An analysis by
Robert Walton of Eric Coates' 'Calling all
Workers' march has been
added to our Articles section
October 2023
BBC axes
‘Sunday Night Is Music
Night’
The BBC’s
long-running programme, which has
aired continuously since 1953,
has finally been discontinued.
Originally
broadcast on the former BBC Light
Programme and carried forward to
Radio Two upon the latter's
inception in 1967, it spent most
of its long life as 'Friday Night
Is Music Night' until the
outbreak of the Covid pandemic in
2020. At that point, it
transferred to Sundays, with of
course a necessary change of
title.
Most of the
broadcasts during the last three
years have featured repeats of
previous episodes, although there
have been some new ones from
time-to-time.
The final edition
was on October 15th and this has
now effectively resulted in the
total abandonment by the BBC of
Light Music. Sadly, another
[huge] brick out of the wall !!
Apart from the
loss of a well-loved radio
programme, its demise inevitably
throws in into question the
future of the BBC Concert
Orchestra, which has been
resident throughout the entire
series.
A comprehensive
history of the programme may be
found here
[with due acknowledgement to
Wikipedia]
And an article
about the demise of the
programme, with due
acknoledgement to the i newspaper, can
also be found here
Tony
Clayden
September 2023
Rosemary
Squires (1928-2023)
We have reproduced
an obituary for singer and
entertainer Rosemary Squires from
The Salisbury Journal in our Obituaries section.
September 2023
David
Corbett (1943-2023)
We have reproduced
an obituary for David Corbett
written by his Sister in our Obituaries section.
August 2023
The BBC's
historic Maida Vale studios have
been sold
The BBC's historic
Maida Vale studios, which have
hosted sessions by stars ranging
from the Beatles to Adele, have
been sold to a group led by
Oscar-winning composer Hans
Zimmer.
Zimmer, who wrote
the scores for films like The
Lion King and Dune, has teamed up
with Love Actually and Cats movie
producers Tim Bevan and Eric
Fellner.
The BBC said the
complex would remain a
"centre for pioneering
music-making".
Built in 1909 as
Britain's largest indoor roller
skating rink, the north-west
London building was bought by the
BBC in 1933.
It is home to the
BBC Symphony Orchestra and in the
past has hosted many BBC radio
programmes such as 'Music While
You Work', John Peel's famous
Radio 1 sessions and the BBC's
innovative Radiophonic Workshop,
famed for its realisation of the
Doctor Who theme tune.
The corporation is
planning to move its music
studios to Queen Elizabeth
Olympic Park in east London in
2025, where the BBC Symphony
Orchestra will then be based.
It is my most sad
duty to record the death of Chris
Money on 24th June 2023, after
having experienced severely
declining health during the past
year.
Chris had been a
loyal and enthusiastic supporter
of the LLMMG since the Group's
inception in 2014, and his
involvement had dated back many
years beforehand, as a member of
the Robert Farnon Society.
It is hoped to
publish a full tribute to Chris
in due course, but in the
meantime sincere condolences, on
behalf of the Group, are extended
to his wife Françoise, their
three daughters and Chris's
sisters.
Tony Clayden
June 2023
Concert - Sunday June 4th 2023
(click picture to
enlarge)
A bright sunny day
– one of the warmest so far
this year – saw the annual
Light Music Concert at the
British Home in Streatham,
London, given by the Mark
Fitz-Gerald Orchestra.
Previously these
have been held in February, but
the decision was taken to
re-schedule this one to June; it
is understood that the revised
date will continue in the future.
It certainly
resulted in a good attendance,
both from visitors and residents
alike, who were entertained by a
most enjoyable afternoon of the
kind of music which –
unfortunately – is all-too
conspicuous by its virtual
absence these days.
Mark Fitz-Gerald
has a great affinity for this
genre, and his orchestra –
consisting of professional
musicians who play
‘pro-bono’ on their day
off, together with a good number
of very accomplished amateur
instrumentalists – seems to
get better and better as the
years go by !
The full programme
was as follows:-
Theatreland
* - Jack Strachey Sally Tries The Ballet -
Charles Williams Romeo and Juliet-Pastorale
- Edward German Amparito Roca - Jaime
Texidor Invocation and Dance Of A
Whimsical Elf [two movements
from A Day In Fairyland]
- Haydn Wood. Cabana - Edward White Little Serenade - Ernest
Tomlinson In A Persian Market -
Albert Ketèlbey Serenade To Youth -
Haydn Wood Teddy Bears’ Picnic
- John Bratton Lazy Night - Eric Coates London Calling - Eric
Coates Westminster Waltz -
Robert Farnon
*This has now
become the regular signature-tune
for these concerts.
Midway through the
session, we were treated to an
additional item – an
impromptu unaccompanied solo
rendition of the famous
Northumberland folk song, Blow
The Wind Southerly, by one
of the residents called Naomi
Hyamson.
Westminster
Waltz was originally
intended as the scheduled encore,
but such was the enthusiasm of
the audience that the orchestra
also obliged with a repeat
performance of Amparito Roca
– so we had two for the
price of one !
Many thanks and
congratulations are due to Mark
Fitz-Gerald and his splendid
orchestra, to oboist Ian Finn for
choosing and organising the
repertoire, and to trombonist
Frances Barrett, who handled all
the administrative arrangements
and introduced each item on the
programme.
All of this was in
aid of a very deserving cause, as
it raised funds for the British
Home, which is a Royal Charter
Charity providing accommodation
and support for people living
with neuro-disability.
I’m sure I
speak for everyone when I say how
much we are looking-forward to
next year’s concert !
It is with much
sadness that we record the death
of Ursula Kermack, who passed
away at the end of February, just
shy of her 81st birthday, after a
short illness.
Her involvement
with our group goes back to the
latter days of the Robert Farnon
Society. When we set-up the LLMMG
in 2014, she became one of our
earliest attendees and – I
believe – came to most
sessions at the new venue from
then-on until our most recent
gathering in October 2022.
Ursula was very
happy to 'step into the breach',
to assist with the running of the
meetings; in particular she very
capably took-over the task of
registering attendees and taking
their entrance monies at several
of our most recent events.
She was most
enthusiastic and knowledgeable
about Light Music, although this
was not by any means her only
interest; she enjoyed the type of
music exemplified by the likes of
Frank Sinatra and many other
artistes of that era, and she
very much enjoyed dancing.
Ursula – we
will miss your support, your
invaluable contributions to our
group, your good humour and your
ever-present smile. May you rest
in eternal peace.
TC May 2023
April 2023
NDO CD
Collection
The NDO collection
of CDs has some new additions.
Full details can
be found in the 'Links' section under 'The
Northern Dance Orchestra' or by
clicking here
March 2023
BBC
Singers to close in corporation's
'major review of classical music'
The BBC has
announced the closure of the BBC
Singers, one of its six salaried
performing groups and the UK's
only full-time professional
chamber choir.
Simon Webb, the
organisation's head of orchestras
and choirs, also revealed that a
20% reduction in salaried posts
of the three English orchestras
(the London-based BBC Symphony
and Concert Orchestras, and
Manchester's Philharmonic) is
being sought through a voluntary
redundancy scheme. "We are
looking to reset our relationship
between salaried and freelance
musicians" he said.
The BBC has
U-turned and suspended its
decision to scrap the BBC Singers
chamber choir after pressure from
musicians, the public and
politicians.
The decision to
close the BBC Singers, announced
in March, was expected to result
in the loss of 20 posts but was
met with fierce opposition from
conductors, choirmasters and
senior members of government and
the opposition.
February 2023
Brian
Willey January
3rd 1928 - January 16th 2023
It is with great
sadness that we record the death
of Brian Willey, who passed away
in January 2023. Brian was a
regular and loyal supporter of
the LLMMG, and his encyclopaedic
knowledge and great sense of
humour certainly enlivened many
of our meetings.
Burt
Bacharach Tribute
(May 12, 1928 – February 8,
2023)
Burt Bacharach was
born in Kansas City in 1928 but
his parents relocated to New York
when he was still a child. He
took piano and 'cello lessons but
his heart was not in classical
music: he listened to jazz
musicians like Dizzy Gillespie
and Charlie Parker and became
hooked. He served in the US Army
in the 1950s and on return to
civilian life began to study
music under the French composer
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974).
From 1957 to 1962
he was Marlene Dietrich's Musical
Director. At the same time he
rented an office in New York's
legendary Brill Building and it
was there that he met lyricist
Hal David (1921-2012). So began a
creative partnership almost
unequalled in American popular
music history, yielding over 20
Top Ten hits in a single decade,
despite their rhythmic and
harmonic complexity. Their first
collaboration produced The
Story Of My Life in 1957, a
hit for Marty Robbins in the US
and Michael Holliday in the UK;
this was closely followed by Magic
Moments, which was in fact
on the B side of Perry Como's Catch
A Falling Star (not one of
their compositions).
In 1961 Bacharach
came across Dionne Warwick, then
working as a backing singer for
various artists. He and Hal David
took her under their wing and
composed a succession of hit
songs for her, starting with Don't
Make Me Over (1962). This
was followed by Anyone Who
Had A Heart (1963), Walk
On By and A House Is Not
A Home (1964), Message
To Michael (1966), I Say
A Little Prayer For You and Alfie
(1967). It's no secret that
Dionne Warwick was upset by Cilla
Black's cover version of the
latter, which performed better in
the UK charts. 1968 saw Do
You Know The Way To San Jose?
become yet another chart success
for the Bacharach/David/Warwick
team.
Many of their
songs were recorded by other
artists: The Walker Brothers (Make
It Easy On Yourself), Gene
Pitney (The Man Who Shot
Liberty Valance), Dusty
Springfield (The Look Of Love),
Jack Jones (Wives And Lovers),
Tom Jones (What’s New
Pussycat?) and B.J. Thomas (Raindrops
Keep Falling On My Head).
Bacharach and David broke new
territory in 1968 with music and
lyrics for a show called Promises,
Promises (book by Neil
Simon). The show's standout song,
written at the eleventh hour just
before it opened on Broadway, was
I’ll Never Fall In Love
Again. Five years later they
moved to Hollywood and began work
on the score for a musical remake
of the classic 1937 Frank Capra
film Lost Horizon,
featuring a cast of non-singers
such as Peter Finch and Liv
Ullman. The composers'
relationship on this project
became strained to such an extent
that Hal David walked away and
Dionne Warwick began legal
proceedings against Bacharach for
failing to produce fresh material
for her to record.
In due course
things were patched up but the
partnership was never the same.
Bacharach however continued to
appear in concert and together
with Carole Bayer Sager, who
became the third of his four
wives, wrote Best That You
Can Do for the 1981 hit
Dudley Moore film Arthur.
One of his final collaborations
was with the British songwriter
Elvis Costello.
Burt Bacharach
died in February 2023 aged 95.
His music will remain in
copyright until 31st December
2093.
To say that Burt
Bacharach was arguably the most
significant popular song composer
of his generation is probably to
understate the case. Few –
if any – others can claim to
have produced such a large
catalogue of hits, or worked with
as many top performers as he did.
The winning combination of
Bacharach's music and David's
lyrics was unbeatable – Ed.
February 2023
Geoffrey
Brand has died aged 96
Geoffrey Brand
1926 - 2023
We are saddened to
hear of the passing of Geoffrey
Brand, who died on February 5th
2023 aged 96.
Geoffrey was a
renowned composer and conductor.
Doyen of brass and concert band
music and publishing, he leaves a
terrific musical legacy and will
be remembered as a brilliant
conductor and an imaginative
musical entrepreneur. His live
performances and rehearsals
inspired players and audiences
throughout the world and his
outstanding recordings will
continue to do so.
Wednesday 21st
December 2022 will see the 65th
anniversary of the death of Eric
Coates (1886-1957).
He is best known
for his By The Sleepy Lagoon
which has been used as the
signature tune of BBC Radio 4's
Desert Island Discs since the
programme started 80 years ago in
1942, although Coates wrote it in
1930. Other compositions of his
that were used by the BBC were Calling
All Workers (for Music While
You Work, 1940-67) and Knightsbridge
March (for In Town Tonight,
1933-60).
November 2022
Bramwell
Tovey & the BBC Concert
Orchestra record Poulenc for
Chandos
Recorded in April
at the Watford Colosseum, the BBC
Concert Orchestra play a
programme of music by Francis
Poulenc (1902-60), conducted by
the late Bramwell Tovey who died in July.
Scarborough
Spa Orchestra Summer Season 2022
Sample Programme
Below is a sample
of one of this year's summer
season programmes:
(click to enlarge)
September 2022
Iain
Sutherland updated Discography
Conductor Iain
Sutherland has just sent revised
his complete discography which
you can now access from our Articles page.
September 2022
Real Bard
of Brum
From The
Daily Mail, Friday, 2nd September
2022
Click on the
article to enlarge...
from Tony Foster
September 2022
Jenny
Worsley
We are very
saddened to learn that Jenny
Worsley, wife of Peter Worsley,
passed away on August 30th, at
Gloucester Royal Infirmary, after
a protracted illness borne with
great dignity and fortitude.
Peter has been a
very loyal and enthusiastic
supporter of the LLMMG and was,
for many years prior to the
formation of the latter, a
long-standing member of the
Robert Farnon Society. Although
he was not usually able to attend
our London meetings, his constant
input, comments and advice have
been extremely valued.
Our sincere
condolences are extended to Peter
and his family.
Tony
Clayden
July 2022
Bramwell
Tovey
1953 - 2022
We regret to
record the death of Bramwell
Tovey, the principal conductor of
the BBC Concert Orchestra, after
a protracted illness, on 12th
July 2022.
An obituary by
Roderick Elms can be found on our
website here.
(Some may remember
Roderick Elms as the speaker at
our October 2019 meeting.)
June 2022
David
Lloyd-Jones [1934-2022]
It is with regret
that we record the death –
after a short illness –
of the conductor David
Lloyd-Jones, who passed-away on
June 8th 2022.
The founder of
Opera North, he was principally
associated with the 'serious' end
of the musical spectrum and
showed a particular interest in
British and Russian music.
Mr. Lloyd-Jones
was a prolific recording artiste,
whose name appeared on several
labels, including Philips,
Hyperion, MRF, Marco Polo, Dutton
Epoch, Chandos, Melba and Oriel.
He conducted well
over thirty CDs for the NAXOS
company, including four volumes
of English String Miniatures,
featuring Light Music works by
many celebrated composers,
including Haydn Wood, John
Rutter, George Melachrino, Frank
Cordell, Cecil Armstrong Gibbs,
Philip Lane, Peter Hope, Adam
Carse, Ernest Tomlinson, Gustav
Holst, Paul Lewis, Frederick
Delius and Peter Warlock.
British
Vintage Wireless and Television
Museum Afternoon
of Music - May 14th2022
A very warm and
sunny Saturday saw the first
musical gathering of 2022 at the
Museum. Although the numbers were
[rather disappointingly] lower
than customary, those attending
were treated to enjoyable
presentations by Brian Reynolds
[on orchestras which used to
appear on BBC radio], Alex
Gleason, [who played a selection
of his favourite musical
compositions written for films],
Chris Money [on the American
composer Leroy Anderson] and Tony
Clayden [on the English composer
and arranger George Melachrino].
Tony also organised and
introduced the programme.
Visitors were able
to view [at a distance] the
progress of the site improvements
– including the new cabin
and groundworks – which were
nearing completion in time for
the forthcoming Garden Party at
the beginning of June.
Brian Reynolds
– whose grandfather and then
father ran a very successful
Radio and Television business in
Bromley for many years – was
delighted to see that the shop's
signboard, which had languished
for many years in Brian's garage,
has now been awarded
pride-of-place on the front of
the TV room.
As always, a light
lunch was provided by Eileen
Laffey and the whole afternoon
was 'overseen' by John Thompson.
Steven Wills
celebrates The Queen's Platinum
Jubilee with a programme of music
from 1952
March 2022
Ana Arnold
It is with great
sadness that we have to record
the tragic death of Ana
[Anastasia] Arnold in a road
accident in France on February
12th 2022. Ana was for some years
the regular flautist with the
Aspidistra Drawing Room Orchestra
and over the last two years she
was involved with organising and
editing the 'lockdown'
performances of the ADRO which
were widely enjoyed via the
internet, as were the two live
concerts which were more recently
staged at the Sands Theatre in
London.
Ana became known
to several LLMMG supporters when
they met her at the Orchestra's
regular Bank Holiday concerts in
Highgate, North London
A full
appreciation of her life and work
may be found here.
(A Musical
Theatre Melodies broadcast from Inner FM)
A Musical Theatre
Melodies broadcast pays tribute
to the Academy, Grammy and Ivor
Novello Award-winning composer,
lyricist, librettist and
screenwriter, Leslie Bricusse
(who passed away at his home in
the South of France last week at
the age of 90).
The program
features an archival interview
with Leslie from July 2021 to
mark the 60th Anniversary of the
London premiere of the Bricusse
– Anthony Newley musical
Stop The World – I Want to
Get Off, in which Leslie also
discussed his up-coming projects,
which included the long-awaited
British premiere of his Sammy
Davis Jr. bio-musical Sammy, plus
his recently completed stage work
The Great Musical Comedy (aka
Sunday Dallas), the concert
presentation of A Few Words With
George (for which Leslie wrote
lyrics to accompany the
orchestral works of George
Gershwin), animated film versions
of Noah’s Ark (featuring a
song score originally written in
the 1960s) and Scrooge (based on
his 1970 film and subsequent
stage adaptation) and the
projected film version of Jekyll
& Hyde.
The programme
concludes with a replay of
excerpts from a 90th Birthday
tribute to Leslie Bricusse which
featured a selection of his songs
written and co-written (with
collaborators including Anthony
Newley, Cyril Ornadel, Henry
Mancini, John Williams and Frank
Wildhorn) for the stage musicals
Stop The World – I Want To
Get Off, Pickwick, The Roar Of
The Greasepaint – The Smell
Of The Crowd, The Good Old Bad
Old Days, Sherlock Holmes, Jekyll
& Hyde and Cyrano de
Bergerac; and screen musicals
Charley Moon, Doctor Doolittle,
Goodbye Mr. Chips, Scrooge, Willy
Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
and Victor/Victoria, from the
respective original cast and film
soundtrack recordings.
The talented
pianist, singer, arranger and
composer Barbara Moore has died
after a long illness, aged 89.
Born in Yorkshire, Barbara was
the daughter of saxophonist and
arranger Arthur Birkby. She was
an early member of The Ladybirds
backing group.
As well as
composing music for commercials
and the De Wolfe Music Library,
she wrote the new, up-dated
arrangement for Brian Fahey's
celebrated signature tune At
The Sign Of The Swinging Cymbal,
still used on BBC Radio 2's Pick
Of The Pops. She later
worked with Jimi Hendrix, Dusty
Springfield, Elton John, Tom
Jones and Dudley Moore, with whom
she became a close friend.
At one time
Barbara was married to arranger
Pete Moore (1924-2013), former
Head of Orchestrations at Radio
2; their daughter Lindsay sadly
died in her 40s.
In her later years
Barbara moved to the coastal town
of Bognor Regis, where she became
a well-known personality,
performing locally and lecturing
at the University of Chichester.
It is with
profound sadness that we record
the death of our supporter Vernon
Anderson, who peacefully passed
away on June 15th, after a period
of ill health borne with great
courage and dignity. Click here to read an
obituary.
May 2021
Aspidistra
Drawing Room Orchestra Concert May 31st
2021
Here is a
selection of some of the
playlists available on the
channel:
'World of Light
Music'
'The Story of Light Music'
BBC 'My Music'
'Melody Time'
'The Andre Kostelanetz Show'
BBC 'Sing Something Simple'
'Bands and their Music'
'On Parade'
'My Kind of Music'
and there are a
lot more including over 40 BBC
'My Word' programmes!
February 2021
Sunday
Bandstand
For those of you
who like Brass Bands, Chris Helme
produces a two hour weekly
programme of Brass Band music
which you can stream online here
A new
'Lockdown' video from
The Aspidistra Drawing Room
Orchestra
Whistling
Rufus by Kerry Mills
arranged by Roland Anderson
The original sheet
music, published by F. A. Mills
of New York in 1899 depicts
Whistling Rufus on the cover
playing a guitar, "A great
musician with a high position,
was Whistling Rufus, the one-band
man." The video we've used
will be familiar to some of you,
no doubt - Steamboat Willie,
notable for being the first
cartoon animation with fully
synchronised sound. Aspidistra
were not part of the original
production!!
December 2020
Tico
Tico (arr Trevor Wye) arranged
for 6 flutes played by Katherine
Bryan in lockdown
Kenneth
Alwyn, conductor, composer and
writer,
has died aged 95
Described by BBC
Radio 3 as "one of the great
British musical directors",
Alwyn was known for his many
recordings, including with the
London Symphony Orchestra on
Decca's first stereophonic
recording of Tchaikovsky's 1812
Overture.
He was also known
for his long association with BBC
Radio 2's orchestral live music
programme Friday Night is
Music Night, appearing for
thirty years as a conductor and
presenter, and for his
contribution to British musical
theatre as a prolific musical
director in the 1950s and 1960s.
He was a Fellow of
the Royal Academy of Music and
married the actress Mary Law in
1960. His website and the first
volume of his memoirs A Baton
in the Ballet and Other Places
were both published in 2015. The
second volume Is Anyone
Watching? was published in
2017.
... brings
together some of the wonderful
musicians of English National
Ballet Philharmonic for a special
working from home rendition of
Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake Overture.
... In the spirit
of #ClapForOurCarers, the
#ENBPhilharmonic have remotely
recorded a special excerpt from
the ENB production of Raymonda,
dedicated with much love and
gratitude to #OurNHSPeople and to
#HealthWorkers all over the world
?? #PlayForOurCarers #ENBAtHome
... Some of the
UK's finest musicians, still in
lockdown owing to COVID-19 and
its effect on the arts, pay
tribute to the late Dame Vera
Lynn, by coming together to
perform her legendary hit
"We'll Meet Again".
... Gavin's
orchestra-at-home perform a song
adopted as a tribute to the NHS
and their immense dedication and
commitment during the challenging
times the COVID pandemic has
seen.
November 2020
A fifth
'Lockdown' video from
The Aspidistra Drawing Room
Orchestra
Yearning
(Just For You) by Joe Burke Performance by the
Aspidistra Drawing Room Orchestra
in lockdown. In this video, Mabel and
Fatty make guest appearances. It
is the first of their videos with
vocals.
The Aspidistra
Webpage now also features a blog. This allows you
to give feedback on any
Aspidistra activity or related
musical matters. If you feel
inclined to tell them something
in future, write it on the blog
page, and they can all see it.
Please spread the
word and sign up for thier
Newsletter.
November 2020
Another
'Lockdown' video from
The Aspidistra Drawing Room
Orchestra
Girls in
Grey by Charles Williams
arranged by Roy Bell
Performance by the Aspidistra
Drawing Room Orchestra in
lockdown.
Girls in Grey was
originally written for the
Women's Junior Air Corps during
World War II and later became
known as the BBC television
Newsreel theme.
November 2020
Peter
Hope’s 90th birthday.
Peter Hope, noted
Light Music composer and
President of the Light Music
Society, celebrated his 90th
birthday on November 2nd 2020. A
friend and former colleague of
the late Ernest Tomlinson,
Peter's career began in the early
50's as a copyist and arranger.
He soon branched
out into composing and wrote a
great deal of library music,
principally for the publisher
Mozart Edition and frequently
under his pseudonym of William
Gardner. Arguably, his most
well-known opus is The Ring Of
Kerry Suite, which deservedly won
him an Ivor Novello award.
To mark this
auspicious occasion, a two-CD set
of many of his pieces has been
issued, and is reviewed here.
Radio Six
International devoted an
hour-long programme to the life
and work of Peter Hope and we are
pleased to reproduce it, with due
ackowledgement below:
November 2020
André
Rieu has a new CD + DVD Reported by Peter
Burt
ANDRÉ RIEU has a
new CD + DVD, 'JOLLY HOLIDAY' on
Decca 5488182. The CD is live and
is too much a singalong for my
liking. The video is an
interesting look behind the
scenes including the stage
building for his Christmas
concert. As with so many things
in this strange year it is
unlikely there will be his usual
best-selling studio produced
album.
October 2020
Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra - A new
piece of British Light Music
On 30 September,
in their first Spotlight Series
concert, musicians from the RPO
brass and percussion sections
performed Jim Parker's 'A
Londoner in New York' to a
socially distanced audience at
Cadogan Hall.
Experience the
hustle and bustle of the Big
Apple through this live recording
in association with ILC Music
Degrees (West Suffolk College)
and enjoy an extract from a
conversation with Jim Parker and
trombonist Matthew Knight as the
introduction. You can listen to
the full interview with the
composer here.
Find out more
about the Spotlight Series of
concerts here.
September 2020
BBC
Instrumental Sessions
As part of the BBC
Instrumental Sessions, the
bassoons of the BBC orchestras
perform Eric Coates’s
Calling All Workers, arranged by
Steve Magee.
More information
about these sessions can be found
HERE
August 2020
Did you
hear Brian Reynolds on Serenade
Radio?
CALLING
ALL WORKERS
Remember 'Music
While You Work' on the BBC? The
programme began 80 years ago this
year.
Announced in the
Radio Times as a “half
hour’s music meant specially
for factory workers to listen to
as they work”, it soon
proved a favourite with all
listeners, as its familiar
signature tune by Eric Coates
rang out.
On August Bank
Holiday Monday, Serenade's Brian
Savin traced the programme's
fascinating history along with
Brian Reynolds.
You can
listen to the programme again via
our Streaming Audio page HERE
August 2020
'Lockdown'
videos from The Aspidistra
Drawing Room Orchestra
'Heather on the
Pampas' by Sydney del Monte,
arranged by Anastasia Arnold
La Morenita by
Mátyás Seiber arranged by Roy
Bell
The Donkey
Serenade by Rudolf Friml arranged
by Adam Bakker
August 2020
Light
music featured as background
music for TV shows
You might like to
know that light music is often
used as background music in the
BBC TV programme 'Antiques
Road Trip'.
A recent episode
in the series was particularly
productive with the following
items spread over two programmes:
On a Spring
Note
Coronation Scot
Runaway Rocking Horse also Swedish Rhapsody,Tick
Tock Tango and Fun Fair
(these three items were played by
Ray Martin and his Orchestra, the
latter two being adjacent items
on a CD.
Not all of the
programmes feature as many items
of light music as the example
above but there is quite often
something to delight us. Also 'Car
SOS' uses light music in
some episodes.
If you feel so
inclined you might still be able
to view these programmes on
'catch-up' TV.
Peter Luck
July 2020
RIP Johnny
& Annie
We have lost two
major figures in Our Kind Of
Music in the space of a month.
The arranger
Johnny Mandel died on 29th June
aged 94. He worked with all the
greats including Frank Sinatra,
Peggy Lee, Barbra Streisand, Tony
Bennett and Natalie Cole. He also
wrote The Shadow Of Your Smile
and the Theme from Mash.
And Annie Ross of
Lambert, Hendricks and Ross (and
sister of Jimmy Logan) died in
New York last week aged 89, four
days short of her 90th birthday.
She was born in Mitcham (Surrey)
in 1930.
Anthony
Wills
July 2020
Ennio
Morricone (1928-2020)
Obituary by Chris
O'Reilly on Presto Classical
website
The Oscar-winning
Italian composer, who wrote over
400 film scores and around 100
concert works, has died in Rome
aged 91.
Morricone was born
in Rome in 1928, and received his
first music-lessons from his
father Mario, a professional
trumpet-player; as an
undergraduate at the Accademia
Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, the
trumpet was initially Ennio's
first study, but following
postgraduate work with Goffredo
Petrassi (to whom he would later
dedicate his Concerto for
Orchestra) his focus shifted to
composition and arrangement.
Throughout the
1950s, Morricone worked as a jazz
musician and an arranger for
Italian radio and television, as
well as ghost-writing for cinema.
His first big-screen success in
his own right came in 1961, when
he composed the score for Lucian
Salce’s Il federale;
Morricone and Salce went on to
work together on films including
Crazy Desire (1962), El Greco
(1963), and How I Learned to Love
Women (1966) as well as on
several projects for the theatre.
It is our
sad duty to record the deaths of
two more former members of the
Robert Farnon Society, both of
which have occurred during the
last few months.
John White
was a regular attendee at RFS and
then LLMMG meetings. By
profession a Group Manager for
London Underground, latterly at
Kings Cross Station, John passed
away at West Middlesex Hospital
in December 2019, having
unfortunately suffered two
strokes. He was a great devotee
of Frank Sinatra and possessed a
huge collection of recordings of
the latter. He would be seen
taking copious notes throughout
our meetings and was always on
the lookout for new CDs that
interested him.
Ralph
Thompson will be
remembered by many for his video
recordings of RFS meetings,
particularly those which had
taken place on special occasions.
A civil engineer in professional
life, Ralph had a number of
interests, including photography
and videography, cycling and old
London buses, in addition to
Light Music and record
collecting. Regrettably, he had
suffered kidney failure towards
the end of 2019 and died during
February of this year.
Another of our
supporters, Peter Luck, was a
friend of both John and Ralph,
and we are obliged to Peter for
providing this information.
Tony Clayden
June 2020
Vera Lynn
[1917-2020]
The cover of Radio
Pictorial - August 1938
One of the most
highly regarded figures in the
world of entertainment during
World War II - and for many years
thereafter – has finally
left us after an amazingly long
life of 103 years.
Dame Vera, the
Forces’ Sweetheart, captured
the hearts and minds of our
nation, and her voice was
regularly heard on radio
broadcasts almost up until the
present day.
June 2020
Obituary :
Jim Palm
It is with regret
that we record the death of
former Robert Farnon Society
member Jim Palm, on April 6th.
Many LLMMG
supporters may remember Jim, who,
back in the 90s, used to attend
our London meetings. For several
years he assisted David Ades with
the editing of Journal Into
Melody, to which he was also a
regular contributor.
He hailed from
Edgware, Middlesex [on the NW
periphery of London] and in
professional life worked for the
BBC in the latter’s
gramophone library.
Upon his
retirement from the Corporation,
he moved to Salisbury, where he
amassed his own sizeable
collection of recorded music,
much of it comprising discs from
the libraries of publishers such
as Chappells and Boosey &
Hawkes.
Jim had an
encyclopaedic knowledge of Light
Music, which was put to good use
in the many articles he wrote for
JIM and also for newspapers and
periodicals in his locality.
Tony Clayden
June 2020
June 2020
Award
Winning singer Robert Habermann
sings daily on Facebook at 6.05pm
To chase the Covid
Virus Blues away Award Winning
singer Robert Habermann is
singing 'live' everyday, one
popular song from The Great
American Songbook on Facebook at
6.05pm. So far he has sung over
100 songs on Facebook since the
start of the lockdown!
Thanks to the
wonderful world of technology,
Robert is accompanied by big
bands / orchestras, using the
original arrangements and also
introduces each song.
Songs include: You Make Me
Feel So Young, That Old
Black Magic, Summer Wind,
I’ll Be Seeing You, Close To
You, I Won’t Dance,
Unforgettable, All Of Me, Magic
Moments as well as current
hits, Skyfall, She Bangs
etc.
Tune into Facebook everyday
at 6.05pm under Robert Habermann, and you will
hear one of your favourite songs
from The Great American Songbook
to take your mind off this
unprecedented time by one of the
country’s most popular
singers
May 2020
"Heather
on the Pampas"
As the Aspidistra
Drawing Room Orchestra's Whit
Monday Concert had to be
cancelled due the COVID-19
problem, they have compensated by
producing a "lockdown"
video performance of"Heather
on the Pampas"by Sydney Del
Monte which you can view on the
Streaming section of our website here.
Also, Adam Bakker,
the organiser of the orchestra,
has sent us a podcast entitled "Beguine
and Bugatti"which you can find
within the same Streaming section
of our website here.
May 2020
Johnny
Gregory (1924 – 2020)
It is with regret
that we record the death of the
conductor, composer and arranger
Johnny Gregory, who died at his
home in Gerrards Cross,
Buckinghamshire on April 23rd
2020, about six months short of
his 96th birthday.
During his long
career, he wrote the scores for
fourteen films, (the last in
2000) and TV shows, and was
principal conductor of the BBC
Radio Orchestra between 1973 to
1974.
He made numerous
recordings, both under his own
name and (possibly more famously)
as Chaquito.
Gregory used a
number of other pseudonyms and
his orchestra often appeared
under the name of The
Cascading Strings.
A comprehensive
article about his life and work
is in preparation and will be
published on the LLMMG website in
due course.
We were very sorry
to be unable to present our May
Meeting due to the ongoing
COVID-19 problems. We trust that
you and yours are all well and
are staying safe. It is hoped
that we will be able to go ahead
with our planned October meeting
and will keep you informed as
soon as we have any further
details.
In the meantime,
we have added a new
section to the website
where you can listen to past
programmes of Light Music
courtesy of our member David
Corbett whose 'Light Programme'
is streamed over the web on
Sundays.
This section will
be updated and expanded to
include other presentations over
the coming months, including some
programmes specially created for
London Light Music Online.
BBC
NORTHERN IRELAND LIGHT ORCHESTRA
- A NEW DOUBLE CD FROM THE N.D.O
PROJECT
Following their
successful series of recordings
of the BBC Northern Dance
orchestra, Scottish Variety
Orchestra and Midland Radio
Orchestra, the N.D.O Project are
now pleased to present their
latest recording - a double CD of
the erstwhile BBC Northern
Ireland Light Orchestra which
provided light music several
times a week to listeners of the
BBC for over thirty years. Having
been involved in selecting the
tracks, I could be accused of
bias when I say that the 56
tracks on this album, all taken
from vintage radio programmes
such as 'Morning Music' and
'Melody on the Move' probably
represent the finest collection
of tuneful light music that you
are ever likely to encounter on
CD.
This is the music
with which many of us grew up,
good tunes composed by such
talented musicians as George
Melachrino, Sidney Torch, Peter
Yorke, Ron Goodwin and many
others. Most of the conductors
who fronted this orchestra over
the years are represented, in
particular their founder
conductor David Curry, whose
arrangements of Irish traditional
tunes became world famous and are
included on this CD.
If you are local
to Manchester, there is normally
1 copy at Johnny Roadhouse's shop
123 Oxford Road,
All Saints,
Manchester
M1 7DU.
Tel 0161 273 1111
to check for stock on all NDO
project CDs
Brian Reynolds
August 2019
The John
Wilson Orchestra - Prom 30: The
Warner Brothers Story
19:30 Friday 9th
August 2019 - Royal Albert Hall
Ten years since
their first Proms appearance
together, John Wilson and the
John Wilson Orchestra present an
evening of sumptuous
technicoloured scores from the
Golden Age of Hollywood
cinema.With music from films
including The Sea Hawk, The
Constant Nymph, Calamity Jane, A
Streetcar Named Desire and Harry
Potter.
TV Broadcast on
BBC Four at 8pm
Broadcast live on
BBC Radio 3 at 7.30pm and
recorded for future broadcast on
BBC Radio 2.
Review of
The Aspidistra Drawing Room
Orchestra Concert- Lauderdale
House, Monday 27th May 2019
For enthusiasts of
traditional light music like
myself, there is only one place
to go on the second Bank Holiday
in May, and that's Lauderdale
House in Highgate, North London,
to hear the wonderful Aspidistra
Drawing Room Orchestra recreating
the sounds of a by-gone age - but
somehow making it just as
acceptable to a modern audience
as it was to their forbears.
Indeed, good music can never
'date' - that which was deemed
'good' in its heyday will always
be good; time cannot change that!
Adam Bakker, the
Orchestra's founder and director,
was worried that, because his
computer had 'wiped' their
mailing list and they had been
unable to notify regulars of the
concert, this might result in a
low turnout.
In fact, the
opposite was true as a record
number of people attended, with
many having to stand!
You don't go to an
Aspidistra concert to hear all
your favourite pieces, because
the orchestra make a point of
playing neglected compositions
-often the lesser known numbers
by famous composers, or
Continental items which have
rarely been heard in Britain.
Vocal items are
beautifully executed by Liz
Menezes and Camilla Cutts. Liz,
who has also played second violin
in the orchestra for many years,
has now been promoted to leader -
and what a splendid job she made
of it! The orchestra (despite
being essentially amateur)
sounded professional and as good
as I've ever heard it!
Some of the
better-known items were Charles
Williams' Girls in Grey,
Ernest Tomlinson's Mississippi
Melody, Howard Whitney's Mosquito's
Parade and Cafe Bonheur
by accordionist, Henry Krein.
There was also an intriguing
piece by Julio Cesar Ibanez
called Der Student Geht
Vorbei which I immediately
recognised as Cupid's Army!
It is by no means unusual for
music to be given a different
title when published in another
country.
As usual with
these concerts, time passed very
quickly and we can only look
forward to more of the same next
year.
? Brian Reynolds
2019
June 2019
Doris Day
has passed away at the age of 97
Doris Day [born
April 1922] recently passed away
[May 13th 2019] at the age of 97.
In a subsequent
edition [issue 160, September
2004], there was a further news
item regarding an
honour Doris received from the US
President in June of that year.
We are grateful to
Tony Foster for bringing these to
our attention and are very
pleased to reproduce them in our
Articles section - click here!
May 2019
A Hound
and a Horn
An article by
Brian Willey about the history of
'Nipper', the HMV listening dog,
was published in the October 2018
edition of 'Best of British'
magazine and can be found
in the articles section
of this website. It is reproduced
here by kind permission of Brian
Willey.
April 2019
The Farnon
Musical Lineage
An interview with
Thomas Farnon by Dan Adams has
been posted in the articles section
of this website. The article
originally appeared in the Spring
2019 edition of the Light Music
Society Magazine and is
reproduced by kind permission.
February 2019
News from
Iain Sutherland
Iain Sutherland
has been awarded the Gold Badge
of Merit by the British Academy
of Songwriters, Composers and
Authors for Lifetime Achievement
and his unique contribution to
British music.
He is a Featured
Artist on Classic FM.
Recent recordings
include:-
“Sailing By: 25 British
Light Classics”. Iain
Sutherland Concert Orchestra.
ALC1392. Feb.2019.
“Bernstein: Broadway to
Hollywood”Hannover
Philharmonie. Somm 5002. Aug.
2018.
[see CD review section]
Forthcoming
release May/ June 2019:-
“Love and War”: The
Greatest Classical Album of Film
Music … Ever!”
(Mozart; Walton; Prokofiev;
Korngold; Khachaturian; Williams;
Steiner; Goodwin).
January 2019
Michel
Legrand (1932-2019)
Michel Legrand,
who died on 26th January at the
age of 86, was a prolific
composer of music for over 250
films.
An obituary by
Anthony Wills can be read here and Anthony will
be paying tribute to Michel
Legrand at the next London Light
Music Meetings Group gathering on
Sunday May 5th 2019.
Our regular
Afternoon of Music took place
– for the first time –
in our new log cabin. By moving
some of the exhibits to one side
and filling with chairs, we had
more than enough room to seat 20
people. It was very comfortable
and the music was enhanced by
being surrounded by the wonderful
collection of [mainly] Philips
and Ekco wireless sets.
Visitors arrived
in good time to have a look
around the museum, at 1pm, all
guests furnished with a cup of
tea or coffee and a biscuit
settled in for the event.
Tony Clayden
opened the proceedings and
introduced his guest presenters.
First up was Brian
Reynolds, composer, author and
radio presenter. Brian is
probably the greatest expert on
the famous radio programme Music
While You Work – which
commenced during WW2 as a
morale-booster for factory
workers and continued for many
years thereafter. He has also
amassed an amazing collection of
off-air recordings of MWYW
and similar 'live' music
programmes, which were the
mainstay of BBC radio until the
60s.
Brian played a
selection of light orchestral
music, celebrating the vast
contribution that the BBC made to
this genre through its numerous
regional 'house' orchestras.
Next was Martin
Cleave, whose 'day job' is
musical director at the Royal
Academy of Dance, London and who
came armed, in true Desert
Island Discs style, with
eight '78' records and a wind-up
HMV portable gramophone. Martin
played music performed Ron
Goodwin and his Concert
Orchestra, and from the
orchestras of Mantovani, Victor
Silvester and Josephine Bradley
and her ballroom orchestra. The
records were played by winding up
the gramophone spring - Tony
observed, " think how much
money the Museum is saving on the
electricity!! "
Martin led us into
the interval when chilli con
carne, cheese and baked baked
potatoes – followed by
trifle – was served, and of
course more tea and coffee!
Tony Clayden
finished the afternoon with a
history of Haydn Wood, an
important figure in the world of
British Light Music. Tony is an
authority on the life and work of
Wood; he was instrumental in
assisting with the production of
a very recently released CD,
performed by the BBC Concert
Orchestra conducted by Gavin
Sutherland, recorded in the
Watford Coliseum, and issued on
the Vocalion Epoch label.
We heard Festival
March, followed by Seville
from the Cities of Romance
Suite and Charles
Chaplin from the Three
Famous Cinema Stars Suite.
Tony also played a number of
other tracks from recordings of
Haydn Wood compositions, and
finished his presentation with
the well-known piece 'Horseguards
– Whitehall' from the London
Landmarks Suite, which was
used as the signature tune for
the long-running BBC Radio
programme Down Your Way.
The afternoon was
really a wonderful escape from
the miserable weather, in cosy
surroundings with likeminded
people. Please try and come along
to future Afternoons of Music,
you are most welcome.
Tony also invited
ideas for future programmes and
also guest presenters. Afternoon
of Music events in 2019 are in
March, [Sat 24th] August [Sat
2nd] and December [Saturday 7th].
On November 18th
2018, Vocalion Epoch finally
released the eagerly anticipated
CD of orchestral works by the
celebrated Light Music composer
Haydn Wood.
Most of the
compositions are making their
recording debut and all were
performed by the BBC Concert
Orchestra, conducted by Gavin
Sutherland, at the Watford
Coliseum, in August 2017.
A full review of
the disc may be found
August 2018
VOCALION
BOOKS
The Mood
Modern:
The story of two of the
world’s greatest recorded
music libraries:
KPM
(1956-1977) and Bruton Music
(1978-1980)
Vocalion Books
– a subsidiary of renowned
reissue label Vocalion and
leading independent classical
label Dutton Epoch –
presents its publishing debut: The
Mood Modern. The product of
extensive research, this new book
tells the story of KPM and Bruton
Music – two of the
world’s greatest recorded
music libraries.
Also known
variously as mood, stock,
background or production music,
for decades library music has
made an important though
anonymous contribution to the
broadcast media, supplying film,
radio and television with
innumerable themes and
underscores.
The Mood
Modern is three books in
one, weaving together the
separate strands of company
history, biography and critical
assessment of some of the most
important music collectively
produced by the KPM and Bruton
libraries during the course of a
quarter century, spanning the
years from 1956 to 1980. At the
heart of the book, however, is
the Phillips family, one of
Britain’s great music
publishing dynasties, but in
particular Robin Phillips
(1939-2006).
The mid-1960s
through the ’70s have come
to be regarded as library
music’s golden age. In
Britain, it was when this
somewhat mysterious branch of the
music industry emerged from the
chrysalis of its light music
heritage, into a vibrant new era
of modern, colourful sounds.
Robin Phillips played a
fundamental role in this
transformation when, in 1966, he
established a new library –
the KPM 1000 Series. Robin would
also introduce several new
composers who would quickly
become some of the best-known and
most successful names in the
library music field: Keith
Mansfield, Johnny Pearson, Syd
Dale, Alan Hawkshaw, James
Clarke, David Lindup, Brian
Bennett and Steve Gray among
others. And thanks to
Robin’s guidance, by the
early ’70s the 1000 Series
had become one of the
world’s foremost libraries,
its music a ubiquitous presence
in countless films,
documentaries, radio programmes
and television series.
But in 1977, at
the height of his success, Robin
left KPM for ATV Music –
taking with him his right-hand
man, Aaron Harry, and the major
composers – where he formed
the Bruton library under the
auspices of his brother Peter
(who by now was ATV Music’s
managing director) and show
business mogul Lew Grade’s
financial adviser, Jack Gill.
Drawing on
interviews with members of the
Phillips family (including Peter
Phillips) and many of the
composers, recording engineers,
musicians and staff of both
libraries, The Mood Modern
tells the remarkable inside story
of how KPM and, subsequently,
Bruton came to be dominant forces
in library music, both in Britain
and internationally.
In addition to
charting the origin and history
of the music publishing firms
– Keith Prowse and Peter
Maurice – that merged to
form KPM, The Mood Modern
covers numerous related areas.
These include the birth of
Britain’s library music
industry; the early British
libraries and their inseparable
link to the English light music
tradition; how the arrival of
commercial television in Britain
led to the formation of the Keith
Prowse library in 1956 under the
aegis of its manager, Patrick
Howgill, which paved the way for
the KPM library; KPM’s
legacy as a famous popular music
publisher and its place in the
history of Denmark Street
(London’s Tin Pan Alley);
Robin’s father, legendary
music publisher Jimmy Phillips;
the corporate manoeuvring that
saw Keith Prowse, Peter Maurice
and KPM bought and sold; and the
clash with management that
eventually caused Peter and Robin
Phillips to leave KPM for ATV
Music.
The importance of
the recording engineer is
acknowledged in The Mood
Modern, and those who
largely shaped the
“sound” of the KPM and
Bruton libraries are featured:
Ted Fletcher, Adrian Kerridge,
Mike Clements, Richard Elen (KPM)
and Chris Dibble (Bruton Music).
There’s detailed coverage of
all the KPM 1000 Series’
overseas sessions –
including personnel, dates,
locations and what was recorded
– and chapters respectively
devoted to the sessions in
Bickendorf, Cologne (along with
the stellar lineup of
international jazz talent that
played on them) and in KPM’s
two in- house studios. The
Musicians’ Union embargo,
which had forced British
libraries to record much of their
material on the Continent, is
also scrutinised, as are the
negotiations with the MU of the
late ’70s that finally
allowed British libraries to
resume recording in British
studios with British musicians.
As well as
delineating the setting up of the
Bruton library, its struggle to
get established and the
background of the parent company,
ATV Music (itself a division of
entertainment conglomerate
Associated Television [ATV]),
Bruton’s recording sessions
and early output are put under
the spotlight.
Another aspect of The
Mood Modern is the
chapter-length biographical
portraits of five of the KPM 1000
Series’ principal composers:
Syd Dale, Johnny Pearson, Keith
Mansfield, James Clarke and David
Lindup. This is the first time
that any of them have been the
subject of an in-depth portrait,
and these chapters take in many
associated areas: KPM library
offshoots Aristocrat, Radio
Program Music and the KPM
International series; the litany
of famous and not-so-famous TV
and radio themes within the KPM
library; Lansdowne Studios;
British jazz and pop; classical
music; commissioned film and TV
scores; BBC Television and Radio;
Independent Television (ITV); the
Mechanical Copyright Protection
Society; the Performing Right
Society; Phonographic Performance
Ltd. and so much more.
A host of other
composers also feature in The
Mood Modern. These include
KPM and Bruton stalwarts Laurie
Johnson, Neil Richardson, Steve
Gray, Dave Gold, Francis Monkman,
Brian Bennett, Alan Hawkshaw,
John Dankworth, John Scott,
Duncan Lamont, John Fiddy and
John Cameron as well as the KPM
1000 Series’ house bands,
WASP and SHARKS.
Putting everything
into further perspective is a
thorough examination of the
pre-1000 Series KPM library, and
a chapter that focuses on a
leading music editor of the
’70s, who describes the
processes and equipment that were
used in transferring library
music onto the soundtracks of
films, documentaries and
television programmes.
The Mood
Modern is not only a major
study of a fascinating sector of
the music industry, but also
essential reading for anyone with
even a passing interest in
soundtrack music.
The
Mood Modern
specifications:
Publisher:
Vocalion Books
486 pages
Foreword by Keith Mansfield
Hardback and paperback editions
ISBNs: 978-1-9996796-0-6
(hardback) / 978-1-9996796-1-3
(paperback)
Fully indexed
Two sixteen-page photo sections,
one in b&w, one in colour,
both containing many
never-before-published images:
from the Phillips family archive,
and of composers, musicians,
recording sessions, catalogues,
music scores and studio brochures
August 2018
Boosey
& Hawkes catalogue plea
In the 1990s an
amazing discographer, the late
Eddie Shaw did a superb job
putting together the complete
Bosworth and Boosey library music
disc lists. I have been fortunate
enough to acquire his Bosworth
catalogue, which is pure gold for
musical research purposes, but
unfortunately I have not been so
lucky with the Boosey equivalent.
The Current Boosey
company have said 'try
Cavendish', Cavendish have said
to me 'never heard of it' and
Boosey's official archivist has
been completely uncooperative.
The Only known copy is in a
library in Cologne!
Can I use this
forum to send out a plea - Does
ANYONE have a copy of the B&H
catalogue, who would be prepared
to sell it, or just lend it (so I
could do a photocopy & then
return)
I hope I can
repeat this plea at the next
Light Music meeting, but in the
meantime HELP!! I really need
this book, badly for my
researches
Patrick
Williams, Emmy-Winning TV
Composer, Dies at 79
Patrick Williams,
who was best-known for his
Emmy-winning television music but
who was also a renowned and
Grammy-winning big-band jazz
leader and arranger, died on
Wednesday 25th July of
complications from cancer at St.
John’s Hospital in Santa
Monica, California. He was 79.
The
British Vintage Wireless and
Television Museum re-opens
After a long
period of closure, during which
time it has undergone
refurbishment and reorganisation,
the BRITISH VINTAGE WIRELESS AND
TELEVISION MUSEUM
at West Dulwich has now
re-opened.
On Saturday August
18th, the Museum will be holding
an Open Event, which will include
sales, a working display of
vintage televisions, and an 'Afternoon
of Music' [from
recordings] introduced by Tony
Clayden, with presentations also
by Brian Reynolds and Chris
Money.
Aspidistra
Drawing Room Orchestra
May Concert 2018
click above to
enlarge
Another twelve
months have sped by, and it was
time for the 2018 May Bank
Holiday concert performed by the
Aspidistra Drawing Room
Orchestra, which took place once
again in the Gallery of
Lauderdale House, Highgate Hill,
in North London. This house has a
long history; it dates from 1582
and was briefly the home of King
Charles II 's mistress, the
famous (infamous ?) Nell Gwyn,
whose ghost is reputed to haunt
the building even unto this day !
Uncharacteristically
glorious weather encouraged an
excellent turnout, including
several from the LLMMG (and their
guests) and an unexpectedly large
number of most welcome
'first-timers', in addition to
many loyal 'regulars' – some
of whom have supported every
single one of these concerts
during the last sixteen years.
As one of woefully
few contemporary exponents of the
Palm Court genre, the orchestra
always manages to surprise and
delight its audiences with new
material, which is continually
being added to an already
extensive repertoire. This year's
programme was no exception, and
much of the music was totally new
to the players !
Their mission is
to feature compositions which
have been totally forgotten or
ignored, alongside more familiar
favourites, and these can range
from 'the highlights of the
Palm Court era to the delightful
but obscure', to quote from
their concert programme.
Amongst the
roll-call of 'more familiar'
composers were to be found the
names of Jack Strachey, Vittorio
Monti (of Czardas fame),
George Gershwin (his opus 1, Rialto
Ripples) , Albert Ketelbey,
Matyas Seiber, Oscar Straus,
Haydn Wood, (who lived for some
years in Highgate, quite close to
the venue), Gerhard Winkler and
Cole Porter.
In addition to the
purely instrumental pieces, the
proceedings were - as always -
enlivened and garnished with some
songs from Liz Menezes (who also
plays second violin) and Camilla
Cutts.
Liz
Menezes and Camilla Cutts
As has been
remarked upon in the past, the
members of the ensemble perform
with great competence and
enthusiasm, and the Aspidistra
Drawing Room Orchestra can
arguably be regarded as one of the
very best of its type.
Congratulations
and very many thanks are
therefore due to Adam Bakker and
his players for another splendid
and extremely enjoyable afternoon
of wonderful music.
? Tony Clayden
2018
Pictures above
courtesy of Brian Luck
Footnote –
The ADRO will be our guests at
the next LLMMG event in October,
at our usual venue in Central
London - click here for full
details.
As part of the
Camden Fringe Festival, they are
also giving two concerts at Burgh
House, Hampstead, North West
London, on Sunday 19th August, at
2.30 pm and 7.00 pm - click here for full details.
May 2018
George
Melachrino article by Tony
Clayden
You can read a new article written by Tony
Clayden about the life and work
of George Melachrino which is
published in the Summer 2018
edition of Memory Lane
Magazine and reproduced
here by kind permission.
March 2018
Mark
Fitz-Gerald concert at 'The
British Home'
On the 25th
February 2018, light music
enthusiasts were in for a treat
as it was time for the annual
feast of our sort of music given
by Mark Fitz-Gerald and his
Orchestra as a way of raising
funds for 'The British Home' in
Streatham, London.
Two Light
Music programmes coming up on
Beyond Radio
Two Light Music
shows presented by Stephen York
are programmed for Thursdays 12th
April and 26th April at 6pm until
8pm on Lancashire's Beyond Radio.
A Two hour show of
both light & film music on
Thursday 12th April at
6pm. There has been a
problem with the online schedule
list which makes no mention of
the light music show, however it
will take place at the above
time.
Including light music from Wally
Stott, Cyril Watters, Vivian
Ellis, Robert Farnon, Ashworth
Hope and others and film music
from Ron Goodwin, Jerry
Goldsmith, Alfred Newman, John
Williams and others.
A website
dedicated to composer Irving
Berlin has been created to mark
the 130th anniversary of his
birth.
The site is
described as the first online,
dedicated digital resource for
Berlin. He penned more than 1,000
songs, including Alexander’s
Ragtime Band and White Christmas.
It includes a
section that explores his songs,
revealing the stories behind
them, and photographs from his
life. It also provides details of
his work in film and theatre as
well as information on books and
sheet music that are available to
buy.
The site has been
created by his family and
publishers, Concord Music (North
America) and Universal Music
Publishing Group.
Live from the
Chichester Festival Theatre - Ken
Bruce invites you to take your
partners for an evening at the
dance. Waltzes, polkas, sambas,
tangos, jigs and a grand pas de
deux - and you thought Strictly
was over! Gavin Sutherland
conducts the BBC Concert
Orchestra with special guest
singers Rebecca Trehearn and Gary
Williams.
The programme
includes Erik Satie's graceful Gymnopedie
No 1; the grandeur of the Emperor
Waltz by Johann Strauss; and
memories of Fred Astaire and
Ginger Rogers in Gordon
Langford's medley of tunes from
Irving Berlin's "Top
Hat" . We invite you to
stomp your way through the Mexican
Hat Dance and clomp your way
through Herold's Clog Dance.
January 2018
Radio
2 axes The Organist Entertains
and Listen to the Band after 50
years
Radio 2 has axed
its long-running shows playing
organ and brass band music and
given new slots to Jo Whiley and
Cerys Matthews in a generational
shift at Britain’s most
listened-to station. The
Organist Entertains, which
has been on the network for 50
years, is being
"rested" with veteran
presenter Nigel Ogden retiring.
Theatre organist Ogden, 63, has
introduced recordings and live
broadcasts of pipe and electronic
organs, since 1980.
Nigel says:
"I'd like to thank my ever
loyal audience for their support
and messages during the 38 years
I've hosted The Organist
Entertains. I've loved
hearing from them and send them
my very best wishes for the
future. I’d also like to
thank Radio 2 for giving me the
opportunity to play the music I
love each week - it has been a
huge privilege."
Radio 2 has also
axed Listen to the Band,
its weekly showcase for brass
band and military music,
presented by 78 year-old
conductor Frank Renton. The
programme has existed in various
forms on the BBC since the Second
World War.
The yearly Young
Brass Award will remain as a Friday
Night Is Music Night special
in April; whilst brass and organ
music will be included in Friday
Night is Music Night weekly
programmes throughout the year.
Brass will continue to be heavily
featured on a weekly basis in
Clare Teal’s Sunday night
show, which celebrates big band
music.
Frank says:
"My 23 years presenting Listen
To The Band have been hugely
enjoyable, especially playing so
much of the music that I love. It
has also been an absolute
pleasure being part of the Radio
2 family, and I want to thank all
those who have listened or
contributed to the programme over
the years. Of course the next
thing on the agenda is the
continued celebration of the
talent of young British brass
players when Ken Bruce and I
present the final of the BBC
Radio 2 Young Brass Award in
April."
Another
'It's Time for Light Music' show
from Stephen York at Beyond
Radio!
This Thursday 14th
Dec, between 6pm and 8pm, Stephen
York at Lancaster and Morecambe's
Beyond Radio will present
another in his series of
programmes entitled It's Time
for Light Music.
This week Stephen
calls it The Light Fantastic.
There will be film
music by Robert Farnon and Miklos
Rozsa, music by Eric Coates,
Ernest Tomlinson, Mathew Curtis
and others. And of course, some
appropriate Christmas music!
December 2017
Temporary
schedule alteration for David
Corbett's 'Light Programme'
Please note that
the New Year's Eve
edition of David
Corbett's 'The Light Programme'
on Serenade Radio will be at 6pm
until 8pm, just for that week.
December 2017
LMS
Chairman releases Christmas CD
For 2017!
The Light Music
Society have announced that a CD
of Christmas music by composer
Thomas Hewitt Jones has been
released on the Signum label. All
of the music is by Jones and
conducted by LMS Chairman Gavin
Sutherland.
The disc, titled Christmas
Party, is relatively short
in length and contains what has
been described as some
"naughty fun" for the
festive season. Christmas Party,
the titular piece on the disc
features Simon Hewitt Jones on
violin alongside the wonderful
Royal Ballet Sinfonietta.
Also featured is
Jones' beautiful carol Child
of the Stable's Secret Birth
with vocal performances from the
Choir of Clare College Cambridge.
To round it all
off in wonderfully eccentric
style is Cameron's Lament,
a setting of the tune David
Cameron hummed inadvertently
while his microphone was still
live after his resignation speech
in 2016!
This is a
Christmas Cracker you won't want
to miss!
Click here to visit the
website where you can listen to
some samples.
November 2017
Winter
Warmers - Friday 1st December
2017
Friday Night Is Music Night
Brrrrr... winter
draws on. The nights are long and
dark; the mornings cold and
frosty. Join Ken Bruce and the
BBC Concert Orchestra conducted
by Bramwell Tovey for a selection
of winter classics to warm the
cockles of your heart. Snow, Ice,
Fire, Frost and the cold winter
wind as depicted in the world of
music. The programme includes
music from Dr Zhivago (Maurice
Jarre); The Snow Maiden (Rimsky
Korsakov); Skaters Waltz
(Waldteufel) and The Nutcracker
(Tchaikovsky). The guest singers
soprano Ailish Tynan and baritone
Simon Butteriss perform songs by
Lehar, Heuberger and the Savoy
operas.
BBC
Concert Orchestra appoints
Bramwell Tovey as its new
Principal Conductor
The BBC Concert
Orchestra has announced the
appointment of Bramwell Tovey as
its new Principal Conductor,
taking up his position in January
2018.
Tovey’s new
role will see him work with the
orchestra for an initial period
of five years including a BBC
Radio 3 concert at Watford
Colosseum on Thursday 15 February
2018, before a number of
performances in the BBC Concert
Orchestra’s 2018-19 season
at Southbank Centre, to be
announced. As well as artistic
programming, Tovey will take a
leading role in the BBC Concert
Orchestra’s wide-ranging
learning and education
activities, including mentoring
emerging conductors and
orchestral players from a range
of backgrounds who share the BBC
CO’s appetite for musical
versatility.
Tovey will take
the reins from Keith Lockhart,
who has been Principal Conductor
of the BBC Concert Orchestra for
seven years. Keith will continue
his relationship with the
orchestra in the new role of
Chief Guest Conductor and will
return next year to conduct a
concert showcasing the music of
Stephen Sondheim at the Royal
Festival Hall (Thursday 15 March
2018). The BBC Concert
Orchestra’s Conductor
Laureate is Barry Wordsworth and
Composer-in-Residence is Dobrinka
Tabakova.
Here is Radio Days
performed in full by Nottingham
Symphonic Wind Orchestra for BBC
Radio 3:
November 2017
Tony
Clayden receives Good Music
Certificate
from Evergreen Magazine
Evergreen
Magazine has just
awarded its Good Music
Certificate to the Co-Ordinator
of the London Light Music
Meetings Group, Tony Clayden.
The first joint
recipients of this honour were
the late David Ades and Alan
Bunting, who did so much to keep
Light Music alive.
Sadly, both men
died relatively soon afterwards,
and Alan's family were left with
a huge collection of recorded
material, including CDs and on
vinyl.
Alan had
painstakingly digitally
remastered much ofthe latter over
a number of years for reissue on
several different labels,
including the
highly–acclaimed Guild
series.
Not only did
Londoner Tony 'gallop to the
rescue' by purchasing and
retrieving them all from Alan's
home in Scotland, but he had
already established the LLMMG
– which had come into being
after the Robert Farnon Society,
led for many years by David Ades
– ceased operations at the
end of 2013.
The new group,
which holds meetings twice-yearly
in Central London, has recently
held its eighth event. With its
links to a number of other music
websites and organisations,
including the Light Music
Society, it continues to promote
the genre and helps to avoid the
potential disappearance of
probably thousands of
once–familiar tunes.
A semi-retired
recording and sound engineer,
Tony is one of a small band of
dedicated enthusiasts who
recognise the value and worth of
Light Music and he has amassed
many musical contacts and friends
during a long, interesting and
varied career.
Tony, we thank you
for filling a huge musical void
and wish you well, as you
continue to make historic and
tuneful melodies available to the
general public.
Friday
Night is Music Night
coming up on Friday 17th
November 2018 on BBC
Radio 2 at 8pm will be a
"celebration of music
arrangers" including such
arrangers as Stanley Black,
Robert Docker, Robert Farnon and
Gordon Langford.
This programme is
a new episode and is not
a repeat. Create a reminder to
listen, now!
November 2017
Play
it again: The firm saving vinyl
Whether gathering
dust in your loft or currently
spinning on your turntable, it's
a fair bet that at least some of
your vinyl records came from a
small factory in the Czech
Republic.
The facility in
question is the headquarters of
GZ Media, based in the small town
of Lodenice, 25km (16 miles) west
of the Czech capital, Prague.
GZ is today the
world's largest producer of vinyl
records, of which it expects to
press 30 million this year, for
everyone from the Rolling Stones
and U2, to Lady Gaga and Madonna.
A
rousing chorus for Harold
Rich’s 90th birthday
celebrations
Friends and family
gathered to celebrate the 90th
birthday of a ‘quite
remarkable’ but humble music
man.
Harold Rich began
playing piano at the age of three
– and his musical talents
paved the way for a glorious
career with music at its very
heart. The 90-year-old former
musical director for BBC’s
Pebble Mill at One still tickles
the ivories on a regular basis
– as organist at St Thomas
Church in Hockley Heath and for
the church choir –
Harold’s Angels. And it was
his Hockley Heath friends and
fellow music lovers who joined
him to celebrate his milestone
birthday.
It is hard to cram
Harold’s 87 years of musical
achievements into just one
newspaper article – but, in
honour of his 90th birthday, we
are happy to give it a go. After
taking up the piano as a
youngster Harold’s life has
followed a music path throughout
– resulting in an
illustrious career, all thanks to
his pianist talents.
He served in the
Royal Navy from 1945 to 194,
where he was the pianist/arranger
for the Royal Naval Barracks
Dance Band (The Bluejackets) at
Devonport. During this period, in
1947, he made his first broadcast
– a 15 minute solo spot
‘At the piano’ from the
BBC in Bristol.
In 1945 he won a
scholarship to the Royal College
of Music, where he studied from
1948 to 1952. There he won the
ARCM diploma, and was made a
Graduate of the Royal Schools of
Music, London. He also won both
the Hopkinson Gold and Hopkinson
Silver medals, both of which were
presented to him by Her Majesty
the Queen (then Princess
Elizabeth), the College
President. In addition he won the
Dannreuther prize for the best
performance of a concerto during
the year 1951 to 1952.
From 1953 to 1959
he was Conductor of the Dudley
Choral and Orchestral Society and
served on the local committee of
the Incorporated Society of
Musicians, and the committee of
the Dudley Arts Society.
He began his
musical career with the George
Mitchell Minstrels, and then the
Continental Ballet, as one of
their respective accompanists.
After a seven-year
spell as a music master in a
secondary modern school, he
became (in 1960) the pianist of
the BBC Midland Light Orchestra
(which he later conducted,
including the Orchestra’s
first appearance on colour
television), and then was
appointed orchestral pianist for
Norrie Paramor with the Midland
Radio Orchestra. He also played
with, and arranged music for,
Norrie’s Big Ben Banjo Band,
and was Norrie’s piano
partner in the group
“Pianorama”, which
Norrie formed. Harold took over
this group in 1980, since when
(as well as numerous broadcasts)
it has made several commercial
recordings.
In addition to
forming his own broadcasting
Quartet in 1961, he was a member
of the Palm Court Trio, which,
apart from making many radio
brodacasts, and a number of
records, had the pleasure of
playing for Her Majesty the Queen
Mother at a private dinner party
in Scotland.
In addition to
conducting his own orchestra for
many broadcasts, Harold Rich
became Musical Director for the
popular television programme
“Pebblemill at One”
where he conducted for the likes
of Tom Jones, Eartha Kitt, Vic
Damone, Nana Mouskouri, Elaine
Page and Peter Skellern, and
accompanied numerous artists on
solo piano. These ranged from
‘pop’ stars such as
Cilla Black, instrumentalists
such as the violinist Max Jaffa
and the renowned flautist, James
Galway, to singers such as
Rosemary Clooney, Val Doonican,
and operatic stars, including
Jose Carreras.
He has, over the
years, been the orchestral
pianist and soloist for many
distinguished Light music
conductors, including Stanley
Black, Robert Farnon, Geoff Love,
Frank Chacksfield, and Ron
Goodwin (with the City of
Birmingham Symphony Orchestra),
to name but a few.
(The above article
was published in the Solihull
Observer
and written by Chris Willmott
25th Mar, 2017)
October 2017
David
Mellor on Classic fm - Sunday
22nd October, 7 - 9pm
This week, David
celebrates the ever-popular genre
of Light Music.
We’ll hear
the rousing London Suite by Eric
Coates, which was inspired by
three different streets in 1930s
London, and David will take us
Stateside for a selection of
recordings of music by Leroy
Anderson, featuring Arthur
Fielder and the Boston Pops
Orchestra.
October 2017
Classic
fm's Full Works Concert
Thursday
12th October at 8pm – 60
Years of The Light Music Society
The Light Music
Society was founded 60 years ago
this year, and since day one it
has tirelessly promoted and
championed Light Music throughout
the world. Tonight, Catherine
Bott champions this important
body by featuring two hours of
music by composers who have had
connections with the Society and
helped make it grow into the
organisation it is today.
There are delightful works from
past Presidents, including Eric
Coates and Sir Arthur Bliss, and
distinguished members in whose
number are Ron Goodwin and Haydn
Wood. In a concert full of
hummable tunes and music
that’ll put a spring in your
step,
Catherine also features pieces by
familiar orchestral composers who
tried their hand at composing
lighter music for the concert
hall. These include Gustav Holst,
whose Moorside Suite is performed
by Gavin Sutherland and the Royal
Ballet Sinfonia, and George
Gershwin’s jazz-infused
Concerto in F, played brilliantly
by Xiayin Wang, accompanied by
Classic FM’s Orchestra in
Scotland, the Royal Scottish
National Orchestra.
Ron Goodwin
633 Squadron – Main Theme
Squadron Leader Matthew Little
conducts the Central Band of the
Royal Air Force
Eric Coates
Three Elizabeths Suite
Reginald Kilbey conducts the City
of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Arthur Bliss
Things to Come – March
Arthur Bliss conducts the London
Symphony Orchestra
Cecil Armstrong Gibbs
Dusk
Ronald Corp conducts the New
London Orchestra
Ernest Tomlinson
Suite of English Folk Dances
Vivian Dunn conducts the Light
Music Society Orchestra
Albert Ketelbey
Bells Across The Meadow
Barry Wordsworth conducts the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Haydn Wood
London Landmarks
Gavin Sutherland conducts the
Royal Ballet Sinfonia
Billy Mayerl
Marigold
Piano: Philip Ellis
Edward Elgar
Chanson de Nuit Opus 15 No.1
Julian Lloyd Webber conducts the
English Chamber Orchestra
Gustav Holst
A Moorside Suite
Gavin Sutherland conducts the
Royal Ballet Sinfonia
Percy Grainger
Handel in the Strand
Kenneth Montgomery conducts the
Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Emile Waldteufel
Les Patineurs
Ronald Corp conducts the New
London Orchestra
September 2017
Concert
of British Light Music - 25th
February 2018
Mark Fitz-Gerald
will be conducting his third
annual 'Concert of British Light
Music' at The British Home in
Streatham at 3pm on Sunday 25th
February 2018. More details will
be available nearer the date on
our Events page.
September 2017
'The Story
of The Light'
A series of two
programmes entitled 'The
Story of The Light' are
to be aired on Mondays
18th and 25th September at 10pm
on BBC Radio 2
commemorating the 50th
anniversary of the end of 'The
BBC Light Programme' when Radio 2
took over.
Our member, Brian Reynolds will
be participating in the second of
these programmes talking about
'Music While You Work' and light
music programmes in general with
comparisons to today's radio.
July 2017
Robert
Farnon's 100th birthday and
updated 2005 JAZZ.FM tribute
programme
We are grateful to
Pip Wedge (former Robert Farnon
Society Canadian Rep. and Journal
Into Melody columnist) for the
following information:
Robert Farnon
lovers might like to know that
Glen Woodcock, who has been
broadcasting big band programmes
on JAZZ.FM in Toronto for forty
years, is updating a tribute
programme he did in 2005 when
Robert Farnon died, for broadcast
this Sunday (23rd July) to mark
what would have been Bob's 100th
birthday on Monday (24th).
The programme can
be heard via the Internet on
Sunday evening at www.jazz.fm, 5:00pm –
10:00pm Toronto time.
Unfortunately that puts it from
10:00pm - 03:00am UK time, but
maybe some people would like to
stay up to hear an hour or so,
while others might be able to
record it.
June 2017
Goon
but not forgotten - a blue plaque
for Leeds musician Angela Morley
BBC Radio Leeds
presented a special morning
programme about the life of
Angela Morley. As the story was
interspersed throughout a three
hour programme.
May 2017
Aspidistra
Drawing Room Orchestra Concert
– May 29th 2017
An extensively
re-furbished Lauderdale House, in
North London’s Highgate
Village, was the venue for the
annual Spring Concert given by
the Aspidistra Drawing Room
Orchestra. This was their
sixteenth consecutive Bank
Holiday event, which was well
supported by many faithful
'regulars' – including
several from the London Light
Music Meetings Group – and
in addition, a number of 'first
timers'.
Amongst the latter
was Howard Del Monte, who had
travelled from Hampshire to hear
a spirited rendering of his
father Sydney's composition 'Bows
and Bells'. This was a popular
favourite on BBC Radio around
fifty years ago. Sydney Del Monte
was a guitarist and banjo player,
who was a regular member of The
Banjoliers for many years.
We were treated
once again to an afternoon of
fine 'Palm Court' music in
contrasting styles; a few 'fast
and jolly' compositions,
interspersed with some calmer
pieces and garnished with some
songs performed Liz Menezes and
Camilla Cutts.
Nearly one hundred
years of musical heritage was
represented, ranging from 'light
classical' to 'jazzy'. The
programme featured a line-up of
works, which, with one or two
exceptions, have not previously
been performed by the orchestra.
These included two selections
with a definite gipsy influence,
from the Russian composer Yascha
Krein and G. S. Mathis [a
pseudonym of Hungarian ?migr?
Matyas Seiber].
Other composers
featured included Charles
Ancliffe, Sigmund Romberg,
Gerhard Winkler and Albert
Ketelbey, who made two
appearances with pieces written
specifically to accompany silent
films. A later generation was
represented by, amongst others,
Horst Jankowski, Ray Martin and
Leroy Anderson.
A welcome surprise
was the original version
of the famous 'American Patrol'
by Fred Meacham, in a very
different rendition from the
familiar arrangement made popular
by Glenn Miller and others.
Adam Bakker, who
runs and directs the orchestra,
has recently acquired the entire
collection of sheet music
previously owned by Ann Adams,
who was the founder of – and
for many years conducted –
the Ladies Palm Court Orchestra.
Four of the items on the
programme came from this source.
Speaking to Adam during the
interval, it became apparent that
he faces a mammoth task of
sorting and archiving this vast
inventory of compositions !
As always, the
orchestra’s performance was
of a very high standard, the
players obviously relishing the
opportunity to perform repertoire
from a 'threatened genre' which,
most regrettably, achieves very
little exposure these days.
Very many thanks
are therefore due to Adam Bakker
and the Aspidistra Drawing Room
Orchestra, for presenting another
really enjoyable concert and
especially for continuing to
promote 'Palm Court' music.
Tony Clayden
? 2017
May 2017
"Andr?
Leon's LM Radio Replays"
ANDR? LEON joined
LM RADIO in 1963 before taking up
an appointment with the
SABC's Special FM Services as a
Programme
Producer/Compiler/Presenter in
the
Johannesburg Studios.
He left South
Africa in 1969 to live in the UK
and has since worked in the Film,
Music and Radio Industries.
Over the years he
worked for Decca Records, Carlin
Music, Chappell's Recorded Music
Library and Boosey & Hawkes.
He was a regular contributor at
the Robert Farnon Society
Meetings.
Andr? was the
pioneer "Test Transmissions
Voice" for Classic fM prior
to their official launch in
September 1992.
He was then
appointed as the main late-night
and Early Breakfast show host
together with Robert Booth from
BBC Radio 4.
He is visiting
South Africa in June 2017 for a
celebration at LM RADIO and has
prepared a series of 3 one hour
programmes for the Station paying
tribute to presenters past and
present.
He will also feature the music of
the 1960's and talks to a
selection of famous stars of that
era, including Adam Faith, Judith
Durham, Cliff Richard and Peter
Sarstedt. You will also hear how
Tony Hatch came to write
"Downtown" for Petula
Clark!
April 2017
Gordon
Langford
Gordon Langford,
who has died aged 86, was an
English composer, arranger and
performer. He is well known for
his brass band compositions and
arrangements. He was also a
composer of orchestral music,
winning an Ivor Novello award for
best light music composition for
his March from the Colour
Suite in 1971.
Langford's career
had a notable relationship with
the BBC. Some of his compositions
and arrangements were used as
Test Card music in the 1960s and
'70s, with such titles as Hebridean
Hoedown, The Lark in the
Clear Air and Royal
Daffodil being remembered by
Test Card aficionados. He also
wrote and arranged music for Friday
Night is Music Night, as
well as numerous other BBC
programmes.
"It has only
just come to my attention that
the composer and pianist Heinz
Herschmann sadly passed away,
aged ninety, in September 2014.
Heinz had been a
regular attendee at meetings of
the Robert Farnon Society for
many years, and signified his
support for the LLMMG when it was
formed earlier that year.
Born in Vienna,
Austria, in 1924, he fled from
the Nazis just before WW2,
arriving in England on the
Kindertransport.
I am preparing a
full tribute to Heinz which will
appear on our website in due
course."
February 2017
Review
- Concert of British Light Music
- 26th February 2017
A cold, wet, and
windy Sunday February 26th saw a
second concert of British Light
Music performed by the Mark
Fitz-Gerald Orchestra. The venue
was once again the British Home
and Hospital in Streatham,
South-West London. The event
followed-on from the success of
the first concert in 2016, and
was held in aid of funds for the
Home.Read the
full review
February 2017
New
Light Music programme on Serenade
Radio
David Corbett
reports that he will be
presenting a new 'Light
Programme'
on the internet radio station Serenade
Radio on Sunday
evenings between 10pm and
midnight starting on 5th March
2017.
Serenade Radio
also currently broadcast
unannounced Light Music for an
hour each day starting at 6am.
February 2017
Angel
Radio
Brian Reynolds
reports that programmes from Music
While You Work and from Those
Were The Days are broadcast
weekly by internet local radio
station Angel
Radio who are based in
Havant, Hampshire and specialise
in "Nostalgia Radio"
Music While You
Work - Fridays 12.15pm to 1pm
Those Were The Days - Sundays
4.30pm to 5.30pm
I’ve sent
Radio Six
International a
2 hour Christmas Show. I
understand that it will be
scheduled over The Xmas period.
Dates should
be on the Radio Six International
website around December 17th
2016.
I hope that
this will be of interest to
Members of the London Light Music
Meetings Group. .
Join us for 2
hours on a “Christmas music
sleigh ride” and hear three
different and novel arrangements
of Jingle Bells!
There’s
lots more including:
Teresa
Brewer serves
up Christmas Cookies, Dickie Valentine
recites his Christmas alphabet, Petula Clark
delivers a special Christmas
Card, Adam Faith
remembers a Lonely Pup, Val Doonican
recalls the Mysterious People The BBC Concert
Orchestra
introduces
their Waltzing Cat!
Some
of the greatest crooners
are also on board for the ride
and there’s a very special
tribute to the Mull of Kintyre by
the Vienna
Symphonic Orchestra!
Join Andre
Leon in a Nice Radio Production
for Radio Six International
October 2016
Stephen
Hough Takes Light Music to Desert
Island!
International
concert pianist, arranger and
composer Stephen Hough appeared
on Desert Island Discs on the
morning of Friday the 14th
October. Among the wide ranging
music he chose for the programme
was Birdsong at Eventide: a light
music classic by Eric Coates.
Stephen Hough
discovered he liked playing the
piano when he went to visit his
aunt's house and could pick out
more than one hundred nursery
rhymes on her piano. After much
pestering, his parents bought him
a cheap second hand piano from an
antique shop. He went on to
become one of the youngest
students at the Royal Northern
College of Music before winning a
scholarship to The Juilliard
School in New York.
His career began
in 1983 after winning the
Naumberg Piano Competition. He
divides his time between New York
and London and performs all over
the world. He also has a prolific
recording career and has won many
awards for his discs.
You can hear the
full broadcast or download the
MP3 here:
I received the
word this morning that our
longtime RFS member and colleague
John Parry passed away
(yesterday) in Florida at age 76.
John, outside
of being one of the original
members of the RFS, was involved
for a number of years at
Chappell's in London before re-
locating to Toronto and starting
his own production music library,
Parry Music.
Thanks for all
you're doing to keep things
going.
Take care,
Forrest
---------------------------
From David Farnon:
Hi Tony
Many thanks
for sending me this. I didn't
know.
He was a
lovely man and a good friend who
did a lot for Bob's music.
Hope you're
keeping well.
Kindest
regards,
David
September 2016
Tony
Clayden acquires the record
collection of the late Alan
Bunting
Alan Bunting, who
passed away in January 2016,
amassed a huge collection of CDs,
LPs, ‘45’ and
‘78’ rpm records, all
of which have now been purchased
from Alan’s family by Tony
Clayden.
Amongst several
thousand items are a great number
of light-orchestral recordings by
Percy Faith, Ray Conniff, David
Rose, David Carroll and many
others. Some are in mint, unused
condition, whilst many others had
been pre-owned and were obtained
by Alan from all over the world.
Also included is a
very large collection of record
catalogues, many dating-back to
well before WW2, and a selection
of music reference books.
These will all
require a great deal of
sorting-out, but eventually it is
hoped to produce a definitive
list.
In the meantime
Tony invites preliminary
enquiries from serious
enthusiasts who are potentially
interested in this material. He
may be contacted as follows:-
by telephone -
020-8449 5559 (from outside the
UK +44 20 8449 5559)
by post - 49
Alexandra Road, Well End,
BOREHAMWOOD, Hertfordshire, WD6
5PB, England.
July 2016
Radio
2 Musicals unearthed for the
first time in 20 years
BBC Radio 4 Extra (on DAB and
online) is currently broadcasting
a selection of classic Broadway
musicals. These were produced for
Radio 2 by John Langridge and
broadcast in 1994; they have not
been aired since. With the
exception of Sweeney Todd (a
National Theatre production) they
were recorded in front of invited
audiences
at the Golders Green Hippodrome
and feature star-studded casts
plus the Stephen Hill Singers,
accompanied by the BBC Concert
Orchestra. They are complete
performances including dialogue.
The shows are:-
Saturday July 16th
SWEENEY TODD with Denis Quilley
& Julia McKenzie
Saturday July 23rd GUYS &
DOLLS with Mandy Patinkin &
John Challis
Saturday July 30th CAROUSEL with
Mandy Patinkin and Janie Dee
Saturday August
6th JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR with
Roger Daltrey & Tony Hadley
Saturday August 13th KISMET with
Michael Ball & Dolores Gray
All transmissions
start at 9.00 am
All are available
to listen to via the i-Player for
30 days after transmission.
Anthony Wills
July 2016
Marni
Nixon, known as Hollywood's
"invisible voice", has
died aged 86
The singer
appeared, uncredited, on many of
the biggest movie musicals of all
time - dubbing the voices for
Deborah Kerr in The King and I,
and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair
Lady.
She also sang the
high notes for Marilyn Monroe in
Diamonds Are A Girl's Best
Friend; and "ghosted"
Natalie Wood's vocals on West
Side Story.
Nixon died of
breast cancer on Sunday, her
agent confirmed to the BBC.
For most of her
career, the classically-trained
musician remained unknown.
Twentieth Century Fox made her
sign a contract saying she would
never reveal the ghost-singing on
The King and I. The story only
came out later, when Kerr herself
credited Nixon's work in a press
interview.......
Harry
Rabinowitz, composer and
conductor, has died aged 100
The composer and
conductor Harry Rabinowitz, who
conducted the scores for more
than 60 films including Chariots
of Fire, has died aged 100.
Born in
Johannesburg in 1916, he came to
England in 1946 to study at
London's Guildhall School of
Music and Drama.
He made regular
appearances on TV and radio in
the 1950s and '60s, working with
the likes of Stanley Holloway,
Terry-Thomas and The Goons.
He was a conductor
on BBC Radio and went on to
become head of music at BBC TV
Light Entertainment, before
moving to London Weekend
Television in 1968.
He remained there
until 1977 - the year he became
an MBE.
Appearing on
Desert Island Discs last year,
Rabinowitz attributed his success
to his learning to read music
"very quickly and very
accurately" at an early age.
Rabinowitz had
been due to take part in a
concert with the London Symphony
Orchestra at the Barbican in
London in November to mark both
his birthday and his long career.
A fuller tribute
to Harry Rabinowitz can be found
in the Obituaries Section.
May 2016
Aspidistra
Drawing Room Orchestra
Spring Bank Holiday Concert 2016
A rather chilly
Monday May 30th saw the 2016
Spring Bank Holiday Concert given
by the Aspidistra Drawing Room
Orchestra. This was their
fifteenth consecutive event and,
after a number of years at
Lauderdale House in
Highgate,(North London), for this
year the concert returned to its
original 'home', Burgh House in
Hampstead.
This has a fine,
if somewhat compact, music room,
which was totally filled to
capacity; this did not deter the
audience, which included several
LLMMG 'regulars', from enjoying a
really splendid afternoon of high
quality 'Palm Court' music.
The latter is very
much a 'threatened genre' and
opportunities for hearing live
performances are, sadly,
few-and-far- between in an age
where it has been totally
abandoned by music publishers and
the BBC alike.
The orchestra has,
however, managed to amass a
considerable collection of sheet
music which includes compositions
from Europe, America and the UK.
We were treated to
a wide-ranging selection of
pieces, some by well-known
composers such as Edvard Grieg,
Reginald King, Montague Ewing,
Haydn Wood and Ivor Novello.
Other, less familiar names also
figured prominently, and included
a wonderful work by Theo Bendix -
The Butterfly -
featuring an amazing virtuosic
performance on the flute by
newcomer Zara Jealous.
The repertoire
included both purely instrumental
and, additionally, vocal numbers
performed by Camilla Cutts and
also Liz Menezes, who is the
orchestra’s second
violinist.
Some of the items
were quite familiar even if their
names were less-so, e.g. Serenata
(Rimpianto) by Toselli and Whistling
Rufus by Kerry Mills.
The orchestra
performed with its customary
combination of precision, panache
and great enthusiasm; it’s
obvious that the players very
much enjoyed these works as much
as the audience did !
So, once again,
many congratulations are due to
Adam Bakker and the Aspidistra
Drawing Room Orchestra for
continuing to 'fly the flag' for
the noble art of 'Palm Court'.
? Tony Clayden
2016
April 2016
Three
English Dances
by Roger Quilter
For many years I
have wondered why it is that
whilst Roger Quilter possessed
considerable talents as an
orchestrator, this well-known
work is almost always performed
in an orchestral arrangement by
Percy Eastman Fletcher.
The mystery was
finally solved recently when I
happened to be in contact with Dr
Valerie Langfield, who is a music
teacher and tutor based near
Manchester. Dr Langfield
has taken a great interest in the
life and work of Quilter, and is
the author of a very
comprehensive and
highly-acclaimed biography of the
composer.
The definitive
answer is that the Dances were
originally conceived and written
for full orchestra. Percy
Fletcher was then commissioned to
re-score the work for
much-reduced forces, because it
was considered likely to maximise
its potential for sales and
hirings in that form.
(It appears
that Fletcher often undertook
arranging work of this kind. I
have come across another example
- viz. his orchestral
arrangements of some pieces by
Samuel Coleridge Taylor, which I
believe were made after their
composer’s death).
The original
full-orchestral score was never
printed, and because it only
exists in manuscript form it is
seldom, if ever, performed.
Roger Quilter
himself made and published
further arrangements for solo
piano and piano duet; the latter
was given by Dr Langfield and
fellow-pianist David Owen Norris
at a Quilter festival some years
ago.
Tony Clayden ? April 2016
April 2016
NEW
Mantovani DVD release in April
Mantovani was the
most successful orchestra leader
of his time, selling over 60
million albums in his career. He
also recorded over 30 half-hour
TV specials in 1958 and For
Lovers Everywhere includes three
superb TV shows on a theme: Music
for Latins features sensual tango
rhythms; Music from Many Lands
showcases love songs from around
the world; and Musical Holiday
takes us to the romantic capitals
of Europe. Special guest singers
include Petula Clark and John
Conte. The DVD also includes
comments from Ken Bruce, Len
Goodman and Paul Barrett.
On
25th February 2016, a performance
of Robert Farnon’s 'Prelude
to the Lake of the Woods' was
given in Kenora, Ontario, Canada.
Our concerts are
held in Knox United Church in
Kenora, Ontario. The orchestra is
the Thunder Bay Symphony. Thunder
Bay is 550 km east of Kenora; it
is part of their mandate to
perform in the smaller
communities in Ontario.
We have had the
orchestra perform here for over
35 years. This concert featured
the composition by Robert Farnon,
entitled Prelude to the Lake
of the Woods, which is where
Kenora is situated. The lake
features 14,524 Islands and goes
as far south as Minnesota in the
USA.
The composition by
Robert Farnon was found in the
archives of the local museum. We
couldn’t find the individual
parts anywhere, so we had the
score transcribed for the
Symphony. This was a very
successful evening as it not only
featured the music but
outstanding photographs of the
lake area.
We are not 100%
sure that Robert ever visited the
area, however, after setting the
music to the photographs we have
convinced ourselves that he must
have. The pictures were shown on
a large 75” TV sitting on
top of the organ console that is
visible in the right corner of
the photo.
Len Mark
Robert Farnon
wrote this piece about our
beautiful 'Lake of the Woods' in
the early fifties. This video
features my photos taken mostly
of the northern portion of Lake
of the Woods.
Wayne Kelso
March 2016
ALAN
BUNTING
It is with the
deepest regret and profound
sadness that we have to report
the death of Alan Bunting on
Wednesday March 16th 2016, after
a short illness.
Alan was one of
only a handful of premier experts
in the field of digital recording
restoration in the UK, and over
the years carried out a great
deal of such work, especially for
many record
companies active in the
field of reissues.
Together with the
late David Ades, Alan was
instrumental in the establishment
of the Golden Age Of Light Music
series of CDs for the Swiss
Company Guild Records,
contributing to both the
technical and repertoire aspects
of what would become a
phenomenally successful project.
After David’s
death in 2015, Alan assumed
responsibility for the overall
management of the series and
several more CDs were produced.
At the time of his death, further
titles were under discussion
although only one, Great American
Light Orchestras Vol. 4, has been
fully completed, and will be
released in mid-2016.
Our sincerest
condolences are extended to his
son, daughter and grandchildren.
Tony Clayden
March 2016
---------------------------
Alan will be
sorely missed.
I treasure my copy
of his Percy Faith discography.
May he rest in
Peace.
Peter Elsdon.
---------------------------
From Peter Burt:
That's really sad
news about Alan and a big shock.
He will certainly
be much missed.
---------------------------
Alan deserves
credit for all the Light Music
restoration he has done, which
must be in the thousands.
He and David Ades
did so much together – yet
they only ever met once!
Peter Worsley
Assistant Editor, This England
& Evergreen magazines
---------------------------
Tony Foster
writes:
I have just seen
your communication regarding the
death of Alan Bunting, what sad
news.
I obviously did
not know Alan personally, but
together with David Ades, they
were a fine team in working
together to provide we – who
love Light Music so much –
many hours of listening pleasure,
with all their hard work in
creating the Guild series of CDs.
This really is the
end of an era. He will be much
missed.
---------------------------
Martin Eccles
writes –
Hi Tony –
Re: Alan Bunting
and David Ades
Obviously you knew
these two wonderful men better
than most having been so heavily
involved with the RFS, but I can
tell you that although I was
never forunate enough to meet
them in person and only spoke to
them over the telephone, their
genuine warmth, enthusiasm and
willingness to share their
extensive knowledge of the music
business – and in particular
recorded music for orchestra, was
very touching. Alan often had me
in stitches laughing at some of
the stories he shared with me as
a BBC producer and his having to
deal with awkward artists with
over inflated egos and of a
particularly volatile
personality! He struggled, at
times having to tread so
carefully and diplomatically with
many of them.
With Alan’s
knowledge of the work of Percy
Faith, he would often contact me
regarding a certain Faith
recording, asking me if I could
help identify in musical terms
particular aspects of
orchestration and arrangement of
how Percy Faith had created
specific orchestral affects in
his arrangements – which I
was very happy to do for Alan,
being a violinist and woodwind
player myself.
On many occasions
David Ades was most kind in
helping me identify certain
orchestral recordings I was
trying to find and was never
stinting of his time spending
many hours seeking out
information to pass on to me. I
don't know how Moira was able to
cope with David's time spent in
running the RFS and editing the
excellent magazine. He was a very
dedicated man for the cause of
orchestral music.
Not only have we
lost two extremely knowledgable
experts and indeed
"giants" of the music
industry, but two of the most
genuine, warm and affable men it
has been my pleasure to know. The
world is a much poorer place for
their loss.
With all good
wishes,
Martin Eccles
---------------------------
Sad news re Alan
Bunting, his expertise was made
apparent to me via his work for
the Nelson Riddle Society,and
many other recordings,
especially,the, 'Golden Age of
Light Music'.
He will always be
remembered in RFS.
Phil Napier
(Leyland, Lancashire.)
---------------------------
From Terence and
Grace Gilmore-Jones
How very sad and
what another great loss this is
to the world of Light Music. We
mourn his passing, as we did that
of dear David, but we thank them
both for an amazing achievement
over many years, not least in the
incredibly notable and valuable
Guild series most recently. That
will stand as one of the greatest
monuments to high professionalism
both musically and technically,
revealing – as it does
– the enormous field of
high-grade Light Music, superb
performance standards which reach
back many decades, and all
recollected in the booklets with
faithful and accurate detail.
Bravo David and
Alan – THANK YOU BOTH SO
MUCH. Always remembered with
admiration and gratitude!
Stuart Barr
uncovers the colourful career of
British composer and transgender
pioneer, Angela Morley.
In 1972, Wally
Stott's transition to Angela
Morley made front page news.
Wally was famous. He was composer
for the Goon Show and Hancock's
Half Hour, and music director to
stars like Frankie Vaughan and
Shirley Bassey. "TV Music
Man changes his sex"
screamed the headlines. Where
would Angela go from here? Stuart
talks to Angela's friends and
colleagues to discover how she
made her mark in the music
business, as a woman and a man.
And he explores the special
qualities of the music she wrote
and arranged, from the famous
'Hancock' tuba theme to her work
alongside John Williams on
blockbusters like Star Wars and
Superman.
January 2016
RONALD
CORP TURNS 65
Ronald Corp OBE
turned 65 on 4th January 2016.
Ronald Corp was born in Wells,
Somerset in 1951, and now resides
in a converted watermill in rural
Essex. As one of Britain’s
most prolific
Composer-Conductors, he has a
busy schedule of concerts,
rehearsals, education workshops,
community projects, overseas
tours and recording sessions as a
foil to the many meditative hours
he devotes to his life-long
passion of composing. Read the
full biography on his website here.
More details about
Ronald Corp's Hyperion Recordings
here
It is with
profound sadness that we report
the death of Moira Ades, wife of
the late David Ades, on 27th
December 2015.
Moira was admitted
to hospital in mid-December to
undergo an emergency surgical
procedure. Whilst initially this
appeared to have been successful,
she then developed post-operative
complications, which
unfortunately her doctors were
unable to resolve.
It is hoped to
publish a fuller tribute to Moira
in due course.
Our sincere
condolences are extended to her
daughter Fenella, her two
grandsons James and William, and
her son-in-law Barry.
Tony Clayden
30 / 12 / 15
November 2015
NEW
VOCALION CATALOGUE
Vocalion
have just issued their new 2016
catalogue.
An exciting
selection of new CDs will be
available in time for Christmas
and include Easy Listening,
Light, Latin, Film
Soundtracks/LibraryMusic,
Jazz/Soul and
Dance Bands/Big Bands. Artistes
featured include Henry Mancini,
Floyd Cramer, Paul Mauriat,
Caterina Valente, Cleo Laine,
Neal Hefti, John Dankworth,
Victor Silvester, Ted Heath, Jack
Hylton and Geraldo. The listings
also include a number of back
catalogue re-issues, featuring,
among others, Roy Fox, Carroll
Gibbons, Henry Hall, Ray Noble,
Ambrose, Ted Heath and the
Queen’s Hall Light
Orchestra.
In addition, there
is a huge range of existing
titles all still available.
The catalogue can
be obtained from Vocalion - info@duttonvocalion.co.uk or by telephone
01923 803 001. The company
operates a mail-order service
– their postal address is PO
box 609 Watford WD18 7YA England.
English light
music composer Ernest Tomlinson,
known for orchestral pieces
including An English
Overture, Little
Serenade, Cantilena and Woodicock, has
died aged 90.
Tomlinson was
Chairman of the Light Music
Society from 1966 to 2009 and
subsequently President.
'Ernest
Tomlinson will be warmly
remembered as long as people
enjoy listening to melodic
music,' said soprano and
broadcaster Catherine Bott.
'Light music is all about melody
and enjoyment, always beautifully
crafted and full of colour.
Ernest was among the very best of
British light
music composers, his
exceptional technical skills
allied to a rare gift for
melody.'
Many thanks for
yesterday’s
“feast” of light music,
and special thanks to both Tony
for technical and procedural
direction (albeit with some
comical antics) and Albert for a
very touching and too short
tribute to dear David Ades who
is, and will be for years, much
missed indeed. Thankfully we have
such a great deal to remember him
by and admire him for. And Albert
was just the right person to pay
tribute on behalf of us all.
Look forward to
next time – and hope my
train from Wales won’t
experience such delays again!
All greetings and
good wishes,
Terry
[Terence Gilmore-James, 11th May
2015]
April 2015
2015
CLASSIC FM HALL OF FAME
Iain Sutherland
has announced that six of his
recordings which are regularly
featured on the Classic FM
playlist were voted by listeners
into the list of top 300 titles
in the 2015 CLASSIC FM HALL OF
FAME. They are:-
48. SCHINDLER'S
LIST. JOHN WILLIAMS. B000026BIG
109. GEENSLEEVES.
R.VAUGHAN-WILLIAMS. SOMMCD 0117
128. ELIZABETHAN SERENADE. RONALD
BINGE. SOMMCD 0117
149. ENGLISH FOLK SONG SUITE.
R.VAUGHAN-WILLIAMS. ALC 1192
252. WALKING THE DOG. GEORGE
GERSHWIN. ALC 1206
270. THE WATERMILL. RONALD BINGE.
ALC 1192
February 2015
DAVID
ADES
It is with deepest
regret and profound sadness that
we announce the death of David
Ades, after a prolonged illness
borne with great dignity and
fortitude. David passed away
peacefully on 21st February 2015
in a hospice near his home in
Somerset, surrounded by his
family.
David's funeral
will take place on 10th March and
will be a small, private family
event.
Donations in
David's memory may be made to his
chosen charity which is 'Diabetes UK'.
February 2015
WE
REGRET TO ANNOUNCE THE DEATH OF
PETER MARTIN
ON JANUARY 31st 2015
AT THE AGE OF 93
Peter Martin will
be best remembered for his work
with the BBC West of England
Players which he directed from
1960 to 1965 and subsequently for
occasional guest appearances
conducting the BBC Radio
Orchestra. He was a brilliant
pianist and composer.
February 2015
WE
REGRET TO ANNOUNCE THE DEATH OF
JOHN FOX (b.1924)
ON FEBRUARY 10th 2015
AT THE AGE OF 90
John was a
multi-talented arranger, composer
and conductor and worked for many
years in that capacity with the
BBC Radio Orchestra. In addition,
he wrote for TV and Film, and his
particular interest in in vocal
music led him to form the John
Fox Singers.
The Oscar-winning
Italian composer, who wrote over
400 film scores and around 100
concert works, has died in Rome
aged 91.
Iain Sutherland
has been awarded the Gold Badge
of Merit by the British Academy
of Songwriters, Composers and
Authors for Lifetime Achievement
and his unique contribution to
British music.
Friends and family
gathered to celebrate the 90th
birthday of a ‘quite
remarkable’ but humble music
man.
ANDRE
LEON’S RADIO REPLAYS FOR
CHRISTMAS
