For 2012:

GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5197

Melody Mixture

1 Cab Rank (Dolf van der Linden)
THE SYMPHONIA ORCHESTRA Conducted by LUDO PHILIPP
Charles Brull/Harmonic CBL 409 1957
2 Mr. Lucky (theme from the TV series) (Henry Mancini)
FRANK CORDELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV 45-POP 755 1960
3 Caravan (Edward Kennedy ‘Duke’ Ellington)
WAL-BERG AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Barclay BB 42 1960
4 Down Under (from the film "The Sundowners") (Adapted and Arranged by Dimitri Tiomkin)
TOMMY REILLY, Harmonica with WALLY STOTT AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Philips PB 1094 1960
5 Gloria’s Theme from "Butterfield 8" (Bronislau Kaper; Hal David)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM 45-MGM 1110 1960
6 Bilbao-Song (from "Happy End") (Kurt Weill; Bertolt Brecht)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
CBS 4-41978 1961
7 With Tongue In Cheek (Trevor Duncan, real name Leonard Trebilco)
THE SYMPHONIA ORCHESTRA Conducted by CURT ANDERSEN
Charles Brull/Harmonic CBL 451 1960
8 Spring Collection (Peter Hope)
THE CRAWFORD LIGHT ORCHESTRA
Josef Weinberger JW 277 1961
9 Scurry For Strings (Lester B. Hart)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as ‘The Harmonic Orchestra Conducted by David Johnson’ on disc label)
Charles Brull/Harmonic CBL331 1952
10 Spinette (Murray Newman, arr. Bruce Campbell)
BRUCE CAMPBELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA (‘Coronet Orchestra’ on disc label)
MGM E 3167 1955
11 The Cool Caballero (Bernie Wayne, real name Bernard Weitzner)
BERNIE WAYNE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
ABC Paramount ABC 182 1957
12 Pleasure Island (Ron Goodwin)
RON GOODWIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Parlophone 45-R4787 1961
13 Alma Mia (Fred Hartley)
FRED HARTLEY AND HIS MUSIC
Chappell C 644 1959
14 I Aim At The Stars (theme from the film) (Laurie Johnson)
LAURIE JOHNSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia 45-DB 4546 1960
15 Dear Old Pals (Angela Morley)
TELECAST ORCHESTRA Conducted by ANGELA MORLEY (as ‘Walter Stott’)
Chappell C 718 1961
16 Leaps And Bounds (Cyril Watters)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as ‘Paul Franklin’ on disc label)
Paxton PR 725 1960
17 Tango Of The Flowers (Juan Rosa)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Brunswick LAT 8165 1957
18 Peacock In Piccadilly (Wilfred Burns, real name Bernard Wilfred Harris)
LOUIS VOSS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Bosworth BC 1239 1950
19 Continental Highways (Harold Geller)
GROUP-FORTY ORCHESTRA Conducted by LAURIE JOHNSON
KPM Music KPM 050B 1960
20 Galop On Strings (Tom Wyler, real name Toni Leutwiler)
THE HARMONIC STRINGS Conducted by TOM WYLER
Charles Brull/Harmonic CBL330 1952
21 Guaracha (No. 3 of Latin American Symphonette) (Morton Gould)
SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Parlophone R 3965 1947
22 Brandy Snaps (Peter Yorke)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as ‘The Harmonic Orchestra Conducted by David Johnson’ on disc label)
Charles Brull/Harmonic CBL 351 1954
23 Chicken Noodle (Peter Dennis, real name Dennis Alfred Berry)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as ‘Paul Franklin’ on disc label)
Paxton PR 661 1956
24 Route Nationale (Roger Roger)
THE PARIS STUDIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by PHILIPPE PARES
Synchro FM 236 1959
25 On Stage (Billy Mack, real names Walter Collins; William MacDonnell)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as ‘Paul Franklin’ on disc label)
Paxton PR 614 1954

Stereo: tracks 3 & 6; rest in mono

Unlike many of the CDs in this "Golden Age of Light Music" series, this collection does not have a special theme or concept. It is simply a varied mixture of melodies featuring works by composers who are well-known to light music aficionados, plus a good helping of pieces by ‘giants’ of the music world, such as Henry Mancini, Duke Ellington and Ron Goodwin. Most of these numbers have been considered for recent collections, but have been temporarily ‘shelved’ for various reasons – usually because the CDs were already full. But they don’t deserve to be forgotten, because they all possess their own special charms.

The Dutch maestro Dolf van der Linden conducts six tracks in this collection, but not the opening number which is his own composition. Cab Rank finds him in a typical bright, inventive style that became his trademark: you can never be sure at the outset how his works will develop, and there are usually pleasant surprises in store when the middle theme arrives. He took great care with the construction of his pieces, and in view of his tremendous contribution to light music in general it is not surprising that this is the fourteenth time that one of his compositions has been chosen for a Guild CD.

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 conducted numerous recordings for the background music libraries of major music publishers. He also made transcription recordings for Dutch radio and other companies. His commercial recordings (especially for the American market) were often labelled as ‘Van Lynn’ or ‘Daniel De Carlo’. His big presence on the light music scene is partly explained by the action of the British Musicians’ Union at the end of the 1940s, which banned the major London publishers from employing British musicians to make new recordings for their Mood Music Libraries. Instead of giving in to the Union’s demands, the publishers simply crossed the English Channel into Europe, where they utilised the services of the top broadcasting orchestras in various countries. Dolf van der Linden, based in Hilversum, was engaged to conduct hundreds of pieces (often under pseudonyms), particularly for Paxton, Boosey & Hawkes and Charles Brull/Harmonic – as well as some others. These performances are of a consistently high quality, and the examples on this CD include works by top writers such as Cyril Watters, Peter Yorke and Peter Dennis.

Although not as well-known as most of the other composers on this CD, Henry Cyril Watters (1907-1984) was highly respected by music publishers, with his work readily accepted for its unfailing high standards. At times he was employed as a staff arranger by Boosey & Hawkes and Chappell, and he generously devoted some of his energies in running the Light Music Society for the benefit of his fellow musicians. Peter Yorke (1902-1966) is a regular contributor to this series of CDs, as composer, arranger and conductor. After playing piano 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. ‘Peter Dennis’ hides the true identity of Dennis Alfred Berry (1921-1994), who also composed (sometimes in collaboration with others) under names such as Frank Sterling, Charles Kenbury and Michael Rodney. For part of the 1950s he ran the Paxton library, but also contributed titles to other publishers.

Henry Mancini (born Enrico Nicola Mancini, 1924-1994) hailed from Cleveland, Ohio, and in 1952 he was fortunate in gaining a job at Universal Pictures in Hollywood. During a six-year contract he worked on around 100 films, one of his early assignments being "The Glenn Miller Story" (1953). By 1958 his talents were widely recognised within the music business, and thereafter he was offered numerous commissions for films, recordings and television. Mr Lucky first reached US TV screens in October 1959, and ran for 34 episodes. Henry Mancini provided the smooth theme music, and the choice for this CD is the version conducted by Frank Cordell (1918-1980), a top British arranger/conductor who also contributed memorable scores to films such as "The Captain’s Table" (1959), "Flight From Ashiya" (1964), "Khartoum" (1966), "Mosquito Squadron" (1969), "Ring Of Bright Water" (1969), "Hell Boats" (1970), "Cromwell" (1970) – he was nominated for an Oscar, "Trial By Combat" (1976) and "God Told Me To" (1976).

When music-lovers discuss the ‘Great American Songwriters’ there is one name that occasionally gets missed: Edward Kennedy ‘Duke’ Ellington (1899-1974). People seem to remember that he fronted a great band, playing what many called ‘Orchestral Jazz’, yet the fact that he composed over 1,000 works frequently doesn’t register. But his songs became an essential part of the 20^th Century music scene, and Caravan illustrates that he was a genius, beyond doubt. Our version features the French orchestra conducted by Wal-Berg (born Voldemar Rosenberg, 1910-1994) who at one time was closely associated with French recordings by Marlene Dietrich.

The Canadian Tommy Reilly (1919-2000) was widely regarded as the world’s leading classical harmonica player, who seemed equally at home performing serious works (often composed specially for him), alongside lighter works such as Down Under. He is accompanied by the Wally Stott Orchestra, from the time before Wally became Angela Morley (1924-2009). Later we hear one of Wally’s comedy numbers Dear Old Pals, which features a prominent part for the bassoon - the instrument which also played a big role in Wally’s earlier composition Mock Turtles (on GLCD5101).

The 1960 film "Butterfield 8" starred Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011) as Gloria Wandrous, and it is hardly surprising that veteran Hollywood composer Bronislau Kaper (1902-1983) composed a suitably romantic theme for her. The version of Gloria by London-born David Rose (1910-1990) brings out all the glamour and anguish of the screenplay.

Another Guild favourite is Toronto-born Percy Faith (1908-1976) who moved permanently to the USA in 1940 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 he had a particular love of music with a tropical feel, which certainly comes through in Bilbao-Song.

Regular collectors of this Guild series of CDs will already be familiar with the music of Trevor Duncan (real name Leonard Charles Trebilco, 1924-2005). Almost 30 of his original compositions have now been reissued, and among the best-known are his first success High Heels (on Guild GLCD 5124), Grand Vista (GLCD 5124) and Panoramic Splendour (GLCD5111). He had the ability to write in many different styles, which no doubt endeared him to the publishers of mood music who needed to have music readily available to cover any kind of situation. With Tongue In Cheek probably expresses Trevor’s own feelings about some of the music he wrote.

The English composer Peter Hope (b. 1930) makes his Guild debut with Spring Collection, one of many attractive pieces he has contributed to publishers’ recorded music libraries over the years. Although his name may be unfamiliar to many, the same cannot be said of his music. During the 1950s, when light music formed a significant part of BBC Radio’s schedules, his compositions and arrangements were heard on an almost daily basis. His title music for BBC Television News was used until 1980. More recently new recordings have been made of his original works, as a new generation of musicians and conductors becomes aware of his major contribution to the genre of light music.

Bruce Campbell was one of several writers who owed much to his association with Robert Farnon. He was a fellow Canadian, who actually came to Britain some years before Farnon, and played trombone with various top British bands during the 1930s. Campbell assisted Farnon on his post-war BBC radio shows, and eventually became a frequent contributor to various mood music libraries. Spinette comes from a rare LP that Campbell recorded in Britain for the American market.

The 1950s seems to have been a very busy period for the American Bernie Wayne (born Bernard Weitzner 1919-1993), composer of The Cool Caballero. In the USA he is best known for his "Miss America" Beauty Pageant theme, and the hit song Blue Velvet. His string of instrumental successes included Vanessa (GLCD5189), Port-au-Prince (GLCD5130) and Veradero (GLCD5111).

Ronald (Ron) Alfred Goodwin (1925-2003) was a brilliant British composer, arranger and conductor, who rose to prominence in Britain during the 1950s through a series of recordings that revealed a fresh and vibrant style of light music that greatly appealed to the public. His ability to arrange and compose soon resulted in commissions to work in films, and popular movies like "633 Squadron" (1964), "Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines" (1965) and Alfred Hitchcock’s "Frenzy" (1972) introduced him to a worldwide audience. Pleasure Island joins ten of his original works already featured in this series.

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. Five of his own compositions have already been featured on Guild CDs, and towards the end of the 1950s he contributed several of his own pieces to the Chappell Recorded Music Library, from which the choice this time is Alma Mia. This number will probably strike a familiar chord among people in Britain, because it is the kind of charming novelty which he featured so often in his radio programmes.

Laurie Johnson (b.1927) has been a leading figure on the British entertainment scene for over 50 years. A gifted arranger and composer, Laurie has contributed to films, musical theatre, radio, television and records, with his music used in many well-known productions such as "The Avengers" and "The Professionals". I Aim At The Stars comes from the time when record companies were still willing to make orchestral singles by well-known conductors.

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 television series "Dad’s Army" in 1971. Peacock In Piccadilly is one of his many pieces accepted by various London publishers, and it is his seventh contribution to a Guild CD.

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. He composed Continental Highways for the KPM Record Music Library. 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 playing the violin and the technique of conducting.

As ‘Tom Wyler’, the Swiss violinist and composer Toni Leutwiler (1923-2009) became known outside his homeland, partly due to the success of his charming composition Lovely Day (on GLCD5183). His music was in demand from many broadcasting stations, and he was reported to have created over 2,000 arrangements. Galop On Strings is another fine example of his mastery of string writing.

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. Guaracha is one of the famous ‘Latin American Symphonettes’ by Morton Gould (1913-1996), rightly regarded as one of the leading American composers of the last century.

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 many admirers internationally. Route Nationale is his sixteenth composition to be made available to a wider audience on a Guild CD.

The final track features On Stage, a piece co-composed by Walter R. Collins, who 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. It provides a typical ‘show business’ ending to a varied collection of light music that hopefully includes something for everyone.

David Ades

GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5198

Light Music While You Work – Volume 4

1 Cavalcade Of Martial Songs (arr. Horatio Nicholls) : The King’s Horses (Noel Gay); The Toy-Town Artillery (Everett Lynton); The Tin-Can Fusiliers (Horatio Nicholls); When The Guards Are On Parade (Horatio Nicholls); There’s Something About A Soldier (Noel Gay); When A Soldier’s On Parade (Horatio Nicholls); When The Band Goes Marching By (Horatio Nicholls); The Toy Drum Major (Horatio Nicholls).
HARRY FRYER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 70 1943
2 Roses From The South (Johann Strauss, Jr.)
RONNIE MUNRO AND HIS WALTZ ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 358 1946
3 Lonesome And Sorry (Benny Davis; Con Conrad)
REGINALD PURSGLOVE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 123 1944
4 Carmen – Rhythmic Paraphrase (Georges Bizet, arr. Arthur Lange)
HARRY FRYER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 131 1944
5 Dainty Miss (Bernard Barnes)
HAROLD COLLINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 81 1943
6 Love Dance – Intermezzo (from "Madame Sherry") (Karl Hoschna)
DAVID JAVA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 175 1944
7 Tick Of The Clock (James Perry)
HARRY DAVIDSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 349 1945
8 Voices Of Spring (Johann Strauss, Jr.)
RONNIE MUNRO AND HIS WALTZ ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 341 1945
9 Light And Shade (Wynford Reynolds as ‘Hugh Raeburn’)
HAROLD COLLINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 189 1944
10 At The Dance (from "Summer Days" Suite) (Eric Coates)
RICHARD CREAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 164 1944
11 In A Country Lane (from "Summer Days" Suite) (Eric Coates)
RICHARD CREAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 164 1944
12 Knuckledust (George Blackmore)
HAROLD COLLINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 190 1944
13 Dreaming (Archibald Joyce)
HAROLD COLLINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 80 1943
14 La Cinquantaine (Gabriel Marie)
RICHARD CREAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 286 1945
15 Faust - Rhythmic Paraphrase (Charles Gounod, arr. Arthur Lange)
HARRY FRYER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 64 1943
16 Tesoro Mio (Ernesto Becucci)
RONNIE MUNRO AND HIS WALTZ ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 400 1946
17 Old Faithful (Abe Holzmann)
HARRY DAVIDSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 287 1945
18 Vision Of Salome (Archibald Joyce)
HARRY DAVIDSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 398 1945
19 Heyken’s Serenade No. 2 (Jonny Heykens)
DAVID JAVA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 176 1944
20 Les Sirenes (Emile Waldteufel)
RONNIE MUNRO AND HIS SCOTTISH VARIETY ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 219 1944
21 Waldmere (Frank Hoyt Losey)
LONDON COLISEUM ORCHESTRA Conducted by REGINALD BURSTON
Decca Music While You Work MW 374 1946
22 Danube Waves (Iosif Ivanovici)
RONNIE MUNRO AND HIS SCOTTISH VARIETY ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 252 1945
23 Amina - Intermezzo (Paul Lincke)
HARRY DAVIDSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 259 1945
24 Artists Life (Johann Strauss, Jr.)
RONNIE MUNRO AND HIS WALTZ ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 393 1946
25 Yankee Grit (Abe Holzmann)
HARRY DAVIDSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 287 1945

All tracks mono

This is the fourth and final delve into the riches contained in the Decca ‘Music While You Work’ series of 78rpm records, which first appeared in 1942. The last ones were released in January 1947, concluding a special wartime project that had seen over 400 discs produced specifically for relaying over public address systems in factories – the intention being to boost the morale of the workers.

The story behind these records, which were prompted by the BBC radio series of the same name, has been recalled in the notes accompanying the previous three CDs in this series – on GLCD5128, 5137 and 5186. The emphasis in these Guild CDs has been on the Light Music contained on these records, but these were just part of a wide variety of popular music that also included recordings by dance bands, jazz and various instrumental ensembles.

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 later tracks on this CD is evidence of this.

The orchestras chosen for these recordings would have been familiar to the public at the time. Foremost among these is Harry Fryer (1896-1946) and his Orchestra. Like so many musicians of his era, he 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.

Ronald (Ronnie) George 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, and Les Sirenes is typical of the kind of music for which they became known. After a further spell with a dance band after the war, he formed his light orchestra for radio in the fifties, concluding his BBC career with a sextet which he led between 1962 and 1967. When radio broadcasts dried up, he emigrated to South Africa, where he reformed his orchestra, subsequently becoming Head of Light Music for the South African Broadcasting Corporation.

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 (his contribution to this CD is a good example) 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.

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

at one time was MD 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 four numbers 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.

It seems that David Java recorded only four titles for Decca’s MWYW series, and his career is poorly documented. In 1938 he played violin alongside Sidney Sax on several Victor Silvester recordings for Parlophone, and again on some Columbia recordings in 1941 when Oscar Grasso, Alfredo Campoli, Reginald Kilbey and Eugene Pini were among the distinguished violin players whom Silvester employed. After the war David Java supplied orchestras for Lyons’ Corner House restaurant and presumably other similar venues.

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. (Recordings by both the Commodore and Troxy orchestras may be found on previous Guild Light Music CDs). 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 than 109 editions of "Music While You Work" between 1940 and 1946. In November 1943 his BBC radio 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. It is also appropriate to mention that he was an extremely prolific recording artist: during the 1950s 78s by his orchestra often occupied almost four pages in EMI Columbia’s annual catalogues.

Richard Crean (1879-1955) became a familiar name in the 1930s through his association with the London Palladium Orchestra, which was probably the best known British theatre orchestra at the time. In recording terms it was also the most prolific, with almost 150 recordings made between 1927 and the early 1940s, many of them conducted by Richard Crean who was in charge from 1930 to 1937. Before joining the London Palladium Orchestra 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 at the Palladium, which lasted 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.

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 Harold Collins, Burston also served as MD at the London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre). It 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.

Among the composers whose work is featured in this collection, there are several who deserve special mention. The opening track is, in essence, a tribute to Horatio Nicholls, both as composer and arranger. But ‘Nicholls’ was a pseudonym, hiding the true identity of Leicester-born Lawrence Wright (1888-1964). He was a successful publisher, as well as songwriter (over 600 titles) – his most famous being Among My Souvenirs which he wrote in 1927 with Edgar Leslie. The previous year he had launched the leading British musical magazine Melody Maker. In 1962 he received an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Popular Music.

There are a number of discs in Decca’s MWYW series which contain what might be called ‘pure’ light music. The two numbers from the suite "Summer Days" by Eric Coates (1886-1957) tend to confirm that the wartime public was receptive to orchestral music – probably as a result of hearing so much of it regularly on the radio. Of course Coates was something of a musical celebrity by the end of the 1930s, with many of his catchy melodies being used as signature tunes. The BBC chose his Calling All Workers as the theme for ‘"Music While You Work", and this was included in full on the first CD in this series (GLCD5128) played by the Tivoli Concert Hall Orchestra. Excerpts from Coates’ own recording were used on the second volume (GLCD5137). Surprisingly Decca did not record Calling All Workers as a full track, although it did open and close a selection by The Victory Band.

The medleys of music from "Carmen" and "Faust" are the work of the American bandleader Arthur Lange (1889-1956). He seems to have been a frequent visitor to the recording studios, especially during the 1920s, during which period of his career he made numerous ‘stock’ orchestrations which were used by many bands at the time. He composed music for over 120 films and, although nominated four times, he did not win any Oscars.

Another American composer (who was a contemporary of Sousa) was Abraham Holzmann (1874-1939) whose greatest march success was Blaze Away, composed in 1901. In this collection he is represented with two pieces – Old Faithful and Yankee Grit - both given fine performances by Harry Davidson’s Orchestra. Abe earned his living mainly from Tin Pan Alley where he wrote and arranged popular songs for publishers such as Leo Feist. Today he is fondly remembered by lovers of ragtime, but he also penned many marches, waltzes and other pieces of light music.

The man widely credited for devising "Music While You Work" is represented with his composition Light And Shade, which he wrote under the pseudonym ‘Hugh Raeburn’. 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.

David Ades

GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5199

Three Great American Light Orchestras

PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
All arrangements by Percy Faith
1 Somewhere ("West Side Story") (Stephen Sondheim; Leonard Bernstein)
Columbia GS7 (Columbia Record Club 5^th Anniversary Album) 1960
2 Petite (Mon Petite Monde a Moi) (David E. Coleman; Rudi Revil)
Columbia 4-40390 1954
3 The Last Dance (Percy Faith)
Columbia 4-40826 1956
4 My Shawl (Stanley Adams; Xavier Cugat)
Columbia 4-39322 1950
5 La Mer (Beyond The Sea) (Charles Trenet) (The Percy Faith Strings)
Columbia CS 8124 1959
6 Mon Oncle (Theme from the film) (Franck Barcellini)
Columbia CS 8214 1960
7 Italian Street Song (from "Naughty Marietta") (Victor Herbert)
Columbia C2S 801 1958
8 Go-Go-Po-Go (Percy Faith)
Columbia CS 8360 1961

DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
All arrangements by David Rose

9 California Melodies (David Rose)
MGM C 788 1959
10 I’ve Got The World On A String (from "Cotton Club Parade") (Harold Arlen; Ted Koehler)
MGM C 754 1954
11 The Happy Bow (David Rose)
MGM SE 3895 1961
12 Lonesome On Main Street (David Rose)
MGM E 3067 1953
13 The Mask Waltz (David Rose) featuring RAY TURNER, piano
MGM E 3067 1953
14 Flavia (David Rose)
MGM C 788 1959
15 Ponderosa (from the TV series "Bonanza") (David Rose)
MGM SE 3960 1961
16 It’s A Most Unusual Day (From the film "A Date With Judy") (Jimmy McHugh; Harold Adamson)
MGM SE 3895 1961

PAUL WESTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
All arrangements by Paul Weston
17 Whispers In The Dark (Leo Robin; Frederick Hollander)
Columbia CL 572 1954
18 My Darling, My Darling (from "Where’s Charley?") (Frank Loesser)
Capitol ST 1563 1961
19 Day By Day (Paul Weston; Sammy Cahn; Axel Stordahl)
Columbia CL 574 1954
20 Soon (Ira Gershwin; George Gershwin)
Columbia CL 574 1954
21 There Will Never Be Another You (from the film "Iceland") (Harry Warren; Mack Gordon) featuring PAUL WESTON, piano
Capitol ST 1223 1959
22 When April Comes Again (Paul Weston; Doris Schaefer)
Capitol ST 1192 1959
23 Folks Who Live On The Hill (from "High, Wide and Handsome") (Jerome Kern)
Columbia CS 8050 1958
24 Who (from the show "Sunny") (Jerome Kern)
Columbia CS 8049 1958

BONUS TRACK

25 Paul Weston discussing his Jerome Kern recordings in 1958 for a special promotional feature by Columbia Records.

Stereo: tracks 1, 5-8, 11, 15, 16, 18, 21-24; rest in mono.

PERCY FAITH

 Percy Faith was born in Toronto, Canada, on 7 April 1908, the oldest of eight children. As a child he learned the violin and piano, and originally he expected that he would pursue his music career as a concert pianist. But he injured his hands in a fire, which forced him to turn instead to composing, arranging and conducting.

During the 1930s he was regularly heard in live music broadcasts on Canadian radio, and his programme "Music By Faith" was carried by the Mutual network in the USA, prompting offers of work south of the border. He eventually succumbed in 1940 and moved to Chicago, leaving Robert Farnon (previously his lead trumpeter) to conduct his Canadian orchestra. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1945.

Initially Faith concentrated on broadcasting, although he did make some commercial recordings for the Majestic, Decca and RCA labels, several of which have featured on other Guild CDs. However, many other recordings, mainly derived from his radio programmes, were issued by Voice Of America on transcription discs, but these were not available to the general public. Some of them may now be heard on Guild GLCD5174 and GLCD5181. Things were to change dramatically when he signed a Columbia (CBS) contract in 1950 to provide backings for the label’s top singers which also allowed him to begin a regular programme of recording singles and albums of his own.

He soon discovered that his singles sold well and the new long playing records needed the kind of popular instrumental sounds that had formed the basis of his broadcasts for so many years. Unlike most of his contemporaries, Faith arranged all his own material, and his exciting and vibrant scores made his work stand out among the rest. He accompanied many of Columbia’s contract singers, and even contributed the odd popular song, such as My Heart Cries For You for Guy Mitchell. One of his best-selling singles was Theme from "A Summer Place" (on Guild GLCD5165) which is still frequently heard today. It won the Grammy Award for ‘Record Of The Year’ in 1961. A second Grammy followed in 1969 for his album Love Theme from "Romeo and Juliet".

Percy Faith’s albums usually concentrated on the rich source of popular music of the time, which was available in abundance in musicals on Broadway and Hollywood films. But he also had a penchant for the exotic sounds of Latin-American music, and some of his best-selling collections featured his distinctive arrangements of the music of Mexico and Brazil. Like his fellow orchestra leaders, he had to acknowledge the changing tastes in popular music during the 1960s, and for a while he managed to attract a younger generation of listeners with albums devoted to lush orchestral arrangements of current song successes.

Although his recording career was always paramount, his composing and arranging abilities naturally attracted offers of work elsewhere. He composed the popular theme music for the television series "The Virginian", screened by NBC in the US and also shown in many countries around the world. In Hollywood he received an Academy Award nomination for his arrangements of the songs in the Doris Day film "Love Me Or Leave Me".

But today it is his numerous albums that have created a resurgence of interest in his work, thanks to their reissue on CD. Faith was always busy, whether working in the recording studios, radio, television or films. He died at Encino, California, on 9 February 1976, aged 67. 

DAVID ROSE

 David Rose tends to be remembered today for two great instrumentals – Holiday For Strings (his own extended version is on Guild GLCD5189) and The Stripper (1962). But he achieved far more than that during his long and illustrious career. He was born in London, England on 15 June 1910, and the family moved to the USA when he was just four-years-old.

After leaving the Chicago College of Music at the age of 16, he joined Ted Fio Rito's dance band, and three years later became a pianist/arranger/conductor for NBC Radio. He moved to Hollywood, and in 1938 formed his own orchestra for the Mutual Broadcasting System, and featured on the programme "California Melodies". His own theme for this series is the first item in his segment of this collection.

Rose began working in movies in 1941 and is credited with scoring 36 films. In 1943 he had a big hit with his own composition Holiday For Strings which firmly launched him as a light music composer in the eyes of the public. Other catchy novelties soon followed, such as Dance Of The Spanish Onion (on GLCD5101) and Manhattan Square Dance (GLCD5102). During military service in World War II Rose was conductor for the Army-Air Force morale-boosting stage musical "Winged Victory", which was filmed in 1944. By the late '40s he was a regular on Red Skelton's radio show, moving with him into television. He later wrote scores and themes for over 20 television series and won Emmy awards for his 14 year stint on "Bonanza", 10 years with "Little House On The Prairie" and his work on three much-acclaimed Fred Astaire specials.

After chart success with Calypso Melody in 1957, Rose had a worldwide smash hit in 1962 with another of his own tunes, a humorous and satirical piece called The Stripper. He had actually composed this four years previously for a television show called "Burlesque", and it gathered dust on his record company’s shelves until they needed a ‘B’ side for Ebb Tide. A Los Angeles disc jockey picked it up, and the rest – as they say – is musical history. It spawned a complete album - "The Stripper and Other Fun Songs for the Family", one of the 50 or so LPs he recorded, including the best-selling "Like Young" and "Like Blue", made with André Previn. He won numerous Emmy and Grammy awards and six gold records.

Apart from his record, film and television work, Rose was guest conductor with several symphony orchestras. His Concerto For Flute And Orchestra was first played by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and later by the Boston Pops. Towards the end of his life his enduring passion was miniature steam trains, which ran on 900 feet of track around his house. On several occasions he travelled back to his native land where he met fellow English train enthusiasts. Such visits usually prompted invitations to conduct, and in October 1971 he was one of four distinguished conductors with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, who introduced their own music to a packed Royal Albert Hall audience as part of Filmharmonic ’71.

His private life attracted media attention in 1941 when he became the first husband of Judy Garland. The marriage didn’t survive the pressures of Hollywood fame, but David eventually found the right partner in his third wife, Betty, who survived him. He died on 23 August 1990, at his home in Burbank, California, aged 80. 

PAUL WESTON

Paul Weston is the only one of the famous trio of conductors on this CD actually to have been born in the USA. It all began way back on 12 March 1912, when Paul Wetstein (later to become Weston) was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. As a very young man he needed to find something to occupy him following an horrific train accident which had almost killed him, and he decided to study arranging whilst undergoing a long convalescence. (Interestingly there are similarities with Percy Faith’s early life). It proved to be the turning point in his career, especially as he had previously failed an audition to join a dance band as a clarinet player.

While still doing some graduate work at Columbia University, in 1934 he sold some arrangements to the Joe Haymes Orchestra. When Tommy Dorsey took over the Haymes orchestra in 1935, he hired Paul Weston as his chief arranger. This association lasted five years, during which time the Dorsey band produced some of its most memorable recordings, including the legendary Song of India, Stardust and Night and Day. While with Dorsey, Weston met his future wife, Jo Stafford, who was then a member of the Pied Pipers vocal group: they eventually married in 1952.

After leaving Dorsey he worked with Bob Crosby and the young Dinah Shore. At Crosby’s invitation he went to Hollywood in 1940, and the following year he did his first film arranging for the Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire movie "Holiday Inn". Other films quickly followed, and while at Paramount he met songwriter Johnny Mercer, who in 1942 was in the process of forming Capitol Records in partnership with record-store owner Glenn Wallichs and composer Buddy de Sylva.

So in 1943 Weston joined the staff at Capitol, where he recorded with their growing roster of singers. At the same time he was working extensively in shows on radio and later television, often with Jo Stafford. Thereafter he was picked by many top stars as their musical director.

In 1950 Weston had left Capitol for Columbia Records, where he built upon his previous successes with mood music 78s, by producing a series of LPs that soon accumulated healthy sales. Despite this, in 1958 he was sacked by A&R Manager Mitch Miller and returned to Capitol where some of his earlier big sellers were re-recorded in stereo. As a freelance he also backed Ella Fitzgerald on her ‘Irving Berlin Songbook’ for Verve.

Weston was no mean composer, and he collaborated on several big hits, among them Day by Day, I Should Care, Shrimp Boats, Autumn in Rome, Gandy Dancers’ Ball and When April Comes Again. His standing among his peers can be judged by the fact that he was a founder member and first president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), the organisation which began awarding Grammys in 1958.

Unlike some of his contemporaries, he liked to use the whole orchestra, not just a few sections. "All I did was add strings to a dance band" he once explained. "The reason it still swung was because I used good jazz musicians." These included soloists of the highest calibre, like Ziggy Elman, Eddie Miller, Paul Smith and Barney Kessel. He sometimes resisted the temptation to amplify the strings, by having the rest of the band play softly during important string passages, resulting in a chamber-music quality that went right to the heart of his kind of music.

Aside from his orchestral work, Paul became the ‘Jonathan’ of Jonathan and Darlene Edwards – a spoof act he formed with his wife Jo Stafford in which she was a poor amateur hopeful with an equally useless accompanist. Record buyers loved it, and it even won them a Grammy.

The final ‘bonus’ track on this CD features Paul discussing the project to record 24 pieces by Jerome Kern, preceded by two of his arrangements from that album.

In 1971 the Trustees of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences gave its Trustees Award to Paul Weston. He died on 20 September 1996, at Santa Monica, California, aged 84.

Potted biographies such as these can only attempt to give basic information about the musicians who have given so much pleasure to the world. It is hoped that those who appreciate this kind of music will be encouraged to learn more about them, through the many sources of information available from reference books and the internet. Fortunately their rich legacy of recorded music remains widely available for the enjoyment of future generations.

David Ades

The Guild "GOLDEN AGE OF LIGHT MUSIC" series celebrated its 100^th release in November 2012! 

GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5200

A Glorious Century Of Light Music

1 Look For The Silver Lining (from "Sunny") (Jerome Kern, arr. Brian Fahey)
CYRIL ORNADEL AND THE STARLIGHT SYMPHONY
MGM SE 3906 1961
2 April In Paris (from "Walk A Little Faster") (Vernon Duke)
PAUL MAURIAT AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Bel Air 7008 1961
3 Puppet Serenade (Ron Goodwin)
RON GOODWIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Parlophone PCS 3019 1961
4 The Party’s Over (from "Bells Are Ringing") (Jule Styne; Betty Comden; Adolph Green)
MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca 45-F11281 1960
5 Love’s Sweet Song (from "Czardas Princess") (Emmerich Kalman)
HANS CARSTE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Polydor SLPHM 237501 1960
6 Milord (Marguerite Monnot; Bunny Lewis)
FRANCK POURCEL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV CSD 1303 1960
7 Lady In Waiting (Ballet Music from the musical "Goldilocks") (Leroy Anderson)
LEROY ANDERSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Brunswick STA 3030 1960
8 Beach Parade (Roger Roger)
ROGER ROGER AND HIS CHAMPS ELYSEES ORCHESTRA
Chappell C 687 1960
9 Climb Every Mountain (from "The Sound Of Music") (Richard Rodgers)
BILLY VAUGHN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Dot DOT 25276 1960
10 The Little Train Of The Caipira (Heitor Villa-Lobos)
MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RC A LSC 1994 1960
11 All The Way (featured in the film "The Joker Is Wild") (Jimmy Van Heusen; Sammy Cahn)
FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca SKL 4061 1959
12 Stringopation (David Rose)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM SE 3748 1959
13 How Deep Is The Ocean (Irving Berlin)
HANS GEORG ARLT AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Ariola 71231 1959
14 It’s D’Lovely (from "Red, Hot and Blue") (Cole Porter)
STANLEY BLACK AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca LK 4163 1956
15 Pipsqueak (Dolf van der Linden)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Paxton PR 610 1954
16 Candlelight Waltz (Jack Mason)
BOSTON ‘POPS’ ORCHESTRA Conducted by ARTHUR FIEDLER
RCA 49-4219 1954
17 Butantan (Guy Wood)
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
HMV B 10657 1954
18 The Starlings (Charles Williams)
CHARLES WILLIAMS AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Columbia DB 3215 1953
19 Sewing Circle (Ray Martin)
RAY MARTIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Coilumbia DB 2896 1951
20 Tea For Two (from "No, No, Nanette") (Vincent Youmans)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia ML4382 1951
21 Samba Sud (Sidney Torch)
SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Parlophone R 3049 1947
22 String Time (Robert Farnon)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
Chappell C 304 1947
23 Stars In Your Eyes (Mar) (Gabriel Ruiz, arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca 23445 1945
24 Dreams On The Ocean (Joseph Gungl)
MAREK WEBER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV C 3123 1939
25 The Jester At The Wedding – March (Eric Coates)
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by ERIC COATES
Columbia DB 1505 1934

BONUS TRACK

26 Toymaker’s Dream (Ernie Golden)
JACK HYLTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV B 5656 1929

Stereo: tracks 1-7, 9-13; rest in mono

This compilation represents a double celebration. Firstly it praises the talented conductors and composers who created a wealth of Light Music during the 20^th Century; and secondly it recognises that this is the 100^th Guild Light Music CD dedicated to the preservation of all that is best from "The Golden Age of Light Music".

Choosing the music to include in this landmark collection has not been easy, because there are so many conductors and composers who made valuable contributions to the world of Light Music during the last century. After much soul-searching it was decided to concentrate on the conductors who became household names at the time, through their regular recordings and broadcasts. Inevitably some who fully deserve to be featured on this very special occasion have had to be omitted, simply because they could not all be squeezed onto this small silver disc. Regular collectors will know that over 2,500 compositions have already appeared in this series, covering a wide variety of orchestral and brass and military band performances, so it is hoped that your own particular favourites have not been ignored for the part they have played in "The Golden Age of Light Music".

Light music admirers may, quite rightly, ask why the best known recordings by each of the conductors have not been selected. The simple answer is that they are most likely to have appeared on one of the previous ninety-nine CDs in this series. In fairness to the many regular collectors, tracks are not duplicated, but the enjoyable choice of music that has been carefully programmed here illustrates the outstanding quality of the substantial body of work achieved by each of these talented musicians.

The honour of providing the opening track goes to Cyril Ornadel, but equal praise is due to Brian Fahey for creating such an exciting arrangement of a familiar melody that is usually heard in a far more sedate setting. A good tune will lend itself to different interpretations: it used to be said that whether a song was truly great depended upon its acceptance for improvisation by jazz musicians. In the case of Light Music, popular songs often receive distinguished orchestrations that must have delighted the composers. Two previous Guild CDs (GLCD5188 & 5193) have already emphasised the importance of the arranger – something which is evident on every track in this collection. Unfortunately on this occasion there is only room in the notes for brief pen portraits of each of the conductors featured.

In the 1950s Cyril Ornadel (1924-2011) was well-known in Britain (mainly through his television work) but his recording career owed much to the USA, where MGM commissioned numerous albums featuring his ‘Starlight Symphony’ which were recorded at EMI’s famous Abbey Road studios in London.

The French conductor Paul Julien André Mauriat (1925-2006) was classically trained, which is sometimes evident in his work, although his early interest in jazz and popular music was paramount during his long career. He became internationally famous in 1968 through his recording of Love Is Blue.

Ronald (Ron) Alfred Goodwin (1925-2003) was a brilliant British composer, arranger and conductor, who rose to prominence in Britain during the 1950s through a series of recordings that revealed a fresh and vibrant style of light music that greatly appealed to the public. His ability to arrange and compose soon resulted in commissions to work in films, many of which became box-office hits around the world.

Annunzio Paolo Mantovani (1905-1980) was the conductor of one of the most famous light orchestras in the world from the 1950s onwards. Born in Venice, his family came to England when he was aged four and he was something of a prodigy on the violin by the time he reached sixteen. But he leaned more towards popular music, and fronted many different kinds of ensembles before long-playing records (especially when stereo arrived) eventually brought him worldwide acclaim.

The German conductor Hans Friedrich August Carste (1909-1971) enjoyed a long recording career, before and after World War 2. He became one of the musical directors at RIAS in Berlin in the late 1940s, and eventually formed his own concert orchestra: he also composed for films and the stage.

Franck Pourcel (1913-2000) is recognised as one of the big names in French popular music. During his long career he recorded over 2,000 songs, and achieved world-wide success with I Will Follow Him which he co-composed with Paul Mauriat.

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 he was so prolific that some of his numbers have tended to become overlooked. His music for the musical "Goldilocks" surely deserves to be better known.

The third French conductor to be celebrated in this special collection is Roger Roger (1911-1995), who had the ability to compose the kind of catchy instrumental pieces that were much in demand from recorded music libraries around 50 years ago.

Billy Vaughn (1919-1991) was very successful in producing big-selling orchestral albums in the USA, partly through his position as musical director of Dot Records. His foreign tours with his band earned him many friends, especially in the Far East.

Morton Gould (1913-1996) became one of the most highly respected American composers and conductors. He generally also arranged the works he conducted in the concert hall and on records, and from 1986 to 1994 he held the important position of President of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

Francis (Frank) Charles Chacksfield (1914-1995) conducted one of the finest light orchestras in the world, and during his long recording career with Decca alone, it is estimated that his albums sold more than 20 million copies. He was the first British orchestra to achieve a No. 1 with a non-vocal disc in the US charts.

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 (his own extended arrangement is on Guild GLCD 5189) and The Stripper sold millions.

German violinist Hans-Georg Arlt (1927-2011) began his distinguished radio career in 1946, and when the RIAS Dance Orchestra was formed in 1948 he led the string section for a while. In the following years he became a familiar name on German radio and television with his own String Orchestra.

The London pianist and bandleader Stanley Black (born Solomon Schwartz 1913-2002) was successful in many areas of music during his long career which began in his teens. From playing piano in Harry Roy’s dance band he became keen on Latin-American music, and later recorded many fine light orchestral albums, which made him popular around the world.

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, often featuring his own compositions. He also made transcription recordings for Dutch radio and other companies. His commercial recordings (especially for the American market) were often labelled as ‘Van Lynn’ or ‘Daniel De Carlo’.

One of the most popular light orchestras in the USA for many years was the Boston ‘Pops’, under its legendary conductor Arthur Fiedler (1894-1979). It is appropriate that he should actually have been born in Boston where he became the eighteenth conductor of the ‘Pops’ in 1930, and remained at the helm until a heart attack following a performance on 5 May 1979 which hastened his death two months later at the age of 84.

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.

Londoner Charles Williams(born Isaac Cozerbreit, 1893-1978) began his career accompanying silent films, then played violin under the batons of Beecham and Elgar. Right from the start of the ‘talkies’, he provided scores for numerous British films, and his Dream Of Olwen (on GLCD5192) is still remembered long after the film in which it appeared – "While I Live". In 1960 he topped the American charts with his theme for the film "The Apartment" (GLCD5180), although in reality the producers had resurrected one of his earlier works Jealous Lover.

Raymond (Ray) Stuart Martin (born Raymond Wolfgang Kohn in Vienna, 1918-1988) fled from the Nazis and settled in England before the outbreak of World War 2 where he became known as ‘Ray Martin’. He was one of the leading names in British popular music during the 1950s, due to his work on radio, television, films and especially the recording studios.

Although he was born in Russia, Andre Kostelanetz (1901-1980) was one of the biggest pioneers in American light orchestral music during the middle years of the 20^th Century. His broadcasts and recordings were enjoyed by millions, and it was his ambition to encourage everyone to appreciate good quality orchestral music.

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 (GLCD5120) and Jumping Bean (GLCD5162) are familiar to millions around the world.

Sidney Torch, MBE (born in London, 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.

Toronto-born Percy Faith (1908-1976) moved permanently from Canada to the USA in 1940 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 he had a particular love of Latin American music.

The 1940s witnessed the arrival of a new generation of light music composers and conductors, whose inventive ideas would be developed to near perfection during the following two decades. Until the end of the 1930s, many light orchestras and small ensembles were still performing the kind of music that had been popular in the previous century, with the waltz forming a significant part of their repertoire. This was certainly the case in central Europe, where the likes of Barnabas Von Geczy, Dajos Bela, Otto Dobrindt and their peers recorded vast amounts of light music, but their audiences expected – and were supplied with – waltz after waltz. Foremost among these was Marek Weber (1888-1964). Born in the Ukraine, he 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.

This tribute to the 20^th Century would not be complete without saluting the English composer and conductor widely known as ‘the uncrowned King of Light Music’. 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 and then making definitive recordings of them, helping to establish his high profile with the music-loving public which continues to this day through new recordings of his works.

There is sufficient time available on this CD to allow the inclusion of a ‘bonus’ track, which acknowledges the popularity among many collectors of recordings from the 1920s and 1930s that have been featured in some of our previous compilations. The British dance band fronted by Jack Hylton (1892-1965) was one of the longest running, and arguably most popular, due to its many recordings and broadcasts, frequent appearances in Variety theatres and its foreign tours. Among its wide-ranging repertoire it sometimes featured works that can probably best be described as orchestral novelties: two examples can be found on earlier Guild CDs - Wedding Of The Rose (GLCD5106) and Dancing Tambourine (GLCD5163). As well as being instantly appealing, thanks to their inspired arrangements they were often quite fun – which is partly the intention of our final track. It’s hard to believe that this fine recording is well over 80 years old and it is a tribute to the skills of the recording engineers of the 1920s. There seems little doubt that Hylton’s knack of giving his audience what it liked reflected the fact that Light Music was an important part of the popular music scene during much of the 20^th Century.

David Ades