This new Vocalion CD completes the major project to reissue Robert Farnon’s great Decca albums from the 1950s

"The Songs of Britain" and "Stephen Foster Melodies"

The Songs of Britain Decca LF1123

1. THE BRITISH GRENADIERS (Trad.)

2. DRINK TO ME ONLY WITH THINE EYES (Trad.)

3. THE LINCOLNSHIRE POACHER (Trad.)

4. THE LONDONDERRY AIR (Trad.)

5. STRAWBERRY FAIR (Trad.)

6. ANNIE LAURIE (Lady Scott)

7. ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT (Trad.)

8. EARLY ONE MORNING (Trad.)

Stephen Foster Melodies [The Robert Farnon Octet] Decca LF1034

1. JEANIE WITH THE LIGHT BROWN HAIR

2. SWANNEE RIVER

3. DEEP RIVER (Trad.)

4. CAMPTOWN RACES

5. OH! SUSANNA

6. COME WHERE MY LOVE LIES DREAMING

7. SWEET AND LOW (Tennyson, Barnby)

8. BEAUTIFUL DREAMER

BONUS TRACKS

17 APRIL IN PARIS (Vernon Duke) LF1020

18 INVITATION WALTZ (Richard Addinsell) LF1020 F9530

19 JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS (Cole Porter) LF1020 F9530

20 KISS ME AGAIN (Victor Herbert) LF1020

21 SHADOW WALTZ (Harry Warren, Al Dubin) LF1020

22 DONKEY SERENADE (Friml, Stothart, Wright) LM4509 F9185

23 PERSIAN NOCTURNE (Robert Stolz) LM4509 F9264

24 THE WALTZING CAT (Leroy Anderson) F10005

25 PROUD CANVAS (Robert Farnon) DFE6470

26 BIRD CHARMER (Robert Farnon) DFE6470

27 JOCKEY ON THE CAROUSEL (Farnon, Buchel) DFE6470

28 WESTMINSTER WALTZ (Robert Farnon) F10818 45-F10818

DFE series Decca 7" EP 45
F series Decca 10" 78 45-F 7" 45
LF series Decca 10" LP
LM series Decca 10" LP

Recording History

28.1.49 Donkey Serenade
18.5.49 Persian Nocturne
27.10.49 Swannee River, Deep River, Camptown Races
28.10.49 Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming, Sweet and Low, Beautiful Dreamer
4.5.50 Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair, Oh! Susanna
9.5.50 Just One of Those Things, Invitation Waltz
10.5.50 April in Paris, Kiss Me Again, Shadow Waltz
2.10.52 Waltzing Cat
27.4.53 ‘The Songs of Britain’ – all tracks
2.7.56 Westminster Waltz
12.2.58 Proud Canvas, Bird Charmer, Jockey on the Carousel – these three tracks were recorded in stereo, but originally issued on the EP only in mono

It is likely that the Stephen Foster tracks, and the 1958 sessions, were recorded at Broadhurst Gardens in London. The other tracks were probably recorded at Kingsway Hall.

Robert Farnon and his Orchestra

Vocalion CDLK4174

As many members of the Robert Farnon Society already know, Robert Farnon is a self-confessed lover of folk music, so when Decca asked him to arrange and conduct a selection of famous airs associated with the British Isles in honour of the Coronation of H.M Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, it was like being let loose in a sweet shop and told to savour all the goodies on the shelves.

It was perhaps a pity that he was only allowed a 10" LP, but it has to be remembered that long-playing records were expensive luxuries in the early 1950s, and the smaller discs (the same size as the familiar 78s they were gradually replacing) were considerably cheaper than the 12" ‘big brothers’ that would eventually become the standard format of sound reproduction.

Nevertheless in his album The Songs of Britain Bob Farnon managed to create eight brilliant orchestrations that cleverly captured, in turn, the majesty, romance, humour, sentimentality and sense of tradition that are intrinsic values inherent in the finest folk melodies that have been handed down through many generations.

The selection opens quietly with the fife and drums announcing the approach of a military band, which soon turns out to be a full concert orchestra. The British Grenadiers is probably the most famous march associated with the British Army, and Farnon’s clever score gives the impression of a band marching by on parade, finally moving on into the distance – until the final chords! Delicate strings support a solo viola in an unusual setting of Drink to me only with thine eyes. This is a very old song: Ben Jonson’s lyric dates from the 17^th century, with the melody originally published as a glee around one hundred years later. The idea of lapsing into a 20^th century slow foxtrot might alarm purists, but in the skilful hands of Farnon it works admirably. (It is not always easy to distinguish between the viola and a cello. Bob assures us that he used a viola in this arrangement; as he put it to us just recently – "Thanks to William Walton, the viola became a respectable instrument!")

The Lincolnshire Poacher is a carefree vagabond, who may be the scourge of local landowners, but is regarded as a popular hero for his harmless lawbreaking. Robert Farnon is a master at portraying humour in music, and his witty arrangement also suggests that the poacher enjoys the occasional drink as the climax to his escapades. In complete contrast the focus shifts across the Irish Sea from England to the Emerald Isle, for perhaps the most famous of all the folk melodies to emanate from that mystical realm. The strings predominate in Farnon’s affectionate and sensitive setting of The Londonderry Air, a work that has achieved popularity throughout the world. It is regarded as a genuine folk melody, having been handed down through many generations until it was eventually published in the middle of the nineteenth century.

It’s back to England where rustic merry-making is the order of the day in Strawberry Fair, with the muted brass, wood-winds, perky strings, and xylophone all clamouring for attention. After a brief pause to restore their energy levels, the dancers regroup for one final major burst of merrymaking. Robert Farnon next takes us north of the border to Scotland for Annie Laurie, the only non-traditional work in this collection, although Lady Scott’s melody has long achieved the status of a national air. It is introduced by the oboe, leading to a big swell of strings that dwells and lingers upon the passionate melody, subsequently taken up by the full orchestra.

The remaining area of Britain to be represented is Wales, and Farnon’s gift of being able to conjure up a serene, pastoral mood is perfectly suited to All Through The Night. Solo violin and harp set the tender scene right from the start, with the strings of the orchestra soon surging to embrace this ethereal melody.

To conclude this journey around the British Isles, we return to England for Early One Morning. Farnon originally orchestrated this bouncy folk song when he was musical director for the film "Spring in Park Lane" (1948). He re-worked his score for this album, using as the opening passage the sequence where Anna Neagle is seen walking along a fashionable Mayfair Street, only to be somewhat surprised when her front door is opened by Michael Wilding, instead of her usual butler. Such things used to happen in films light years ago! In one of his typical scores like this, Farnon employs the whole orchestra, so we hear the wood-winds almost in a question and answer session with the strings and muted brass. The melody happily flits around until it is finally, and firmly, grasped by the full orchestra which majestically builds into one of the finest musical climaxes that Robert Farnon has ever created.

The second 10" LP featured on this CD is Stephen Foster Melodies played by The Robert Farnon Octet (as opposed to the full orchestra, on all the other tracks). The smaller instrumentation allowed for a kind of chamber music quality which certainly suits some of the numbers, which were mostly composed in the middle of the 19^th century, and would therefore have been played at the time by similar sized ensembles, both professional and amateur.

Stephen Collins Foster was born in Lawrenceville (now part of Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania on 4 July 1826, the ninth in a family of ten children. He died in New York on 13 January 1864, and during his 37 years he became America’s first professional popular songwriter, with more than 200 songs to his credit. Reports suggest that he received a basic formal musical training from a German immigrant, Henry Kleber, and he started writing songs when he was only 14; his first big success was Oh! Susanna, published in 1848. His inspiration seems to have been the singing and dancing of negroes he heard as a child on the wharves of the Ohio River, and he was profoundly affected by the traditional minstrel shows. Occasionally he employed lyric writers, but most of his best-known works featured his own words and music.

He married Jane McDowell in 1850, and composed Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair for her in 1854 when they were separated. (Way Down Upon the) Swanee River is also known as The Old Folks at Home and it appeared in 1851 which seems to have been one of Foster’s busiest years for new works. He wrote it for the famous Christy Minstrels, and Foster apparently permitted E.P. Christy to name himself as the composer. Camptown Races had been published the year before, and it became very popular with children; its alternative title was Gwine to Rune All Night - an unusual line to the ears of the many singers who have performed it over the years.

Come Where my Love Lies Dreaming was probably another tribute to his lost love. It comes from 1855 at the start of a five year period which saw far fewer new songs than previously. By the time Foster wrote Beautiful Dreamer in 1862 he was again producing numerous works at an increasing rate. But when he died from a fall induced by a fever that would have been easily curable today, he had just 37 cents in his pocket. His lack of riches can be blamed on the absence of enforceable copyright laws, and the impracticality of collecting performing rights fees at that time.

Two numbers in this collection are apparently not the original works of Foster. Sweet and Low surely evolved as a spiritual, with lyrics ‘borrowed’ from Alfred Tennyson. It would seem that a Joseph Barnby published it in 1863, claiming it as his own. Deep River also appears in reference books as a traditional black spiritual, published in 1917, but who is to say that many years before it had not reached the ears of Foster and his contemporaries?

Over the years, within the RFS there have occasionally been conflicting views about whether or not Bob actually conducted – or indeed arranged – the tracks on this LP. Your Editor discussed this with Bob at some length when writing the notes for this CD, and the explanation that follows will hopefully settle any friendly arguments once and for all! Bob clearly remembers conducting the sessions, but Bruce Campbell probably assisted with some of the scores. It was still a case of a ‘master and pupil’ relationship, with Campbell gradually learning more about the skills of arranging and composing. Farnon’s own busy schedule meant that he would occasionally sketch out the bones of a score, which Campbell would embellish before handing it back to the maestro for the final finishing touches.

Bruce Campbell was a fellow Canadian who had come to Britain in the 1930s to play trombone with various dance bands including Jack Hylton, Jack Harris, Sid Millward and Hugo Rignold. Eventually he developed into a talented light music composer in his own right.

‘Stephen Foster Melodies’ was recorded mainly for the American market, and it provides some interesting contrasts with the big orchestral sounds that had been associated with Farnon up to that time.

The remaining tracks in this collection come from various 78s, 45s and LPs that have escaped the net so far in Vocalion’s major project to reissue the vast majority of Robert Farnon’s orchestral recordings for Decca. In the early days of LPs, a few releases were made up of 78s, rather than special projects purely for LPs. Some of Bob’s 10" albums fall into this category, and because of the contents they have not been suitable for reissue on CD as individual albums, in the same way as major projects such as "From the Highlands" or "Canadian Impressions". Now those remaining tracks have been assembled, the only few exceptions being well-known numbers ("Comedians’ Galop" and "Huckle-Buckle" are two examples) which are already available elsewhere on recently released CDs.

The Vernon Duke song April In Paris hardly needs any introduction. At one time it was in the repertoire of almost every band and orchestra, and Robert Farnon often included it in his radio programmes. Richard Addinsell’s charming Invitation Waltz is also known as ‘Ring Round The Moon’ - the title of Christopher Fry’s play, produced in 1950, for which this haunting piece was specially composed.

Robert Farnon never actually got around to making an LP of Cole Porter’s music, although he featured the works of this American genius on many occasions. Just One Of Those Things finds the orchestra on top form, with brief solos from Sidney Bright (piano – brother of the famous bandleader Geraldo) and Dave Goldberg (guitar). Kiss Me Again, Shadow Waltz and Donkey Serenade were all popular songs from 1930s film musicals, suitably dressed up to date in Farnon’s own stunning orchestrations. However the next item, Persian Nocturne, is the one track on this CD where the Farnon touch is missing as arranger. Just after the war he got to know the famous Austrian composer Robert Stolz very well, and they both admired each other’s music-making. Stolz had taken some of Farnon’s early compositions to perform in Germany, so Bob returned the compliment by recording one of his own Stolz favourites. The arranger is unknown – maybe the composer himself?

While Robert Farnon was making a name for himself in Britain as one of the leading light music composers, Leroy Anderson was doing the same in North America. He had a string of big successes, such as Sleigh Ride, Blue Tango and Belle Of The Ball. When Waltzing Cat came out, Decca asked Bob to record it, and it is interesting that his arrangement is unlike any of the other 78s of this tune that were around at the same time.

To complete this compilation we have four Robert Farnon compositions. Proud Canvas is simply a wonderful piece of ‘sea music’, conjuring up the great days of sail. Not long after he composed it, Farnon was signed to score the seafaring epic "Captain Horatio Hornblower". The eldest son of Pat and Bob Farnon is David, himself a successful musician with many fine compositions to his credit. When he was very young, one day his mother made the comment that he could "charm the birds out of the trees". At the time his father was just finishing a new piece which lacked a title: Bird Charmer provided the answer.

During his time working on films produced by Herbert Wilcox (such as "Spring in Park Lane" and "Maytime in Mayfair"), Bob found himself scoring for dance routines dreamed up by Philip and Betty Buchel. Philip liked to write the odd tune, but he always needed help in finishing it. So from the few brief notes of one of Philip’s sketchy melodies, Bob createdThe Jockey On The Carousel.

Our final track introduces again one of the most successful numbers that Robert Farnon has composed. Like so many of his works, it was originally written as background music for Chappell’s Record Music Library, and started appearing in newsreels and radio programmes. The public quickly took note, and Bob made a commercial recording for Decca. The melody won him his first Ivor Novello Award, as the best piece of Light Orchestral Music in 1956. Perhaps some of its charm lies in the opening chimes. Originally Bob had been using a working title "The First Waltz", but his publishers suggested incorporating the famous Westminster chimes which naturally meant a change of name. Some years later Bob did compose another "First Waltz" which is a delightful melody, but it hasn’t achieved the same fame.

As stated at the top of this feature, the major project to reissue Robert Farnon’s Decca albums from the 1950s is virtually complete. However, readers will be aware that he continued to be active in the recording studios long after his ‘salad days’ with Decca came to an end. There are still many fine Farnon treasures patiently waiting to be rediscovered for a new lease of life on CD!

David Ades

Another Landmark Robert Farnon CD from Vocalion - released Autumn 2002

"The Wide World of Robert Farnon"

1 THE WIDE WORLD 2 OLYMPIAN MARCH Michael Hankinson and his Orchestra 3 RHAPSODY FOR VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA Robert Farnon and his Orchestra Steven Staryk - violin soloist 4 SCENIC WONDERS Bratislava Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Peter Breiner 5 I SAW MY LADY WEEP Robert Farnon and his Orchestra 6 SWALLOW FLIGHT 7 LAKE LOUISE 8 THE MAGIC ISLAND Paul Zaza and his Orchestra 9 CASCADES TO THE SEA – CONCERTO FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA Bratislava Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Farnon Peter Breiner - piano soloist 10 HOW BEAUTIFUL IS NIGHT Robert Farnon and his Orchestra 11 CRUISE WORLD Bratislava Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Farnon 12 HOLLYWOOD STARS Bratislava Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Peter Breiner 13 SPORTS ARENA 14 HOCKEY NIGHT Stateside Marching Band conducted by Charles Yates

All compositions by Robert Farnon

Vocalion CDLK4146

While still in his teens, back home in Canada, Robert Farnon had a yearning to compose classical music. He recently said: "At that time I thought of nothing else but writing serious music. And my teacher encouraged me to just start and see what would happen. I had a lot of ideas in my head, from which my Symphony No. 1 in D Flat Major was born. I wrote it during two summer holidays: one, in 1939, in northern Ontario, and the following summer out in Vancouver on Grouse Mountain. When I finished the score, I presented it to Sir Ernest MacMillan to get his opinion of it. He liked it very much, and decided to perform it with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra."

MacMillan conducted the first performance in January 1941, and it soon came to the attention of Eugene Ormandy who introduced it to American audiences with his famous Philadelphia Orchestra during a week of concerts in April 1942.

Elated by the reception to his first symphony, Farnon composed a second – in B Major (the ‘Ottawa Symphony’) – which was also conducted by MacMillan in a CBC broadcast.

This promising career was cut short when World War 2 intervened, and Captain Robert Farnon was posted to Britain with his Canadian Army Band. Serious music had to be forgotten, at least temporarily. The troops wanted popular music, and Bob and his musicians duly obliged.

Over the years admirers of Farnon’s more serious works have yearned to hear these symphonies, but the Maestro has always politely resisted all attempts to persuade him to release them for further public performances. True there are problems with missing scores (some of Farnon’s works were lost at sea en route from Canada to Britain during the war), but Farnon admits that the main reason is that he doesn’t consider that they had sufficient merit. In practice, these works have not been completely ‘lost’, because several of the themes have appeared in later compositions.

Fortunately Farnon’s army service proved to be not the end of his musical aspirations, but the launch of his multi-talented career on to an international stage. His talent for composing light orchestral cameos resulted in hundreds of delightful works for Chappells, and proved to be the basis of his successful career for decades.

Now in his mid-eighties, Robert Farnon is still composing and arranging from the serenity of his home on the beautiful Channel Island of Guernsey. Today he tends to concentrate more on delicate tone poems, rather than the bright, bouncy numbers which established his fame over half a century ago. Whatever he chooses to write, he knows that a loyal army of admirers across the world is waiting to marvel at the rich orchestrations which have become his trademark.

Many of the recordings on this CD are being released commercially for the first time. Composed in 1983, the opening number The Wide World presents the traditional rich sound of a Farnon composition extolling the virtues of nature in its finest form. Many of his works have a scenic feel, no doubt influenced by his upbringing in Canada.

Olympian March was written for a British Press Association Centenary Concert in June 1983, where it was performed by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band conducted by Ray Parr; this version, for full orchestra, was scored at the request of Farnon’s publishers. Concert marches are another of Farnon’s specialities, and his catchy themes have enlivened many reports of sporting events in television and cinema newsreels.

There are two major works in this collection, revealing the more serious side of Farnon’s composing aspirations. In 1958 the BBC commissioned him to write a new work for its annual Light Music Festival, and he chose to compose a Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra, being a showpiece for the famous violinist Raymond Cohen, for many years the leader of the Robert Farnon Orchestra. Initially the work was heard in a shorter form, but soon afterwards Farnon expanded it to its present length, and its premiere recording (with Raymond Cohen) was made in September 1959 at Walthamstow Town Hall. The work soon attracted the attention of other violinists, notably the Canadian Steven Staryk, heard on this CD. Once again Walthamstow Town Hall was the choice of venue (its ideal acoustics were much favoured by record companies at the time) and the session took place just over a year later, on 3 December 1960. Comparisons between the Cohen and Staryk versions are fascinating: as the first performer of the work, Cohen’s interpretation was regarded as definitive, but the speed at which Staryk handles some of the solo passages (particularly the scherzando section) left many listeners gasping in admiration.

Born in Toronto in 1932, Staryk first came to prominence aged only 24 when chosen by Sir Thomas Beecham as concertmaster and soloist of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. After three successful years he resigned to take up a similar position with the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, and as Professor at the Amsterdam Conservatorium. Later he moved to the Chicago and Toronto symphonies. His career as a leading international artist was probably hampered by his aversion to publicity, and his air of detachment on stage. Injuries forced him to retire from active playing in 1986, and for the next decade he taught at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Comparing the two interpretations of his work, Robert Farnon recalls how the technical brilliance of Steven Staryk contrasted with the romantic feel of Cohen’s interpretation; he regards both performances as being equally valid.

Steven Staryk’s version of Farnon’s Rhapsody was previously only available on LPs with limited distribution, so this is the first opportunity for many music lovers to hear this virtuoso performance.

Scenic Wonders was composed and recorded in 1999. As the title aptly suggests, it gives Farnon the opportunity to indulge his passion for the spectacular beauty of his homeland.

I Saw My Lady Weep was originally called Blue Moment, but a change of title was considered desirable for this April 1966 recording.

Canada is again the inspiration for the next three works – Swallow Flight, Lake Louiseand The Magic Island, which were commissioned in 1984 for a selection of works with a summery, outdoor feel.

The second important work on this CD is Farnon’s latest major composition. This is the premiere commercial release of Cascades To The Sea – Tone Poem For Piano And Orchestra, with Peter Breiner as solo pianist. Robert Farnon’s son David is conducting the Bratislava Radio Symphony Orchestra in this recording made in March 1998. The work was commissioned in October 1997 by Mrs. Donna Grescoe Dojack in celebration of the 80^th birthday of her husband, Charles E. Dojack. A short poem on the title page of the score reads: "Music is like painting in Sound. You take it into your inner heart and never lose it. It is eternally mysterious. Anon. "

In the early 1940s Robert Farnon wrote another work which he also called Cascades To The Sea. Although it was performed during the war, he felt that he never fully completed it, and he only retained the middle theme which he eventually developed into In a Calm. The two ‘Cascades’ – composed more than half a century apart - bear little resemblance to each other.

This new work is outlined in Farnon’s own programme note: "A descriptive composition in one movement for piano and orchestra, the music commences at the source of a mountain stream which wends its way, increasing in volume and speed, to the brink of a waterfall, descending to the river below and joining its path of adventure through the beauties of countryside, the excitement of rapids, the fluvial activities of a delta, eventually reaching the grandeur of the open sea where it meets a receding tide and joins the flow to the calm of a distant horizon."

Commenting upon the actual task of composing Cascades, Farnon said that the work flowed naturally, and was virtually completed by Christmas 1997. "It was as if it was something I had been waiting to compose all my life."

The piano soloist, Peter Breiner, was born in 1957 in Humenne, now part of Slovakia. His involvement in a wide variety of musical styles finds him recording jazz and pop, as well as symphonic music; he writes for films, is a musical journalist and also hosts television programmes. Since March 1992 he has been based in Toronto, and he travels the world conducting and playing the piano.

At the same April 1966 session for I Saw My Lady Weep, Farnon decided to record again How Beautiful Is Night, since his original version was in mono. This has become one of his most popular tone poems, made recognisable worldwide thanks to recordings by Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett and George Shearing. The inspiration was a poem of the same name by Robert Southey.

Two recent works illustrate Farnon’s penchant for full-blown glamorous numbers: Cruise World (1998) and Hollywood Stars (1999) remind us that this is the same composer who gave us Journey Into Melody and A Star Is Born.

The mood changes for the final two numbers in this collection. Marching bands are a popular feature at many sporting and outdoor events in North America, and it was almost inevitable that Robert Farnon would be persuaded to score something for this musical phenomenon that attracts so many amateur enthusiasts. Sports Arena was actually written as the signature tune for a TVS television series in 1983, but Hockey Night is purely a tribute to a game which still enjoys strong support across the Atlantic – both on grass and ice. The six main notes of the melody are based on the famous ‘charge’ theme which is always used in ice hockey games in North America, usually played live in the arena by a resident electric organist.

Although his work can be readily identified by his many admirers, Robert Farnon is far from a typical composer. He loves both jazz and the classics, and has worked with opera singers and top popular crooners. Jumping Bean is vastly different from Gateway To The West; it is hard to believe that the composer of the theme music for Colditz was also responsible for Peanut Polka. Such diversity, and mastery of so many varied styles of music, is represented in this latest collection of Farnon’s composing skills. It makes a truly valuable, and essential, addition to the existing vast repertoire of his recorded works.

David Ades

A Great New Robert Farnon CD to celebrate his 85^th Birthday in July!

"Lovers Love London"

The music of

ROBERT FARNON

played by the

ROYAL PHILHARMONIC STRINGS

Leader: Rolph Wilson

Conducted by

JACK PARNELL

Recorded on 6 November 2001 at Angel Studios, Islington, London

Avid/Horatio Nelson AVHN101 - Price £12.50
Available from
RECORDS DIRECT, PO Box 1123, LONDON, SW1P 1HB
Cheques should be made payable to ‘Records Direct’
[This CD is also available through the RFS Record Service]

André Previn declared, many years ago, that Robert Farnon is the greatest living writer for strings. When he hears this new album, he will be reassured that his opinion was not misplaced.

At the age of 84, Farnon could have been forgiven for merely ‘polishing up’ a few old friends, which would certainly have been gratefully received by his many admirers around the world. But it is clear that his urge to compose is still as strong as ever, and five of these delicate miniatures are brand new works, while others are given fresh new settings which frequently amaze through their sheer beauty.

Today Bob prefers to leave it to other conductors to interpret his works, and he could have made no better choice than his old friend Jack Parnell.

"I was very honoured when Bob asked me to conduct his music for this CD" was Jack’s opening remark, when asked to reflect on the sessions.

"I have known, worked with, and deeply admired Bob for over half a century, and to conduct such beautiful music I considered one of the highlights of my career.

"The Orchestra were superb, and the exquisite playing of our leader, Rolph Wilson, and flautist Jane Pickles an absolute joy.

"I’m sure everyone who enjoys listening to romantic music will enjoy listening to this CD."

Robert Farnon was born in Toronto, Canada, on 24 July 1917. Still in his teens, he was well-known to radio listeners playing trumpet and cracking jokes with "The Happy Gang", which became a Canadian institution. He played in Percy Faith’s CBC orchestra, and eventually took over the baton when Faith was lured south to the richer pastures of the USA. During this period Farnon composed two symphonies, and he nursed aspirations to become a ‘serious’ composer. His first symphony was performed in the USA by Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra, and both were played by the Toronto and Montreal Symphony Orchestras.

Unfortunately World War 2 intervened, and in September 1944 he arrived in England as Captain Robert Farnon, conductor of the Canadian Band of the Allied Expeditionary Forces. Working alongside Glenn Miller and George Melachrino (who fronted the American and British bands), he undertook a punishing schedule of numerous broadcasts and concerts for the troops. Although the AEF Programme of the BBC was aimed at the Allied Forces, its broadcasts were popular with the civilian population as well, and by the end of the war Farnon was highly respected by fellow musicians and his many fans.

In Britain Robert Farnon had discovered that Concert Music was very popular, thanks to the influence of composers and conductors such as Eric Coates and Haydn Wood. Films also needed a steady supply of background music. Farnon decided that there were opportunities for him to develop his composing skills that were absent back home, so he chose to remain in England when he was demobbed from the Canadian Army.

He was soon in demand from radio, recording companies and the film industry. But perhaps the most significant turning point in his career came when Teddy Holmes, boss of the Chappell Recorded Music Library, put Farnon under contract to compose a steady stream of light music cameos covering many varied moods. It retrospect it seems that this event was akin to a dam being burst; dozens of wonderful melodies that had probably been kicking around in Farnon’s subconscious for years, suddenly found an outlet. Chappells was pleased to publish anything that Farnon created, allowing us all to marvel at miniature masterpieces such as Jumping Bean, Portrait of a Flirt, A Star is Born, Journey Into Melody, Peanut Polka and Westminster Waltz.

The arrival of the long playing record brought Robert Farnon’s brilliant arrangements and compositions to the notice of music lovers worldwide, and he was soon in demand to work with international stars such as Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, George Shearing, Lena Horne, Jose Carreras, Eileen Farrell, George Benson, Tony Bennett and Eddie Fisher.

The need to support a large family meant that Farnon had to provide the kind of music that would pay the bills. However, he has never forgotten his early ambitions to compose more serious works, and occasionally this has been possible. One of his first film scores was "Captain Horatio Hornblower, R.N." which contains some tender love themes among the stirring, swashbuckling excitement demanded by the script. In 1958 the BBC commissioned Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra, a beautiful romantic work, which has been unjustly neglected by concert promoters. The harmonica virtuoso Tommy Reilly persuaded Farnon to write specially for him, which resulted in Prelude and Dance for Harmonica and Orchestra, a work which forced harmonica manufacturers to redesign their instruments.

Saxophone Triparti is a three movement work for soprano, tenor and alto saxophones, which the Musicians’ Union commissioned in 1971 for Bob Burns. Other important scores include A La Claire Fontaine, Lake of the Woods, The Frontiersmen and A Promise of Spring.

This latest collection opens with a new composition Lovers Love London. According to Robert Farnon, his inspiration was an affection for lighting-up time on the streets, and the parks, of Westminster, and along the river. Some of this magic can be seen in the cover photograph of this CD, reproduced on the front page of this magazine.

En Bateau is a delightful work by Claude Debussy, which Farnon once orchestrated for the 1948 film "Spring In Park Lane", a very successful British movie starring Anna Neagle and Michael Wilding. It was Farnon’s first major film score, and could have resulted in a Hollywood career, had he not decided to remain on this side of the Atlantic. On this CD the work takes on a simplified setting of the two main themes, with a lovely music conversation between Jane (flute) and Rolph (violin).

Laura has always been one of Farnon’s favourite film themes. He first orchestrated it back in the 1940s, and hoped that one day he would hear it performed by a large orchestra in a major concert hall. He has had his wish fulfilled on more than one occasion (including a memorable concert at London’s Royal Festival Hall in 1974), and he could not resist allowing the Strings of the Royal Philharmonic to weave their special magic with David Raksin’s timeless melody.

Little Did I Know is the second brand-new Farnon score, and he plans to write a lyric to this pensive tune:

"Little did I know about her,
Not even her name.
She was shy
So was I … "

To a Young Lady is a proud father’s tribute to his daughter Judith.

Occasion to Reminisce is one of the many works that Robert Farnon originally composed for the Chappell Recorded Music Library – a vast storehouse of music that can be used by film, radio and television companies around the world. Although first published over forty years ago, this is the first time that it has been available on a commercial recording.

The ‘Eileen’ in the title of For Eileen is a very special lady who was held in high esteem in North America – the opera singer Eileen Farrell, whose recent death is reported elsewhere in this issue. During the 1990s Robert Farnon arranged and conducted four albums with her, and as a surprise item on the last of these he included this purely instrumental tribute. It is sometimes known under a different title, Our Romance.

The Touch of Your Lips is one of the enduring melodies written back in the 1930s by the British bandleader Ray Noble. It has become a popular ‘standard’ in the true sense of the word, and this superb string arrangement, like the others, is a joy to listen to.

During his long career Robert Farnon has worked with many of the finest musicians on the London scene. One of the most charming was the harpist Marie Goossens, who was frequently in the orchestra for its radio and television programmes, and numerous recording sessions. Intermezzo for Harp was composed by Bob especially for Marie, and it has become a firm favourite with the many harpists who have performed it subsequently.

Lady Barbara is the main love theme which Robert Farnon composed for the "Hornblower" film in 1951. Although it was an integral part of the score, it stands alone as a tender portrayal of the searing passions – both happy and sad – which mark all great love affairs. Lyrics have been added, and the title of the song version is On the Lips of Lovers.

A Violin Miniature comes from a suite "Showcase for Soloists" highlighting many instruments of the orchestra. It bears a passing resemblance to Farnon’s longer work Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra.

Coeur Brisé (literal translation ‘Heartbreaks’) is another new composition, receiving its premiere recording on this CD.

Peacehaven - also a new work – is a tone poem in the finest Farnon tradition, dedicated to the children’s home founded by Gracie Fields on the south coast of England.

In August 1998 Robert Farnon arranged and conducted an album for the great Scottish jazz singer Carol Kidd. For "C.K." (his fifth new composition on this CD) is Bob’s present to her, reminding them both of a joyous occasion which resulted in some superlative performances of great songs of the last century.

How Beautiful is Night reveals Robert Farnon at his most lyrical. Written in the 1940s, it has become a standard thanks to vocal recordings by Tony Bennett and Sarah Vaughan, and remains one of his best-known works. The title comes from a poem by Robert Southey, which provided the young Robert Farnon with the necessary inspiration.

Jack Parnell is one of the best-known and most popular British jazzmen. Born 6 August 1923, he is fondly remembered as drummer with the famous Ted Heath band, before his long association with Associated TeleVision. For years he conducted the theatre orchestra for the legendary ‘Sunday Night at the London Palladium’, and provided the orchestra for many of ATV’s top musical shows, culminating in ‘The Muppet Show’. Later in his career he returned to his jazz roots, leading the London Big Band. Widely admired in the music profession, he has worked with Robert Farnon on numerous recordings, and was a natural choice to conduct this album.

David Ades

The 6th Robert Farnon CD from Vocalion finally restores two classic LPs to the catalogue

ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA

Presenting Robert Farnon

1 Yes! We Have No Bananas (Silver, Cohn), 2 Always (Irving Berlin), 3 Blue Skies (Irving Berlin), 4 In The Blue Of The Evening (Alec Wilder), 5 When I Grow Too Old To Dream (Romberg, Hammerstein II), 6 Don’t Blame Me (McHugh, Fields), 7 To A Wild Rose (Edward MacDowell), 8 Dawn To Dusk (Alec Wilder), 9 Laura (Raksin, Mercer).

Flirtation Walk

10 Would You Like To Take A Walk? (Warren, Dixon, Rose), 11 Reflections In The Water (Loeb, Webster), 12 It’s Always You (Heusen, Burke), 13 Two Little Girls In Blue (Graham), 14 Sweet And Lovely (Arnheim, Tobias, Lemare), 15 So Do I (Burke, Johnston), 16 Flirtation Walk (Dixon, Wrubel), 17 By A Waterfall (Kahal, Fain), 18 Can I Forget You (Hammerstein, Kern), 19 It’s Easy To Remember (Rodgers, Hart), 20 Flirtation Waltz (Heywood, Sarony), 21 Down By The River (Rodgers, Hart), 22 My Foolish Heart (Young, Washington), 23 I Love A Lassie (Lauder, Grafton).

"Presenting Robert Farnon" was originally on Decca LK4067, released in September 1953; "Flirtation Walk", Decca LK4083, was released in October 1954.

Now available on CD: Vocalion CDLK4118

The cover of this new CD is featured on the front page of the December 2001 issue of Journal Into Melody.

"Presenting Robert Farnon" was recorded in January and February 1950, but Decca did not release it as a complete album until September 1953. Although intentionally conceived as an LP (Robert Farnon confirmed this in a recent interview), it is interesting to recall that the sessions actually took place before Decca released the first long-playing records in Britain in June 1950. However these modern recording miracles had been launched in the USA some months earlier, so Decca had some clues as to their likely attraction to the general public.

But did they get cold feet? Why was there such a long delay? Perhaps wishing to recoup some of their costs, all of the tracks (except for the two longer Alec Wilder pieces) were put out on 78s in Britain and/or the USA, so they were familiar to Farnon’s admirers long before the vinyl eventually appeared. Were sales disappointing? 12" LPs were expensive in the 1950s, and a year later (in November 1954) seven of the tracks suddenly appeared on a 10" LP with the same title. This didn’t happen again to a Farnon album, although several of his LPs were issued in 4-track sections when 45 rpm Extended-Play records appeared on the scene.

The album was produced by Tutti (Toots) Camarata, the American musical director who was one of the founders of London Records in the USA. He first attracted attention in Britain when he was engaged for the expensive Technicolor musical "London Town" starring Sid Field and the Ted Heath Orchestra. The film flopped, but Camarata continued to work for a while in Britain, making LPs under his own name and also producing others, such as this Farnon album.

The two Alec Wilder works were Camarata’s choice, with the rest of the album featuring what might be termed Farnon’s standard repertoire at the time - the kind of top-quality popular music heard regularly in his BBC radio and, later, television programmes.

On 3 January 1950 the first sessions took place at London’s Kingsway Hall (both LPs on this CD were recorded in this famous venue), featuring the Robert Farnon Strings: Always, When I Grow Too Old To Dream, To A Wild Rose and Laura. Without exception they illustrate Farnon’s mastery of string writing. Farnon once confided that one of his early ambitions was to hear a large string orchestra play his arrangement of Laura.

The next sessions for the album took place on 27 January 1950, with the full orchestra assembled for the two Alec Wilder compositions. Farnon remembers that he used Wilder’s original scores, making only minor alterations to suit the special requirements of his orchestra. In The Blue Of The Evening featured Frank Reidy on clarinet. In later years Reidy performed on many Farnon sessions, and eventually became the ‘fixer’, hiring the other musicians for the orchestra.

In Dawn To Dusk (known in the USA as Rhapsody For Piano And Orchestra) Farnon chose fellow Canadian Denny Vaughan for the solo piano part. Vaughan was a talented musician who also possessed a fine singing voice. Like Farnon, he was brought from his homeland to Britain during the war, and appeared in numerous broadcasts. After the war he worked with Geraldo, before eventually returning to progress his career in radio and television in North America. (Readers are reminded that Murray Ginsberg’s fine tribute to Denny Vaughan appeared in our June 2001 issue).

Alec Wilder has been described as an urbane, well-read, intelligent and rather poetic individual. His work was highly regarded by his peers, and he wrote a book about popular music which is almost regarded as a ‘bible’ by many in the music business, while others strongly disagree with some of his findings. He came into contact with the young Frank Sinatra, who did him the honour of conducting several of his works in December 1945, which were released by Columbia Records in the USA. Wilder’s best-known tunes include I’ll Be Around and Who Can I Turn To.

The full orchestra returned to Kingsway Hall on 3 February 1950 for three numbers showcasing Farnon’s affinity with orchestral jazz: Yes! We Have No Bananas, Blue Skies and Don’t Blame Me. Each scintillating score includes a feature for Dave Goldberg, the legendary guitar player. He was a member of the Ted Heath Band in the early 1950s, and went with them on an American tour. His undoubted talent was recognised, and he decided to stay there for a while. For some reason he chose to use the surname ‘Gilbert’ (rather than Goldberg) and the US release of Don’t Blame Me credits ‘Dave Gilbert’ as the guitar soloist with the Robert Farnon Orchestra. Sadly this genius became disenchanted with the way in which the popular music business was going, and he died at an early age from a drugs overdose.

"Flirtation Walk" was recorded in April 1954 and released in Britain the following October. The titles nearly all come from American films and shows of the 1930s and 1940s, the ‘baby’ of the set being My Foolish Heart, first heard in 1950 in the Susan Hayward film of the same name. One other number stands out for its surprise inclusion on the LP: I Love A Lassie, co-composed by the Scottish comedian Sir Harry Lauder, who made it world-famous. It provides the perfect lesson for aspiring arrangers, showing the way in which Farnon can give a bright new treatment to a well-known piece which almost defies being scored for a ‘serious’ orchestra (the other obvious example on this CD is Yes! We Have No Bananas).

The title tune Flirtation Walk contains one of the maestro’s musical jokes, which he has only recently publicly admitted. It was actually noticed around ten years ago by American musician Jeff Sultanof while working on a reconstruction of the score for a possible performance. It is Farnon’s one and only brush with atonal music, and occurs at around 1 min 10 secs and lasts for just 15 seconds. It is a short bridge at the end of the first chorus, and sounds like a lapse into one of the extreme jazz styles that were emerging at that time. Farnon greatly admired (and had once met) Bela Bartók; when asked why this was his only example of atonal music he explained: "It is really a kind of mathematical music - not quite my scene. I prefer to leave such matters in the hands of the experts like Bartók."

As a young arranger, Farnon’s wicked sense of humour often delighted fellow musicians. There is a story of a new score he did for Geraldo, which contained a terrible chord - obviously unmusical and completely wrong. When the musicians protested that they couldn’t play it, Geraldo sternly told them: "If Bob Farnon’s written it, it must be right, and you must play it!" Fortunately he was let in on the joke before the work was actually broadcast.

The two albums featured on this CD are prime examples of Robert Farnon’s undoubted talent in being able to transform often simple tunes into minor light orchestral masterpieces. Each and every one of these melodies has been carefully crafted to provide a wealth of beautiful sounds, bringing fresh rewards for the attentive listener at each successive hearing.

The American releases of these albums were packaged in different LP covers, and these are reproduced in full colour on the back page of the CD booklet:

"Presenting Robert Farnon" London LL812; "Flirtation Walk" London LL1053.

Robert Farnon completed the first movement of "The Mountbatten Suite" earlier this year, and as the December issue of Journal Into Melody closed for press the first performance was scheduled to take place on 18 October in Portsmouth. RFS members who attended our London meetings in the early 1990’s may well have had the pleasure of speaking to Sir Vivian Dunn. This distinguished ‘Man of Military Music’ was also a great lover of light music, and his LPs conducting the Orchestra of the Light Music Society are still regarded as being the definitive performances of many of the works included on those fondly recalled EMI albums from 30 years ago.

Sir Vivian died on 3 April 1995 aged 86. At the time he had been working on a "Mountbatten Suite", and had already completed the second and third movements, which he called Broadlands and Man of Action. For some reason he decided that he would compose the first movement last - it was to be called Man of Destiny. Sadly he never finished his work.

Early in 2000, Sir Vivian’s son Paddy (also a welcome visitor to our London meetings) decided to try and see if his father’s suite could be completed, and he asked Robert Farnon if he would be willing to compose the first movement.

Bob and Sir Vivian had known each other during World War II (both had conducted orchestras for the entertainment of the armed forces), and had remained friends ever since. Indeed the strength of Sir Vivian’s admiration for his work was such that Robert Farnon’s music became firmly established in the repertoire of the Royal Yacht orchestra during most state and private occasions during the post war years of Vivian Dunn’s appointment as Director of Music until 1954 and, it is understood, that tradition continued uninterrupted until HMY Britannia was de-commissioned some 45 years later. One of the light music works conducted by Sir Vivian for EMI was Robert Farnon’s A La Claire Fontaine.

In the biography of Sir Vivian Dunn Fiddler on the March, there are several references to Bob and their long friendship. On page 238 Bob completes a warm tribute by saying: "It was a special privilege to have known such a great man who became, not only a personal friend, but a great hero." The book also contains a summary of the relevance and importance of the "Mountbatten Suite".

Paddy had first sought the approval of Countess Mountbatten, who was delighted at the thought of Bob being approached. Her husband, Lord Brabourne, apparently knew Robert Farnon’s wife Patricia very well, from their days in films together.

Bob agreed to the commission in July 2000, and his completed score was delivered to Paddy Dunn in May - the delay mainly due to the move from ‘La Falaise’. (Bob jokingly told Paddy that he could have finished the work sooner, but he had mislaid his copy of his treasured Lloyd Webber chord chart during the house move!)

The Principal Director of Music, Royal Marines, Lt. Col. Richard Waterer, has been arranging to have the complete score and parts copied and printed, and as we went to press we learned that Man of Destiny’s first public performance would occur in Portsmouth on 18 October at St. Mary’s Church, Fratton, played by the orchestra of the Royal Band - the new title, by Royal Command, of what was the Royal Yacht Band. The reason for this somewhat strange location is that is where the Royal Marines School of Music currently holds its monthly winter concerts, a tradition introduced by Sir Vivian when the School was located at Deal. It is also hoped that the work will be recorded for commercial release, possibly by a symphony orchestra.

Both Robert Farnon and Paddy Dunn are keen that RFS members should have the opportunity to see Bob’s original pencil sketches for the first movement, Man of Destiny, and these are reproduced in the December 2001 issue of Journal Into Melody.

Robert Farnon will be featured on a new CD in the Naxos Historical ‘British Light Music’ series. This will include both Decca and Chappell recordings, and the titles selected are: Jumping Bean, A Star Is Born, Portrait of a Flirt, Journey Into Melody, Willie the Whistler, Melody Fair, Canadian Caravan, Ottawa Heights, Mountain Grandeur, Gateway to the West, Huckle-Buckle, How Beautiful is Night, State Occasion, Taj Mahal, High Street, Sophistication Waltz, Manhattan Playboy, String Time, In a Calm, Peanut Polka. Readers will recognise that all of these tracks are available on other CDs, but Naxos is widely distributed around the world so it is good that Bob’s music will now receive strong exposure. The CD is expected in January 2002, and the catalogue number will be Naxos 8110849.

Richard Jenkinson was formerly principal cellist with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. He has recently recorded a new CD of British works for the cello, and one of the tracks is Song of Scandia by Robert Farnon. In our March issue of Journal Into Melody we hope to have further information regarding the release of this CD. We understand that Richard has expressed the wish to continue the association with Robert Farnon, and Bob may compose a piece specially for him. In fact he has recently re-scored Pictures In The Fire for cello and piano, and Bob feels that it works wonderfully for this combination of instruments.

As we have reported previously, in recent months Robert Farnon has been working on a collection of new arrangements and compositions, concentrating on strings, harp and flute. As we go to press (early in October), Bob is just putting the finishing touches to the last of them, and the CD was scheduled to be recorded on 8 November at the Angel Studios, Islington, with the Royal Philharmonic Strings conducted by Jack Parnell.The titles are: Romancing the Phoenix, Little Did I Know, Coeur Brisé, For Eileen, Lady Barbara, She is Fair to be Uncompared, *En Bateau, *Laura, How Beautiful is Night, Peacehaven, For "C.K.", A Violin Miniature, Intermezzo for Harp, Occasion to Reminisce, *The Touch of your Lips and To a Young Lady. All are Robert Farnon compositions, except titles marked*.