GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5176
From The Vintage Vaults
1 "The Arcadians" Overture (Lionel Monckton; Howard Talbot, arr. Arthur Wood)
ARTHUR WOOD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia DX 573 1934
2 Buffoon (Zez Confrey)
NEW LIGHT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
HMV B 4244 1932
3 Rondel (Sir Edward Elgar, arr. Haydn Wood); Mina (Sir Edward Elgar)
LIGHT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by HAYDN WOOD
HMV B8282 1935
4 Arpanetta (Ernst Fischer)
ROBERT GADEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Electrola EG 6286 1938
5 A Fantasy In Blue
The Birth Of The Blues, Blue Again, Blue Room, So Blue, There"s A Blue Ridge Round My Heart Virginia, Blue Is The Night, Beyond The Blue Horizon, Blue Hills Of Pasadena, Blue Skies, Where The Blue Of The Night, My Blue Heaven, Good-bye Blues.
FRED HARTLEY AND HIS QUINTET
Decca F 5168 1934
6 Lullaby Land (Reginald King)
LONDON CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Bosworth BC 1180 1944
7 The Dwarf"s Patrol - Fantasy (Otto Rathke)
THE LITTLE SALON ORCHESTRA
Columbia DB 459 1930
8 Suite Orientale (Francis Popy) Les Bayadères, Au Bord du Gange, Les Almées, Les Patrouilles.
MAREK WEBER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV C 1845 1930
9 March Past Of The Kitchen Utensils (Ralph Vaughan Williams)
BBC THEATRE ORCHESTRA Conducted by CLARENCE RAYBOULD
BBC Transcription Service 27692 1945
10 Gipsy Wine (Helmut Ritter)
BARNABAS VON GECZY AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV B 8434 1936
11 Springtime Serenade (Jonny Heykens)
MAREK WEBER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV B 8199 1934
12 In Playful Mood (Montague Ewing)
INTERNATIONAL RADIO ORCHESTRA
Bosworth BC 1032 1937
13 "Gasparone" Potpourri (Carl Millöcker)
EDITH LORAND AND HER VIENNESE ORCHESTRA
Parlophone R 2035 1935
14 Püppchen - Two Step Intermezzo (Little Doll) (Jean Gilbert, real name Max Winterfeld)
CONTINENTAL NOVELTY ORCHESTRA
Regal Zonophone MR 565 1932
15 A Day In Naples - Tarantella (George W. Byng)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by JAY WILBUR
Boosey & Hawkes O 2040 1945
16 Mon Bijou (Robert Stolz)
ALFREDO CAMPOLI AND HIS SALON ORCHESTRA
Decca F 5904 1936
17 Songs Of The Fair (Easthope Martin)
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by WALTER GOEHR (as "George Walter" on record label)
Parlophone E 11268 1935
18 Summer Evening In Santa Cruz (Jose F. Payan; Fred Hartley)
ALBERT SANDLER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia FB 2367 1940
19 Niagara (Carl Robrecht)
PALL MALL REVELLERS
Bosworth BC 1071 1938
20 Sousa Marches - Medley (John Philip Sousa, arr Major Williams) Washington Post, King Cotton, Stars and Stripes, Liberty Bell, El Capitan, High School Cadets, The Diplomat, Stars and Stripes.
JACK HYLTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca F 5216 1934
Famous composers of symphonies, marches, jazz and just about everything in-between can be found in this varied selection, mainly from the inter-war years, which surely qualifies for the adjective "eclectic". If anyone still needs convincing that the general term "Light Music" covers a wide variety of styles and performances, then surely the proof is here on this CD.
The reign of Edward VII lasted just nine years, following the death of his mother Queen Victoria in 1901, yet the Edwardian Era (as it has become known) witnessed considerable achievements in many fields, especially popular music. Lionel Monckton (1861-1924) was one of the main players, and most of his musicals reached the London stage during this period. Perhaps his most memorable was "The Arcadians" written in collaboration with Howard Talbot (1865-1928) which premiered at London"s Shaftesbury Theatre on 28 April 1909. The arranging and orchestrations of the music were usually entrusted to musicians well-known for these special skills, and the familiar Overture to "The Arcadians" is the work of Arthur Wood (1875-1953) whose lasting fame rests with his composition Barwick Green (on Guild GLCD5164), the signature tune of the long-running BBC radio serial "The Archers". Wood himself conducts his own orchestra in the 1934 recording which opens this collection.
Edward Elzear "Zez" Confrey (1895-1971) from Peru, Illinois, devoted most of his composing talents to jazz, but fame visited him while still in his twenties when his piano novelty Kitten On The Keys became a big hit in 1921. This prompted many other similar works such as Dizzy Fingers (on Guild GLCD5124) and Stumbling (GLCD5166). Equally popular in the 1930s was Buffoon which receives a charmingly measured performance from the New Light Symphony Orchestra with an unnamed conductor, although it is known that Clifford Greenwood sometimes conducted this kind of repertoire. This was HMV"s "house orchestra" for light music, novelty pieces and popular light classical works, and their previous appearances on Guild include Eric Coates" London Bridge March (GLCD5101) and Westward (GLCD5106).
Most of his major choral and symphonic works were written by Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934) during a relatively short period from 1898 to 1914, but he composed what can be accurately described as "light music" throughout his life. Notable works in this genre include his Bavarian Dances, Chanson de Matin and Salut d"Amour (on Guild GLCD5122). Less familiar is Elgar"s Rondel, originally a song, which was arranged for the 1935 recording in this collection by its conductor, Haydn Wood (1882-1959). It is followed by what is probably Elgar"s last completed work, a musical portrait of his pet dog Mina.
Arpanetta is a charming piece of light salon music by the celebrated German composer Ernst Fischer (1900-1975), whose most famous work is his orchestral suite Südlich der Alpen (South of the Alps). It is performed by Robert Gaden (1893-1985), a sophisticated violinist born in Bordeaux, France, who led dance orchestras in Germany that were noted for their elegant style. It seems that Arpanetta was unpublished, and the manuscript has been lost, so it is fortunate that Robert Gaden took his orchestra (known as his Tanzsinfonie Orchester) into the Elektrola studios on 18 March 1938 and committed this lovely melody to wax.
Fred Hartley (1905-1980) was a familiar name in British broadcasting for many years, having made his first appearance on the BBC as a solo pianist as early as 1925. He was then employed as an accompanist, and founded his famous Novelty Quintet in 1931. In 1946 he was appointed the BBC"s Head of Light Music.
Reginald Claude McMahon King (1904-1991) was an accomplished pianist, who performed under the baton of Sir Henry Wood at the Proms soon after he completed his studies at London"s Royal Academy of Music. In 1927 he took an orchestra into Swan & Edgar"s restaurant at their Piccadilly Circus store, where they remained until 1939. He also started broadcasting regularly (during his career his number of broadcasts exceeded 1,400), and he made numerous recordings, often featuring his own attractive compositions. He made his last broadcast in 1964, but throughout a long retirement he continued composing until shortly before his death. One of his major works, the concert overture The Immortals, was featured on Guild GLCD5106 spotlighting music of the 1930s, and in a lighter vein his tuneful orchestra can be heard playing popular melodies on several Guild CDs such as Lullaby Of The Leaves (GLCD 5134) and Roses At Dawning (GLCD 5139). Once again we feature him as a contributor to one of London"s production music libraries with his wistful Lullaby Land.
The Dwarfs' Patrol was composed by Otto Rathke, who wrote a number of similar novelty pieces which were popular in central Europe in pre-war years. Unfortunately the name 'The Little Salon Orchestra' offers no clues as to the real identity of the talented musicians on this recording.
But no doubts can exist regarding the two 78s on this CD by Marek Weber (1888-1964), who was a major recording artist in the 1930s. He was born in the Ukraine, developed his career mainly in Germany, then moved to London to escape the Nazis, before living briefly in Switzerland then emigrating in 1937 to the USA. His orchestra tended to specialise in show selections and novelty pieces. The clarity on his 1930 German recording of Francis Popy"s Suite Orientale is quite amazing, demonstrating the high standards being achieved by sound engineers in Berlin during the early years of electrical recording. Popy (1874-1928) was a French composer whose work epitomised the "Belle Époque" and there is a park named after him in his home city of Lyon. Jonny Heykens (1884-1945) was a Dutch composer who was particularly popular in Germany. His most performed work became known as Heyken"s Serenade (Ständchen)(the Marek Weber version is on Guild GLCD5120), and Springtime Serenade is one of several similar pieces - no doubt written in response to public demand.
The English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) has secured his musical legacy with some memorable symphonies, but this prolific composer also excelled in film scores, opera, choral music and in the adaptation of folk songs. March Past Of The Kitchen Utensils originated as incidental music for a Cambridge production of Aristophane"s comedy "The Wasps" (1909). Clarence Raybould (1886-1972) conducts the BBC Theatre Orchestra in this 1945 BBC Transcription recording. He joined the BBC in 1936 as Assistant Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, a post he held until 1945.
Barnabas Von Géczy [1897-1971] was born in Hungary although his family originally came from Venice. After the First World War his father was appointed concert master at Budapest Opera but Barnabas decided to try his luck in Berlin where in 1924 he obtained his first resident engagement at the Weinhaus Traube. From 1925 to 1937 he led the Hotel Esplanade house orchestra, and during this period he made numerous broadcasts and recordings and undertook frequent tours. He became one of the best-known hotel ensembles in Germany and gained an international reputation. After the Second World War he decided to relocate to the Munich area, and in 1952 he formed a new orchestra.
In Playful Mood is one of many works by Montague Ewing (1890-1957), who also composed under the name "Sherman Myers". He had a most successful career as a composer and arranger of light music and popular songs.
Edith Lorand [1898-1960] was born in Hungary, but spent most of her early career in Germany where she became world-famous as a violinist. She made numerous recordings, mostly light classical and "salon" works, but the changing political situation forced her to return to Hungary in the mid-1930s. Even in her homeland she felt unsafe, so in 1937 she went to the USA where she spent the rest of her life. "Gasparone" is an operetta in three acts by Carl Joseph Millöcker (1842-1899) with a German libretto by Friedrich Zell and Richard Genée.
We are back in unknown territory with "The Continental Novelty Orchestra" but this is likely to be a German ensemble. The catchy number Püppchen is by a composer who adopted the name "Jean Gilbert", but he was actually Hamburg-born Max Winterfeld (1879-1942). He was responsible for over 50 operettas before and after the First World War, but left Germany in 1933 and settled in Argentina where he died in Buenos Aires.
Born in Dublin, George W. Byng (1862-1932) was a busy conductor and composer, especially in London theatres. He was a regular visitor to the recording studios, and accompanied many leading artists such as Peter Dawson and Harry Lauder. At one time he conducted the famous Queen"s Hall Light Orchestra, and was also involved with scoring around 30 ballets. His orchestral suite A Day In Naples was among his most popular works.
The Italian violinist Alfredo Campoli (1906-1991) has occupied a warm place in the affections of British music lovers, since his debut at London"s Wigmore Hall in 1923. He played in many light orchestras, and was also a prolific broadcaster and recording artist in his own name. Mon Bijou is typical of the many light pieces that demonstrated the virtuosity of the maestro and the musicians who played with him. It was composed by Robert Stolz (1880-1975), an acclaimed Austrian composer, highly regarded in his homeland who went to Hollywood to escape the Nazis. In America he enjoyed success writing music for films such as "Spring Parade" and "It Happened Tomorrow".
Frederick John Easthope Martin (1882-1925) was known mainly for his popular songs, which proved popular at ballad concerts. There were three sets of Songs Of The Fair of which the most popular was the familiar Come To The Fair which features at the beginning and end of our recording. The noted English arranger Henry Ernest Geehl (1881-1961) arranged several of Martin"s songs into suites, and it is possible that he was responsible for this familiar score. Walter Goehr (1903-1960) was one of the many talented musicians who left Germany due to the developing political situation in the 1930s. Born in Berlin, he studied conducting with Arnold Schoenberg but was forced to leave his position with German radio in 1932. The Gramophone Company (later to become EMI) invited him to London as a music director, and he made many recordings for their labels, often using the pseudonym "George Walter". His varied career included teaching composition and conducting, and one of his pupils was Wally Stott (1924-2009), later to be known as Angela Morley who was widely praised for her work in Hollywood. In 1945 Goehr was appointed conductor of the BBC Theatre Orchestra, and he also composed several film scores, notably David Lean"s "Great Expectations" in 1946.
Albert Sandler (1906-1948) is remembered by many of the older generation in Britain through his BBC broadcasts "Grand Hotel" from 1943 to 1948. The music featured was known as "Palm Court" and Sandler"s own 1940 Columbia recording of Summer Evening In Santa Cruz is typical of a style that surprisingly still survived for quite a while after the war, although it had its roots decades earlier - Sandler himself had been musical director of the Grand Hotel, Eastbourne from 1924 to 1928.
Carl Robrecht (1888-1961) is remembered for his pseudo-oriental novelty Samum, still much loved by brass bands. The Henry Hall version was included on Guild GLCD5106 and another of his pieces in similar vein, Fata Morgana, was featured on GLCD5163. That came from the Bosworth Mood Music Library, which also recorded our version of Niagara by a group of anonymous session musicians. Robrecht appears to have been prominent in hotel band circles in Berlin between the wars, and there is reference to him using the pseudonym "Robby Reight".
Although some British Dance Band purists might disagree, possibly the most famous of the pre-war bands was fronted by Jack Hylton, born John Greenhalgh Hilton (1892-1965). The band made numerous records and toured widely in Britain and overseas. At times its repertoire ventured into light music circles, such as Wedding Of The Rose (on Guild GLCD5163) and Dancing Tambourine (GLCD5106). Hylton provides a rousing finale to this collection with a selection of Sousa marches arranged by a "Major Williams". John Philip Sousa (1854-1932) was universally regarded as the American "March King" and his music is still regularly performed today. David Ades
GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5177
The Composer Conducts - Volume 1
1 Jet Journey (Ron Goodwin)
RON GOODWIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Parlophone R 3649 1953
2 Courses de Toros (Bull Fights) (Gérard Calvi, real name Grégoire Elie Krettly)
GÉRARD CALVI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Pye NPL 28003 1958
3 Fun In The Sun (Angela Morley, as Wally Stott)
TELECAST ORCHESTRA Conducted by ANGELA MORLEY (as WALLY STOTT)
Chappell C 688 1960
4 Les Parfums De Paris (Cedric Dumont)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by CEDRIC DUMONT
Boosey & Hawkes O 2325 1958
5 Parisian Mode (Woolf Phillips)
WOOLF PHILLIPS AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Columbia DB 2873 1951
6 Sagittarius (Hal Mooney)
HAL MOONEY AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury SR 60073 1958
7 The Phantom Regiment (Leroy Anderson)
LEROY ANDERSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Brunswick STA 3030 1960
8 City Of Veils (Les Baxter)
LES BAXTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Capitol ST 868 1958
9 Puppets On Parade (Rudolf Friml)
101 STRINGS Conducted by RUDOLF FRIML
Stereo Fidelity SF-6900 1959
10 Subway Polka (Harold Geller)
HARRY GELLER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LPM 1032 1955
11 Bad Timing (from "Billion Dollar Baby") (Morton Gould)
MORTON GOULD, HIS PIANO AND ORCHESTRA
Columbia ML 4451 1951
12 Along The Avenue (Roger Roger)
ROGER ROGER AND HIS CHAMPS ELYSEES ORCHESTRA
Chappell C 644A 1959
13 Montana Round-Up (Kermit Leslie & Walter Leslie real surnames Levinsky)
KERMIT LESLIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Epic LN 3452 1958
14 Huckleberry Duck (Raymond Scott, real name Harry Warnow)
RAYMOND SCOTT AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Coral CRL 57174 1957
15 Neiani (Axel Stordahl; Oliver)
AXEL STORDAHL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Dot DLP 25282 1960
16 Pam Pam (David Rose)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM D 149 1957
17 La Bardinetta (André Popp)
ANDRÉ POPP AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia WL 130 1958
18 Fiddle Derby (Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia 4-39491 1951
19 Without Your Love (Guy Luypaerts)
GUY LUYPAERTS AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as "GUY LUPAR"on LP label)
RCA Victor LP 3254 1955
20 Fandango (Frank Perkins)
FRANK PERKINS AND HIS "POPS" ORCHESTRA
Brunswick LA 8708 1955
21 Sports Arena (Wilfred Burns, real name Bernard Wilfred Harris)
HARMONIC ORCHESTRA Conducted by WILFRED BURNS
Harmonic HMP269A 1948
22 Trolley Bus (Charles Williams, real name Isaac Cozerbreit)
QUEEN"S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by CHARLES WILLIAMS
Chappell C 283 1946
23 Boulevardier (Frederic Curzon)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by FREDERIC CURZON
Boosey & Hawkes OT 2089 1946
24 Jack The Dancer (Dolf van der Linden)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS METROPOLE ORCHESTRA
Paxton PR 582 1953
25 Blende Auf (Werner Müller)
RIAS DANCE ORCHESTRA Conducted by WERNER MüLLER
Polydor H 49 262 1954
26 Symphony In Jazz (First Movement) (Otto Cesana)
OTTO CESANA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CL 631 1955
Stereo: tracks 6-9 & 15 - rest in mono.
When composers conduct their own music one assumes that it is being performed exactly as they intended. Therefore such recordings are particularly valuable, and Ron Goodwin (1925-2003) certainly needed no encouragement to pick up the baton. From the 1950s onwards the recording scene in Britain was treated to a succession of his inventive and charming instrumentals which still sound fresh and appealing today. Internationally Ron"s fame would depend largely on his successful film scores such as "633 Squadron" (1964), "Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines" (1965) and Alfred Hitchcock"s "Frenzy" (1972). After several recordings for smaller labels, Ron was signed to EMI"s Parlophone in 1953 and his first recording for them was his own Jet Journey. Although he recorded it later in stereo, it is the first version which opens this CD that many regard as the best.
Gérard Calvi (real name Grégoire Elie Krettly, born 1922) first came to the attention of the public in his native France when he contributed the music in 1948 to a show called "Les Branquignols". The following year he composed the score for "La Patronne", launching a career in mainly European films that would continue for the rest of the 20th Century. By far his best known cinematic work was for the "Asterix" films, but Calvi was equally at home in the theatre and recording studio, and writing popular songs - over 300 in total. Probably his most successful composition internationally was One Of Those Songs - thanks to Will Holt adding the English lyric to a catchy orchestral piece called Le Bal de Madame de Mortemouille (on Guild GLCD5160). This time we feature his description of bull fights - Courses de Toros.
During the 1950s Angela Morley (1924-2009, at the time working as "Wally Stott") composed many light pieces for Chappell & Co., the leading London publishers of background music. Fun In The Sun is typical of the bright, tuneful pieces that became her trademark. Angela Morley went on to enjoy a long and successful career in recordings and films, eventually being much in demand in Hollywood to assist leading composers on major projects - working with John Williams on "Star Wars" being a prime example. Her TV credits included "Dallas" and "Dynasty".
Cédric Dumont (1916-2007) was born in Hamburg, Germany, but during his long career he became known as "Mr. Music Man of Switzerland". Growing up in the 1930s he came into contact with Jack Hylton in England, and over in the USA he seems to have worked briefly with Teddy Wilson, Harry James and Benny Goodman. He settled in Switzerland at the outbreak of World War 2 and was soon broadcasting from the studios in Basel. His career touched the classics as well as jazz, but it was in the sphere of light music that he became known throughout Europe. British mood music libraries engaged him to conduct their works when they were unable to record in Britain due to a Musicians" Union ban, particularly during the 1950s, and his own Les Parfums de Paris is one such example.
Woolf Phillips (1919-2003) did not have the same high public profile as many of his fellow British bandleaders in the middle years of the last century, yet his talent and accomplishments were greater than many of them. However he did get noticed when conducting the orchestra at the London Palladium between 1947 and 1953, and most big band fans knew him through his association with the Skyrockets and later the Geraldo and Ted Heath bands. Before the war he learned orchestration from his famous brother Sid, who played clarinet with Ambrose and contributed some of the most notable arrangements for that band. While at the Palladium Woolf conducted for visiting American stars such as Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and Tony Martin, and in 1966 his friend Donald O"Connor (of "Singin" In The Rain" fame) persuaded him to relocate to the United States, where he spent the rest of his life. His Parisian Mode was a rare orchestral recording, which was used for a while by BBC Television as the signature tune for the panel game "What"s My Line".
Hal (born Harold) Mooney (1911-1995) is making another Guild appearance with his composition Sagittarius, which comes from a collection spotlighting each sign of the zodiac. In 1956 Mooney became A&R Director and chief arranger at Mercury Records, where he remained until Philips phased out the label towards the end of the 1960s. Mooney then moved to Universal Studios, working as MD on many of the top TV shows of the period, before retiring in 1977.
Leroy Anderson(1908-1975) is probably the best-loved American light music composer of his generation. For many years he was the chief arranger for the Boston Pops, and its famous conductor, Arthur Fiedler, introduced many Anderson novelties to an appreciative public. He was so prolific that some of his numbers have tended to become unfairly overlooked, such as The Phantom Regiment.
Texas born Les Baxter (1922-1996) decided to abandon a career as a concert pianist, and chose to concentrate on popular music. He played the tenor sax and is reported to have been influenced by Coleman Hawkins and the Duke Ellington Band. At the age of 23 he joined Mel Tormé"s Meltones and recorded with Artie Shaw, but his heart was set on arranging. As his career progressed he worked for Capitol and RCA, and tended to be asked to record pieces with an "exotic" appeal, like his City Of Veils.
Once again we are pleased to welcome Rudolf Friml (1879-1972) to conduct one of his own compositions. Puppets On Parade seems a far cry from his famous operettas such as "Rose-Marie" and "The Vagabond King", but it surely serves to confirm his versatility.
Violinist Harold (Harry) Geller (1916-2005) was born in Sydney, Australia, but for most of his career he was based in London. He was a frequent broadcaster with his orchestra in BBC programmes such as "Morning Music" and "Music While You Work", but his commercial recordings were comparatively rare. Subway Polka comes from an album of tunes he composed about New York for the American market. Towards the end of the 1970s work in Britain had dried up, so he moved to the USA where he continued to compose and teach the violin and conducting.
Morton Gould (1913-1996) became one of the most highly respected American composers, and his distinguished career was crowned with a Pulitzer Prize (for his Stringmusic, commissioned by Mstislav Rostropovich for the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington) just a year before his death at the age of 82. His Bad Timing comes from a Broadway show that has been overshadowed by his other greater achievements as a composer.
Roger Roger (1911-1995) was a leading figure on the French music scene for many years, and his fine compositions and arrangements also won him admirers internationally. Along The Avenue is one of many works he wrote for the Chappell Recorded Music Library.
Kermit Leslie (born Kermit Levinsky in New York City) often composed with his brother Walter, and it seems a pity that he appears to have made relatively few recordings. Montana Round Up is the ninth work by the Levinsky brothers to appear on Guild.
Raymond Scott was an American bandleader and pianist who composed a melody that is instantly recognisable to the older generation - Toy Trumpet (the version by Reginald Pursglove and his Orchestra is on GLCD5137). This was just one of a number of quirky novelties with similarly quirky titles, such as Twilight In Turkey, Reckless Night On Board An Ocean Liner and Huckleberry Duck, the choice for this collection. Scott"s real name was Harry Warnow (1908-1994) but he used a pseudonym to avoid being accused of nepotism, since his older brother Mark conducted a CBS house orchestra which used to play his tunes.
The name Axel Stordahl (1913-1963) will be familiar to many collectors of American popular music, mainly through his backing for Frank Sinatra during a period known as the singer"s "Columbia years". In 1936 he joined Tommy Dorsey as a trumpet player, and was encouraged to develop his arranging talents. He realised that his style was more suited to slow, sentimental ballads, which became his trademark, and this is evident in his composition Neiani.
London-born David Rose (1910-1990) became one of the truly great light orchestra leaders in the USA, and his compositions such as Holiday For Strings (on Guild GLCD5120) and The Stripper sold millions. The choice of Pam Pam for this collection has been dictated by the fact that it is one of his lesser known works, yet his mastery of the light orchestra shines through in every bar.
André Charles Jean Popp (b. 1924) is a Frenchcomposer, arranger and screenwriter whose main claim to fame rests with his composition Love Is Blue which was a big hit for Paul Mauriat in 1968, reaching number one in the US charts. But Popp"s long career has embraced many styles, often leading to eccentric arrangements, much of it for his broadcasts on French radio. In contrast with some of his works, La Bardinetta is relatively sedate!
Percy Faith (1908-1976) hardly needs any introduction to Guild "regulars". Born in Toronto, Canada, in 1940 he moved permanently to the USA where he quickly established himself through radio and recordings. From the 1950s onwards his fame spread internationally, due to the great success of his numerous long playing albums. Unlike most of his contemporaries, Faith arranged all his own material, and his compositions such as Fiddle Derby confirm his mastery of the light orchestra.
Guy Luypaerts (b. 1917) was born in Paris to Belgian parents during the First World War and he became well-known in French musical circles through conducting an orchestra called the Nouvelle Association Symphonique de Paris. Guild has previously included his imaginative sounds in the Cole Porter tribute (GLCD5127) and conducting inventive cameos such as The Sleepwalker of Amsterdam (GLCD5131), Masquerade In Madrid (GLCD5132), Jose Fontaine"s catchy Whimsy, and his own composition Chatter Box (both on GLCD5160). This time it is the turn of his more conventional Without Your Love.
Bernard Wilfred Harris, better known as "Wilfred Burns" (1917-1990) was a prolific composer of mood music who has over 200 titles to his credit. After service during the Second World War he worked at Elstree studios before eventually becoming a freelance film composer and musical director. His first of over twenty films was around 1949, with his final score in the 1970s. His best-known was probably the large screen version of the popular BBC television series "Dad"s Army" in 1971. Sports Arena is one of his many pieces accepted by various London publishers.
Charles Williams(real name Isaac Cozerbreit, 1893-1978) is yet another composer/conductor whose work is now familiar once again through his many Guild recordings. Trolley Bus is one of numerous pieces published by Chappells at a time when he was the main contributor to their Recorded Music Library.
Frederic Curzon (1899-1973) spent most of his early career working in the theatre and like so many of his contemporaries he gradually became involved in providing music for silent films. Later he was appointed Head of Light Music at London publishers Boosey and Hawkes, for whom he composed many highly praised pieces. Several appear in a special concert selection in the second volume of this series, but on this CD we hear his famous Boulevardier in the original full-length version.
Dolf van der Linden (real name David Gysbert van der Linden, 1915-1999) was the leading figure on the light music scene in the Netherlands from the 1940s until the 1980s. As well as broadcasting frequently with his Metropole Orchestra, he made numerous recordings for the background music libraries of major music publishers and his own Jack The Dancer remains one of his most popular works.
Werner Müller (1920-1998) was a bassoonist who became the conductor of the RIAS (Radio In American Sector) Dance Band based in Berlin, which gave its first concert on 24 April 1949. The band soon built up a strong following through its Polydor recordings, with exciting performances such as his own Blende Auf.
Italian born Otto Cesana (1899-1980) spent much of his early career in California where he lived from 1908 to 1930. His piano studies commenced at the age of ten, and he became an accomplished organist; he also learned about orchestration and harmony which he put to good use working in radio and Hollywood film studios. Most critics regarded Cesana"s work as being "easy listening", although the distinguished jazz critic Leonard Feather considered him worthy of an entry in the 1960 Encyclopaedia of Jazz through his acclaimed composition Symphony In Jazz. The first impressive movement makes a fitting finale to this collection. David Ades
GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5178
The Composer Conducts - Volume 2
1 March from "Things To Come" (Music from the film) (Arthur Bliss)
LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by SIR ARTHUR BLISS
Decca SDD 255 1959
2 "Pinky" Music from the film (Alfred Newman)
ALFRED NEWMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury MPL 6500 1956
3 Scherzofrenia (from Symphony No. 5 ½ - "A Symphony For Fun") (Don Gillis)
NEW SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF LONDON Conducted by DON GILLIS
Decca LM 4510 1950
4 State Occasion (Robert Farnon)
QUEEN"S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
Chappell C294 1947
5 Dawn Fantasy (Peter Yorke)
PETER YORKE AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA with ARTHUR SANDFORD, piano
Columbia DB 2639 1950
"The League Of Gentlemen" Music from the film (Philip Green)
6 Golden Fleece Theme
7 League Of Gentlemen March
PINEWOOD STUDIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by PHILIP GREEN
Top Rank International JAR-355 1960
8 Salute The Soldier (Eric Coates)
LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by ERIC COATES
EMI JG 214 1944
9 Les Jeux (Playing) (George Melachrino)
THE MELACHRINO STRINGS Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
HMV C4250 1954
10 Amethyst March (soundtrack recording from the film "Yangtse Incident") (Leighton Lucas)
LEIGHTON LUCAS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Parlophone 45-R 4342 1957
11 Strings In The Mood (Walter Collins)
LONDON PROMENADE ORCHESTRA Conducted by WALTER COLLINS
Paxton PR454 1948
12 Naval Occasion (Hubert Clifford)
MELODI LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by HUBERT CLIFFORD
13 Chappell C428 1953
13 "The Dancing Years" - Three Ballet Tunes (Ivor Novello)
THE DRURY LANE THEATRE ORCHESTRA Conducted by IVOR NOVELLO
HMV B 8897 1939
14 International Sports March (Sidney Torch)
QUEEN"S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by SIDNEY TORCH
Chappell C299 1947
15 Rendezvous With Curzon (Frederic Curzon) Cachucha from "In Malaga" Suite; Maid Marian from "Robin Hood" Suite; Bravada; Serenade Of A Clown; March Of The Bowmen from "Robin Hood" Suite
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by FREDERIC CURZON
Boosey & Hawkes OT 2090 1946
16 Selection of Radio Novelty Tunes (Montague Ewing) Fairy On The Clock; Soldier On The Shelf; The Queen Was In The Parlour; Butterflies In The Rain; Little Dutch Clock
MONTAGUE EWING, Piano, with NOVELTY BAND
Rex 8364-A 1935
Three Dale Dances (Suite founded on Yorkshire Folk Tunes) (Arthur Wood)
17 First Movement
18 Second Movement
19 Third Movement
ARTHUR WOOD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia DX 971 1940
20 Wedgewood Blue (Albert William Ketèlbey)
ALBERT W. KETÈLBEY, Piano, and his CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Columbia DX 27 1930
21 Thrills (Charles Ancliffe)
CHARLES ANCLIFFE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia DB 339 1932
22 Cornish Rhapsody (featured in the film "Love Story") (Hubert Bath)
LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by HUBERT BATH, with HARRIET COHEN, piano
Columbia DX 1171 1944
Stereo: track 1 - remainder in mono.
The second collection of composers conducting their own works opens with a significant work for British cinema of the 1930s. When Arthur Bliss (later to be "Sir" Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss, 1891-1975) composed the music for the film of H.G. Wells" 1933 novel "The Shape Of Things To Come" it proved to be the most important score provided up to that time for a British film. It also influenced film music internationally, with many composers embracing more symphonic aspects in their work. While the film was in production during 1935 Bliss was apparently only partly satisfied with the way in which his music was used, although it seems that he was prepared not to apply any kind of veto. When the film appeared, the music was widely acclaimed and Bliss recorded part of the score for commercial release on Decca. For some reason it was left to the film"s musical director, Muir Mathieson (1911-1975), to conduct the famous March, which soon achieved fame through many other uses especially in newsreels. As stereo arrived towards the end of the 1950s Bliss was commissioned to record his Concert Suite of music from the film with the London Symphony Orchestra, and on this occasion the March was finally conducted by the composer.
Alfred Newman (1901-1970 - some references give his birth date as 1900) is occasionally overlooked as an important film composer, yet for much of his career he was probably the most influential and respected among his peers. His Hollywood career began in 1930 and one of his early scores was "Street Scene" in 1931 (the music is included on Guild GLCD5153), and until John Williams finally overtook him in January 2006 he was the most Oscar-nominated composer/conductor, with a tally of 44 nominations resulting in 9 Academy Awards. From 1939 until 1959 he was the musical director at 20th Century Fox, reputed to have worked on around 225 films. "Pinky" from 1949 supposedly dealt with racial problems in southern USA; as one respected critic observed "it has about as much daring as a cheese-mite".
During his lifetime it seems that the American composer Donald Eugene Gillis (1912-1978) did not get the full attention from the American record industry which his talents deserved. It was the British Decca label that brought him to London in 1950 for several sessions at the Kingsway Hall which have preserved for posterity some of his best - and most quirky - creations. Anyone who can compose a piece of music called "Symphony No. 5½" is almost demanding not to be taken too seriously, and to make sure that nobody missed the joke Gillis subtitled his work "A Symphony For Fun". The first movement Perpetual Emotion is on Guild GLCD5156; now we have the third movement Scherzofrenia, which is so typical of the carefree, almost whimsical, work that he offered to music lovers in the middle years of the last century.
Canadian-born Robert Farnon (1917-2005) is widely regarded as one of the greatest light music composers and arrangers of his generation. His melodies such as Portrait Of A Flirt (on Guild GLCD5120) and Jumping Bean (GLCD5162) are familiar to millions around the world. He composed a vast amount of background music for the Chappell Recorded Music Library, and one of his most used pieces was State Occasion. Strangely he was never asked to make a commercial recording, but we can hear him conducting the original version for Chappell in 1947.
Peter Yorke (1902-1966) was a leading arranger, composer and conductor in Britain for many years, with many recordings and broadcasts to his credit. Among his compositions the mini-concerto Dawn Fantasy ranks as one of the best. It comes from the era when the Warsaw Concerto (composed by Richard Addinsell for the 1941 film "Dangerous Moonlight") spawned a glut of similar works, which broadcaster Steve Race astutely dubbed "the Denham Concertos", after the film studio which often featured such works on their soundtracks.
Philip Green (born Harry Philip Green 1911-1982) began his professional career at the age of eighteen playing in various orchestras. Within a year he became London"s youngest West End conductor at the Prince of Wales Theatre. His long recording career began with EMI in 1933, and he is credited with at least 150 film scores, including "The League Of Gentlemen". The music has been sequenced on this CD as it was used in the film.
Eric Coates (1886-1957) was asked to write a piece of music to assist the National Savings Movement during the Second World War. The result was Salute The Soldier which was the name given to the campaign to raise as much money as possible during those difficult times. Although he conducted the work in Trafalgar Square to gain maximum publicity, the special recording issued was made in No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road on 1 February 1944 with Coates and the London Symphony Orchestra.
George Miltiades Melachrino (1909-1965) was one of the big names in British light music from the 1940s to the 1960s. Born in London, he became a professional musician, competent on clarinet, alto and tenor saxophone, violin and viola, and he worked with many British dance bands in the 1930s. After war service he built an orchestra which became one of the finest in the world; when long playing records arrived, Melachrino"s sold in vast quantities, especially in the USA. He was also a very good composer, and his strings are shown in their full splendour in his Les Jeux.
Leighton Lucas (1903-1982) seems to have been at home in the fields of more serious music (especially ballet and opera) yet he also produced some pleasing light music and enjoyed success with scores for several prestigious films. In 1954 he wrote the incidental music for "The Dam Busters" (Eric Coates only contributed the famous march), and other projects included "Target for Tonight" (1941 - the theme is on Guild GLCD5118) and "Yangtse Incident" (1957) from which comes the Amethyst March, named after the ship involved in the action.
Walter R. Collins is remembered for his days as the distinguished Musical Director of the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea, and also for conducting the London Promenade Orchestra for the Paxton Recorded Music Library during the 1940s. Several of his own compositions have already appeared on Guild CDs (Laughing Marionette on GLCD5134; Linden Grove GLCD5112; possibly his best loved piece Moontime GLCD5168; Paper Hats And Wooden Swords GLCD5144; and Springtime GLCD5138). Strings In The Mood can now be added to this list.
Born in Tasmania, Hubert Clifford (1904-1959) composed several mood music pieces for Chappell"s Recorded Music Library, one of them being Naval Occasion. He provided scores for three British Transport Films in the 1950s, and "Round The Island", which featured the Isle of Wight, impressed him so much that he made his home there.
Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies 1893-1951) was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who created some of the most popular shows in London"s West End during the first half of the last century. He was not particularly known for orchestral recordings, so it is nice to be able to include some less familiar music from one of his best shows, "The Dancing Years", in this collection. Apart from many of his songs which have become standards, he continues to be remembered for the annual music awards which bear his name, held in London each Spring.
Sidney Torch, MBE (born Sidney Torchinsky 1908-1990) is well-known in Britain for his numerous Parlophone recordings, as well as his long tenure as conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in the "Friday Night Is Music Night" BBC radio programme. He was also a frequent conductor and composer of mood music recordings for the Chappell Recorded Music Library, which is the source of his International Sports March.
For some years Frederic Curzon (1899-1973) was the Head of Light Music at London publishers Boosey and Hawkes. His famous Boulevardier was included in the first volume of "The Composer Conducts" (GLCD5177) but this was just one of many well crafted piece of light music that flowed from his pen. In 1946 he recorded a Concert Suite which he called "Rendezvous With Curzon" featuring five contrasting pieces. Alongside the better known numbers is the middle section of a charming rarity, Serenade Of A Clown, which he does not appear to have recorded in full for the Boosey & Hawkes Recorded Music Library.
Next to its tunefulness, perhaps the greatest appeal of Light Music is its variety of styles. This aspect is surely displayed in his Selection of Radio Novelty Tunes by London-born Montague Ewing (1890-1957), who sometimes used the American-sounding pseudonym Sherman Myers to make his music more acceptable in the USA. The composer himself plays and conducts a selection of his catchy melodies which audiences of the 1930s certainly appreciated and would have instantly recognised.
Arthur Wood (1875-1953) was a busy theatrical conductor (like many of his fellow composers at that time), and at the age of 28 had the distinction of being the youngest musical director in London"s West End. For a while he was a staff composer with Boosey and Hawkes, creating dozens of short suites, and he was a frequent visitor to the recording studios pre-1914. He made at least two early acoustic recordings of his Three Dale Dances, but fortunately EMI invited him back in 1940 for electrical re-makes.
When Gustav Holst sat an entrance examination for the Trinity College of Music, he was just beaten for a place by Albert William Ketèlbey (1875-1959) who later went on to become one of the most distinctive Light Music voices of his era. Fortunately for posterity, Ketèlbey was a regular visitor to the recording studios as well as a prolific composer. Wedgewood Blue has the bonus of the composer conducting his orchestra from the piano.
Irishman Charles W. Ancliffe (1880-1952) will forever be associated with Nights Of Gladness, (the Mantovani version on Guild GLCD5113 does the famous waltz full justice) but he was a military bandmaster as well as a successful composer. This was illustrated in his march The Liberators (GLCD5163) but he is back in familiar waltz territory with Thrills - his seventh composition to be featured on a Guild CD.
Hubert Charles Bath (1883-1945) composed another of those "Denham Concertos" (mentioned above) for the 1944 British film "Love Story". It told the story of a concert pianist who learned that she had an incurable illness, so she moved to Cornwall. Cornish Rhapsody was the appropriate title of her major concert piece in the film, performed on screen in London"s Royal Albert Hall by Margaret Lockwood; the actual pianist on the soundtrack was Harriet Cohen (1895-1967). Although he worked on around twelve feature films (one was "Rhodes of Africa" which included his Empire Builders March - on GLCD5136), Hubert Bath is almost forgotten today. His composition Out Of The Blue was used for many years to introduce BBC Radio"s "Sports Report", but he had died before it was chosen in 1948. His son John Bath (1915-2004) was also a composer (he wrote Sportsman"s Luck on GLCD5115).Although Rawicz and Landauer, with Mantovani and his Orchestra, gave a splendid rendition in stereo of Cornish Rhapsody around fifteen years later (on GLCD5153), it is perhaps the distinctive sound of the original 1944 recording that suits the atmosphere of the work so perfectly. It provides the climax to two collections featuring some possibly historic occasions when composers allowed us to hear their music, presumably just as they intended. David Ades
GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5179
Portrait Of My Love
1 Portrait Of My Love (Cyril Ornadel)
CYRIL ORNADEL AND THE STARLIGHT SYMPHONY
MGM 45-MGM 1090 1960
2 Impression Of A Princess (Eric Coates)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON ("Melodi Light Orchestra Conducted by Ole Jensen" on disc label)
Chappell C 542 1956
3 I Love You Samantha (Cole Porter)
VICTOR SILVESTER AND HIS SILVER STRINGS
Regal SREG 1015 1959
4 April Love (from the film "April Love") (Sammy Fain: Paul Francis Webster)
MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca SKL 4067 1959
5 The Prince and Princess Waltz (Dimitri Tiomkin; Ned Washington)
DAVID CARROLL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury MG 20301 1957
6 Wedding Day (Douglas Brownsmith)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by R. de PORTEN
Boosey & Hawkes OT 2223 1953
7 One Night Of Love (Victor Schertzinger, arr. Robert Farnon)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca LK 4055 1953
8 You Are Too Beautiful (Richard Rodgers; Lorenz Hart, arr. Glenn Osser)
GLENN OSSER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Kapp KL 1022 1955
9 Two Hearts In Three-Quarter Time (Robert Stolz)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CL 863 1956
10 Like Someone In Love (Johnny Burke; Jimmy Van Heusen, arr. Paul Weston)
PAUL WESTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CS 8042 1958
11 Beguine For Lovers (Joseph Kuhn)
DOLORES VENTURA, piano and the CARNIVAL ORCHESTRA
Valiant V-4926 1959
12 Can"t Help Loving That Man (from "Show Boat") (Jerome Kern)
MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca LK 4215 1957
13 Take Me In Your Arms (Alfred Markus; Fritz Rotter; Mitchell Parish)
LEROY HOLMES AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM E 3378 1956
14 If I Should Fall In Love Again (Jack Popplewell, arr. Peter Yorke)
PETER YORKE AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Delyse Envoy ES 7041 1959
15 Tenderly (Walter Gross; Jack Lawrence)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM E 3067 1953
16 Dancing in The Starlight (Trevor Duncan, real name Leonard Trebilco)
THE SYMPHONIA ORCHESTRA Conducted by CURT ANDERSEN
Harmonic/Charles Brull CBL 461 1960
17 Deep In My Heart, Dear (Sigmund Romberg, arr. William Hill Bowen)
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
RCA Victor LSP 2106 1960
18 You"re My Thrill (Jay Gorney; Sidney Clare)
JACKIE GLEASON AND HIS ORCHESTRA featuring BOBBY HACKETT, trumpet
Capitol W 1147 1959
19 Star Eyes (Don Raye; Gene De Paul)
CYRIL STAPLETON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca LK 4177 1957
20 If She Should Come To You (La Montana) (Augusto Alguero; G. Moreu; Alec Wilder)
FRANK DE VOL AND HIS RAINBOW STRINGS
Philips PB 1038 1960
21 For Those Who Love (Frank Cordell)
FRANK CORDELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV 45-POP 755 1960
22 "Sons And Lovers" - Theme From The Film (Mario Nascimbene)
THE CASCADING STRINGS Conducted by JOHNNY GREGORY
Fontana H 251 1960
23 To A Young Lady (Robert Farnon)
LESLIE JONES and his ORCHESTRA OF LONDON
Pye-Nixa NSPL 83008 1959
24 You Are Beautiful; Love Look Away (from "Flower Drum Song") (Richard Rodgers, arr. Brian Fahey)
CYRIL ORNADEL AND THE STARLIGHT SYMPHONY
MGM SE 3817 1960
25 Amor (from film "Broadway Rhythm") (Gabriel Ruiz, arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca 23344 1944
26 The Wedding Dance (Paul Lincke)
LONDON PROMENADE ORCHESTRA Conducted by ERIC ROGERS
Decca LF 1166 1954
27 The Wedding Song (Horan, real name Geoff Love)
MANUEL AND THE MUSIC OF THE MOUNTAINS ("Manuel" is GEOFF LOVE)
Columbia SCX 3297 1960
Stereo: tracks 3, 4, 10, 11, 14, 17, 23, 24 & 27; rest in mono.
"Love like youth is wasted on the young" - thus sang Frank Sinatra to Sammy Cahn"s perceptive words in 1960, although many believe the sentiments originated with playwright George Bernard Shaw. If writers and composers are to be believed, love knows no age boundaries and most of us on the planet will be lucky enough to experience it at least once during our lifetimes. It provides such strong inspiration for all kinds of creative people that few can resist expressing it in words and music, as witnessed in this collection that should mist up the bifocals of those whom Sinatra was originally serenading. Hopefully it will also appeal to a younger generation, where wedding bells may be in the offing.
The honour of providing the title, and the opening track, of this CD goes to Cyril Ornadel (b. 1924) who rose to prominence in Britain during the 1950s, largely due to his weekly appearances conducting the orchestra for the popular television series "Sunday Night at the London Palladium". He was MD for numerous top musicals in London"s West End, and his composing credits include the hit show "Pickwick" and the song Portrait Of My Love which gave Matt Monro an international hit when lyrics were added by "David West", a pseudonym for Norman Newell. Cyril returns later with two love songs from "Flower Drum Song".
Eric Coates (1886-1957) was a successful composer of ballads in the early years of the last century, before devoting all his energies to light music. He was particularly adept at writing catchy melodies that appealed as BBC signature tunes, which helped to establish his high profile with the public, especially in Britain where he became known as "the uncrowned king of light music". Impression Of A Princess was composed as a tribute to Queen Elizabeth"s sister, Princess Margaret, who was the subject of much speculation regarding her romantic private life during the 1950s. Sadly history tells us that she did not always enjoy the carefree, happy lifestyle vividly portrayed in Coates" charming composition.
I Love You Samantha was one of several hit songs in the 1956 film "High Society". The critics thought it dull, but it still appeals to new generations - possibly due to the music from that master who also provided his own witty lyrics, Cole Porter (1891-1964). The British ballroom dancing legend Victor Silvester (1900-1978) makes a welcome return to Guild with his Silver Strings.
From the earliest flickering moments of silent movies on a silver screen, love and romance have been guaranteed to fill cinema seats. Several of the songs featured in this collection were written for films, beginning with April Love from the 1957 movie starring Pat Boone. Mantovani (1905-1980) makes his first of two appearances in this collection with a wistful performance that perfectly captures the sentiments in the lyrics.
David Carroll (1913-2008) - real name Rodell Walter "Nook" Schreier - was well-known in his native USA as a conductor and arranger. In the mid-1940s he joined the newly formed Mercury Records where he spent the next 15 years. Initially employed as an arranger and conductor, he progressed to being a producer and was later promoted as head of artists and repertoire. The Prince and Princess Waltz was composed in honour of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco.
Douglas Brownsmith (1902-1965 - he preferred not to use his first name which was Reginald) was a pupil at St Paul"s Choir School. His first big success as a composer came in 1927 when Down the Mall - written in collaboration with Tony Lowry - was published. In the following years it was heard frequently in radio broadcasts by organists and light orchestras, and commercial recordings were made by Philip Green (on Guild GLCD5116) and Charles Shadwell (GLCD5171) - also Fodens Motor Works Band (GLCD5147). After the Second World War, production music publishers needed a vast amount of original orchestral compositions to service the requirements of radio, films and the emerging television stations around the world: Bosworth (See-Saw GLCD5144, Time For Fun And Games GLCD5125), Boosey & Hawkes (for whom he composed Wedding Day), Charles Brull (Continental Holiday GLCD5132) and Francis Day & Hunter all published a number of his works. During the 1930s Douglas purchased and ran the only bakery in the village of Ticehurst, Sussex, which he eventually sold and exchanged for a small restaurant in Bexhill-on-Sea. Apart from his music (and his love of cricket) this kept him fully occupied until his death from a sudden heart attack in 1965 at the age of 63.
It"s back to the cinema for the next four melodies, starting with the title song from One Night Of Love starring Grace Moore in 1934. Robert Farnon (1917-2005) conducts his orchestra in one of the polished arrangements that made his 1950s Decca LPs set new standards among fellow musicians. Farnon is heard later as the composer of To A Young Lady, dedicated to his daughter Judith in 1954.
You Are Too Beautiful escaped from Al Jolson"s 1933 movie "Hallelujah, I"m A Bum", giving Glenn Osser (b. 1914) the chance to shine as a conductor as well as an arranger, which had been his forté for many years with the likes of Les Brown, Jan Savitt, Bob Crosby, Bunny Berigan and Charlie Barnet.
Robert Stolz (1880-1975) originally wrote Two Hearts In Three Quarter Time for a 1930 German film, and a quarter of a century later the great maestro Andre Kostelanetz (1901-1980) gave it a welcome new lease of life.
Dinah Shore introduced Like Someone In Love in her 1945 film "Belle Of The Yukon". Paul Weston (born Paul Wetstein 1912-1996) was one of America"s top arrangers and conductors, whose orchestral collections such as "Music For Dreaming" and "Music For Memories" were to provide the springboard for many future albums. In 1971 the Trustees of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences gave him its Trustees Award.
The pianist Dolores Ventura was married to British composer and oboe player Ivor Slaney (1921-1998), and it is possible that he was conducting the anonymous "Carnival Orchestra" in Beguine For Lovers by Joseph Francis Kuhn (1924-1962).
Jerome Kern"s "Show Boat" premiered in New York in 1927, but it will have been more familiar to most people through the several film versions that followed. Can"t Help Loving That Man is one of the enduring songs from the show, performed for us here by Mantovani conducting his orchestra for his last Decca mono sessions in 1957.
Ruth Etting introduced Take Me In Your Arms back in 1932. Leroy Holmes (born Alvin Holmes, 1913-1986) scored Hollywood films and radio programmes during his early career, before becoming one of the mainstays of MGM"s conducting "team", also arranging many of their recordings. Eventually he moved on to United Artists where he conducted many of their contract singers and also recorded albums under his own name. His screen credits include the films "The Bridge In The Jungle" (1970) and "Smile" (1975).
If I Should Fall In Love Again won Jack Popplewell the first prize in a 1940 newspaper competition, launching his successful songwriting career. Peter Yorke (1902-1966) is a regular contributor to this series of CDs, as composer, arranger and conductor. After an apprenticeship in British Dance Bands of the 1920s and 1930s, he graduated to arranging for Louis Levy before eventually forming his own concert orchestra for recording and broadcasting.
Tenderly became a standard soon after it was published in 1946. London-born David Rose (1910-1990) was one of the truly great light orchestra leaders in the USA, and his compositions such as Holiday For Strings (on Guild GLCD 5120) and The Stripper sold millions. Over forty of his recordings have already been featured on previous Guild CDs.
Trevor Duncan (real name Leonard Charles Trebilco, 1924-2005) was working as a BBC sound engineer when one of his first compositions, High Heels (on Guild GLCD 5124) made the light music world sit up and take notice. Eventually his successful and prolific output mushroomed to such an extent that he had to give up his "day job" at the BBC, and also find several different publishers simply because he was writing too much for just one to handle - Dancing In The Starlight was published by Charles Brull.
Sigmund Romberg"s operetta "The Student Prince", first produced in 1924, gained a new lease of life when MGM filmed it for the second time in 1954. Cinemagoers witnessed Mario Lanza"s strident tenor voice coming from Edmund Purdom"s lips, after the producers dropped Lanza in the starring role because he had put on too much weight. Deep In My Heart, Dear was one of many fine songs in the score, and William Hill-Bowen (1918-1964) arranged it beautifully for the George Melachrino (1909-1965) Orchestra.
Jackie Gleason (1916-1987) was an American comedian, actor and would-be musician, although apparently he could not read or write music. His name appeared on many top-selling Capitol LPs, but legend has it that he did not conduct the music and his input was restricted to merely suggesting ideas that he conceived in his head and persuaded others to write down for him. It seems that it was Gleason"s concepts for each album that were the main selling points, and a shroud of secrecy descended upon the actual arrangers, soloists and conductors. An exception was the trumpeter Robert Leo "Bobby" Hackett (1915-1976), an Americanjazzmusician who had played with the bands of Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman, and solos on You"re My Thrill.
Star Eyes was composed for an unmemorable 1943 MGM "potboiler" "By Hook Or By Crook" (original US title "I Dood It"). The song managed to outlive the movie, and it is given a creditable performance by Cyril Stapleton (1914-1974), who was a well-known orchestra leader in Britain and overseas during the 1950s and 1960s, thanks to his regular BBC broadcasts and his many recordings.
In the USA Frank De Vol (1911-1999) is known primarily as the composer for the radio and TV series "The Brady Bunch", but light music fans appreciate that his career has been far more substantial. It was not uncommon to see the credit "Music by De Vol" on many films, and he had an executive position at Columbia Records, for whom he made a number of successful mood music albums. The continental melody If She Should Come To You enjoyed modest success - partly due to Alec Wilder"s English lyrics.
Frank Cordell (1918-1980) was a fine English composer, arranger and conductor whose work first became noticed through the tuneful backings he often supplied to some contract singers on HMV singles in the 1950s. Occasionally he was allowed his own 78s, and he was also responsible for several distinctive LPs which quickly became collectors" items. The cinema beckoned with some prestigious projects and he was nominated for an Oscar for his work on "Cromwell" (1970). For Those Who Love was originally composed as the music behind a famous soap powder TV commercial in the UK.
Mario Nascimbene (1913-2002) scored numerous international films from the 1940s until his last in 1982, with the most notable including "The Vikings", "Alexander the Great" and "Room at the Top". Sons And Lovers (1960) was based on a novel by D.H. Lawrence about a young Nottinghamshire miner"s growing pains, and the version of the theme by Johnny Gregory (born Giovanni Gregori, 1924) fully exploits the lovely melody.
Percy Faith (1908-1976) hardly needs any introduction to Guild "regulars". Born in Toronto, Canada, in 1940 he moved permanently to the USA where he quickly established himself through radio and recordings. Amor is one of his earliest commercial recordings, which he conducted in Chicago for US Decca on 20 April 1944.
The German composer Paul Lincke (1866-1946) became known around the world for his Glow Worm (there are different versions on GLCD5106 and 5143), but this was just one number in a large body of musical works. His waltz The Wedding Dance is conducted by Eric Rogers (1921-1981) who is best remembered for scoring several "Carry On" films, although he was involved with numerous other projects in Britain and the USA.
Yorkshireman Geoff Love (1917-1991) succeeded in so many musical fields during his busy career. Internationally he achieved success as "Manuel and his Music of the Mountains" although his identity was a closely-kept secret for many years. His 1960 recording of The Wedding Song (which Geoff himself composed under the pseudonym "Horan") provides a fitting finale for this collection of music for romantics and lovers of all ages. David Ades
