"Melodies on the move"
CHRCD 1
This CD features 24 light and easy instrumental recordings from the vaults of Mozart Edition library.

Proceeds from the sale of this CD go to support Chichester Hospital Radio. More information here.

1 MERRY-GO-ROUND WALTZ
Alan Perry The Perry/Gardner Orchestra conducted by Alan Perry 2:12
2 LOVELY LIPS
Hans Wolf-Kraus Jack Wolfe and his Music 2:35
3 ON THE SMOOTH SIDE
Frank Chacksfield Antony Wood and his Orchestra 2:25
4 EL REMENDADO
Maurice van de Valle Armand Bernard and his Orchestra 2:25
5 MISS ANNA Louis Rey Detlef Rath and his Orchestra 2:51
6 SAY IT WITH FLOWERS
Ralf Heninger Antony Wood and his Orchestra 3:22
7 HIGHLAND HOLIDAY
Ralf Heninger Antony Wood and his Orchestra 2:33
8 OFF THE CUFF
Paul Fenhoulet Walt Peters and his Orchestra 2:36
9 SANTIAGO DE CHILE
Rudolf Maluck Orchestra Tropicana conducted by Lou Whiteson 4:26
10 LITTLE CLAUDIA
Carlos Diernhammer Jack Wolfe and his Music 1:59
11 IRISH IMP
William Gardner Antony Wood and his Orchestra 1:59
12 PHILOMENA
Hans Wolf-Kraus / Lothar Nakat Jack Wolfe and his Music 2:31
13 ON TWO CHORDS
Armand Bernard Armand Bernard and his Orchestra 2:23
14 SERENADE FOR LOVERS
Ralf Heninger Detlef Rath and his Orchestra 2:15
15 ALPINE STROLL
Louis Rey Antony Wood and his Orchestra 2:45
16 STRANGER IN THE NIGHT
Peter Thomas Peter Thomas and his Band 2:23
17 FUNNY HONEY
Carlos Diernhammer Jack Wolfe and his Music 2:22
18 TWILIGHT DREAMS
Albert Delroy Walt Peters and his Orchestra 4:06
19 JACKY’S WALTZ
Hans Wolf-Kraus Jack Wolfe and his Music 1:39
20 MAKIN’ HAY
Richard Toeman Walt Peters and his Orchestra 3:19
21 GOING STEADY
Conny Augustin Orchestra Raphaele conducted by Peter Walden 2:32
22 SOFTLY SWAYING
Harry Essex Antony Wood and his Orchestra 3:00
23 BLUE BLAZER Ralf Heninger Werner Eisbrenner and his Orchestra 1:56
24 BOMBA
Luis Gomez Orchestra Tropicana conducted by Lou Whiteson 2:12

IAIN SUTHERLAND CONCERT ORCHESTRA
“Orient Express” - 20 Light Classics
Alto ALC 1250

1. Waltz
2. Cockles and Mussels
3. Tea for Two
4. The Skaters' Waltz
5. Swedish Rhapsody
6. Tango
7. A Star Is Born
8. Fado
9. La Calinda
10. Gymnopedie No. 1
11. Procession of the Sardar
12. Automne
13. Praeludium
14. The Holy Boy
15. Tango: Jealousy
16. Humoresque
17. Czardas
18. Imtermezzo: Im Chambre Separée
19. Espana
20. Overture: Susannah's Secret

GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5215
Song Of The West

1 Gateway To The West (Robert Farnon)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM SE 3804 1960

2 "Bonanza" – Theme from the TV series (David Rose)
NELSON RIDDLE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Capitol ST 1869 1962

3 El Rancho Grande (My Ranch) (Silvano R Ramos, arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CS 8038 1957

4 Oklahoma! (Richard Rodgers)
THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
RCA LSP 2513 1962

5 Prairie Sail Car (from "Around The World In Eighty Days") (Victor Young)
THE CINEMA SOUND STAGE ORCHESTRA
Stereo Fidelity SF-2800 1958

6 Ranch House Party (from "Portrait Of A Frontier Town") (Don Gillis)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by STANFORD ROBINSON
Boosey & Hawkes O 2128 1948

7 Prairie Sunset (Ernest Tomlinson)
BOSWORTH ORCHESTRA
Bosworth BCV 1376 1962

8 Sioux War Dance (Ray Martin)
RAY MARTIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Columbia DB 2882 1951

9 Colorado Trail (Traditional, arr. Robert Farnon)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM SE 3804 1960

10 Overland To Oregon – Suite (Trevor Duncan, real name Leonard Charles Trebilco)
Unidentified Orchestra
Impress IA 222 & 223 1960

11 Stampede (Herbert Leonard Stevens)
NEW CENTURY ORCHESTRA Conducted by SIDNEY TORCH
Francis, Day & Hunter FDH 042 1947

12 Frontier Marshall (Jack Beaver)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON (‘The Melodi Light Orchestra Conducted by Ole Jensen’ on record label)
Chappell C 586 1957

13 Pow Wow (Robert Farnon)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca LK 4119 1956

14 Tall In The Saddle (John Cacavas)
TELECAST ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
Chappell C 642 1959

15 Home On The Range (Traditional)
MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca SKL 4073 1959

16 Rocky Trail To A Peaceful Valley (Waters; Hall)
LEROY HOLMES AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM 863 1955

17 Prairie Rider (Charles Williams, arr. Cecil Milner)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by JACK LEON
Boosey & Hawkes O 2193 1950

18 Colorado Sunset (Jack Brown)
NEW CENTURY ORCHESTRA Conducted by SIDNEY TORCH
Francis, Day & Hunter FDH 050 1948

19 American Panorama (Wilfred Burns)
THE SYMPHONIA ORCHESTRA Conducted by CURT ANDERSEN
Charles Brull/Harmonic CBL 493 1962

20 California Here I Come (Buddy De Sylva; Joseph Meyer; Al Jolson)
HAL MOONEY AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury SR 60047 1959

21 "High Noon" - Theme from the film (Dimitri Tiomkin)
DAVID CARROLL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury MG 20156 1956

22 Lazy Cowboy (Ruth Guthrie)
RAY MARTIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Columbia DB 3258 1953

23 Song Of The West (Billy Vaughn, arr. George Greeley)
BILLY VAUGHN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
DOT DLP 25442 1962

Stereo: tracks 1-5, 9, 10, 15, 20 & 23; rest in mono.

The honour of opening this collection goes to Robert Farnon, widely regarded by many as one of the finest composer/arranger/conductors of Light Music during the second half of the 20^th century. Born in Toronto, Canada, Robert Joseph Farnon (1917-2005) is known for many of his catchy themes, notably Jumping Bean (on Guild GLCD5162) and Portrait of a Flirt (GLCD5120). In his later career he was in demand to arrange and conduct for major international stars such as Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne and George Shearing. Gateway To The West is one of his earlier works, extolling his love of his native Canada. Later we hear his sensitive arrangement of the traditional folk melody Colorado Trail which contrasts strongly with another Farnon original Pow Wow.

David Rose (1910-1990) was one of the biggest names in American light music circles during the middle years of the 20^th century. Born in London, England ‘lost’ him when the family moved to the USA when he was aged just four. A prolific composer and arranger, he contributed themes and incidental music to a number of top television shows, one of the most memorable being Bonanza. On this occasion the version by Nelson Riddle (1921-1985) has been selected, proving that this great American arranger and conductor’s talents extended far beyond the legendary work with Frank Sinatra which made him internationally famous.

Percy Faith (1908-1976) was also born in Toronto, Canada, and in 1940 he moved 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. His recordings prove that he had a love for Latin American music, and with El Rancho Grande he exploits his arranging talents to the full.

George Miltiades Melachrino (1909-1965) was one of the big names in British light music from the 1940s to the 1960s. Born in London, he became a professional musician, competent on clarinet, alto and tenor saxophone, violin and viola, and he worked with many British dance bands in the 1930s. After war service he built an orchestra which became one of the finest in the world; when long playing records arrived, Melachrino’s sold in vast quantities, especially in the USA. Many of his recordings featured the great songwriters of the day, such as Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) whose title music for Oklahoma! must be one of the most rousing numbers ever written to honour a US state.

Chicago-born Victor Young (1900-1956) enjoyed a successful career on Broadway and in Hollywood films, although his greatest triumph – the score for the film "Around The World In Eighty Days" – was completed shortly before his death, so he never knew that it gained him a posthumous Oscar. Young called the sequence featuring the Wild West Prairie Sail Car.

The American composer Donald Eugene Gillis (1912-1978) seemingly did not get the full attention from the American record industry which his talents deserved. It was the British Decca label that brought him to London in 1950 for several sessions at the Kingsway Hall which have preserved for posterity some of his best – and most quirky – creations. Anyone who can compose a piece of music called "Symphony No. 5½" is almost demanding not to be taken too seriously, and to make sure that nobody missed the joke Gillis subtitled his work "A Symphony For Fun". The first movement Perpetual Emotion is on Guild GLCD5156, while the third movement Scherzofrenia (GLCD5178) is also typical of the carefree, almost whimsical, work that he offered to music lovers in the middle years of the last century. This time the choice is his Ranch House Party from a suite called "Portrait Of A Frontier Town".

Ernest Tomlinson MBE (b.1924) is one of Britain’s most talented composers, working mainly in light music, but also highly regarded for his choral works and brass band pieces. During a very productive career, he has contributed numerous titles to the recorded music libraries of many different publishers, often under the pseudonym ‘Alan Perry’. In recent years Ernest has worked hard to preserve thousands of music manuscripts that would otherwise have been destroyed, and he is the President of the Light Music Society. Prairie Sunset is one of his numerous pieces of production music.

Raymond Stuart Martin (born Raymond Wolfgang Kohn in Vienna, 1918-1988) fled from the Nazis and settled in England before the outbreak of World War 2 where he became known as ‘Ray Martin’. He was one of the biggest names in British popular music during the 1950s, due to his work on radio, television, films and especially the recording studios. During the early part of his career he contributed several pieces to the Harmonic Mood Music Library. One of them was Sioux War Dance, and when it became noticed he made a commercial recording of it for Columbia – the EMI label that he would later manage for several of its most successful years in the mid-1950s. He returns just before our final track with Lazy Cowboy.

Trevor Duncan (real name Leonard Charles Trebilco, 1924-2005) was working as a BBC sound engineer when one of his first compositions, High Heels (on Guild GLCD5124) made the light music world sit up and take notice.Eventually his successful and prolific output mushroomed to such an extent that he had to give up his ‘day job’ at the BBC, and also find several different publishers simply because he was writing too much for just one to handle. This is illustrated by the fact that 36 of his works have already appeared on Guild Light Music CDs, and he was the featured composer in "Hall Of Fame Volume 2" (GLCD 5124). Although he wrote some catchy individual pieces, a good number of his contributions to mood music libraries were suites featuring several movements developing a distinctive main theme. One such commission was ‘Overland To Oregon’, and the separate parts have been edited together to form a continuous work. Duncan gave them the following descriptions: Main Theme, Frontier Town, Night Camp, Wagon Train, Crossing The Bighorn, Indian Country, Indian Attack, Beckoning Horizon.

Len Stevens(d. 1989 - his full name was Herbert Leonard Stevens) was a prolific British composer, contributing mood music to several different libraries, with a style that his admirers quickly grew to recognise. In common with so many of the talented musicians employed in the business, he could turn his hand to any kind of music that was needed, and he was also involved in the musical theatre. Stampede is his seventeenth Guild appearance, and it is one of the early recordings conducted by Sidney Torch (1908-1990) for the Francis, Day & Hunter mood music library.

Although little-remembered by most music lovers today, Jack Beaver (1900-1963), like the afore-mentioned Len Stevens, contributed far more music to the entertainment scene than was realised. Beaver worked at Gaumont-British Studios under Louis Levy during the 1930s, and was hired by Warner Bros. to run the music department at their British studio at Teddington in the early 1940s. His contributions to production music libraries (especially Chappell and Francis, Day & Hunter) were consistently of a high standard. Among some of the most notable are Picture Parade (GLCD5149), Cavalcade Of Youth (GLCD5195) and World Of Tomorrow (GLCD5135). Frontier Marshall is his sixteenth composition to be made widely available again on a Guild CD.

John Cacavas (1930-2014) was a prolific American composer, author and conductor, with over 1,500 titles to his credit. He has also worked widely in Britain and Europe, and in 1980 was elected president of the Composers and Lyricists Guild of America. His film scores include "Airport 1975", "Airport ‘77" and "Horror Express", as well as numerous TV series, notably "Kojak" and "Hawaii Five-O". He has contributed to several publishers’ mood music libraries, including Chappells - the source of his Tall In The Saddle. He remained active in the music business, dividing his time between homes in California and London.

Home On The Range is one of the best-loved traditional airs associated with the American West, and it receives a fine treatment by the world famous orchestra conducted by Annunzio Paolo Mantovani (1905-1980). Born in Venice, his family came to England when he was aged four and he was something of a prodigy on the violin by the time he reached sixteen. But he leaned more towards popular music, and fronted many different kinds of ensembles before long-playing records (especially when stereo arrived) brought him worldwide acclaim. Occasionally he orchestrated some of his music himself, but he built up a fine team of arrangers including Ronald Binge (1910-1979), Roland Shaw (1920-2012) and Cecil Milner (1905-1989). Unfortunately the one responsible for this piece has not been identified.

Leroy Holmes (born Alvin Holmes, 1913-1986) scored Hollywood films and radio programmes during his early career, before becoming one of the mainstays of MGM’s conducting ‘team’, also arranging many of their recordings. We are probably listening to his work in Rocky Trail To A Peaceful Valley. Eventually Holmes moved on to United Artists where he conducted many of their contract singers and also recorded albums under his own name. His screen credits include the films "The Bridge In The Jungle" (1970) and "Smile" (1975).

Londoner Charles Williams (born Isaac Cozerbreit 1893-1978) began his career accompanying silent films, then played violin under the batons of Beecham and Elgar. Right from the start of the ‘talkies’, he provided scores for numerous British movies, and his Dream Of Olwen (GLCD5192)is still remembered long after the film in which it appeared – "While I Live". By far the greatest volume of his composing skills was employed in mood music, providing hundreds of works for several libraries (especially Chappells), and over 40 have already been included on Guild CDs. On rare occasions his work was accepted by other libraries, and Prairie Rider is one of three pieces he wrote for Boosey & Hawkes.

Jackie Brown was one of Britain’s leading cinema organists, equally at home on large theatre consoles as well as their small electronic counterparts performed by enthusiasts at home. His output as a composer was relatively sparse, although light music aficionados regard his Metropolis (on Guild GLCD 5102) as one of the finest pieces of its kind. He worked on around a dozen films, and was the unseen conductor who used to direct the Billy Cotton Band for its television shows while Bill himself performed on-screen. Jackie also became a household name in Britain thanks to his regular appearances on Hughie Green’s (1920-1997) "Double Your Money" TV quiz show. Colorado Sunset is one of several pieces he wrote for the Francis, Day & Hunter mood music library.

Yet another busy composer employed by British production music publishers was Bernard Wilfred Harris, better known as ‘Wilfred Burns’ (1917-1990) with over 200 titles to his credit. After service during the Second World War he worked at Elstree studios before eventually becoming a freelance film composer and musical director. His first of over twenty films was around 1949, with his final score in the 1970s. His best-known was probably the large screen version of the popular BBC television series "Dad’s Army" in 1971. American Panorama is one of his many pieces accepted by various London publishers, and it is his eighth contribution to a Guild CD.

California Here I Come is usually played as a bright up-tempo number. Our version features the work of Harold (Hal) Mooney (1911-1995), an American composer, arranger and conductor who worked with most of the top bands and singers during a long career. It demonstrates how a fresh approach to a familiar and often hackneyed melody can be given fresh life in the hands of an expert arranger.

The familiar theme from the film "High Noon" is conducted by David Carroll (1913-2008 – real name Rodell Walter ‘Nook’ Schreier) who was well-known in his native USA as a conductor and arranger. In the mid-1940s he joined the newly formed Mercury Records where he spent the next 15 years. Initially employed as an arranger and conductor, he progressed to being a producer and was later promoted as head of artists and repertoire.

Last on the podium this time, with the title track for this collection, is Richard ‘Billy’ Vaughn (1919-1991), born in Glasgow, Kentucky, who began his career playing piano and singing baritone in the group ‘The Hilltoppers’, before joining Dot Records as musical director where he accompanied many of the label’s top singers. In 1965 he began touring internationally with his band, achieving considerable popularity in Japan, Korea and Brazil. His own composition Song Of The West receives a suitably dramatic interpretation by George Greeley (born Georgio Guariglia, 1917-2007) who was an American pianist, conductor and composer working extensively in films and television. During his early career he arranged for popular bandleaders such as Tommy Dorsey. In the 1950s he was a staff pianist at Columbia Pictures, and received particular praise for his work on "On The Waterfront" (1954) and "The Eddy Duchin Story" (1956). In later years he performed as piano soloist and guest conductor with leading orchestras in many countries.

David Ades

GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5216

Springtime

1 The First Day Of Spring (Leroy Anderson) LEROY ANDERSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Brunswick STA 3030 1960

2 April Is Coming (Assi Rahbani; Mansour Rahbani, arr. Ron Goodwin)
RON GOODWIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Parlophone PCS 3028 1962

3 Tip Toe Through The Tulips With Me (Joseph A. Burke; Al Dubin)
FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca LK 4135 1956

4 Blossom (Mark Charlap, real name Morris Isaac Charlip)
RICHARD HAYMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury MG 20048 1954

5 Spring In Baden Baden (Frühling In Baden-Baden) (Lothar Brühne)
BADEN-BADEN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by HANS ROSBAUD
Ariola 36 809 C 1958

6 Springtime (Also known as "Love’s Springtime") (Cedric King Palmer)
THE BOSWORTH ORCHESTRA
Bosworth BCV 1274 1961

7 Mayflies (Edward Stanelli)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by DOLF VAN DER LINDEN (‘Nat Nyll’ on disc label)
Boosey & Hawkes O 2289 1957

8 Spring Cruise (Peter Yorke)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON (‘Melodi Light Orchestra Conducted by Ole Jensen’ on disc label)
Chappell C 417 1952

9 Spring Gambol (Harold Smart)
THE LIGHT SYMPHONIA Conducted by ROBERTO CAPELLI
Conroy BM 270 1961

10 Mother Nature (Harry Rabinowitz)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by DOLF VAN DER LINDEN (‘Nat Nyll’ on disc label)
Boosey & Hawkes O 2344 1959

11 Garden Party (George French)
L’ORCHESTRE DEVEREAUX Conducted by GEORGES DEVEREAUX
Francis, Day & Hunter FDH 1205 1953

12 Those Far Away Hills (Reginald King)
REGENT CLASSIC ORCHESTRA
Bosworth BC 1230 1949

13 Spring Promenade (Frederic Curzon)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by CEDRIC DUMONT
Boosey & Hawkes OT 2336 1958

14 Rainbow’s Glory (Cedric King Palmer)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS METROPOLE ORCHESTRA
Paxton PR 584 1954

15 High Cloud (Herbert Leonard Stevens)
CRAWFORD LIGHT ORCHESTRA (probably STUTTGART RADIO ORCH)
Josef Weinberger Theme Music JW 131-A 1957

16 Spring Fashion (Alan Braden)
GROUP-FORTY ORCHESTRA Conducted by LAURIE JOHNSON
KPM 052 1960

17 Spring Song (Haydn Wood)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by CHARLES WILLIAMS
Chappell C 214 1945

18 Prelude For Gardenias (Peter Barrington, real name Felton Rapley)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by JACK LEON
Boosey & Hawkes OT 2195 1950

19 Forest Mood (Frederic Bayco)
THE BOSWORTH ORCHESTRA
Bosworth BCV 1359 1961

20 June Is Calling (Wilfrid Sanderson)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by JAY WILBUR
Boosey & Hawkes O 2004 1944

21 April Kiss (Peter Dennis, real name Dennis Alfred Berry)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS METROPOLE ORCHESTRA
Paxton PR 527 1952

22 (I’ll Be With You) In Apple Blossom Time (Fleetson; Albert Von Tilzer)
ERNEST MAXIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Top Rank BUY 020 1960

23 Sunbeams And Butterflies (Albert William Ketèlbey)
ELITE NOVELTY ORCHESTRA
Bosworth BC 1062 1938

24 We’ll Gather Lilacs (from "Perchance To Dream") (Ivor Novello, arr. Sidney Torch)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by CHARLES WILLIAMS
BBC London Transcription Service 12PH 32255/6 1945

25 Beautiful Spring (Paul Lincke)
LONDON PROMENADE ORCHESTRA Conducted by ERIC ROGERS
Decca LF 1166 1954

Stereo: tracks 1 & 2; rest in mono.

Leroy Anderson(1908-1975) is probably the best-loved American light music composer of his generation. For many years he was the chief arranger for the Boston Pops, and its famous conductor Arthur Fiedler introduced many Anderson novelties to an appreciative world. Leroy’s contribution to this collection is simply the composer’s paean of praise for what many regard as the most welcome season of the year, since it ushers in the warmer and lighter days that are so refreshing after the long, gloomy winter months. The First Day Of Spring is certainly greeted by many with eager anticipation, and it can’t arrive too soon!

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

Frank (Francis Charles) Chacksfield (1914-1995) conducted one of the finest light orchestras in the world, and during his long recording career with Decca alone, it is estimated that his albums sold more than 20 million copies. Tip Toe Through The Tulips has been popular ever since it first appeared in the 1929 movie musical "Gold Diggers of Broadway".

Richard Warren Joseph Hayman (1920-2014) as well as being a respected arranger and conductor, was also a harmonica virtuoso, and he sometimes adapted his scores of popular melodies so that he could perform on his favourite instrument (he can be heard in Blossom in this collection). 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 (GLCD5105) and Skipping Along (GLCD5131). His recordings reissued on Guild now total 26.

Lothar Brühne (1900-1958) was a German composer who seems to have specialised in writing for films. His work has already been featured on Guild GLCD5135 (the exuberant Sport And Music for the Bosworth Mood Music Library), and this time he provides the charming Frühling in Baden-Baden.

Cedric King Palmer (1913-1999) was born in Eastbourne, on the south coast of England; he chose not to use his first name professionally. He became a prolific composer of mood music contributing over 600 works during a period of 30 years to the recorded music libraries of several London publishers. He was able to adapt his writing to many different styles, and our title track Springtime and Rainbow’s Glory find him in a reflective, lyrical mood.

Edward Stanelli (real name Edward Stanley De Groot, 1895-1961) was a British composer and comedian who may still be remembered by some people for his "Hornchestra", constructed from a weird collection of electric and bulb motor horns on which he played jazz music. He demonstrated this device on 2 April 1937 when he made his television debut from Alexandra Palace in London. During his early career it seemed that his future was on the concert platform, both as a conductor and violinist. But such was his popularity with audiences in 1930s music halls that he tended to rely upon comedy rather than a ‘serious’ career in music. Happily he did not completely ignore his talents as a composer: in this collection he is represented with Mayflies, and his longer work Atlantis has previously appeared on Guild GLCD5118 as part of a compilation appropriately titled "Buried Treasures".

Peter Yorke (1902-1966) worked with many leading British bands during his formative years, some of the most notable being Percival Mackey, Jack Hylton and Henry Hall. Later on he conducted one of Britain’s most popular broadcasting orchestras from the 1940s until the 1960s. Peter Yorke was also a gifted composer and he created many stunning arrangements that brought out some fine performances from the top musicians he always employed. Spring Cruise is one of many works he contributed to British production music libraries, and it is his nineteenth composition to be included on a Guild CD.

During the middle years of the last century Harold Smart was well known in Britain as a popular organist. He was usually associated with the Hammond Organ, and followed in the footsteps of his famous father Charles Smart, with whom he sometimes performed. Harold excelled at recordings in strict dance tempo throughout, but he does not appear to have been a prolific composer. Therefore it is nice to be able to hear his Spring Gambol, which reveals another aspect of his considerable talents.

Harry Rabinowitz MBE (born Johannesburg, South Africa 1916) came to England in 1946 and was employed by the BBC, first as a pianist then as conductor of the BBC Revue Orchestra. In the 1970s he was Head of Music for London Weekend Television, and he also conducted a number of film scores. His composition Mother Nature is his seventh on a Guild CD; sometimes he wrote under the pseudonym ‘Andy Thurlow’.

George French (born Bentley, Yorkshire, 1921) was a British violinist who broadcast frequently on the BBC in the happy times of the last century when radio stations actually employed ‘live’ musicians. He contributed to many popular series ("Music While You Work" being one prime example) and performed (often as leader) for most of the well-known conductors. He also had a gift for composing, and Garden Party is his fifth appearance on a Guild CD.

Reginald Claude McMahon King (1904-1991) was an accomplished pianist, who performed under the baton of Sir Henry Wood at the Proms soon after he completed his studies at London’s Royal Academy. In 1927 he took his orchestra into Swan & Edgar’s restaurant at their Piccadilly Circus store, where they remained until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. During this period he also started broadcasting regularly (his total number of broadcasts exceeded 1,400), and he made numerous recordings, often featuring his own attractive compositions. Once again we feature him as a contributor to one of London’s production music libraries with Those Far Away Hills, his ninth composition on Guild.

London-born Frederic Curzon (1899-1973) was a charming, unassuming man who devoted his early career to working in the theatre, and like so many of his contemporaries he gradually became involved in providing music for silent films. As well as being a fine pianist and conductor, he also played the organ, and his first big success as a composer was his "Robin Hood Suite" in 1937. This encouraged him to devote more of his time to writing and broadcasting, and several of his works have become light music ‘standards’, notably March Of The Bowmen (from "Robin Hood Suite") on GLCD5106, and The Boulevardier (GLCD5177). Frederic Curzon was eventually appointed Head of Light Music at London publishers Boosey and Hawkes (where his Spring Promenade originated), and for a while was also President of the Light Music Society.

Len Stevens(d. 1989) (his full name was Herbert Leonard Stevens) was a prolific British composer, contributing mood music to several different libraries, with a style that his admirers quickly grew to recognise. In common with so many of the talented musicians employed in the business, he could turn his hand to any kind of music that was needed, and he was also involved in the musical theatre. High Cloud comes from the Josef Weinberger mood music library.

For around three decades from the 1960s onwards Alan Braden was a familiar name on British Television as the musical director for many top variety shows. He also arranged and composed a fair amount of the music involved, although he was not always credited. Spring Fashion was one of his early works for the new KPM Music Library.

Yorkshireman Haydn Wood(1882-1959) enjoyed much success during the early years of the last century with ballads, before concentrating on full scale orchestral works and suites. Roses of Picardy has been in the repertoire of most singers of the 20th century (even Frank Sinatra!), and that alone should justify Haydn Wood’s place among the great popular composers. Recent recordings of his works have demonstrated the depth and wide scope of his composing abilities, especially in suites. Spring Song is a delicate tone poem that rivals the works of many of his peers.

Edmund Felton Rapley, ARCM, (1907-1976) graduated from being a church organist in Gosport, to a familiar name on the BBC especially during the 1940s and 1950s. His own pieces included the Overture Down The Solent (on Guild GLCD 5140) and the catchy Peacock Patrol (written under the pseudonym ‘Peter Barrington’) on GLCD 5143. He wears his ‘Barrington’ hat again for Prelude For Gardenias.

London-born Frederic Bayco (sometimes spelt Fredric, 1913-1970) was an organist and composer who contributed pieces to several recorded music libraries. He was born in London, and attended Brighton School of Music. Later he was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists. Many of his compositions have an historic or martial feel, although the inspiration for Forest Mood is simply the beauty of nature. During the 1960s he was Chairman of The Light Music Society.

Wilfred (Wilfrid) Ernest Sanderson (1878-1935) was the son of a Wesleyan Methodist minister. Although born in Ipswich, he was educated in London, and from 1895 to 1904 studied the organ as pupil assistant under Frederick Bridge at Westminster Abbey. Thereafter he appears to have based himself in the Yorkshire town of Doncaster, where he was Organist of the Parish Church from 1904 to 1923. This seems to have been his most productive period as a composer; in total he wrote around 170 ballads and several short piano pieces. He died in Nutfield, Surrey, from typhoid at the relatively early age of 56.

Peter Dennis hides the true identity of Londoner Dennis Alfred Berry (1921-1994), who also composed (sometimes in collaboration with others) under pseudonyms such as Frank Sterling, Charles Kenbury and Michael Rodney. For part of the 1950s he ran the Paxton library (from which comes April Kiss), but at the same time he also contributed titles to other publishers. Eventually he was asked by Southern Music to launch their new Mood Music Library which issued its first recordings on 78s in 1960.

In Britain Ernest Maxin became known in the 1960s and 1970s for his work as producer and director of many popular television programmes. He also made a few recordings (he has already appeared on a previous Guild CD with No Orchids For My Lady - GLCD5182), but whether or not he actually had a hand in arranging and/or conducting the music is hard to discover. His contribution to this CD is the popular song (I’ll Be With You) In Apple Blossom Time.

Albert William Ketèlbey (1875-1959), born in the Lozells area of Birmingham, was a highly successful composer, who earned the equivalent of millions of pounds during the peak of his popularity. Pieces such as In a Monastery Garden (GLCD5182), The Phantom Melody, In a Persian Market (GLCD5120) and Bells Across the Meadow (GLCD5108)brought him international fame, no doubt assisted by his enthusiastic participation in the rapidly growing business of producing gramophone records. Many of his works were chosen by London publishers Bosworth & Co. for their mood music library, and Sunbeams And Butterflies is an early example in their catalogue.

Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies 1893-1951) was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who created some of the most popular shows in London’s West End during the first half of the last century. One of these was "Perchance To Dream" from which comes We’ll Gather Lilacs In The Spring Again… The melody is so good that it happily survives without the familiar lyrics, although our version is considerably enhanced with a superb arrangement by Sidney Torch (1908-1990). It seems he never recorded this commercially, so we are fortunate that a transcription disc of a BBC broadcast from 1945 has survived. Apart from many of his songs which have become standards, Ivor Novello continues to be remembered for the annual awards which bear his name, held in London each Spring.

The German composer Carl Emil Paul Lincke (born in Berlin 1866-1946) worked as a theatre conductor and music publisher in Berlin around the turn of the century. He spent two years in Paris as musical director of the famous Folies-Bergère, but then returned to Berlin, where he conducted at the Apollo Theatre. A versatile musician, he started with the violin, changed to the bassoon and then finally to the piano. He became known around the world for his Glow Worm (on Guild GLCD5106 & 5143), but this was just one number in a large body of musical works. He was generally considered to be ‘the father of Berlin operetta’, putting him (in German speaking countries, at least) on a par with Johann Strauss and Franz Lehar. His Beautiful Spring provides a fitting finale to this seasonal collection.

David Ades

For 2014:  

GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5213

Light And Latin

1 Malaguena (Ernesto Lecuona)
WERNER MÜLLER AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as ‘Ricardo Santos’)
Polydor 224 002 SEPH 1960
2 Baia (Na Baixa do Sapateiro) (Ary Barroso, arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CS 8622 1962
3 Cuban Love Song (Jimmy McHugh; Dorothy Fields; Herbert Stothart)
PAUL WESTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CL 572 1954
4 Tico Tico (Zequinha de Abreu)
CARMEN DRAGON Conducting THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL SYMPHONY
Capitol P 8314 1957
5 Poinciana (Nat Simon; Buddy Bernier)
XAVIER CUGAT AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury CMS 18046 1961
6 Duerme (Time Was) (Miguel Prado)
TITO PUENTE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LSP 1479 1957
7 High In Sierra (Ernesto Lecuona)
STANLEY BLACK AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca SKL 4011 1958
8 I Love You (from "Mexican Hayride") (Cole Porter, arr, Robert Farnon)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA (‘Jack Saunders’ on disc label)
Everest SDBR 1011 1958
9 Brazil (Aquarela do Brasil) (Ary Barroso, arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CS 8622 1962
10 Beguine By Night (Eric Winstone)
GROUP-FORTY ORCHESTRA
KPM Music KPM 070 1960
11 Adios (Enric Madriguera)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia ML 4082 1948
12 No Te Importe Saber (René Touzet, arr. Laurie Johnson)
AMBROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA WITH STRINGS Conducted by LAURIE JOHNSON
MGM E 3478 1957
13 Berceuse Cubaine (Frank Engelen)
THE BRUSSELS NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Southern MQ 516 1960
14 Oracion Caribe (Agustin Lara, arr. Mario Ruiz Armengol)
MARIO RUIZ ARMENGOL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LPM 1292 1956
15 Nightingale (Xavier Cugat)
XAVIER CUGAT AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury PPS 6003 1961
16 Noche De Ronda (Be Mine Tonight) (Maria Toroso Lara)
TITO PUENTE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LSP 1479 1957
17 Quiet Village (Les Baxter)
CLEBANOFF STRINGS AND PERCUSSION
Mercury SR 60689 1961
18 Brazilian Butterfly (Ronald Hanmer)
THE CONNAUGHT LIGHT ORCHESTRA
Conroy BM 245 1960
19 Sweet Bolero (Hermann Garst)
EDDIE BARCLAY AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury MG 20265 1955
20 The Moon Of Manakoora (from the film "The Hurricane") (Frank Loesser; Alfred Newman)
AXEL STORDAHL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Dot DLP 25282 1960
21 Cordoba (from "Cantos Dos Espana") (Isaac Albéniz)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CS 8968 1962
22 Adios Mariquita Linda (Marcos A. Jiminez)
DENNIS FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Oriole SEP 7063 1962
23 Siboney (Ernesto Lecuona)
STANLEY BLACK AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca SKL 4011 1958
24 Tropical Merengue (Rafael Merdina Munoz)
RICHARD HAYMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury SR 60000 1958
25 Espana (Emmanuel Chabrier)
CARMEN DRAGON Conducting THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL SYMPHONY
Capitol P 8275 1955

Stereo tracks: 1, 2, 4-9, 15-17 & 20-25; rest in mono

Just as no two music lovers will probably ever agree on the precise boundaries that define Light Music, the aficionados of Latin American will also happily argue about its origins. There seems little doubt that most will accept that the vast continent of the Americas, from Mexico southwards, qualifies as being generally regarded as ‘Latin America’, so the rhythms and styles of more than twenty countries have contributed to its emergence – particularly from the 1930s onwards – as an enjoyable part of the popular music scene. Add to this the influence of music makers from the United States and Europe, and the result is a mix that may sometimes have corrupted the roots, but has succeeded in making what we all regard as ‘Latin American Music’ universally popular. It is therefore hardly surprising that many light orchestras have included it in their repertoire; some have even embraced it wholeheartedly.

During the 1950s the Ricardo Santos Orchestra became familiar to lovers of Latin American music. Eventually the secret came out, that ‘Ricardo Santos’ was actually the prolific German bandleader Werner Müller (1920-1998). Originally a bassoonist, he became the first conductor of the RIAS (Radio In American Sector) Dance Band based in Berlin, but it was not long before Müller began to realise that the public’s love affair with the swing era was gradually starting to wane. Sixteen strings were added to the line-up, and his orchestra built up a strong following through its Polydor recordings. Recognising the public’s appetite for LA music, he also recorded under the pseudonym ‘Ricardo Santos’ when playing Latin American music, and his fame spread far beyond the borders of his native Germany. Malaguena is a good example of the often flamboyantans Geoth style he adopted, using ‘cascading strings’ to enhance the infectious rhythms.

From his earliest days in the recording studios the Canadian conductor Percy Faith (1908-1976) revealed his passion for Latin American music. When LPs arrived two of his most popular albums featured music from Mexico and Brazil, and his contributions to this CD - Baia and Brazil - come from the latter.

The American conductor Paul Weston (born Paul Wetstein, 1912-1996) also fully embraced the opportunities offered by the longer playing time of the LP. His ‘concept’ albums helped to set standards that others would try to emulate, and his early days in the world of the top dance bands (especially Tommy Dorsey) taught him the advantages offered by including a strong brass section to counterbalance the strings. Cuban Love Song certainly benefits from the rich sound of the brass, lifting the melody to a new level.

Carmen Dragon (1914-1984) conducts the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra in two impressive performances: the popular Tico Tico and Chabrier’s famous Espana, which illustrates how the strong influence of Spain permeates so much Latin American music. Dragon was born in Antioch, California. His first success in Hollywood was collaborating with Morris Stoloff (1898-1980) arranging Jerome Kern’s score for the 1944 Rita Hayworth/Gene Kelly film "Cover Girl" which secured him an Oscar. He worked extensively in radio and television, and was a frequent visitor to recording studios conducting the Hollywood Bowl and Capitol Symphony Orchestras.

Xavier Cugat (1900-1990) was a Spanish born bandleader who spent his formative years in Havana, but achieved fame in the USA. He provided the resident orchestra at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria before and after the Second World War, and he was also a cartoonist and successful businessman. His four marriages provided fodder for gossip columnists, but his lasting legacy is appearances in several Hollywood films and many fine recordings of Latin American music. He first appears on this CD with Poinciana, then conducting his own composition Nightingale.

Ernesto Antonio ‘Tito’ Puente (1923-2000) was born and raised in the Spanish Harlem district of New York City. As a child the influence of Gene Krupa made him choose percussion to express his musical ideas, although there was a serious musician waiting to be discovered. After war service in the US Navy he attended the Julliard School of Music where he studied conducting, orchestration and musical theory. Through his albums, particularly during the 1950s, he attempted a fusion of Jazz with Latin American music, but he also concentrated on dance styles earning the accolade ‘King of the Mambo’. Adding strings to his usual line-up seemed a natural progression, with pleasing results: his Guild debut features his unique versions of Duerme (better known as Time Was) and Noche De Ronda (Be Mine Tonight).

Londoner Stanley Black (born Solomon Schwartz 1913-2002) was successful in many areas of music during his long career which began in his teens. While playing piano in Harry Roy’s dance band, during a tour of South America he became keen on Latin-American music, and several of his fine light orchestral albums focussed on this repertoire. His two numbers in this collection are both by the famous Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona (1895-1963) – High In Sierra and the more familiar Siboney.

Cole Porter’s I Love You is another track taken from the 1958 recording sessions at Walthamstow Town Hall in London, first featured in Guild’s "Strings And Things Go Stereo" collection (GLCD 5153). At the behest of Elizabeth Taylor, this involved an album of melodies associated with shows and films produced by her late husband, Mike Todd. Robert Farnon (1917-2005) was engaged to arrange and conduct his orchestra, although his name could not appear on the album for contractual reasons.

Eric Winstone (born in London, 1915-1974) was one of Britain’s leading dance band leaders, who in his younger days was a virtuoso piano-accordionist. He could also compose attractive light music, sometimes with a humorous twist – as in The Happy Hippo (on Guild GLCD5157). This time we hear him in a slightly more exotic mood in Beguine By Night.

Andre Kostelanetz (born in St. Petersburg, Russia 1901-1980) became one of the biggest names in American light orchestral music during the middle years of the 20^th Century. His broadcasts and recordings were enjoyed by millions. It was his passion to ‘educate’ his audience to enjoy fine music, and his wide repertoire also extended to Latin American, from which we can enjoy Adios and Cordoba.

Laurie Johnson (b.1927) has been a leading figure on the British entertainment scene for 50 years. A gifted arranger and composer, Laurie has contributed to films, musical theatre, radio, television and records, with his music used in many well-known productions such as "The Avengers" and "The Professionals". Early in his career he was asked by MGM to make a series of recordings as conductor and arranger, but at the time the bandleader Ambrose was still well-known, so it was his name that appeared on the labels. No Te Importe Saber was included on an LP of Latin-American melodies.

The writer of Berceuse Cubaine was Frank Engelen, a Belgian guitarist who was also highly respected as a composer and arranger.

Don Mario Ruiz Armengol (1914-2002) has been compared by some musicologists as being Mexico’s equivalent of David Rose, and his arrangements (such as Oracion Caribe) 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, where none other than Duke Ellington is reported to have dubbed him "Mr. Harmony".

In 1951 Les Baxter (1922-1996) wrote and recorded Quiet Village which he described as follows: "The jungle grows more dense as the river boat slowly makes its way into the deep interior. A snake slithers into the water, flushing a brilliantly plumaged bird who soars into the clearing above a quiet village. Here is a musical portrait of a tropical village deserted in the mid-day heat." Other arrangers and conductors were attracted to this piece in later years, and the choice for this CD is by Chicago-born Herman Clebanoff (1917-2004). He had a sound education in classical music and was an experienced violinist and concertmaster before he was 20. Usually just known as ‘Clebanoff’, he had a long association with NBC, and from 1945 he spent the next ten years as concertmaster of their Chicago-based orchestra, playing a wide repertoire from the classics to popular tunes. Mercury’s Chicago music director David Carroll (real name Rodell Walter ‘Nook’ Schreier 1913-2008) signed him to the label, and in 1960 Clebanoff moved to Los Angeles when Mercury consolidated their recording activities in Hollywood.

Ronald Hanmer (1917-1994) could make a legitimate claim to being the most prolific of all the composers featured on this CD. 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 GLCD5136, The Four Horsemen and Intermission – both onGLCD5140). He was also kept busy as an arranger, and the bandleader Edmundo Ros (1910-2011) used many of his pieces. Hanmer’s Brazilian Butterfly is close to the style that made Ros’s Latin American music so popular in Britain in post-war years. 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 (on Guild GLCD5212) was famous throughout the land as the theme for the long-running radio serial Blue Hills. In 1992 Ronald Hanmer received the Order of Australia for services to music, just before that country abolished the honours system.

Sweet Bolero introduces Eddie Barclay(1921-2005)(real name Edouard Ruault – he changed it in 1944 when he came into contact with American liberation forces) who was famous in France for two reasons: his music, and his nine wives. His career took off at the end of World War 2 when he realised that his jazz with a French flavour was much in demand. He launched what he claimed to be the first discothèque, Eddie's Club, based on the American clubs that had opened to serve US military personnel, and started his own band in 1947. Gradually he began expanding his talents into conducting and record production for several leading singers, and eventually he formed Barclay Records. Thanks to his contacts with the American record industry he was able to take a leading role in the production and distribution of LP records in France where he became known as the ‘king of microgroove’.

The Moon Of Manakoora is conducted by Axel Stordahl (1913-1963) who will be familiar to many collectors of American popular music, mainly through his backing for Frank Sinatra during a period known as the singer’s ‘Columbia years’. In 1936 he joined Tommy Dorsey as a trumpet player, and was encouraged to develop his arranging talents. He realised that his style was more suited to slow, sentimental ballads, which became his trademark. In partnership with Paul Weston, he composed Day by Day, but during his later career he tended to concentrate on leading studio bands for radio and television.

Adios Mariquita Linda comes from a very rare stereo EP conducted by Dennis Farnon (b. 1923), who is the youngest of the three talented Canadian Farnon brothers; the first was Brian (1911-2010) and the second – the most famous of the three – was Robert Farnon (1917-2005). Dennis worked for ten years in Hollywood where his screen credits included the music for 12 ‘Mr. Magoo’ cartoons, and four humorous animated ‘Art’ films. For three years he was Artist and West Coast Album Director for RCA Records, and was one of the five founders in 1957 of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, who present the annual Grammy awards. His conducting and arranging assignments included albums with Harry Belafonte, Tony Martin, Gogi Grant, George Shearing and the Four Freshmen. Among his own LPs are ‘Caution Men Swinging’, ‘Enchanted Woods’ (from which comes his unusual, yet appealing arrangement of Cecelia on Guild GLCD5165) and ‘Magoo in Hi-Fi’. He came to Europe in 1962, and worked on TV series such as ‘Bat Out Of Hell’, ‘Spy Trap’ and ‘Bouquet of Barbed Wire’. He scored the 1966 Tony Curtis film "Drop Dead Darling" which was renamed "Arrivederci Baby" for its US release. Although officially retired, Dennis now lives in The Netherlands, where he continues to compose and teach.

Richard Warren Joseph Hayman (b. 1920) started at the age of 18 as a harmonica player in Borrah Minevitch’s Harmonica Rascals, but he decided to concentrate more on arranging and conducting. He worked on the MGM musical "Meet Me In St. Louis" and was put under contract by Mercury Records in 1950, for whom he made many singles and albums, the best-seller being his version of Ruby from the film "Ruby Gentry". He also arranged for the Boston Pops, serving as back-up conductor for Arthur Fiedler. Tropical Merengue is another example of Hayman’s ability to adapt to a wide range of musical styles. Which is a statement that can equally apply to many of the famous conductors represented in this collection.

David Ades

GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5214

The Composer Conducts – Volume 3

1 Mucho Gusto (Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CS 8439 1961
2 Someday (from "The Vagabond King") (Rudolf Friml)
101 STRINGS Conducted by RUDOLF FRIML
Stereo Fidelity SF-6900 1959
3 Clarinet Candy (Leroy Anderson)
LEROY ANDERSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Soloists: Vincent J. Abato; Herbert S. Blayman; Roger Hiller; Bernard Portnoy
Brunswick STA 8524 1962
4 Aries (Hal Mooney)
HAL MOONEY AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury SR 60073 1958
5 El Caballero (Richard Hayman)
RICHARD HAYMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury SR 60103 1959
6 A Frenchman In New York (David Rose)
DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM E 3481 1957
7 "The Village Of Daughters" (Theme from the film) (Ron Goodwin)
RON GOODWIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Parlophone 45-R 4892 1962
8 Boy Meets Girl (Meredith Willson)
MEREDITH WILLSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Brunswick LA 8628 1953
9 Happiness Day (Roger Roger)
ROGER ROGER AND HIS CHAMPS ELYSEES ORCHESTRA
Chappell C 516 1955
10 "The Moonraker" (Theme from the film) (Laurie Johnson)
LAURIE JOHNSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV 45-POP 404 1957
11 Sound And Vision – Associated TeleVision March (Eric Coates)
ERIC COATES AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Pye Nixa N 15003 1955
12 Romantic Mood (Walter Stott)
TELECAST ORCHESTRA Conducted by WALTER STOTT
Chappell C 728 1961
13 Here They Are (Hans May)
HARMONIC ORCHESTRA Conducted by HANS MAY
Harmonic HMP 276 1949
14 Journey Into Melody (Robert Farnon)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca F 9101 1949
15 The Falcons (Charles Williams, real name Isaac Cozerbreit)
CHARLES WILLIAMS AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Columbia DB 2992 1952
16 Comic Cuts (Sidney Torch)
SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Parlophone R 3406 1951
17 Sensation For Strings (Philip Green)
PHILIP GREEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
MGM MGM 202 1949
18 Longing (Annunzio Paolo Mantovani)
MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca LK 4150 1956
19 Bright Lights (Victor Young)
VICTOR YOUNG AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca DL 8350 1956
20 My Love Is In Florence (Guy Luypaerts)
GUY LUYPAERTS AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as ‘GUY LUPAR’on LP label)
Capitol T 10024 1956
21 Autumn Song (Otto Cesana)
OTTO CESANA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CL 631 1955
22 Humpty Dumpty (Peter Yorke)
PETER YORKE AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Columbia DB 2569 1949
23 Twilight Serenade (Alfredo Antonini)
ALFREDO ANTONINI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Vogue Coral LVA 9031 1956
24 Mississippi (Frank De Vol)
FRANK DE VOL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Capitol H 198 1950
25 Chats De Gouttiere (Alley Cats) (Gérard Calvi, real name Grégoire Elie Krettly)
GÉRARD CALVI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Pye NPL 28003 1958

Stereo: tracks 1-5; rest in mono.

Composers are often envied by those who do not possess the necessary talent to be able to produce a musical work that others will enjoy. But a touch of genius can sometimes generate frustration. Few writers are completely satisfied with the way in which their works are performed by orchestras over which they have little or no control, so it is a bonus for both composer and listener when music is conducted by the original creator. Of course there are instances where arrangers and conductors can occasionally reveal hidden beauty that even the composer did not fully appreciate, but that is another story. Guild’s first two collections marrying the talents of composer and conductor (GLCD5177 & 5178) were well received, and it is hoped that this third CD will meet with similar approval.

Percy Faith (1908-1976) was born in Toronto, Canada, and an injury to his hands from a fire forced him to rethink his plans for a career as a concert pianist. He turned to arranging, composing and conducting and 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.

Rudolf Friml (1879-1972) was a talented and prolific composer, born in Prague (then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) where he studied piano and composition with Antonín Dvořák at the Conservatory. As a young man he moved to the United States where he found success as a composer of operettas, notably “Rose-Marie" and "The Vagabond King". These were just two of around 20 Broadway scores and two original screen musicals. The Miller International organisation (which embraced several new labels to promote early stereo in the States) engaged 79-year-old Friml to front their newly-titled ‘101 Strings’ in a collection of his own melodies, from which comes Someday.

Leroy Anderson(1908-1975) is probably the best-loved American light music composer of his generation. For many years he was the chief arranger for the Boston Pops, and its famous conductor, Arthur Fiedler, introduced many Anderson novelties to an appreciative world. He was so prolific that some of his numbers have tended to become overlooked, such as Clarinet Candy.

Hal (born Harold) Mooney (1911-1995) is making another Guild appearance with his composition Aries, which comes from a collection spotlighting each sign of the zodiac. Upon the completion of his music studies in his native New York he was invited to join the arrangers' roster for the popular Hal Kemp Orchestra, alongside John Scott Trotter (who was about to leave the band) and Lou Busch. After war service in the US Army he moved to Hollywood where he worked with many of the top stars such as Bing Crosby, Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra. In 1956 Mooney finally swapped freelancing for an exclusive contract and became A&R Director and chief arranger at Mercury Records, where he remained until Philips phased out the label towards the end of the 1960s. Mooney then moved to Universal Studios, working as MD on many of the top TV shows of the period, before retiring in 1977.

Richard Warren Joseph Hayman (b. 1920) - as well as being a respected arranger and conductor - 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.

David Rose (1910-1990) was one of the biggest names in American light music circles during the middle years of the 20^th century. Born in London, England ‘lost’ him when the family moved to the USA when he was aged just four, but he retained a love for his birthplace and in his later years his fascination with steam railways often brought him back across the Atlantic. A prolific composer and arranger, he is an established Guild favourite, and A Frenchman In New York may have been one of his lesser known works, but it has the hallmarks of the master musician stamped all over it.

Ronald (Ron) Alfred Goodwin(1925-2003) was a brilliant British composer, arranger and conductor, whose tuneful music reached the furthest corners of the world. As he gained recognition for his original compositions he became in demand for film scores, and the success of "The Trials Of Oscar Wilde" (1960) undoubtedly enhanced Goodwin’s reputation. This led to major commissions in the following years, like "633 Squadron" (1964), "Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines" (1965) and Alfred Hitchcock’s "Frenzy" (1972).

Meredith Willson (1902-1984) will always be remembered for his hit musical "The Music Man", which was a big success on Broadway and later a Hollywood film. But he also composed and conducted some attractive pieces of Light Music, some to be found on an early Brunswick 10" LP called "Encore". Several have already appeared on Guild CDs, and Boy Meets Girl can now be added to the list.

Roger Roger (1911-1995) was a leading figure on the French music scene for many years, and his fine compositions and arrangements also won him many admirers internationally. He started writing for French films towards the end of the 1930s, and after the Second World War he played piano and conducted a 35-piece orchestra for a major French weekly radio series "Paris Star Time". His own instrumental cameos that were featured in the show brought him to the attention of the London publishers Chappell & Co., who were rapidly expanding their Recorded Music Library of background music at that time. Roger’s quirky compositions soon became available to radio, television and film companies around the world, one of the earliest being The Toy Shop Window (La Vitrine aux Jouets) on Guild GLCD 5119. His works often possessed a childish air, and Happiness Day fits neatly into this category.

Laurie Johnson (b.1927) has been a leading figure on the British entertainment scene for over 50 years. A gifted arranger and composer, Laurie has contributed to films, musical theatre, radio, television and records, with his music used in many well-known productions such as "The Avengers" and "The Professionals".

Eric Coates (1886-1957) is widely regarded as the foremost English composer of light music during the first half of the 20^th century. Towards the end of his life he wrote one of his most enduring works, the march from the 1954 film "The Dam Busters" (on GLCD5147 & 5202). He composed many signature tunes, and Sound And Vision was commissioned by Associated TeleVision when commercial television started in Britain in 1955.

Walter ‘Wally’ Stott, born in Leeds, Yorkshire (1924-2009) is today widely recognised as one of the finest arrangers and film composers. When Wally became Angela Morley she left England for the USA where she worked on several big budget movies (one example is the "Star Wars" series assisting John Williams), and on TV shows such as "Dallas" and "Dynasty". But during the 1950s and 1960s she made numerous recordings under her former name, also contributing many light music cameos to the Chappell Recorded Music Library.

Hans May (real name Johannes Mayer, 1891-1959) was a Viennese-born composer and music director who devoted much of his musical life to composing for the screen and stage. Initially he worked in the German film industry, but in the mid-1930s the developing political situation forced him to relocate briefly in France before eventually settling in England, like so many other mid-European musicians at that time. His numerous films included scores for the Boulting Brothers, Gainsborough Films and the Rank Organisation, and he conducted many early 78s for the Harmonic Music Library which was established in the mid-1940s. Here They Are finds him as both composer and conductor, and previously he has been included on Guild CDs with Rippling Down The Mountain (GLCD5112) and Nine Naughty Gnomes (GLCD5144).

Canadian-born Robert Joseph Farnon (1917-2005) is widely regarded as one of the greatest light music composers and arrangers of his generation. His melodies such as Portrait Of A Flirt (on Guild GLCD 5120) and Jumping Bean (GLCD5162) are familiar to millions around the world.

Londoner Charles Williams (born Isaac Cozerbreit, 1893-1978) composed a vast amount of music for films and production music libraries. He is one of the top contributors to Guild CDs.

Sidney Torch, MBE (born in London, Sidney Torchinsky 1908-1990) is well-known in Britain for his numerous Parlophone recordings, as well as his long tenure as conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in the "Friday Night Is Music Night" BBC radio programme. He wrote some excellent light music cameos for the Chappell Recorded Music Library, where Comic Cuts first appeared.

Philip Green (born Harry Philip Green in Whitechapel, London 1911-1982) began his professional career at the age of eighteen playing in various orchestras. Within a year he became London’s youngest West End conductor at the Prince of Wales Theatre. His long recording career began with EMI in 1933, and he is credited with at least 150 film scores.

Annunzio Paolo Mantovani (1905-1980) became the conductor of one of the most famous light orchestras in the world from the 1950s onwards. Born in Venice, his family came to England when he was aged four and he was something of a prodigy on the violin by the time he reached sixteen. But he leaned more towards popular music, and fronted many different kinds of ensembles before long-playing records (especially when stereo arrived) brought him universal acclaim. Despite a very busy schedule embracing radio, television, concerts and recordings he also found time to compose and arrange for his magnificent orchestra.

Chicago-born Victor Young (1900-1956) enjoyed a successful career on Broadway and in Hollywood films, although his greatest triumph – the score for the film "Around The World In Eighty Days" – was completed shortly before his death, so he never knew that it gained him a posthumous Oscar.

Guy-Claude Luypaerts (b. 1917) was born in Paris to Belgian parents during the First World War and he became well-known in French musical circles through conducting an orchestra called the Nouvelle Association Symphonique de Paris. Guild has previously included his imaginative sounds in the Cole Porter tribute (GLCD 5127) and conducting quirky cameos such as The Sleepwalker of Amsterdam (GLCD 5131), Masquerade In Madrid (GLCD 5132), Jose Fontaine’s catchy Whimsy, and his own composition Chatter Box (GLCD5160). This time it is the turn of his more romantic My Love Is In Florence.

Italian-born Otto Cesana (1899-1980) spent much of his early career in California where he lived from 1908 to 1930. His piano studies commenced at the age of ten, and he became an accomplished organist; he also learned about orchestration and harmony which he put to good use working in radio and Hollywood film studios. Although his recorded output was not large compared with some of his contemporaries, he usually conducted his own compositions which were of a consistently high standard – as already illustrated on several previous Guild Light Music CDs.

Peter Yorke (1902-1966) is a regular contributor to this series of CDs, as composer, arranger and conductor. After working in British Dance Bands of the 1920s and 1930s, he graduated to arranging for Louis Levy before eventually forming his own concert orchestra for recording and broadcasting.

Alfredo Antonini (1901-1983) was born in Italy and studied at the Milan Conservatory under Toscanini. By the 1930s he had established himself as both a composer and conductor and became well-known to the American public through his radio programmes in the 1940s – notably with the CBS Symphony, the CBS Pan American Orchestra and the Columbia Concert Orchestra. He worked with many leading singers, and frequently appeared at the top concert halls in the Americas. In the 1950s his television shows brought classical music to the masses, and his programmes with stars such as Julie Andrews, Eileen Farrell and Beverly Sills received critical acclaim.

In the USA Frank De Vol (1911-1999) is known primarily as the composer for the radio and TV series "The Brady Bunch", but light music fans appreciate that his career has been far more substantial. It was not uncommon to see the credit ‘Music by De Vol’ on many films, and he had an executive position at Columbia Records, for whom he made a number of successful mood music albums.

Gérard Calvi (real name Grégoire Elie Krettly, born 1922) first came to the attention of the public in his native France when he contributed the music in 1948 to a show called "Les Branquignols". The following year he composed the score for "La Patronne", launching a career in mainly European films that would continue for the rest of the 20^th Century. By far his best known cinematic work was for the "Asterix" films, but Calvi was equally at home in the theatre and recording studios, and writing popular songs – over 300 in total.

Sadly the available space in this booklet only permits brief pen portraits of each of the 25 talented composer/conductors featured in this collection. But they have all been previously included on earlier Guild Light Music CDs, where it may have been possible to give fuller details of their achievements.

David Ades

Light Music CDs. Some highly recommended releases.

Light Music is ignored by most Record Stores and Radio Stations, yet it is enjoyed by millions of people around the world.

You may know it as Easy Listening or Concert Music ... or maybe Middle-of-the Road. Whatever you happen to call it, Light Music offers relaxing enjoyment at any time of the day or night, and we hope that you will return regularly to this page in the Robert Farnon Society website to keep fully informed on the latest releases.

Releases up to December 2013

For 2013:  

GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5211

Light Music While You Work – Volume 5

1 After The Rain (Francesco Canaro)
HARRY FRYER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 361 1946
2 Amoretten Tanz (Joseph Gungl)
RONNIE MUNRO AND HIS WALTZ ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 270 1945
3 Cockney Capers (Peter Crantock, pseudonym of Clive Richardson and Tony Lowry)
WYNFORD REYNOLDS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 408 1946
4 Barcarolle (Jacques Offenbach)
RICHARD CREAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 397 1946
5 Careless Cuckoos (Ernest Bucalossi)
HARRY DAVIDSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 349 1945
6 Cavatina (Joseph Joachim Raff)
RICHARD CREAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 268 1945
7 The Druid’s Prayer Waltz (Gordon Davson)
HAROLD COLLINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 80 1943
8 Estudiantina (Emile Waldteufel)
RONNIE MUNRO AND HIS SCOTTISH VARIETY ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 219 1944
9 Chant Sans Paroles (Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky)
RICHARD CREAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 268 1945
10 Dolores Waltz (Emile Waldteufel)
RONNIE MUNRO AND HIS WALTZ ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 309 1945
11 Narcissus (Ethelbert Woodbridge Nevin arr. Philip Green)
HAROLD COLLINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 81 1943
12 Heyken’s Serenade No. 1 (Jonny Heykens)
DAVID JAVA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 176 1944
13 London Calling March (Eric Coates)
HARRY FRYER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 361 1946
14 The Frolicsome Hare (Herbert Ashworth-Hope)
WYNFORD REYNOLDS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 408 1946
15 Melody In F (Anton Rubinstein)
RICHARD CREAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 397 1946
16 Mon Bijou (My Jewel) (Charles E. Le Paige)
HARRY DAVIDSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 398 1945
17 Parade Of The Tin Soldiers (Leon Jessel)
RICHARD CREAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 96 1943
18 Promotions - Waltz (Johann Strauss II)
RONNIE MUNRO AND HIS WALTZ ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 320 1945
19 Poeme (Zdenĕk Fibich)
RICHARD CREAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 353 1945
20 Pomone - Waltz (Emile Waldteufel)
RONNIE MUNRO AND HIS WALTZ ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 270 1945
21 Santiago (A. Corbin arr. Aubrey Winter)
HARRY DAVIDSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 327 1945
22 Unrequited Love (Paul Lincke)
RONNIE MUNRO AND HIS WALTZ ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 358 1946
23 The Jolly Airmen - March (P. Beechfield-Carver)
HARRY FRYER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 340 1945
24 The Mascot Waltz (Edmond Audran)
HARRY DAVIDSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Not Issued Matrix No. DR 8211-2 1944
25 Naila - Rhythmic Paraphrase (Léo Delibes arr. Arthur Lange)
HARRY FRYER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 69 1943
26 The Grenadiers - Waltz (Emile Waldteufel)
RONNIE MUNRO AND HIS WALTZ ORCHESTRA
Decca Music While You Work MW 309 1945

All tracks mono

The fact that this collection of music is labelled ‘Volume 5’ should convey at least two significant hints: firstly there have been four previous Guild CDs of similar music; and secondly comments from previous purchasers have indicated that they would still like more from the same source. Fortunately the well has not yet run dry, and it is hoped that the performances by the orchestras who have by now become familiar friends will confirm the high standards that were regularly achieved.

Whereas the title of this collection will mean a lot to British people ‘of a certain age’, it is appropriate to offer an explanation to the younger generation, and Guild Music’s many friends in countries outside the United Kingdom, who may not possess any of the first four volumes. When the full misery of the Second World War was becoming all too apparent in the early months of 1940, the BBC (the sole broadcaster at the time) was persuaded that the public needed cheering up, and morale-boosting radio programmes would be an important addition to other forms of popular entertainment such as the cinema and variety theatres. Radio shows were being relayed to factories to relieve the monotony of mass production, especially in the fields of armaments and other essential war supplies, and it was believed that bright and cheerful music might even increase output.

The result was that a programme called "Music While You Work" was first broadcast on Sunday 23 June 1940 and it soon became something of an institution in British broadcasting, where it was to remain in the schedules for an unbroken run of 27 years.

The man credited with the original idea – and its successful implementation – was Wynford Reynolds. ‘Live’ musicians were usually engaged for the programme, ranging from solo performers such as organists, to small groups, dance bands, light orchestras and military bands. When radio programmes suitable for relaying in factories were not being broadcast, gramophone records were an ideal substitute, relayed over the ubiquitous Tannoy public address system.

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

The first 78s appeared in 1942, and over 400 were eventually released before the final ones were issued in January 1947. Most of the recordings featured dance bands and small groups but many were orchestral and the majority of these may now be found within these five Guild collections.

The series was quickly deleted, and throughout the existence of the label Decca publicity had been sketchy, to say the least. The record buying public was often unaware of what was available, so consequently some of the titles must be quite rare.

Some of the later 78s were recorded using Decca’s revolutionary ‘ffrr’ process which remained a closely guarded secret for some while. It had originally been developed to assist the war effort, and the improved sound quality of several of the later tracks on this CD is evidence of this. With the possible exception of David Java, the orchestras in this collection would have been familiar to radio listeners at the time. Like so many musicians of his era, Harry Fryer (1896-1946) found work playing for silent films and gradually progressed to conducting at London theatres and leading venues in and around the capital. He was a regular broadcaster, both before the war and later frequently on radio in "Music While You Work". The London publishers Boosey & Hawkes contracted Fryer in 1941 to conduct for their Recorded Music Library. By the end of the war he had become a household name and there seems little doubt that, had it not been for his death in 1946 aged only 50, his talents would have been much in demand during the post-war years.

Ronald ‘Ronnie’ George Munro (1897-1989) started his career playing piano in various clubs and bands in London before eventually working regularly with EMI – particularly the HMV ‘house’ orchestra The New Mayfair Orchestra. He contributed numerous arrangements for top recording bands such as Jack Hylton, Lew Stone, Percival Mackey, Ambrose and Henry Hall. In 1940 he was appointed conductor of the BBC’s newly-formed Scottish Variety Orchestra, and Estudiantina is typical of the kind of music for which they became known. After a further spell with a dance band after the war, he formed his light orchestra for radio in the fifties, concluding his BBC career with a sextet which he led between 1962 and 1967. When radio broadcasts dried up, he relocated to South Africa, where he reformed his orchestra, subsequently becoming Head of Light Music for the South African Broadcasting Corporation.

Considering his musical background, it is likely that Wynford Hubert Reynolds (1899-1958) had little problem in persuading the BBC that he had the necessary knowledge to launch "Music While You Work". He was already on the staff of the BBC as a producer, although he was also an experienced performer. He was born in Ebbw Vale, Wales, and his early musical training at the Royal Academy of Music concentrated on the violin, viola and composition. Like many of his fellow musicians, he provided music for silent films, and eventually joined the Queen’s Hall Orchestra under its illustrious conductor (and founder of London’s Promenade Concerts) Sir Henry Wood. Reynolds became involved with the early days of radio in the 1920s, and it wasn’t long before he formed his own orchestra for concerts and broadcasts, including engagements at seaside venues. In 1941 the BBC gave him the important-sounding title ‘Music While You Work Organiser’ but, due to the strict rules imposed by the Corporation on its own employees, this prevented him from appearing with his orchestra in the programmes. He left this position in 1944, and went back to performing on radio, not only in "Music While You Work" but also, later, in popular shows such as "Bright and Early" and "Morning Music".

Richard Crean (1879-1955) became a familiar name in the 1930s through his association with the London Palladium Orchestra, which was probably the best known British theatre orchestra. In recording terms it was also the most prolific, with almost 150 recordings made between 1927 and the early 1940s, many of them conducted by Richard Crean who was in charge from 1930 to 1937. Before joining the London Palladium Orchestra he had travelled widely as Chorus Master with the Thomas Quinlan Opera Company, before accepting a similar position at Covent Garden with Adrian Boult. Then a spell at Ilford Hippodrome in variety led to his appointment in 1930 at the Palladium, which lasted until he formed his own orchestra which he conducted, on and off, for the rest of his life. For a short while in 1941-42 he conducted the newly-formed BBC Midland Light Orchestra, and like Harry Fryer he was also a contributor to the Boosey & Hawkes Recorded Music Library.

Harry Davidson (1892-1967) enjoyed two successful, and different, careers before and following the Second World War. After various engagements around London and the north-east of England spanning the years 1914 to 1929, he finally secured the highly prestigious appointment as organist at the newly built Commodore Theatre at Hammersmith in London. The Commodore had a fine 18-piece orchestra conducted by Joseph Muscant (1899-1983) and, by the early 1930s it had acquired a loyal national following for its regular broadcasts. After five years Muscant left to take over the Troxy Broadcasting Orchestra and, in July 1934, Harry Davidson stepped into his shoes. Although the orchestra was disbanded during the war, Davidson managed to keep many of his superb musicians together and soon he was broadcasting regularly, notching up no less than 109 editions of "Music While You Work" between 1940 and 1946. In November 1943 his series "Those Were The Days" appeared for the first time, providing listeners at home with a regular helping of melodious old-time dance music. It became a permanent fixture in the schedules with Harry in charge until ill-health forced him to retire in November 1965.

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

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

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

Now that we’ve met the orchestras, it’s appropriate to mention some of the music. Among what might be described as the ‘traditional’ works by the likes of Gungl, Offenbach, Waldteufel and Tchaikovsky, there are some light music ‘gems’ waiting to delight us.

First in the spotlight is ‘Peter Crantock’ who hid the true identities of Clive Richardson (1909-1998) and Tony Lowry (1888-1976), for several years the piano duettists ‘Four Hands In Harmony’ in the variety halls and on radio. Richardson in particular was a major light music composer, with titles such as London Fantasia (on GLCD5120), Melody On The Move (GLCD5102), Running Off The Rails (GLCD5156) and Holiday Spirit (GLCD5120). Lowry is remembered for Seascape (on GLCD5145) and as co-composer with Douglas Brownsmith (1902-1965) of Down The Mall (GLCD5116, 5147 & 5171) under the pseudonym ‘John Belton’.

Ernest Bucalossi (1859-1933) provided the last century with a truly memorable piece of light music, The Grasshoppers’ Dance (on Guild GLCD5108 & 5122). On this CD he appears with Careless Cuckoos. Ernest followed in the footsteps of his father, Procida (1832-1918), conducting in various establishments (including leading West End theatres) as well as composing.

Jonny Heykens (1884-1945) was a Dutch composer whose music was particularly enjoyed in Germany. His most popular work became known as Heyken’s Serenade (Ständchen) and it has previously featured in three Guild collections – more traditional versions by Marek Weber (GLCD5120) and Mantovani (GLCD5184), although one should not forget Ron Goodwin’s exciting arrangement early on in his career (GLCD5101). Guild included David Java’s version of Heyken’s Serenade No. 2 in the fourth volume in this series, and by popular request we now feature his recording of the more famous first Serenade.

Herbert Ashworth-Hope (usually called Ashworth Hope 1880-1962) was a successful solicitor as well as a composer – his best-known work being Barnacle Bill which was used as the signature tune for BBC TV’s "Blue Peter" children’s programme. Frolicsome Hare was also well received: Lionel Jeffries’ version is on Guild GLCD5143.

There is space left in these notes for two more composers, both born in Germany, confirming that light music was certainly appreciated in many countries in the last century. Leon Jessel (1871-1942) had a big hit with his Parade of the Tin Soldiers in 1911 (also on Guild GLCD5134, and sometimes called Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers – GLCD5114), and in the same year he achieved equal success with The Wedding of the Rose - four outstanding versions have already appeared on Guild: Jack Hylton (GLCD5106); Ron Goodwin (5120); Commodore Grand Orchestra (5168); and Harold Collins in the third volume of this series (5186).

The other German composer Carl Emil Paul Lincke (born in Berlin 1866-1946) worked as a theatre conductor and music publisher in Berlin around the turn of the century. He spent two years in Paris as musical director of the famous Folies-Bergère, but then returned to Berlin, where he conducted at the Apollo Theatre. A versatile musician, he started with the violin, changed to the bassoon and then finally to the piano. He became known around the world for his Glow Worm (on Guild GLCD5106 & 5143), but this was just one number in a large body of musical works. He was generally considered to be ‘the father of Berlin operetta’, putting him (in German speaking countries, at least) on a par with Johann Strauss and Franz Lehar. He is reported to have composed Unrequited Love (Verschmähte Liebe) after his second wife and child left him.

David Ades

GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5212

Bright Lights

1 Bright Lights (Frank Sterling, real names Dennis Alfred Berry; Stuart Crombie)
BRUSSELS NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by F.G. TERBY
Southern MQ535 1962
2 Beachcomber (Clive Richardson)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by JACK LEON
Boosey & Hawkes O 2181 1949
3 Hurly-Burly (Len Stevens)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by SIDNEY TORCH
Chappell C 330 1948
4 Trysting Place (Cecil Milner)
THE HARMONIC ORCHESTRA Conducted by HANS MAY
Harmonic HMP 266 1948
5 Tempo For Strings (Bruce Campbell)
STUTTGART RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by KURT REHFELD (‘Lansdowne Light Orchestra’ on disc label)
Impress IA 133 1956
6 Main Event (Michael Sarsfield, real name Hubert Clifford)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
(‘Melodi Light Orchestra Conducted by Ole Jensen’ on disc label)
Chappell C 441 1954
7 Pastorale (Ronald Hanmer)
NEW CENTURY ORCHESTRA Conducted by SIDNEY TORCH
Francis, Day & Hunter FDH 023 1947
8 Twentieth Century Express (Making Tracks) (Trevor Duncan, real name Leonard Charles Trebilco)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by FREDERIC CURZON
Boosey & Hawkes O 2218 1953
9 Sagebrush (Dolf van der Linden)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Paxton PR 589 1954
10 Champs Elysees (Philip Green)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by SIDNEY TORCH
Chappell C 319 1947
11 Hydro Project (Charles Williams)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
Chappell C 630 1959
12 Holiday Camp March (Jack Beaver)
NEW CENTURY ORCHESTRA Conducted by SIDNEY TORCH
Francis, Day & Hunter FDH 024 1947
13 My Waltz For You (Sidney Torch)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by SIDNEY TORCH
Chappell C 291 1947
14 Pictures In The Fire (Robert Farnon)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON
Chappell C 335 1948
15 Practice Makes Perfect (Walter Stott)
TELECAST ORCHESTRA Conducted by WALTER STOTT
Chappell C 656 1959
16 Prelude To A Play (Frederic Curzon)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by CEDRIC DUMONT
Boosey & Hawkes OT 2336 1958
17 Rhythm Of The Clock (Peter Kane, real names Cedric King Palmer; Richard Mullan)
LONDON PROMENADE ORCHESTRA Conducted by WALTER COLLINS
Paxton PR 432 1947
18 Procession (Vivian Ellis)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by HUBERT CLIFFORD (‘Melodi Light Orchestra’ on disc label)
Chappell C 429 1953
19 Panoramic Prelude (Ernest Tomlinson)
CRAWFORD LIGHT ORCHESTRA
Josef Weinberger JW 104 1957
20 Paper Chase (Cyril Watters)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by CHARLES WILLIAMS
Chappell C 704 1961
21 Mayfair Parade (Jack Strachey)
NATIONAL LIGHT ORCHESTRA
Bosworth BC 1206 1948
22 Silks And Satins (Peter Yorke)
L’ORCHESTRA DEVEREAUX Conducted by GEORGES DEVEREAUX
Francis, Day & Hunter FDH 073 1952
23 Marche Heroique (Walter Collins)
LONDON PROMENADE ORCHESTRA Conducted by WALTER COLLINS
Paxton PR 426 1947
24 Race Day (Roger Roger)
ROGER ROGER AND HIS CHAMPS ELYSEES ORCHESTRA
Chappell C 672 1960
25 Bold Horizons (Laurie Johnson)
GROUP-FIFTY ORCHESTRA Conducted by LAURIE JOHNSON
KPM 095 1962

All tracks mono.

This collection pays tribute to the many talented light music composers who contributed to the production music libraries operated by various London publishers to satisfy the requirements of professional users in the media. Although the first stirrings of this branch of the music industry can be traced back to silent film days in the early years of the 20^th century, it is generally accepted that the activities of two publishers in the mid-1930s - Bosworth and Boosey & Hawkes - laid the foundations which others would follow. By the 1960s there was a vast reservoir of light music widely available which provided the soundtrack of the era for newsreels, documentary films, radio and television - in fact for any purpose where music added something extra.

The general public was unaware of the existence of this often secretive area of music publishing. Only when a particular melody became familiar through regular use as a signature tune did it begin to dawn upon some avid collectors that they might be missing something. Occasionally a popular theme would be recorded for commercial release by one of the top light orchestras of the day, but the vast catalogue of tuneful orchestral music simply remained undisturbed, with composers hoping that someone, someday, would decide to use their work.

A few of the composers who contributed to these libraries would have been known to music lovers at the time - one immediately thinks of Robert Farnon, Sidney Torch and Charles Williams. But many others were shadowy figures, well regarded by their peers, but whose names were largely unfamiliar. This collection features some of the best writers, although it must be acknowledged that many of their works have already appeared in the previous 111 CDs in this Guild Light Music series. But the fact that it is still possible to assemble such an enjoyable collection of their music illustrates the very high standards that they consistently achieved.

The title track features the work of one of the most prolific - yet still relatively unknown - figures in the mood music world from the 1940s onwards, Dennis Alfred Berry (1921-1994), who also composed (sometimes in collaboration with others) under names such as Peter Dennis, Frank Sterling, Charles Kenbury and Michael Rodney. He was born in London and in 1939 was employed by Francis, Day & Hunter as a copyist before moving on to Boosey & Hawkes as a staff arranger. Then he was taken on by publishers Lawrence Wright followed by Paxton Music as their representative based in Amsterdam. Paxton had a thriving mood music library, but a ban by the Musicians’ Union at the end of the 1940s meant that London publishers could no longer record in Britain. Paxton decided that their mood music 78s should be recorded in the Netherlands by Dolf van der Linden and his Metropole Orchestra, and Berry’s local experience proved very useful in setting this up. He returned to the London office in 1949 and was responsible for producing numerous titles issued by Paxton during the 1950s. This did not prevent him from writing for other libraries such as De Wolfe, Charles Brull, Conroy and Synchro. At the end of the 1950s Dennis Berry was head-hunted to start the Southern Library of Recorded Music (now owned by Universal) which issued its first recordings on 78s in 1960, from which comes our opening track Bright Lights which Den Berry co-composed with Stuart Crombie (d. 1994). Eventually he emigrated to South Africa, before finally returning to England to do freelance work including some film commissions in Germany. A dozen of Den Berry’s compositions have already appeared on Guild: his best-known piece is Holiday In Hollywood on GLCD5119.

Clive Richardson (1909-1998) was part of the piano duo ‘Four Hands in Harmony’ with Tony Lowry (1888-1976), but that was just a small interlude in a long and successful career. He was an early contributor of scores to British films, especially some of the Will Hay comedies, although he wasn’t credited on-screen. London Fantasia (on GLCD5120) was a big success in the 1940s, when mini-piano concertos were all the rage. Other Richardson compositions to succeed were Melody On The Move (GLCD5102), Running Off The Rails (GLCD5156) and Holiday Spirit (GLCD5120), that exuberant theme for BBC Children’s Television Newsreel. Beachcomber has also become a light music ‘classic’.

Len Stevens(d. 1989) (his full name was Herbert Leonard Stevens) was a prolific composer, contributing mood music to several different libraries, with a style that his admirers quickly grew to recognise. Like so many of the talented musicians employed in the business, he could turn his hand to any kind of style that was needed, and he was also involved in the musical theatre. Hurly-Burly is typical of the bright and breezy numbers that were always being heard in cinema newsreels of the 1950s, and it joins around 15 of his compositions that have already reached a wider audience through Guild Light Music CDs.

Edward Cecil Milner (1905-1989) was a highly respected composer and arranger in London music circles, particularly during a long association with Mantovani (1905-1980), for whom he supplied around 220 scores. He was also an accomplished composer (he was being recognised while still in his twenties), with his works, such as Trysting Place, willingly accepted by several background music publishers. In the cinema Milner worked on some 50 films, often for Louis Levy (1893-1957), most notably the 1938 classic "The Lady Vanishes".

Bruce Campbell was one of several writers who owed much to his association with Robert Farnon. He was a fellow Canadian, who actually came to Britain some years before Farnon, and played trombone with various British bands during the 1930s. Towards the end of the 1940s Campbell realised that he possessed some skills as a composer, and Farnon encouraged him and provided some valuable guidance. The fruits of this meeting of talents have already been experienced on Guild CDs on ten occasions in titles such as Cloudland (GLCD5145), Windy Corner (GLCD5150) and Skippy (GLCD5125). Tempo For Strings is typical of his smooth, melodic style.

Michael Sarsfield, credited as the composer of Main Event, is a pseudonym for Dr. Hubert Clifford (1904-1959) who composed several mood pieces for Chappell’s Recorded Music Library, and also conducted a few titles. Born in Tasmania, for many years Clifford was musical director for London Films, and he has recently been remembered in more serious vein for his Symphony 1940. He provided the background music for three British Transport Films – "West Country Journey" (1953), "London’s Country" (1954) and "Round The Island" (1956). The last named made such an impression on him that he decided to move to the area it covered – the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England.

Ronald Hanmer (1917-1994) could make a legitimate claim to being the most prolific of all the composers featured on this CD. 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.

Regular collectors of this Guild series of CDs will already be familiar with the music of Trevor Duncan (real name Leonard Charles Trebilco, 1924-2005). No less than 35 of his original compositions have now been reissued, and among the best-known are his first success High Heels (on Guild GLCD 5124), Grand Vista (GLCD 5124) and Panoramic Splendour (GLCD5111). He had the ability to write in many different styles, which no doubt endeared him to the publishers of mood music who needed to have music readily available to cover any kind of situation. He is represented on this CD by a piece originally called Making Tracks; when it became popular Boosey & Hawkes decided that it needed a different name, and so it was changed to Twentieth Century Express.

Dolf van der Linden (real name David Gysbert van der Linden, 1915-1999) was the leading figure on the light music scene in the Netherlands from the 1940s until the 1980s. As well as broadcasting frequently with his Metropole Orchestra, he made numerous recordings for the background music libraries of major music publishers. He also made transcription recordings for Dutch radio and other companies. His commercial recordings (especially for the American market) were often labelled as ‘Van Lynn’ or ‘Daniel De Carlo’. Sagebrush for Paxton is an example of his close working relationship with the aforementioned Dennis Berry.

Philip Green (born Harry Philip Green 1911-1982) began his professional career at the age of eighteen playing in various orchestras. Within a year he became London’s youngest West End conductor at the Prince of Wales Theatre. His long recording career began with EMI in 1933, and he is credited with at least 150 film scores, including "The League Of Gentlemen" (on Guild GLCD5178). Before he became the major contributor to the Photoplay library his music was accepted by various publishers, including Champs Elysees for Chappells.

Volumes could be written about Londoner Charles Williams (born Isaac Cozerbreit 1893-1978) who 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 movies, and his Dream Of Olwen (GLCD5192)is still remembered long after the film in which it appeared – "While I Live". By far the greatest volume of his composing skills was employed in mood music, providing hundreds of works for several libraries (especially Chappells), and over 40 have already been included on Guild CDs. His stature as a major composer and conductor of Britain’s Light Music scene is beyond question, and Hydro Project reveals his ability to write dramatic themes which still maintain a melodic edge.

Jack Beaver (1900-1963) was born in Clapham, London, and in the 1930s and 1940s he was part of Louis Levy’s ‘team’ of composers, providing scores for countless feature films and documentaries, including Alfred Hitchcock's first huge international hit "The Thirty-Nine Steps" (for which Beaver received no credit). He was hired by Warner Bros. to run the music department at their British studio at Teddington in the early 1940s and was also much in demand for scoring theatrical productions. He frequently undertook a punishing workload, including numerous pieces for London production music libraries, which eventually contributed towards his early death. His ability to create music to cover almost any mood was second to none, and his Holiday Camp March recalls the 1940s when British holidaymakers had yet to discover the delights of foreign package holidays.

Sidney Torch, MBE (born in London, Sidney Torchinsky 1908-1990) is well-known in Britain for his numerous Parlophone recordings, as well as his long tenure as conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in the "Friday Night Is Music Night" BBC radio programme. He wrote some excellent light music cameos for the Chappell Recorded Music Library, and he conducted the Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra for many of them, such as his charming My Waltz For You.

Canadian-born Robert Joseph Farnon (1917-2005) is widely regarded as one of the greatest light music composers and arrangers of his generation. His melodies such as Portrait Of A Flirt (on Guild GLCD 5120) and Jumping Bean (GLCD5162) are familiar to millions around the world. His Pictures In The Fire reveals his ability to create a tender, pensive melody - something that would become more evident in his later work.

Walter ‘Wally’ Stott, born in Leeds, Yorkshire (1924-2009) is today regarded as one of the finest arrangers and film composers. When Wally became Angela Morley in 1972 she left England for the USA where she worked on several big budget movies (one example is the "Star Wars" series assisting John Williams), and on TV shows such as "Dallas" and "Dynasty". But during the 1950s and 1960s she made numerous recordings under her former name, also contributing many light music cameos to the Chappell Recorded Music Library. Practice Makes Perfect is typical of the many bright, free flowing numbers that she produced at this time.

Londoner Frederic Curzon (1899-1973) devoted his early career to working in the theatre and like so many of his contemporaries he gradually became involved in providing music for silent films. As well as being a fine pianist and a conductor, he also played the organ, and his first big success as a composer was his "Robin Hood Suite" in 1937. This encouraged him to devote more of his time to writing and broadcasting, and several of his works have become light music ‘standards’, notably The Boulevardier (on GLCD5177), Dance of an Ostracised Imp (GLCD5195) and the miniature overture Punchinello (GLCD5203). He was eventually appointed Head of Light Music at London publishers Boosey and Hawkes, and for a while was also President of the Light Music Society. He wrote a large amount of mood music himself, such as Prelude To A Play.

Cedric King Palmer (1913-1999) was a prolific composer of mood music who contributed over 600 works.during a period of 30 years to the recorded music libraries of several London publishers. To survive in the music business meant accepting many varied commissions, and King Palmer could also turn his hand to making popular arrangements of the classics which he often conducted with his own orchestra on the BBC Light programme in the 1940s and 1950s. His many bright and tuneful pieces disguised the fact that he possessed a serious knowledge of music; at the age of 26 he completed a study of the work of Granville Bantock (1868-1946), and in 1944 Palmer wrote ‘Teach Yourself Music’ for the Hodder and Stoughton Home University Series which ran to several editions. He ceased composing mood music in the 1970s, and towards the end of his life he became a patient and popular piano teacher, with sometimes over 60 pupils on his books. Occasionally he collaborated with other composers (probably at the request of his publishers) and with Richard Mullan using the pseudonym Peter Kane he wrote Rhythm Of The Clock.

Vivian Ellis (1903-1996) was only 24 when he had his first big success in London’s West End with his show ‘Mr. Cinders’, and he devoted the major part of his illustrious career to the musical stage. However he also wrote several pieces of light music which have become ‘classics’ in their own right, the most famous being Coronation Scot (on GLCD5120 & 5181) which was initially well-known in Britain through its use as one of the signature tunes for BBC Radio’s "Paul Temple" series in the 1940s. Another familiar piece was Alpine Pastures (GLCD5169) used by the BBC to introduce "My Word". Like some of his contemporaries, Vivian Ellis possessed the precious skill of being able to conjure up a strong melody, although he preferred to leave it to others to orchestrate his creations. It is known that Cecil Milner (1905-1989) was responsible for the famous train sounds in Coronation Scot, and it would have been nice to be able to praise the arranger for Ellis’s Procession, but the record label gives no clues.

Ernest Tomlinson MBE (b.1924) is one of Britain’s most talented composers, working mainly in light music, but also highly regarded for his choral works and brass band pieces. During a very productive career, he has contributed numerous titles to the recorded music libraries of many different publishers, often under the pseudonym ‘Alan Perry’. One of his best-known numbers is Little Serenade, which he developed from a theme he wrote as incidental music for a radio production ‘The Story of Cinderella’ in 1955. His suites of English Folk Dances have also become part of the standard light music repertoire. In recent years Ernest has worked hard to preserve thousands of music manuscripts that would otherwise have been destroyed, and he is the President of the Light Music Society. Panoramic Prelude is one of his numerous pieces of production music.

Cyril Watters (1907-1984) was highly respected by many music publishers, and from 1953 to 1961 he was chief arranger with Boosey & Hawkes, often providing appealing arrangements for melodies supplied by other composers who were either too busy, or insufficiently skilled, to orchestrate their own creations. His compositions were accepted by several different publishers, but Boosey & Hawkes had the honour of introducing his most successful composition to the world – the sensuous Willow Waltz (GLCD5189) which created quite a stir in Britain when used as the theme for ‘The World of Tim Frazer’ on BBC Television in 1960. Cyril also worked at Chappells for a while, and Paper Chase was one of the bright, bustling numbers that he seemed able to produce at ease.

Jack Strachey (1894-1972) has ensured his musical immortality by writing These Foolish Things (GLCD5133). In the world of light music he is also remembered as the composer of In Party Mood (GLCD5120), the catchy number he wrote for Bosworths in 1944 which was later chosen for the long-running BBC Radio series "Housewives’ Choice". This is just one of a series of catchy instrumentals that have flowed from his pen, and he seemed particularly gifted at writing marches with a sporting or show business theme. Mayfair Parade is typical of his work in the 1940s.

Peter Yorke (1902-1966) worked with many leading British bands during his formative years, some of the most notable being Percival Mackey, Jack Hylton and Henry Hall. In 1936 he began a fruitful collaboration as chief arranger with Louis Levy, one of the pioneers of music for British films, who employed several talented writers such as Clive Richardson, Charles Williams and Jack Beaver, but seldom gave them any credit on-screen. Later on Peter Yorke conducted one of Britain’s most popular broadcasting orchestras from the 1940s until the 1960s. He was also a gifted composer and he created many stunning arrangements that brought out some fine performances from the top musicians he always employed. Apart from his many commercial records, from the mid-1930s he contributed many works to the recorded music libraries of the top London publishers, and Silks And Satins (which became familiar in Britain when used as the signature tune for the TV soap "Emergency – Ward 10") is his 17^th composition to be reissued on a Guild CD.

Walter R. Collins (1892-1956) is remembered for his days as the distinguished Musical Director of the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea, and also for conducting the London Promenade Orchestra for the Paxton Recorded Music Library during the 1940s. Several of his own compositions have already appeared on Guild CDs (Laughing Marionette on GLCD5134; Linden Grove GLCD5112; possibly his best loved piece Moontime GLCD5168; Paper Hats And Wooden Swords GLCD5144; and Springtime GLCD5138). Marche Heroique can now be added to this list.

Roger Roger (1911-1995) was a leading figure on the French music scene for many years, and his fine compositions and arrangements also won him many admirers internationally. He started writing for French films towards the end of the 1930s and after the Second World War he played piano and conducted a 35-piece orchestra for a major French weekly radio series "Paris a l’heure des Etoiles", which was sent all over the world and even broadcast in the USA. His own instrumental cameos that were featured in the show brought him to the attention of the London publishers Chappell & Co., who were rapidly expanding their Recorded Music Library of background music at that time. Roger’s quirky compositions soon became available to radio, television and film companies around the world, one of the earliest being The Toy Shop Window (La Vitrine aux Jouets) on Guild GLCD 5119. Race Day is his 24^th composition to be featured on a Guild CD.

The final track features a piece by Laurie Johnson (b.1927) who has been a leading figure on the British entertainment scene for 50 years. A gifted arranger and composer, Laurie has contributed to films, musical theatre, radio, television and records, with his music used in many well-known productions such as "The Avengers" and "The Professionals". When KPM launched its mood music library in 1959 Laurie’s compositions were strongly featured. Bold Horizons illustrates the way in which some composers were beginning to steer production music away from the traditional sounds associated more with the 1940s. The 1960s had arrived, and a new breed of writers wanted to express their ideas with modern harmonies and rhythms. Laurie Johnson was at the forefront of this movement, and his exciting creations were in tune with what was happening in the musical world at large.

David Ades

GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5209

My Dream Is Yours

1 I’m Falling In Love With Someone (from "Naughty Marietta") (Victor Herbert, arr. Percy Faith)
PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Columbia CS 8007 1958
2 My Dream Is Yours (Ralph Blane; Harry Warren)
JOHN CLEGG AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LPM 1732 1958
3 Dreamtime (The Melba Waltz) (Mischa Spoliansky)
MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca F 10174 1953
4 You Go To My Head (J. Fred Coots, arr. Frank Cordell)
FRANK CORDELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA
HMV CSD 1251 1958
5 Sleepy Time Gal (Angel Lorenzo; Richard Whiting; Joseph Adlan; Raymond Egan, arr. Matty Matlock)
PAUL WESTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Capitol ST 1223 1959
6 Amber (Jean McKenna)
ARCHIE BLEYER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Cadence 1320 1954
7 If I Could Be With You (James P. Johnson; Henry Creamer, arr. Paul Weston)
PAUL WESTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Capitol ST 1192 1959
8 Stardust (Hoagy Carmichael, arr. Robert Farnon)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca LK 4055 1953
9 Speak To Me (Louis Gaste)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA (‘Van Lynn’ on LP label)
Decca DL 8066 1954
10 She’s My Lovely (Vivian Ellis)
MAX JAFFA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Music For Pleasure MFP 1017 1962
11 Joan (Walter Scharf)
WALTER SCHARF AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Jubilee JLP 1033 1957
12 Yours (Quiereme Mucho) (Gonzalo Roig)
THE MELACHRINO STRINGS Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO
HMV DLP 1127 1956
13 La Femme (Maddy Russell; Jack Seagal)
SIDNEY TORCH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Coral CRL 57007 1953
14 Everything I Have Is Yours (Burton Lane; Harold Adamson, arr. Brian Fahey)
CYRIL ORNADEL AND THE STARLIGHT SYMPHONY
MGM SE 4033 1962
15 Where Or When (Richard Rodgers; Lorenz Hart, arr. Robert Farnon)
ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca LK 4086 1955
16 Emberglow (Edward Leonard, real names Len Stevens and Edward Holmes)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON (‘Melodi Light Orchestra conducted by Ole Jensen’ on disc label)
Chappell C 488 1954
17 Somebody Loves Me (George Gershwin, arr. Wally Stott)
WALLY STOTT AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Philips BBR 8004 1954
18 You’ve Done Something To My Heart (Noel Gay, real name Reginald Armitage)
MAX JAFFA AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Music For Pleasure MFP 1017 1962
19 Bright Star (Robert J. Hafner)
CARL COTNER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Challenge 59077 1960
20 Adrift (Murray Newman, arr. Bruce Campbell)
BRUCE CAMPBELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA (‘Coronet Orchestra’ on disc label)
MGM E 3167 1955
21 Here Am I (Jerome Kern; Oscar Hammerstein II)
PETE KING AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Warner Bros W 1294 1959
22 Now And Forever (Oscar Straus)
ARMAND BERNARD AND HIS STRING ORCHESTRA
Nixa LPY 160 1955
23 Café Pousse (Earle H. Hagen, Herbert Spencer)
THE SPENCER-HAGEN ORCHESTRA
Label "X" LXA 1003 1955
24 Deep In A Dream (Jimmy Van Heusen; Eddie Delange, arr. Reg Owen)
REG OWEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
RCA LPM 1907 1960
25 They Say It’s Wonderful (from "Annie Get Your Gun") (Irving Berlin, arr. Peter Yorke)
PETER YORKE AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Decca DL 8240 1954

Stereo: tracks 1, 4, 5, 7 & 14; rest in mono.

This collection could have been called "Music for Dreamy Romantics" because that is probably an accurate description of most, if not all, of the music. There are times when all of us just want to relax and allow pleasant, tuneful and relaxing melodies to soothe away the cares of the day: to use the current parlance – to ‘chill out’. Hopefully the orchestras of light music masters such as Percy Faith, Robert Farnon, David Rose, Mantovani, Paul Weston and George Melachrino will apply their usual magic. But some new names to the ‘Guild family of conductors’ can be spotted this time, and it seems only fair that they should receive a special welcome.

The first newcomer, in order of appearance, is New Yorker Archibald ‘Archie’ Martin Bleyer (1909-1989), who enjoyed a successful career in the US prior to World War II as a young songwriter, arranger and bandleader. From 1946 to 1953 he worked with Arthur Godfrey on his radio and TV shows, and was widely credited with having been an important element in their success. From 1952 to 1964 Bleyer managed his own Cadence label, which enjoyed big hits from the Everly Brothers, The Chordettes, Johnny Tillotson and Andy Williams, as well as several instrumental successes by Bleyer himself, such as Amber. Changing tastes in pop music during the 1960s were not to Archie Bleyer’s liking, and after he sold Cadence to Andy Williams (who formed Barnaby Records to manage the catalogue) he was content to take a back seat in the music business. He retired to his wife’s hometown, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where he died aged 79.

It is surprising that it has taken 109 Guild collections before Max Jaffa appears with his orchestra, although the mellow tones of his violin will have been heard on numerous occasions as a session player with many of the top post-war light orchestras. He was classically trained at London’s Guildhall School of Music where his honours included the Gold Medal and Principal’s Prize. His early career found him playing for silent films and in 1929 he formed his own salon orchestra which enjoyed a five-year residency at the Piccadilly Hotel. During World War II he became a pilot in RAF Bomber Command, and when peace returned he joined the Mantovani Orchestra, eventually becoming its leader. During the 1950s he formed The Max Jaffa Trio, which included cellist Reginald Kilbey and pianist Jack Byfield. They were part of the British music scene for over 30 years. From 1959 to 1986 Jaffa spent each summer at Scarborough, conducting the Yorkshire seaside resort’s famous Spa Orchestra. He was awarded the OBE for services to music in 1982, and retired in 1990, just a year before he died at the age of 79. She’s My Lovely and You’ve Done Something To My Heart are good examples of the tuneful arrangements that reflected his mastery of his instrument, and the way in which he allowed it to interweave with the full orchestra.

Walter Scharf (1910-2003) who conducts his own composition Joan, has only appeared once on a previous Guild CD (playing Victor Young’s Travellin’ Light – GLCD5114) so he almost qualifies as a ‘newcomer’. Born in New York, for most of his professional life he concentrated his career in the film world, having arrived in Hollywood in 1933 (his early commissions were for Al Jolson at 20^th Century Fox, and Bing Crosby at Paramount) where he continued to work until the 1980s. Some notable films included "Holiday Inn" (in 1942 he orchestrated the original version of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas), "Hans Christian Anderson" (1952) and Barbra Streisand’s "Funny Girl" in 1968. He also worked on three Elvis Presley movies, and collaborated with lyricist Don Black on songs for Michael Jackson. In later years he was much in demand from US Television, with series including "Ben Casey", "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." and "Mission Impossible".

The American violinist and bandleader Carl Cotner (1916-1986) seems to have spent much of his career in Country and Western music circles. As a ‘country fiddler’ he worked with bandleader Clayton McMichen, then in 1937 joined Gene Autry for his "Melody Ranch" radio shows, and became musical director for some of the singing cowboy’s films. He stayed with Autry when "Melody Ranch" transferred to television, and also worked on early TV series like "The Range Rider" and "Buffalo Bill Jr." – both in 1951. Perhaps Bright Star finds him outside his usual comfort zone?

The other new-to-Guild orchestra this time is that of Parisian Armand Bernard (1895-1965). He was known in his native France during the 1940s and 1950s, and he seems to have made a speciality of waltz music. Although not a prolific recording artist, he made several 78s and some early LPs mainly for the Pacific label, but also for some other companies. Now And Forever was written by the Viennese composer Oscar Straus (1870-1954) whose prolific output included popular operettas such as "The Chocolate Soldier" and "A Waltz Dream". Bernard’s orchestra features an electronic organ in the line-up, something that a number of conductors were tempted to use around that time – probably to produce a fuller, richer sound, without the need to employ too many extra musicians.

Our opening track is provided by Percy Faith (1908-1976) who hardly needs any introduction to Guild ‘regulars’. Born in Toronto, Canada, in 1940 he moved permanently to the USA where he quickly established himself through radio and recordings. From the 1950s onwards his fame spread internationally, due to the great success of his numerous long playing albums. I’m Falling In Love With Someone comes from his tribute to Victor Herbert (1859-1924).

The melody which gives this collection its title, My Dream Is Yours, features in a delightful arrangement played by John Clegg and his Orchestra. This is the third time he has been included on a Guild CD, but frustratingly it has not (yet) been possible to identify him, despite correspondence to musicians with this name (all unanswered) and references to light music experts.

Fortunately no mystery surrounds Annunzio Paolo Mantovani (1905-1980) who became the conductor of one of the most famous light orchestras in the world from the 1950s onwards. He provides his usual polished performance of Dreamtime (also known as The Melba Waltz) composed by Russian-born Mischa Spoliansky (1898-1985) for the British film ‘Melba’ (1953). He left the German film industry during the 1930s to work in Britain, and later the USA.

Frank Cordell (1918-1980) was a talented English composer, arranger and conductor, and it is his latter two talents that produce the sublime version of You Go To My Head chosen for this collection.

Paul Weston (born Paul Wetstein 1912-1996) was one of America’s top arrangers and conductors, whose orchestral collections such as "Music For Dreaming" and "Music For Memories" were to provide the springboard for many future albums. He provides two charming pieces for this CD: Sleepy Time Gal and If I Could Be With You.

Canadian-born Robert Farnon (1917-2005) also offers two superlative arrangements of standards by top American songwriters: Stardust (by Hoagy Carmichael) and Where Or When (Richard Rodgers).

Dolf van der Linden (real name David Gysbert van der Linden, 1915-1999) was the leading figure on the light music scene in the Netherlands from the 1940s until the 1980s. As well as broadcasting frequently with his Metropole Orchestra, he made numerous recordings for the background music libraries of major music publishers. His commercial recordings (especially for the American market) were often labelled as ‘Daniel De Carlo’ or ‘Van Lynn’ - from which comes Speak To Me.

George Miltiades Melachrino (1909-1965) was one of the big names in British light music from the 1940s to the 1960s. He has already appeared on many Guild CDs, and his tasteful arrangements were usually either by himself or his right-hand man, arranger and pianist William Hill-Bowen (1918-1964). Sadly the LP label and sleeve give no clues as to which of them was responsible for Yours.

Sidney Torch, MBE (born Sidney Torchinsky 1908-1990) is well-known in Britain for his numerous Parlophone recordings, as well as his long tenure as conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in the "Friday Night Is Music Night" BBC radio programme. La Femme comes from a very rare LP he recorded in London for the American market, which was never originally released in Britain.

Everything I Have Is Yours brings us the combined talents of conductor Cyril Ornadel (1924-2011) and arranger Brian Fahey (1919-2007). From the late 1950s onwards this team made an acclaimed series of records with the "Starlight Symphony", aimed primarily at the American market.

Emberglow comes from the Chappell Recorded Music Library. The composers were Len Stevens (d. 1989) and Edward Holmes, the manager of the Library affectionately known as ‘Teddy’ to all the musicians who provided such a wealth of top class orchestral music that made Chappells the predominant providers of mood music for many years from the 1940s onwards.

Angela Morley (1924-2009) needs no introduction to Guild ‘regulars’. Somebody Loves Me was arranged while she was still known as ‘Wally Stott’, and the glorious string sound she creates reflects her experience of working with Robert Farnon. In her later career she left England for the USA where she worked on several big budget movies (one example is the "Star Wars" series assisting John Williams), and on TV shows such as "Dallas" and "Dynasty".

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

The American orchestra leader Peter Dudley King (1914-1982) was also a successful songwriter and arranger, whose career embraced radio, television, recordings and films. Here Am I is one of the lesser-known works by Jerome Kern (1885-1945) from the 1929 show "Sweet Adeline".

In 1952 Earle Hagan (1919-2008), famous as the composer of the jazz standard Harlem Nocturne, formed a partnership with fellow arranger Herbert Winfield Spencer (1905-1992). Together, they launched the Spencer-Hagen Orchestra, which recorded albums for RCA and Liberty, and more significantly, they began writing music for television series. They ended their partnership in 1960. Café Pousse which they co-composed comes from an album for which the inspiration was various cocktails.

Reg Owen (born George Owen Smith, 1921-1978) took up the saxophone at fifteen, played in youth bands then completed his education at the Royal College of Music in London. Following RAF service, in which he played for the Bomber Command Band, he became arranger for the Ted Heath orchestra from 1945, moving on to work for other conductors including Cyril Stapleton. When he joined the PRS in 1954 he decided to change his name legally to "Reginald Owen." Regarded as one of England's leading orchestrators, Reg published his book "The Reg Owen Arranging Method" in 1956. He is regarded as a ‘one hit wonder’ thanks to his best-selling recording of Manhattan Spiritual in 1958. His own film scores date from 1957 and include "Murder Reported" (1958), "Very Important Person" (1961), "A Coming-Out Party" (1961) and "Payroll" (1962). He moved to Brussels in 1961, although he continued to arrange, compose and conduct albums all over Europe, including France, Germany and Italy before moving finally to Spain where he died in 1978. His contribution to this collection, Deep In A Dream, is another of those lovely half-forgotten melodies which surely deserves a better fate.

Londoner Peter Yorke (1902-1966) is a regular contributor to this series of CDs, as composer, arranger and conductor. After a grounding in British Dance Bands of the 1920s and 1930s, notably Jay Whidden (1928), Jack Hylton (1929-33) and Henry Hall (1932-33), he graduated to arranging for Louis Levy before eventually forming his own concert orchestra for recording and broadcasting. Irving Berlin wrote "they say that falling in love is wonderful" and it is to be hoped that these lyrics have been reflected throughout all the music on this CD. We may sometimes only dream of finding a true love, but for many fortunate people dreams can and do come true.

David Ades