doing a web search I came across references to at least three other pieces that have to do with sleigh, troika, and snow travel!

The first (not chronologically) ‘Sleigh Ride’ was composed by Leroy Anderson between 1946-48 and has become one of the most potent evocations of the Seasonal Landscape. Yet, strange to tell, this music was conceived during July during a heat wave whilst the composer was living in Woodbury, Connecticut. It was first recorded by the Boston Pops Orchestra, under the baton of Arthur Fiedler in 1949. A year later Mitchell Parish added the words that have become so familiar to generations of listeners, although the reference to ‘pumpkin pie’ in the last verse would suggest that this piece is more about Thanksgiving than Santa Claus!

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote his piano work The Seasons during 1875 and 1876 shortly after he had completed his famous 1st Piano Concerto and whilst he was working on Swan Lake. The twelve short pieces for piano were based on the months of the year. The eleventh, for November is subtitled Troika. The Russian edition of the score is prefaced with the following short verse:-

In your loneliness do not look at the road,
and do not rush out after the troika.
Suppress at once and forever the fear of longing in your heart.

It is an attractive piece that is worthy of the composer, even if it does not display the same genius as the two major works.

I have never been a fan of Prokofiev’s music although there are many works that I enjoy. The music for the 1934 Russian film Lieutenant Kije has largely slipped through my radar, however I have always been attracted to the evocative Troika sequence, which is the fourth of a five movement suite. Troika has all the magic of a fairytale winter landscape complete with the three horse open sleigh!

And lastly, the Delius. Suffice to say that I have [still] not completed my investigations yet. However, it is important to realise that although there are a number of Delian fingerprints in this short tone poem, it is not entirely typical of the composer’s later works. The piece first appeared as a piano work at a Christmas soiree in Leipzig in 1897. The composer played the work to Grieg, Halvorsen and Sinding in what Grieg described as “with the greatest talent…”

The work was orchestrated in 1889.

Watch/listen to all four pieces on YouTube:-

Leroy Anderson Sleigh Ride

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky The Seasons November ‘Troika’ in an historic video performance by Lev Oborin

Sergei Prokifiev Troika from Lieutenant Kije

Frederick Delius Sleigh Ride with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by David Lloyd-Jones

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Even more Light music from Guild - Melody Mixture

The Golden Age of Light Music: Melody Mixture

Guild Light Music GLCD5197 

The liner notes immediately make clear the terms of reference for this latest CD from the Guild Golden Age of Light Music series: it states that ‘this collection does not have a special theme or concept.’  It is quite simply an attempt to collect a ‘varied mixture’ of pieces featuring a diverse range of light music composers.  Interestingly, David Ades states that most of these numbers had been considered for previous releases, but never quite found their way onto any discs. However, he is quite clear that this was usually because the programmes were already ‘full’ rather than any lack of interest in this music.

Certainly the quality of this disc is immediately apparent from the first few bars of the opening number ‘Cab Rank’ by the Dutch composer Dolf van der Linden. It is a classic example of light music describing a cityscape – in this case, rows of taxis somewhere in the West End. The music comes complete with car horns.  Henry Mancini is an all time favourite of light music aficionados – best known for ‘Moon River’; however, the theme tune to the TV series Mr. Lucky hits all the right notes with its moody, romantic sound.  Little need be said about Duke Ellington’s lugubrious ‘Caravan’ save that is a piece that nods towards Delius (in spite of the rather Eastern sound)

It is good to hear that great harmonica player Tommy Reilly in a fine performance of the ‘Down Under’ theme from the film The Sundowners.  I have always felt that this instrument is undervalued (RVW and Arnold are exceptions) in the palette of composers’ instrumental colour.  David Rose, forever associated with ‘The Stripper,’ presents the delicious ‘Gloria’s Theme’ from the Liz Taylor movie Butterfield B. The score was by Kaper and David. Kurt Weill is one of the great ‘crossover’ composers – writing ‘showtime’ music as well as symphonies and operas. The ‘Bilbao Song’ is one of his most delightful numbers which was part of the musical comedy Happy End (1929) co-written with Bertolt Brecht.  

The action moves back to Britain with the next couple of numbers.  London-born Trevor Duncan presents a quirky little piece call ‘Tongue in Cheek’, which seems all wrong but is actually all right! Peter Hope, who is still very active writing music is represented with one of his earlier pieces called ‘Spring Collection’.  To me this evocative piece suggests a wide variety of images but is it spring in the countryside? Or perhaps a mannequin parade with the ‘new year’s’ fashion? Who knows, but it is a perfect piece of ‘light music.’ It was originally written as ‘library music’ for use in newsreels or documentaries.

I am not sure what part of the world Lester B. Hart comes from, but his ‘Scurry for Strings’ epitomises the genre: I loved every bar of this. Murray Newman’s ‘Spinette’ is a little bit of ‘fairy tale’ music that sounds like a music-box on holiday! I understand the title is the plural of ‘spinet’!  The ‘Cool Caballero’ by Bernie Wayne is fun - definitely a Spanish knight having a night on the town.  Ron Goodwin is well known as a composer of film music – especially Where Eagles Dareand 266 Squadron. However, his little tune ‘Pleasure Island’ has a calypso beat. It is certainly not the Isle of Wight he is evoking.

Fred Hartley was a Scottish-born conductor, pianist, and composer. His masterpiece is the waltz ‘Rouge et Noir’. Apparently, he occasionally wrote music under the pseudonym Iris Taylor. ‘Alma Mia’ is not the greatest piece on this CD, but it is nice to have this piece recorded. ‘Alma Mia’, by the way means ‘My Soul.’

I always associate Laurie Johnson with The Avengers – the debonair Mr. Steed and the gorgeous Mrs Peel. However, from the nineteen-sixties Johnson has been a major contributor to TV and film music. The present piece, ‘I aim at the Stars’ is a romantic little number – however I am not sure if the ‘sound effect’ is a rocket taking off or a hoover starting up!

Wally Stott who metamorphosed into Angela Morley has contributed a jaunty piece called ‘Dear Old Pals’.  Classic light music sound is the order of the day in Cyril Waters ‘Leaps and Bounds’.  The mood changes slightly with Juan Rosa’s ‘Tango of the Flowers.’   We are back in a familiar part of London with Wilfred Burns’ offering, ‘Peacock in Piccadilly’. I think is more about vanity than the bird – perhaps it is an English take on Frederic Curzon's ‘Boulevardier’?

Harold Geller takes us for a spun down the Autobahns with his fast moving ‘Continental Highways’.  Horsepower is the order of the day (complete with ‘neighs’) in Tom Wyler’s ‘Galop on String’s.  Morton Gould’s ‘Guaracha’ is the third movement of his Latin-American Symphonette (1922). This present tune is based on a Cuban Dance and is a finely-gauged piece that balances interest with subtlety. Gould is a composer who is at home in a wide variety of classical and popular musical genres. He has even incorporated ‘rap’ into one of his compositions! 

Peter Yorke’s ‘Brandy Snaps’ on the other hand is fairly and squarely in the British light music tradition, bouncy, romantic and a little wistful. ‘Chicken Noodle’ by Peter Dennis’s is a ‘novelty’ song –nothing too profound, however, there is some lovely string writing.

Back on the continent with Roger Roger and his ‘Route Nationale’. This is scampering music with a lovely romantic counter melody. Certainly, it suggests motoring down to Cannes in the immaculate open-top 1950 Citroën Roadster (or is it a battered two-tone 2CV?) The final number is the dramatic ‘On Stage’ by Billy Mack who was the Musical Director of the De La Warr Pavilion at Bexhill-on-Sea. This piece has all the excitement of a night at the London Palladium.

Altogether, another excellent CD from Guild. The liner notes by David Ades are comprehensive and give much information about the composers and orchestras that is not readily available. As always, the restoration of these tunes by Alan Bunting is the best. 

When I read the introduction to this CD, I was a little concerned that we may have been scraping the bottom of the barrel. How wrong, wrong, wrong, could I have been! 

With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.

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Sir Charles Halle: A Short Anecdote

I have recently been exploring the life, work and times of that great honorary Englishman, Sir Charles Hallé. There are so many books, articles and news report that refer to him, it is hard to know where to begin. However, in an old book entitled Manchester Old & New I found this delicious anecdote. It is worth sharing.  This anecdote does not appear to come from the Autobiography of Charles Hallé with correspondence and diaries.

“When first he came to England [Hallé] had letters of introduction to various people of  standing. ‘One of them,’ he has said, ‘afterwards a Minister of State, invited me to his house, and asked me to play something to his friends. Of course, I was anxious to do so, but I was startled when on leaving he asked me a few questions, amongst others in what style I played. It was difficult to understand what he meant, so he named another eminent pianist [1], and said, 'Do you play in his style?' and I honestly said 'No,' upon which he said, 'I am so glad, because he plays so loud that he prevents the ladies from talking'!" Of course ,all this is entirely past. People never talk nowadays the moment a pianist begins to play.

Manchester Old And New Volume III by William Arthur Shaw M.A. 

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Richard Addinsell: The Black Rose

I guess that everyone knows the beautifully romantic (if over the top) score to the film Dangerous Moonlight.  This music is better known as the Warsaw Concerto. Richard Addinsell wrote this great piece ‘surrounded by the scores of Rachmaninov’s Second and Third Concertos and the ‘Paganini’ Variations.’ However I imagine fewer people will have come across the music to the film The Black Rose.  This 1950 film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Tyrone Power, Orson Welles, Cecile Aubry and Jack Hawkins and is loosely based on the book of the same title by Thomas B. Costain. The scene was set in thirteenth century Britain and the Far East.  It concerns the nobleman Walter of Gurnie (played by Power) who is involved in an unsuccessful uprising against the Normans. He is outlawed, so he decides to seek his fortune in the Far East. He travels with his friend Tristam (Jack Hawkins) and on his journey meets the Mongol warlord Bayan, played by Orson Welles. Predictably, Walter falls in love with the lovely Maryam (Cecile Aubrey) whilst both are ‘guests’ in Bayan’s prison.

I do not intend to give the remainder of the plot –save to say that love does not run smoothly. However, the film does have a satisfactory ending. This is more than can be said for the musical score. Philip Lane has noted that Addinsell should have been given the opportunity to compose an expansive, epic score. However, the music appears to be somewhat fragmented.  However, Lane has made a short suite of the score which is rewarding. 

The Chandos recording has three short sections: the main titles and opening scene, followed by; In the Empress’s Place and lastly The Black Rose Theme. After a short fanfare the music sweeps into a big, but not extravagant tune.  The second section is the more oriental sounding music from the Empress’s court and uses some interesting percussion effects. Lane points out that this music runs through much of the film’s screen time. Finally the ‘Black Rose’ theme concluded this suite. This section was issued as a very complex and decorated piano solo sheet music. However, this has been reduced to its original form. This is a very beautiful and heart-breaking melody.

Ian Lace writing in April 2003 on MusicWeb International was impressed with ‘the ... the delicate oriental figures of ‘In the Empress’s Palace’ ...the lovely sweepingly romantic Title Theme...’

Richard Addinsell’s The Black Rose was released on a retrospective of his film music on Chandos CHAN 10048 in 2003.

There are no YouTube postings for this music; however the Amazonsite gives three little extract which will allow the listener to sample this music.

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