27 May

Light Music While You Work – Volume 3

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GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5186

Light Music While You Work – Volume 3

1 Fairy On The Clock (Sherman Myers, real name Montague Ewing)
HAROLD COLLINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 166 1944
2 Samum (Symphonic Foxtrot) (Carl Robrecht)
HARRY FRYER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 131 1944
3 With A Smile And A Song (from "Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs") (Larry Morey; Frank E. Churchill)
REGINALD PURSGLOVE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 316 1945
4 Flapperette (Jesse Greer)
HAROLD COLLINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 148 1944
5 Step Lightly (Peter Anderson)
LONDON COLISEUM ORCHESTRA Conducted by REGINALD BURSTON
Decca Music While You Work MW 257 1944
6 Twinkle-Toes (Hugh Raeburn, real name Wynford Reynolds)
WYNFORD REYNOLDS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 130 1944
7 Casino Tanz (Ferenc Gungl)
RONNIE MUNRO AND HIS WALTZ ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 400 1946
8 Rag Doll (Nacio Herb Brown)
HAROLD COLLINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 82 1943
9 Flash Of Steel (Sidney Colin)
LONDON COLISEUM ORCHESTRA Conducted by REGINALD BURSTON
Decca Music While You Work MW 257 1944
10 Gold And Silver Waltz (Franz Lehár)
HAROLD COLLINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 79 1943
11 Wedding Of The Rose (Leon Jessel)
HAROLD COLLINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 83 1943
12 The Juggler (G. Groitzsch)
HAROLD COLLINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 167 1944
13 The Devil Ma Cares (Beechfield Carver)
HARRY FRYER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 333 1945
14 Fairies On The Moon (Montague Ewing)
WYNFORD REYNOLDS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 414 1946
15 Valse Bleue (Alfred Paul Margis)
LONDON COLISEUM ORCHESTRA Conducted by REGINALD BURSTON
Decca Music While You Work MW 301 1945
16 Up Guards And At ‘Em (Gordon Mackenzie)
HARRY FRYER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 333 1945
17 Doll Dance (Nacio Herb Brown)
HAROLD COLLINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 82 1943
18 Where The Lemon Trees Blossom (Johann Strauss II)
LONDON COLISEUM ORCHESTRA Conducted by REGINALD BURSTON
Decca Music While You Work MW 334 1945
19 Three Jolly Brothers (Robert Vollstedt)
HAROLD COLLINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 83 1943
20 Marche Tartare (Louis Ganne)
HARRY DAVIDSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 213 1944
21 Rhythm Of The Clock (Eddie Hunt; Peter Kane)
WYNFORD REYNOLDS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 414 1946
22 The Way To The Heart – Intermezzo (Paul Lincke)
HARRY DAVIDSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 242 1944
23 Wren’s Serenade (Joseph Engleman)
HAROLD COLLINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 190 1944
24 Marche Russe (Louis Ganne)
HARRY DAVIDSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 213 1944
25 Mon Reve Waltz (Emile Charles Waldteufel)
RONNIE MUNRO AND HIS SCOTTISH VARIETY ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 252 1945
26 Grand March from "Carmen" (Georges Bizet)
RICHARD CREAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 95 1943

All tracks mono

British people ‘of a certain age’ will still remember "Music While You Work", but it is appropriate to offer an explanation to the younger generation and Guild Music’s many friends in countries outside the United Kingdom. If you have already purchased the first two volumes in this series (on GLCD5128 and 5137) the next few paragraphs may be familiar to you, but it is important that the background behind these recordings is revealed.

When the full misery of the Second World War was becoming all too apparent in the early months of 1940, the BBC (the sole British broadcaster at the time) was persuaded that the public needed cheering up, and morale-boosting radio programmes would be an important addition to other forms of popular entertainment such as the cinema and variety theatres. Radio shows were gradually being relayed to factories to relieve the monotony of mass production, especially in the fields of armaments and other essential war supplies, and it was believed that bright and cheerful music might even increase output.

One can imagine the number of meetings and internal soul-searching that must have taken place before the BBC would embark upon such a step. Since its inception in 1922 it had nurtured a reputation as the guardian of the nation’s morals and this certainly extended to the kind of music that it would allow on its airwaves. ‘Popular’ music was viewed with grave suspicion, even though pre-war commercial broadcasts beamed to Britain from the near continent had demonstrated the public’s appetite for lighter musical fare.

But somehow a programme called "Music While You Work" did survive all the planning obstacles, and the first broadcast took place at 10.30am on Sunday 23 June 1940. It became something of an institution in British broadcasting, where it was to remain in the schedules for an unbroken run of 27 years. When the BBC celebrated its 60th anniversary in 1982 "Music While You Work" was one of several popular programmes brought back for a few editions, and the positive public reaction resulted in several more ‘returns’ including yet another revival in 1995.

The man credited with the original idea – and its successful implementation – was Wynford Reynolds (1899-1958). ‘Live’ musicians were usually engaged for the programme, ranging from solo performers such as organists, to small groups, dance bands, light orchestras and military bands. After some early experiments with light classics the feedback from the factories soon indicated that workers preferred tunes they knew and to which they could sing along. The BBC could not be expected to broadcast to such a restricted formula throughout the entire day - after all, they had a large audience of listeners in their homes. Gramophone records provided the answer as far as the factories were concerned; when the radio programmes were not suitable for the workforce the Tannoy public address system resorted to records played by one of the staff.

This is when someone at Decca realised that a special series of 78s would fit the bill admirably and their own "Music While You Work" label was born; sensibly they sought Wynford Reynolds’ advice from the outset. These were not intended to be an accurate carbon copy of the BBC broadcasts, and the orchestras on the Decca records (mostly their contract artists) did not necessarily also perform on the radio. But they did succeed in conveying the ‘feel’ of the programme and have provided a fascinating subject for collectors to study over the years.

The first twenty records that were released, starting in 1942, were included in Decca’s usual blue and gold label ‘F’ series of popular 78s and given their own ‘MW’ prefix. Thereafter all issues were only on the black and white ‘Music White You Work’ label and by September 1943 some 27 discs were available. Following this rather slow start, the floodgates opened, and nearly 400 more were to be released before the final ones appeared in January 1947. The series was quickly deleted, and throughout the existence of the label Decca publicity had been sketchy, to say the least. The record buying public was often unaware of what was available, so consequently some of the titles must be quite rare. Some of the later 78s were recorded using Decca’s revolutionary ‘ffrr’ (full frequency range recording) process which remained a closely guarded secret for some while since it had originally been developed to assist the war effort, and the improved sound quality of several of the tracks on this CD is evidence of this.

The orchestras chosen for these recordings would have been familiar to the public at the time. The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) was built in St. Martin’s Lane by the famous theatre impresario and architect, Oswald Stoll, and it opened for its first performance on 24 December 1904. Since then it has undergone changes of name, various refurbishments and different kinds of productions, ranging from variety and operetta to ballet and opera – it is now the home of English National Opera. Reginald Bradshaw Burston (1897-1968) was an experienced musical director who was regularly employed in various London theatres ranging from D’Oyly Carte Opera to prestigious Noel Coward productions and lavish post-war American musicals. In the mid-1930s he conducted the BBC Midland Orchestra, then in 1936 he took over the baton of the BBC Revue Orchestra for several years.

Like Reginald Burston, Harold Collins (c.1900 - c.1971) arold Collins, David Java

at one time was Musical Director at the London Coliseum, although he also held positions at various provincial theatres. Originally a pianist, it seems he gave his first broadcast from Plymouth in 1936 where he was resident conductor at the Palace Theatre, and was hired by the BBC for "Music While You Work" soon after the programme was launched. In total he appeared in 227 programmes with his Orchestra, and he also made a good number of records for Decca’s MWYW series, usually with a smaller ensemble in a style that suited the light repertoire that was his speciality – his tracks in this collection are ideal examples. In later years he was heard in BBC shows "Morning Music" and "Melody On The Move", and through his work with Norman Wisdom he appeared on ITV’s top Sunday evening shows from the London Palladium and the Prince of Wales Theatre.

Reginald Pursglove (1902-1982) was an accomplished violinist who worked with many of the British dance bands in the 1920s and 1930s. During four decades he was heard regularly on the radio fronting various ensembles, such as small groups, right up to light orchestras which gradually assumed greater prominence as dance bands were heard less frequently on the air. His Albany Players (later renamed the Albany Strings) constantly provided top quality light music, but eventually the BBC’s decision to rely less upon live music meant that the orchestra did not survive the 1960s – a fate that was to befall so many of Pursglove’s contemporaries.

Ronnie Munro (1897-1989) started his career playing piano in various clubs and bands in London before eventually working regularly with EMI – particularly the HMV ‘house’ orchestra The New Mayfair Orchestra. He contributed numerous arrangements for top recording bands such as Jack Hylton, Lew Stone, Percival Mackey, Ambrose and Henry Hall. In 1940 he was appointed conductor of the BBC’s newly-formed Scottish Variety Orchestra.

Harry Davidson (1892-1967) enjoyed two successful, and different, careers before and following the Second World War. After various engagements around London and the north-east of England spanning the years 1914 to 1929, he finally secured the highly prestigious appointment as organist at the newly built Commodore Theatre at Hammersmith in London. The Commodore had a fine 18-piece orchestra conducted by Joseph Muscant (1899-1983) and, by the early 1930s, it had acquired a loyal national following for its regular broadcasts. After five years Muscant left to take over the Troxy Broadcasting Orchestra and, in July 1934, Harry Davidson stepped into his shoes. Numerous Commodore Grand Orchestra and two Troxy Broadcasting Orchestra recordings are on other Guild CDs, including GLCD5108, 5116, 5122, 5134, 5163 and 5168. Although the Commodore orchestra was disbanded during the war, Davidson managed to keep many of his superb musicians together and soon he was broadcasting regularly, notching up no less that 109 editions of "Music While You Work" during the programme’s first year. In November 1943 his series "Those Were The Days" appeared for the first time, providing listeners at home with a regular helping of melodious old-time dance music. It became a permanent fixture in the schedules with Harry in charge until ill-health forced him to retire in November 1965. But such was its popularity that the programme continued under Sidney Davey for another twelve years.

Considering his musical background, it is likely that Wynford Hubert Reynolds (1899-1958) had little problem in persuading the BBC that he had the necessary knowledge to launch "Music While You Work". He was already on the staff of the BBC as a producer, although he was also an experienced performer. He was born in Ebbw Vale, Wales, and his early musical training at the Royal Academy of Music concentrated on the violin, viola and composition. Like many of his fellow musicians, he provided music for silent films, and eventually joined the Queen’s Hall Orchestra under its illustrious conductor (and founder of London’s Promenade Concerts) Sir Henry Wood.

Reynolds became involved with the early days of radio in the 1920s, and it wasn’t long before he formed his own orchestra for concerts (including engagements at seaside venues) and broadcasts. In 1941 the BBC gave him the important-sounding title ‘Music While You Work Organiser’ but, due to the strict rules imposed by the Corporation on its own employees, this prevented him from appearing with his orchestra in the programmes. He left this position in 1944, and went back to performing on radio, not only in "Music While You Work" but also, later, in popular shows such as "Bright and Early" and "Morning Music". Happily the recordings he made for Decca’s MWYW series are evidence of the high quality of his music, although his influence extended far beyond those 78s bearing his own orchestra’s name: he produced the majority of around 420 discs that were issued before the series ended with the final releases in January 1947.

In common with so many musicians of his era, Harry Fryer (1896-1946) found work playing for silent films and gradually progressed to conducting at London theatres and leading venues in and around the capital. He was a regular broadcaster, both before the war and later frequently on radio in "Music While You Work". The London publishers Boosey & Hawkes contracted Fryer in 1941 to conduct for their Recorded Music Library. By the end of the war he had become a household name and there seems little doubt that, had it not been for his death in 1946 aged only 50, his talents would have been much in demand during the post-war years.

Richard Crean (1879-1955) became a familiar name in the 1930s through his association with the London Palladium Orchestra. Prior to that he had travelled widely as Chorus Master with the Thomas Quinlan Opera Company, before accepting a similar position at Covent Garden with Adrian Boult. Then a spell at Ilford Hippodrome in variety led to his appointment in 1930 as conductor of the London Palladium Orchestra (featured on several Guild Light Music CDs) which lasted for around five years, until he formed his own orchestra which he conducted, on and off, for the rest of his life. For a short while in 1941-42 he conducted the newly-formed BBC Midland Light Orchestra, and like Harry Fryer he was also a contributor to the Boosey & Hawkes Recorded Music Library.

The BBC radio programme "Music While You Work" endeared itself to millions of British listeners for several decades, and its signature tune Calling All Workers by Eric Coates (on GLCD5128) is still instantly recognisable. It seems a shame that tuneful, uninterrupted music now seems totally absent from broadcasting schedules.

David Ades

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About Geoff 123
Geoff Leonard was born in Bristol. He spent much of his working career in banking but became an independent record producer in the early nineties, specialising in the works of John Barry and British TV theme compilations.
He also wrote liner notes for many soundtrack albums, including those by John Barry, Roy Budd, Ron Grainer, Maurice Jarre and Johnny Harris. He co-wrote two biographies of John Barry in 1998 and 2008, and is currently working on a biography of singer, actor, producer Adam Faith.
He joined the Internet Movie Data-base (www.imdb.com) as a data-manager in 2001 and looked after biographies, composers and the music-department, amongst other tasks. He retired after nine years loyal service in order to continue writing.