For 2008:

THE GUILD "GOLDEN AGE OF LIGHT MUSIC" SERIES HAS NOW REACHED No. 50!

String Fever

1 String Fever (Rene Costy, Rene G.F. Heylbroeck)
EMILE DELTOUR AND HIS ORCHESTRA
2 Poinciana (Nat Simon, Buddy Bernier)
LEROY HOLMES AND HIS ORCHESTRA
3 Scrub Brother Scrub (Ken Warner, full name Onslow Boyden Waldo Warner)
THE MELACHRINO STRINGS Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
4 The Epic Waltz (Theme of "The Big Prevue Show") (R. Ellis, arr. Angela Morley)
JEFF MORLEY AND HIS ORCHESTRA
5 Fiddlin’ The Blues (Sidney Schwartz)
DAVID CARROLL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
6 Windy Corner (Bruce Campbell)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
7 Pedrillo’s Buggy Ride (Julius Steffaro, real name Jan Stoeckart)
HILVERSUM RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by HUGH GRANVILLE (real name HUGO DE GROOT)
8 Tillie’s Tango (James R. Mundy, Gladys Bruce)
ACQUAVIVA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
9 Stampede (Johannes (Johnny) Steggerda)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as ‘VAN LYNN’ on LP label)
10 All Strings And Fancy Free (Sidney Torch, birth surname Torchinsky)
SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
11 Why Shouldn’t I (Cole Porter)
RICHARD HAYMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
12 El Relicario (Jose Padilla)
MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
13 Left Bank (C’est A Hambourg) (Margueritte Angele Monnot, arr. Laurie Johnson)
LAURIE JOHNSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
14 Caminito (Gabino Coria Penaloza, Juan de Dios Filiberto)
WERNER MULLER AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as ‘RICARDO SANTOS’)
15 Busybody (Billy Mayerl)
STUTTGART RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by KURT REHFELD
16 Leap Year Waltz (from "The Dancing Years") (Ivor Novello)
MICHAEL FREEDMAN AND THE DEBUTANTES
17 Up With The Lark (Robert Busby)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by SIDNEY TORCH
18 Tico Tico (Zequinha da Abreu)
LUIZ ARRUDA PAES AND HIS ORCHESTRA
19 Dream Street (Mario Ruiz Armengol)
MARIO RUIZ ARMENGOL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
20 By The River Sainte Marie (Harry Warren, Edgar Leslie, arr. Gordon Jenkins)
GORDON JENKINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
21 Pink Gin (Peter Knight)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as ‘PAUL FRANKLIN’
22 Green Eyes (Nilo Menendez, arr. John Gregory, real name Giovanni Gregori)
CYRIL ORNADEL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
23 Sneezing Violins (Meredith Willson)
MEREDITH WILLSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA featuring ALBERT PRATZ, violin
24 I Want To Be Happy (Vincent Youmans)
HELMUT ZACHARIAS AND HIS MAGIC VIOLINS
25 Lotta Pizzicato (Frank De Vol)
FRANK DE VOL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
26 Perfidia (Alberto Dominguez)
DON AMORE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
27 Cascade Of Stars (Osmar Hector Maderna)
MUSIC BY CAMARATA
28 Music Hall (Roger Roger)
ROGER ROGER AND HIS CHAMPS ELYSEES ORCHESTRA

Guild GLCD 5150

"String Fever" celebrates Guild Music’s 50^th compilation in its ‘Golden Age of Light Music’ series, which was launched early in 2004. Since then over 1,200 recordings have been rescued from possible obscurity and made available once more to collectors around the world. The number of different orchestras featured exceeds 200 and more than 400 composers have had their works offered to a new and appreciative audience.

The notes accompanying the first release (GLCD 5101 – ‘An Introduction’) recalled a comment by veteran British broadcaster Denis Norden in the BBC Radio series ‘Legends of Light Music’ when he attempted to explain what Light Music really is. He said: "Light Music isn’t just tuneful round the outside - it’s tuneful right through." His observations probably come close to solving a riddle which has exercised the minds of music lovers for generations, because ‘Light Music’ can mean different things to different people.

Those two words also encounter problems when they cross frontiers. ‘Light Music’ is essentially a British phrase although it does engender a certain amount of understanding when used in North America where the term ‘Concert Music’ can also apply to this particular genre. On the continent of Europe the French appreciate ‘Musique Légère’, and further east in Germany it goes under the far more important-sounding ‘Unterhaltungsmusik’. Other descriptions which try to describe this particularly enjoyable form of music include ‘Easy Listening’, ‘Middle-of-the-Road’ and occasionally ‘Mood Music’.

Since Guild’s first release in March 2004 the pioneers such as Eric Coates. Albert Ketèlbey and Haydn Wood have seen their compositions included alongside the ‘newer boys’ like Robert Farnon, David Rose, Leroy Anderson, Sidney Torch and Charles Williams; they have moulded the traditional sounds of the early 20th century into a bright and tuneful style, thus ensuring that their work would be fully enjoyed as the century wore on.

The first Guild CDs received a warm welcome from music critics: writing in The Independent, Rob Cowan summed up his complimentary review with the words: "This is the real thing with a vengeance!" As the series has progressed new releases have widened the original scope in terms of repertoire, often in response to suggestions from enthusiastic supporters. This trend is likely to continue in the future, and it is now extremely rare for each new release not to feature several pieces of music which have been included by special request. Credit must also be given to a number of collectors around the world who so willingly supply their own copies of rare items. It almost seems as though a crusade has developed to ensure that Light Music is preserved for posterity.

Thus this 50^th Guild ‘Golden Age of Light Music’ CD "String Fever" is far more than simply an enjoyable collection of pleasant music that is easy on the ear: it is a recognition that world-wide there are many people who appreciate a welcome alternative to the sounds usually pouring forth from their radio sets.

With so many different composers and orchestras usually featured in each collection, it is virtually impossible to include biographical notes on each of them within the confines of a booklet such as this. Over the series as a whole they all get their special mention sooner or later, and a determined effort is made to showcase those who are appearing on a Guild Light Music CD for the very first time – like the five profiled below.

As a young man Michael Freedman (b. 1911) studied the violin, and at the age of 16 he was offered his first engagements in London’s West End theatre orchestras. Thereafter he tended to concentrate more on studying the art of conducting, and at various times worked with Toscanini, Furtwängler, von Karajan and Cantelli. However, like all musicians needing to pay the bills he used his talents widely, and in the early 1950s he was a violinist in the Philharmonia Orchestra. Gradually he became known as a conductor through his BBC broadcasts, and also appeared on television with an orchestra of lady musicians – Michael Freedman and his Debutantes, as heard on this CD. It comes from an Oriole LP released in 1957, which was reissued three years later on Woolworths’ Embassy label, but this time the orchestra was renamed "Hi-Fi String Orchestra" (amusingly mis-named "Hi-Hi" on the sleeve). Like so many musicians in the post-war years, Michael Freedman eventually had to seek other work, and he became a London taxi driver.

Sao Paulo born Luiz Arruda Paes (1926-1999) was a leading figure in his native Brazil’s entertainment scene. He was involved with many television shows, including the inauguration of the service in 1950, and he helped to establish the Jazz Sinfonica de Sao Paulo.

Don Mario Ruiz Armengol (b. 1914) has been compared by some musicologists as being Mexico’s equivalent of David Rose, and his arrangements do contain certain snatches of Rose’s unique style. During the middle years of the last century he was regarded as Mexico’s foremost arranger and conductor of popular music, as well as one of its leading composers. From the 1930s onwards RCA used him to accompany many of the contract artists on their Mexican subsidiary label, and he also worked extensively in radio and films. He gradually became known across the border in the USA (Duke Ellington is reported to have dubbed him "Mr. Harmony"), and Billy May recorded Armengol’s Dream Street but retitled it Brassmen’s Holiday.

Ken Warner (1902-1988 full name Onslow Boyden Waldo Warner), was born in Chiswick, London, into a musical family. His father, Harry Waldo Warner played viola in the London String Quartet and was a professor at London’s Guildhall School of Music, so naturally that is where young Onslow received most of his musical education. From 1921 – at first using the name ‘Onslow Kent’ - he played saxophone and violin in various dance bands in such places as the Kit-Kat club and the Café de Paris in the West End of London. He appeared on recordings with Percival Mackey in 1927 (Peter Yorke also arranged for this band); Harry Hudson from 1927 to 1932; and George Fisher in 1928 (again alongside Peter Yorke). Reference books also show him as having arranged for Jay Wilbur in 1928, and it can be safely assumed that this kind of work – performing and arranging – kept him fully occupied during the 1930s, both in England and abroad. By 1940 he had become well known as ‘Ken Warner’ and in that year he joined the BBC Light Orchestra, playing violin, clarinet and saxophone under Fred Hartley, also doing much of the arranging. He also played with, and arranged for, orchestras directed by famous violinists Max Jaffa, Reg Leopold and Tom Jenkins and was an early member of Michael Krein’s Saxophone Quartet. He stayed as a BBC employee until 1959, after which he retired to Cornwall to raise pigs. His compositions found their way into the Recorded Music Libraries of London publishers, although Scrub Brother Scrub seems to have been created simply as an enjoyable concert piece. The term ‘scrubbing’ refers to the articulation of repeated notes by means of a back and forth movement of the violin bow across the strings. This unique effect has been exploited by many violin virtuosi over the ages.

Billy Joseph Mayerl (1902-1959) created many attractive pieces of light music during his lifetime, but it was for his piano playing that he became universally famous. A child prodigy, at the age of seven he was studying at the Trinity College of Music and publicly performed Grieg’s Piano Concerto at the Queen’s Hall. In his early teens, like so many musicians of his generation, he was playing for silent films and in dance bands, but the event that was to change his life happened in 1926 when he set up a correspondence course in ‘Modern Syncopation’ for the thousands of his fans who hoped to emulate his style. Sadly most of them had their hopes dashed, but such was the success of his enterprise that by the late 1930s he employed a staff in excess of more than 100 and a worldwide clientele of over 30,000 students, until it finally closed down in 1957. Among many other projects his punishing work schedule involved numerous broadcasts, public appearances and the composition of numerous catchy novelties, the most famous being Marigold. Gradually he became more interested in writing light orchestral music, and Busybody is typical of the pieces he was writing for mood music in the 1950s. When the Light Music Society was formed in 1957, Billy Mayerl became the Editor of its regular Newsletter, a position he held until his sudden death from a heart attack in 1959.

On this occasion, in celebration of Guild’s 50^th Light Music CD, space has been left in this booklet for photographs of some of the leading figures who entertain us regularly.

David Ades

Going Places

1 Fantasy On National Airs (Max Saunders) Early One Morning, The Ash Grove, The Campbells Are Coming, Londonderry Air.
BBC TELEVISION ORCHESTRA Conducted by ERIC ROBINSON
2 Going Places (Jackie Brown)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by SIDNEY TORCH 
3 Enchanted Isle (Kermit Leslie & Walter Leslie real surnames Levinsky)
KERMIT LESLIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA 
4 Mexican Interlude (David Bee)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as ‘VAN LYNN’ on LP label) 
5 Park Avenue Waltz (William Hill-Bowen)
THE MELACHRINO STRINGS Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO 
6 Cabaret Time In Paris (Selection) 
NORRIE PARAMOR AND HIS ORCHESTRA 
7 Moon Of Manakoora (Alfred Newman, Frank Loesser)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA 
8 El Rancho Grande (My Ranch) (Ramos)
MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
9 Streets Of New York (Victor Herbert)
WERNER MULLER AND HIS ORCHESTRA 
10 Call Of The Casbah (theme from ITV serial "Destination Downing Street") (Joyce Cochrane, arr. Laurie Johnson) 
LAURIE JOHNSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA 
11 Monte Carlo (Whiting, Harding) 
MONTY KELLY AND HIS ORCHESTRA 
12 Mediterranean Serenade (Alain Romans, Jacques Larue)
LEROY HOLMES AND HIS ORCHESTRA
13 Viennese Lantern Waltz (also known as Lights Of Vienna) (Juan R. Delgado)
RED NICHOLS AND THE AUGMENTED PENNIES 
14 Southwest Territory (Frank De Vol)
FRANK DE VOL AND HIS ORCHESTRA 
15 Scherzo: Avignon (based on ‘Sur Le Pont d’Avignon’) (trad, arr. Ronald Hanmer)
BBC MIDLAND LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by H.G. BURGESS 
16 Adios Mexico (Fred Hartley)
FRED HARTLEY AND HIS ORCHESTRA 
17 Taj Mahal (Robert Farnon)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON 
18 Fiesta Argentina (Oliphant Chuckerbutty)
THE LOUIS VOSS GRAND ORCHESTRA 
19 Mediterranean Cruise (Billy Mayerl)
STUTTGART RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by KURT REHFELD 
20 Cryin’ For The Carolines (Harry Warren, Sam Lewis, Joe Young)
GUY LUYPAERTS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
21 The Poor People of Paris (La Goualante Du Pauvre Jean) (Marguerite Monnot) 
RICHARD HAYMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA 
22 Irish Fantasy – Songs To Remember No. 4 (arr. Peter Yorke)
PETER YORKE AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA 
23 Persian Nocturne (Robert Stolz)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA 
24 London By Night (Carroll Coates)
RAY MARTIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA 
25 Aarhus Tappenstreg (Aarhus Tattoo) (C. C. Moller)
AARHUS CIVIC ORCHESTRA Conducted by THOMAS JENSEN

Guild GLCD 5151

The theme of this collection is very simple: music associated with different parts of the world. Unlike "Globetrotting" (Guild GLCD 5141), no attempt has been made to provide any kind of accurate geographical journey from place to place. But we would like to think that many of the tracks will evoke pleasant memories among seasoned travellers. The only exception is the title track, Going Places which is typical of the kind of ‘holiday’ music you used to hear in the background behind newsreels of the 1940s and 1950s whenever scenes of a happy, carefree nature were being screened.

Our opening piece of music visits the four countries of the British Isles – England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - but there is a much more important reason for including it. The final track on "Childhood Memories – Volume 2" (Guild GLCD 5144) was Scherzetto for Children, commissioned by the BBC from composer Fred Hartley to introduce Children’s Television for several years during the 1950s. A number of collectors subsequently contacted us to request that we should issue the ‘grown up’ version from BBC TV in those days – in other words the music that was also specially commissioned to be played before programmes started in the evening (remember this was decades before 24 hour television, when there were often long gaps with only test cards on view).

Once again Guild is grateful to TV memorabilia collector Tony Clayden for supplying us with a recording of Fantasy on National Airs by Max Saunders. As with the Scherzetto, the piece is performed by the BBC Television Orchestra conducted by Eric Robinson and it is believed to have been recorded in 1951. These two works have not previously been available on any commercial recordings, so a unique part of British television history has now been preserved for posterity.

Max Saunders (1903-1983) was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and left his homeland in the 1940s to work with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Sydney, before moving on to London where he composed, arranged and conducted many productions for the BBC, particularly during the 1950s. His total output included incidental music for around 70 radio and television plays and features, as well as several film scores. He seems to have made a speciality of part songs and orchestral works, and among his major compositions are his African Suite, A Cotswold Pastoral for oboe and strings, and various arrangements of traditional Maori chants. He also wrote chamber music and three short operas.

Eric Robinson (1908-1974) was a personality during the formative years of BBC Television. He had played the violin in an orchestra for a television production in 1939, just before the service abruptly closed down upon the outbreak of World War 2. When normal service was resumed he became the conductor of the BBC Television Orchestra, and was soon a household name through his monthly show "Music For You", broadcast on a Wednesday from Studio G at Lime Grove, which won the Television Society’s Silver Medal in 1952. Eric conducted numerous musical shows featuring the BBC’s top stars during the 1950s. According to the reference books he was involved in just one film – "Old Mother Riley’s New Venture" (1947). His elder brother was the famous conductor Stanford Robinson (1904-1984).

Another rarity on this CD is the Scherzo: Avignon by Ronald Hanmer (1917-1994). This is the composer’s own private recording of a performance in 1946, and it seems likely that it was originally written for Charles Shadwell to conduct in the BBC radio programme "ITMA". Usually in a comical vein, another example of Hanmer’s contributions to this long-running series is Ten Green Bottles on Guild GLCD 5102. His career stretched from the 1930s (he was a cinema organist) until the end of his life, and over 700 of his compositions were published in various background music libraries (examples already on Guild include Proud and Free GLCD 5136, The Four Horsemen and Intermission – both onGLCD 5140). Among his film scores were Made in Heaven (1952), Penny Princess (1952) and Top of the Form (1953). He was also in demand as an orchestrator of well-known works for Amateur Societies, and the brass band world was very familiar with his scores – sometimes used as test pieces. In 1975 he emigrated to Australia, where he was delighted to discover that his melody Pastorale was famous throughout the land as the theme for the long-running radio serial Blue Hills. In 1992 he received the Order of Australia for services to music, just before that country abolished the honours system.

A welcome newcomer in this selection is Red Nichols (sometimes known as ‘Nicholls’) - more usually associated with his Five Pennies. He was the inspiration behind the 1959 film "The Five Pennies" starring Danny Kaye, which was very loosely based on his life. He played the trumpet for the movie soundtrack, but didn’t appear on screen. Ernest Loring ‘Red’ Nichols (1905-1965) is regarded by some jazz students as one of the finest cornet players to emerge during the 1920s, working for bandleaders such as Paul Whiteman and Harry Reser. He became one of the busiest record session musicians, and also played in several Broadway shows. His contribution to this collection is taken from an album released in 1957 where strings were added to his usual lineup – presumably to try and gain him a new audience.

Norrie Paramor (1914-1979) tended to be better known by the public for his work with pop stars such as Cliff Richard, but he also made numerous instrumental recordings and wrote several catchy numbers that greatly appealed – one of these was Cornflakes under the pseudonym ‘Sidney Norman’ on Guild GLCD 5130. As Artists and Repertoire Manager at Columbia during the 1950s (part of the time with Ray Martin) he was sometimes obliged to satisfy public demand for popular tunes of the day, and Cabaret Time In Paris is one such example.

Fred Hartley (1905-1980) has already been mentioned in these notes for his Scherzetto for Children. He 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. In the 1950s two of his own compositions became popular through their frequent broadcasts; Alpine Festival was included on Guild GLCD 5141, and this time it is the turn of Adios Mexico on the other side of the same Decca single.

American light orchestras are well represented in this musical tour. Kermit Leslie leads the pack with Enchanted Isle co-composed with his brother Walter. This is the sixth time his orchestra has been featured on Guild, and it will not be the last. Next comes David Rose (1910-1990) - although born in Britain he made his successful career in the USA. Moon of Manakoora first appeared in the film "The Hurricane" (1937) starring Dorothy Lamour, and Alfred Newman’s score was nominated for an Academy Award.

The proximity of Mexico to the USA has been a big influence on the popular music scene, and Morton Gould (1913-1996) often conducted his own arrangements of well known tunes such as El Rancho Grande. Gould 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. Among his best-known works were the ballet Fall River Legend and American Symphonette No. 3,from which the movement called Pavanne (the mis-spelling was deliberate) became very popular. There is a delightful version of this piece by Jay Wilbur’s Serenaders on Guild GLCD 5139. From 1986 to 1994 Gould was President of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

Our American roll call continues with Monty Kelly (1910-1971), a trumpeter, arranger and bandleader who played with the Paul Whiteman and Skinnay Ennis bands before landing a job with NBC in New York. For a while he was a regular in the recording studios, and managed to secure some success with singles such as Tropicana and Three O’Clock In The Morning (both on Guild GLCD 5105). This persuaded Cash Box magazine to name him ‘most promising orchestra’ in 1953, but by then the era of popular instrumentals was starting to wane in the USA. His albums continued to do well, and they are still sought by light music fans. Monte Carlo is his tenth appearance in this Guild series.

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’ in the 1950s, 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 film credits include "The Bridge In The Jungle" (1970) and "Smile" (1975).

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 started playing violin in cinema orchestras just as the silent films era was coming to an end. After touring with the Alvino Rey orchestra, in the 1940s he began a recording career, first as an arranger for vocalists Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Doris Day, Vic Damone and Nat "King" Cole. His arrangement of "Nature Boy" sung by Nat "King" Cole became a number one hit in 1948. That earned him an executive position at Columbia Records, for whom he went on to make a number of successful mood music albums. In the 1950s his own Hollywood orchestra, called "Music of the Century", played frequently at the Hollywood Palladium. His many motion picture scores included the following which were all nominated for Oscars: the Doris Day/Rock Hudson comedy "Pillow Talk" (1959), "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" (1964), "Cat Ballou" (1965), and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967). Frank also appeared as a character actor in several US television series, such as "I Dream of Jeannie", "Bonanza" and "Petticoat Junction". South West Territory reveals his considerable skills as a composer with a tone poem that will strike a chord with many fellow Americans.

As well as being a respected arranger and conductor, Richard Hayman (b. 1920) was also a harmonica virtuoso, and he sometimes adapted his scores of popular melodies so that he could perform on his favourite instrument. This formula brought him two chart successes in the early 1950s, with 78s of Ruby and April In Portugal. He followed Leroy Anderson as an arranger for the Boston Pops Orchestra over a period of more than 30 years, and also served as Music Director of Mercury Records. He was regularly in demand to orchestrate Broadway shows and film soundtracks, and notable among his own compositions are No Strings Attached (on Guild GLCD 5105) and Skipping Along (Guild GLCD 5131). His recent recordings are still being released today by major record companies.

The final track finds Thomas Jensen (1898-1963) conducting the Aarhus Civic Orchestra (later to become Symphony). Aarhus is Denmark’s second city, and in the late 1940s its orchestra was regarded as Jensen’s. He had studied the cello at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, where Carl Nielsen taught him harmony. Later he would conduct Nielsen’s symphonies, winning approval from the composer’s daughters.

David Ades

From Stage and Screen

1 June Is Bustin’ Out All Over (from "Carousel") (Richard Rodgers)
GEOFF LOVE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
2 "Glenn Miller Story" – Theme from the film (Henry Mancini)
JACKIE BROWN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
3 "Guys and Dolls" Selection (Frank Loesser, arr. Roland Shaw) Guys And Dolls, I’ve Never Been In Love Before, A Bushel And A Peck, If I Were A Bell, I’ll Know, Sit Down You’re Rockin’ The Boat.
GERALDO AND HIS NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA
4 It’s Only A Paper Moon (from the film "Take A Chance" 1933) (Harold Arlen)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
5 Secret Love (from film "Calamity Jane") (Sammy Fain)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
6 "Anastasia" – Theme from the film (Alfred Newman)
THE VICTOR YOUNG SINGING STRINGS Conducted by ALFRED NEWMAN
7 "The Dancing Years" Selection (Ivor Novello, arr, Sidney Torch)
SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
8 As Time Goes By (featured in "Casablanca") (Herman Hupfeld, arr. Ron Goodwin)
RON GOODWIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
9 Old Devil Moon (from "Finian’s Rainbow) (Burton Lane, arr. Morton Gould)
MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
10 The Wedding Of The Painted Doll (Arthur Freed, Nacio Herb Brown) (from the film "Broadway Melody" 1929)
FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
11 The Song From "The Moulin Rouge" (Where Is Your Heart) (Georges Auric, arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
12 Show Me (from "My Fair Lady") (Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe – arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
13 The Song From "Desiree" (Alfred Newman – arr. Frank Cordell)
FRANK CORDELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
14 "Samson And Delilah" Film Theme (Victor Young)
THE PARAMOUNT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by VICTOR YOUNG
15 "Dark Secret" – Theme Waltz from the film (George Melachrino)
THE MELACHRINO STRINGS Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
16 Carriage and Pair; Long Forgotten Melody (from the film "So Long At The Fair") (Benjamin Frankel)
CHARLES WILLIAMS AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
17 "Obsession" – Themes from the film (Nino Rota)
SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
18 "The Passionate Friends" Film music (Richard Addinsell, arr. Leonard Isaacs)
THE PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA Conducted by MUIR MATHIESON
19 The Card Ballet (from the film "Let’s Be Happy") (Brodszky, Sendrey)
ASSOCIATED BRITISH STUDIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by LOUIS LEVY
Original soundtrack recording

Guild GLCD 5152

Music has helped to create the right atmosphere for many theatrical productions since time immemorial, and during the last century another art form – namely filmed entertainment – has continued this well established custom. Long before the movie pioneers learned how to link pictures on screen with recorded sound, numerous musicians were employed to provide an accompaniment to the flickering images, helping to lull the audience into the right frame of mind, although it has been suggested that another motive was to smother the sound made by the noisy film projectors. Whatever the true reasons, by the time films started talking towards the end of the 1920s a musical accompaniment was deemed essential by producers and audiences alike.

This created a wonderful opportunity for composers to exploit the new medium. Remember this was also happening at a time when radio was reaching homes all over the world. Never can there have been a period in history when musicians found their talents to be in such demand. The result was a truly astonishing outpouring of melodies of all kinds, from composers and lyricists of varying talents. Many were soon deservedly forgotten, but a substantial legacy of memorable songs conceived for theatrical and film productions remains to this day.

Alongside the shows and musicals were the purely dramatic films which required a different kind of music to establish just the right background, and a number of leading ‘serious’ composers, normally active in classical fields, found themselves being offered prestigious commissions. A few rose to the occasion, but gradually it was realised that films required a more specialised approach, and an elite corps of writers emerged on both sides of the Atlantic to dominate the film music scene.

In this collection we salute the backroom boys whose music has meant so much, whether memorable songs from fondly recalled shows and films, or distinctive orchestral scores especially for the cinema.

Some of the chosen pieces apply equally to both art forms, since many successful stage productions were subsequently filmed, reaching a massive audience around the world. The opening track June Is Bustin’ Out All Over from "Carousel" illustrates just one of the Richard Rodgers (1902-1990) scores to be snapped up by Hollywood. Geoff Love (1917-1991) was a leading figure in Britain’s musical scene, turning his hand to all kinds of music from bright and breezy ‘corny’ tunes to a full concert orchestra performing high class arrangements such as this.

Enrico Nicola – better known as ‘Henry’ Mancini (1924-1994) had a brilliant career in recording and films, and his early score for "The Glenn Miller Story" (1954) deservedly won an Academy Award nomination.

Geraldo (Gerald Bright, 1904-1974) fronted just about every kind of ensemble over four decades and influenced the successful careers of numerous top singers. In the 1950s he fronted an orchestra brimful of talented musicians for his BBC broadcasts and recordings, and he engaged Roland Shaw (born 1920 Roland Edgar Shaw-Tomkins) to arrange the selection of tunes from "Guys And Dolls".

David Rose (1910-1990) hardly needs an introduction to light music admirers. Although born in England he fronted one of America’s foremost orchestras, and among his numerous compositions were Holiday For Strings and The Stripper.

Born in Toronto, Canada, Robert Farnon (1917-2005) came to England in 1944 to conduct the Canadian Band of the AEF, and when he was demobbed he remained and quickly established himself in radio, records, films and television. His gift for composition resulted in hundreds of his works being accepted for the background music library operated by the London publishers Chappells, and he was also a master at orchestrating other composers’ melodies. Secret Love is a prime example of the unique string sound which is instantly recognisable to his countless admirers.

Alfred Newman (1900-1970) was nominated for an Academy Award no less than 45 times, actually winning the Oscar on nine occasions. He is represented in this collection by two compositions Anastasia and The Song from Desiree. The first also finds him conducting the Victor Young Singing Strings while the second is performed by Frank Cordell (1918-1980) in a lush arrangement so typical of the more romantic side of his output.

Sidney Torch (1908-1990) was one of Britain’s finest theatre organists during the 1930s. After war service in the Royal Air Force, where he conducted the RAF Concert Orchestra, he concentrated entirely on composing, arranging and conducting light music. Previous Guild CDs have included some of his catchy compositions (mostly composed especially for the Chappell Recorded Music Library), and from the 1950s to the 1970s he was a familiar name in Britain thanks to his association with the radio programme "Friday Night Is Music Night". His recording contract with EMI’s Parlophone label produced numerous 78s, usually featuring his own superb arrangements – witness the way in which he treats the beautifully crafted melodies by Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies 1893-1951) for his show "The Dancing Years". From his first hit Keep the Home Fires Burning during World War One, until his last show "Gay’s The Word" shortly before his death, he was a leading figure in Britain’s theatrical scene. The other Sidney Torch recording is music from Obsession, an early film score by Nino Rota (1911-1979). Before he became world famous through his work in many great Italian movies, Rota worked in British film studios, perhaps the best-known being "The Glass Mountain" in 1949, which achieved box office success largely due to the popularity of the music. The previous year he scored "Obsession" ("The Hidden Room" for its US release) starring Robert Newton. This contains many of the elements that would make Rota’s Italian scores so distinctive: they often sound almost like simple folk tunes yet they can also be cutting-edge with their avant-garde harmonies.

Veteran Hollywood composer Max Steiner (born Maximilian Raoul Walter Steiner 1888-1971) was responsible for scoring the 1942 masterpiece "Casablanca", but it is not his music that is remembered. Instead the glory goes to Herman Hupfeld (1894-1951) who composed As Time Goes By. The song was first heard in a musical called "Everybody’s Welcome" which opened at New York’s Schubert Theater on 13 October 1931. Had Dooley Wilson not sung it at the piano in "Casablanca" we would probably not know the song today, since it attracted very little attention when first published, with apparently only one British dance band deciding to make a 78. The 1956 version by Ron Goodwin (1925-2003) provides a showcase for sax and trumpet. At the time he engaged session musicians for his recordings and unfortunately it has not been possible to identify who the soloists were.

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. Among his best-known works were the ballet Fall River Legend and American Symphonette No. 3,which became better known as Pavanne (the mis-spelling was deliberate). His American Salute (based on When Johnny Comes Marching Home) also caught the public’s attention. From 1986 to 1994 Gould was President of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). As well as composing and conducting he also created numerous imaginative arrangements, such as Old Devil Moon from "Finian’s Rainbow".

Frank 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. In total he made more than 150 long-playing albums which were released in many countries, especially in Europe, Japan and Australia as well as Britain and America.

Percy Faith (1908-1976) was born in Toronto, Canada, and originally he expected that his musical career would be as a concert pianist. But he injured his hands in a fire, which forced him to turn to composing, arranging and conducting. During the 1930s his programme "Music By Faith" was carried by the Mutual network in the USA, which prompted offers of work south of the border. 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 exciting and vibrant scores made his work stand out among the rest.

Victor Young (1900-1956) excelled as a violinist, arranger, film composer, songwriter, conductor and record producer. This wide experience in all forms of music, from his first hit song, Sweet Sue, Just You in 1928 to his tremendous score for "Around the World in 80 Days" in 1956, was exceptional even by Tin Pan Alley and Hollywood standards, all the more so because his international reputation was achieved in such a short lifetime. Like so many of his contemporaries, he found work with various dance bands of the 1920s and 1930s, before eventually ending up in Hollywood, where he discovered the ideal outlet for his melodic gifts – his screen credits eventually exceeded 200 productions.

It is a pity that the British film "Dark Secret" (1949) seems almost to have vanished without trace, because it is one of several from the same era featuring a score by George Melachrino (1909-1965). Apart from his fine recordings with his orchestra, he composed and arranged many pieces intended for use by radio, television and films, and several of these have already appeared in this series of Guild CDs.

Benjamin Frankel (1906-1973) is today remembered more for some of his serious works, although his name first came to the public’s attention through several of his film scores, particularly "The Seventh Veil" (1946), "So Long At The Fair" (1950) from which comes the charming Carriage and Pair (the Mantovani version is on GLCD 5105), "The Man In The White Suit" (1951) and "A Kid For Two Farthings" (1955). In total Frankel scored over 80 feature films and documentaries, plus television plays and theatrical productions.

Charles Williams(real name 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 in 1960 he topped the American charts with his theme for the film "The Apartment", although in reality the producers had resurrected one of his earlier works Jealous Lover. He conducted many commercial recordings for Columbia during the 1940s and 1950s, although his largest body of work in the light music field was his massive contribution to the Chappell Recorded Music Library (there is a fine selection from this source on GLCD 5107).

"The Passionate Friends" was one of David Lean’s least successful films when released in 1948, yet it possessed many positive ingredients that should have made it a box office hit. Based on a story by H.G. Wells, the stars included Ann Todd, Trevor Howard and Claude Rains, backed up by a strong team of British supporting actors. The outdoor scenes were attractive, and there seems little doubt that the producers were hoping to build on the success of "Brief Encounter" three years earlier. For the music they turned to Richard Addinsell (1904–1977) who, in 1941, had stunned cinema audiences with his Warsaw Concerto" (for the film "Dangerous Moonlight"), although it subsequently emerged that much of the credit should have gone to the man who orchestrated Addinsell’s sketches - Roy Douglas (b.1907). In the case of "The Passionate Friends" Addinsell worked with Leonard Isaacs (1909-1997), and an attempt was made to promote part of the score as a popular song under the title Lovers’ Moon. Film buffs in the 21^st century now look more favourably on this film than their grandparents; it seems to be acquiring cult status and has been digitally restored by the British Film Institute. In the USA it was released as "One Woman’s Story". The MD on the film was the ubiquitous Muir Mathieson (1911-1975), who also conducted the commercial recording for Columbia.

Although Angela Morley arranged most of the music for the British film "Let’s Be Happy", it is disappointing that she was not allowed to orchestrate Nicholas Brodszky’s music for the ballet sequence – The Card Ballet. It seems that musicals of this period often deemed it necessary to include such a set piece, giving composers and arrangers a great opportunity to produce something rather special. It would be foolish to expect another "American In Paris" or "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue" every time, but enjoyable results can often be achieved from more modest resources.

Albert Richard Sendrey (1911-2003) was a prolific composer, conductor and arranger largely unknown to the public, although he was highly regarded within the music profession. His Hungarian-born father Alfred was an opera singer and composer; he also taught music and one of his pupils is reputed to have been Henry Mancini. Albert’s mother, Eugenie, had been a soprano for the Vienna Opera under Gustav Mahler, so he certainly grew up strongly influenced by music. His education included periods at the Leipzig Conservatory and the Trinity College of Music in London, and he also studied with John Barbirolli, Albert Coates and Henry Geehl. One might have expected all these influences to result in a career in serious music, but it seems that Albert was more attracted to the popular music scene in the USA. He signed with MGM in the 1940s, and his long career produced some 170 scores for films and TV. In 1953 he began contributing production numbers for shows in Las Vegas, and shortly thereafter he began working as pianist and conductor for Tony Martin, one of the stars of "Let’s Be Happy". No doubt this influenced the producers to engage him to work on the ballet sequence with Brodszky.

Born in Odessa, Russia, Nicholas Brodszky (1905-1958) – spellings of his names differ - was credited with a number of film scores, but in essence his main gift was as a composer of songs, leaving others to orchestrate his basic themes (similar to Richard Addinsell, mentioned above). Like so many musicians he learned piano as a child, and studied in Rome, Vienna and Budapest. By the late 1920s he was contributing songs to long-forgotten Viennese operettas, and his success with hit songs in Europe prompted a move to England in 1937 where he wrote the music (to A.P. Herbert’s lyrics) for C.B. Cochrane’s revue "Home and Beauty". Previously his work had already appeared in many German films, so it was hardly surprising that British film producers would soon commission him – even though ‘collaborators’ such as Charles Williams, Philip Green, Mischa Spoliansky, Clive Richardson and Sidney Torch would all take turns at moulding Brodszky’s songs into acceptable film scores. Perhaps the most memorable during that period was "The Way To The Stars" (1945), although Charles Williams later claimed that Brodszky only wrote the first four notes of the main theme leaving the rest to him (Williams’ own recording is on GLCD 5102). Brodszky ended his career in Hollywood, receiving five Oscar nominations for movie songs (four of them with lyrics by Sammy Cahn) such as Be My Love and Because You’re Mine. Louis Levy was musical director at Associated British Studios at that time, and his name (as usual) was prominently displayed on the credits as conductor. But it is Albert Sendrey who deserves the real credit for The Card Ballet. Choreographed by Pauline Grant and Alfred Rodriques, it gave Hollywood star Vera-Ellen full scope to display her dancing skills in what was to be her last major film role.

© David Ades 2008

Great Light Orchestras Salute George Gershwin and Jerome Kern

1 Look For The Silver Lining (from "Sally"1920); They Didn’t Believe Me (from "The Girl From Utah" 1914); Long Ago And Far Away (from film "Cover Girl" 1944) (Jerome Kern)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
2 Love Walked In (from "The Goldwyn Follies" 1938) (George Gershwin, arr. Robert Farnon)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
3 Why Was I Born (from "Sweet Adeline" 1929) (Jerome Kern)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
4 A Fine Romance (from film "Swing Time" 1936) (Jerome Kern, arr. Johnny Douglas)
JOHNNY DOUGLAS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
5 For You, For Me, For Evermore (from film "The Shocking Miss Pilgrim" 1947) (George Gershwin, arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
6 Who (from "Sunny" 1925); I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star (from "Music In The Air" 1932) (Jerome Kern, arr. Angela Morley)
KINGSWAY PROMENADE ORCHESTRA Conducted by STANLEY BLACK
7 Embraceable You (from "Girl Crazy" 1930) (George Gershwin)
FRANK PERKINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
8 Fascinating Rhythm (from "Lady Be Good" 1924) (George & Ira Gershwin)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
9 Can’t Help Singing (title song from 1944 film) (Jerome Kern)
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
10 Strike Up The Band (title songs from 1927 musical) (George Gershwin)
DANISH STATE RADIO ENTERTAINMENT ORCHESTRA Conducted by KAI MORTENSEN
11 "Lovely To Look At" Film Selection (Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach) Lovely To Look At, You’re Devastating, Yesterdays, I Won’t Dance, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, The Touch Of Your Hand, Lovely To Look At.
RAY MARTIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
12 Liza (from "Show Girl" 1929) (George Gershwin, arr. Richard Jones)
THE PITTSBURGH STRINGS Conducted by RICHARD JONES
13 Long Ago And Far Away (from film "Cover Girl" 1944) (Jerome Kern, arr. Gordon Jenkins)
GORDON JENKINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
14 Rhapsody In Blue (1924) (George Gershwin)
PHILIP GREEN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA with RONNIE SELBEY, piano
15 Can I Forget You (from "High, Wide and Handsome" 1937) (Jerome Kern)
GLENN OSSER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
16 The Way You Look Tonight (from film "Swing Time" 1936) (Jerome Kern, arr. Ron Goodwin)
RON GOODWIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
17 George Gershwin Suite (Gershwin) Strike Up The Band, Embraceable You, Do-do-do, Love Walked In, Swanee, Someone To Watch Over Me, S’Wonderful, I Got Rhythm, Bidin’ My Time, But Not For Me, Somebody Loves Me, Of Thee I Sing.
LOUIS LEVY AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA

GLCD 5148

The 20^th Century was a time when popular songwriters were truly blessed by three wonderful inventions which transformed the way in which music became accessible to everyone, virtually on demand. The gramophone, radio and talking pictures created an almost insatiable appetite for words and music, which the entertainment moguls of the day did their best to satisfy – often earning themselves a very comfortable living in the process.

There must have been thousands of tunesmiths churning out melodies in the hope of attracting attention from a public always eager for more. As the century dawned sheet music sales were the main source of income for publishers, since all who could afford it had a piano in the home. Even by the 1940s there were so-called ‘hit parade’ charts listing the most popular tunes compiled from piano scores, although eventually disc sales became a more accurate reflection of the public’s preferences.

A few composers and lyricists emerged as being pre-eminent purveyors of their art. Most had previously directed their talents towards the musical theatre, but the lure of Hollywood eventually proved too strong for many to resist, and the movies of the 1930s witnessed a tremendous outpouring of musical talent (in Europe as well as the USA) and the finest songs of the period are now a part of our enduring musical heritage.

In previous collections in this series Guild has already saluted the talents of Richard Rodgers (GLCD 5123) and Cole Porter (GLCD 5127): now it is the turn of George Gershwin and Jerome Kern.

Encapsulating the brilliant achievements of George Gershwin in a few paragraphs is well nigh impossible, but anyone wishing to study his career in depth has a wide choice of excellent biographies by learned musicologists from which to choose. He was born Jacob Gershovitz in Brooklyn, New York on 26 September 1898 and is reported to have taught himself to play on a neighbour’s piano. At the age of thirteen a teacher introduced him to the classics, and two years later he found employment with a music publisher as a demonstrator of the latest songs. By the time he was twenty he had completed his first Broadway musical, "La La Lucille" and around the same time he had his first big hit Swanee when it was discovered by Al Jolson.

Thereafter it seemed that almost everything he wrote found favour with the public, and throughout his career he worked closely with his elder brother Ira who was one of the great lyricists of the period. It has been said that Gershwin’s strengths were a result of his willing acceptance of European musical culture which he cleverly married to the jazz idiom that swept America during his youth. Nowhere was this more apparent than in his memorable Rhapsody In Blue in 1924, although subsequent attempts to compose a sequel of similar stature somehow eluded him, despite several important works written for the concert hall. But it appears that his heart was mainly in the theatre and, when sound arrived in the late 1920s, the cinema. It was a tragedy that someone so talented should have had their life cut short by a condition that would probably have been curable today. He was diagnosed as suffering from a brain tumour, and died in Hollywood on 11 July 1937 aged only 38.

There is a famous quote which still bears repeating: the writer John O'Hara summed up the feelings of many Americans when he said "George Gershwin is dead, but I don't have to believe it if I don't want to."

Thirteen years before Gershwin’s arrival on the planet, Jerome David Kern was born in New York City on 27 January 1885. Although their careers bore certain similarities, Kern has been described as being more influenced by the European school of musical theatre which was a strong force on Broadway during his formative years. In fact he spent some while studying in Germany, and worked successfully in London where he met his wife Eva, and contributed songs to several West End shows.

Drawing room ballads were still popular during the early years of the last century. They sold in their thousands to budding musicians who would perform them in their own homes for the entertainment of sometimes long-suffering family and friends. Students have suggested that Kern managed to break a long established mould when, in 1914, with lyrics by Herbert Reynolds he created what some consider to be the first modern ballad, They Didn’t Believe Me. It has also been claimed that he helped to move the traditional Broadway musical on to a higher plane with "Show Boat", written in collaboration with Oscar Hammerstein II in 1927.

Eventually Kern was persuaded to write for Hollywood musicals, although it has been said that he was nervous when approached to write the score for the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers 1936 film "Swing Time". Then in his fifties, he wondered if he still had his finger on the musical pulse of the younger generation, but he didn’t need to worry; tunes such as Pick Yourself confirmed that he could cope very well with modern rhythms, and he continued to produce delightful film scores including the memorable "Cover Girl" with Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly in 1944.

In 1945 Kern was working on a planned revival of "Show Boat", but he never saw it performed: he died of a heart attack in New York on 11 November 1945 aged 60. At his friend's memorial service, Oscar Hammerstein remarked: "He stimulated everyone. He annoyed some. He never bored anyone at any time."

In selecting the orchestras for this tribute an attempt has been made to offer some performances which will be less familiar to music lovers. Rather than repeat versions that are readily available elsewhere, some rare 78s have been rescued from oblivion – such an example being the 1945 Decca recording of Rhapsody In Blue. It is conducted by Philip Green (1910-1982) who 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. A compulsive worker, he appeared in countless radio programmes and also composed numerous pieces of mood music for major London publishers including Chappell & Co., Francis Day & Hunter, Paxton and EMI’s Photoplay Music, where he ultimately became the only contributor to the catalogue. The pianist Ronnie Selbey played on several Ambrose 78s during 1941, and was present on some of Ted Heath’s earliest recordings for Decca. He also worked in the USA where he was Vic Damone’s pianist for a while.

Composers as prolific as Gershwin and Kern occasionally decline to publish some of their creations for various reasons, and it can be a moment of great excitement when researchers later discover some works previously unknown. Manuscripts left behind by Gershwin were naturally the subject of keen interest and in 1947 a film "The Shocking Miss Pilgrim" with Betty Grable offered a ‘new’ and posthumous score with lyrics, as always, by his brother Ira. Several of the songs became popular, the most lasting being For You, For Me, For Evermore which Percy Faith (1908-1976) delightfully arranged for his own tribute to Gershwin released by Columbia in 1957.

In the middle years of the last century the name ‘Louis Levy’ (1893-1957) would have been familiar to millions of cinemagoers around the world. He was listed as Musical Director on countless British films, and he led a team of fine composers and arrangers that helped to establish film scoring as an important craft in its own right. As head of a music department servicing both Gaumont British and Gainsborough studios, Levy was one of the most influential figures in British film music from the 1930s to the 1950s. He was more prolific than his contemporary Muir Mathieson, although it has to be said that the latter enjoyed greater critical acclaim. Levy’s success in films resulted in major record contracts for HMV and Columbia, and he became a regular broadcaster.

His famous long-running BBC radio series "Music From The Movies" began on 6^th January 1936. Levy’s aim was to allow listeners at home to enjoy the same lush orchestrations they were then accustomed to hearing in the cinema. He further extended this ideal to his commercial recordings, and the rich sounds emanating from his large orchestra were considered impressive by contemporary collectors. Through the sheer necessity of having to produce so much music, Levy wisely employed several talented arrangers who helped to establish his style, among them Peter Yorke (1902-1966, who adapted the powerful Levy sound for his own successful post-war concert orchestra), and Bretton Byrd (who was Levy’s chief music editor at Gaumont British). To the constant frustration of researchers, it was rare for record companies to divulge the names of the arrangers on 78 labels, so it is a matter for conjecture as to who was responsible for scoring the Gershwin selection which concludes this CD. Certainly it was not the work of Peter Yorke; his arrangements are unique and instantly recognisable to his admirers, and in any case he was busy with his own orchestra conducting frequent broadcasts and recordings at that time. Bretton Byrd is, perhaps, an obvious choice since he was still composing and conducting for films several years after this suite was recorded. However the style bears little similarity to Levy’s 1930s discs (some of which were undoubtedly Byrd’s work) so a definite attribution must await the discovery of future evidence.

David Ades