Light & Lyrical Edition 99 (Spring 2023)

The Magazine of the Light Music Society

LIGHT & LYRICAL

Spring 2023

JAMES BEYER AND THE EDINBURGH LIGHT ORCHESTRA

ERNEST TOMLINSON‘S LIFE IN MUSIC

CHARLES WILLIAMS

A 130th Birthday Appreciation

NINO ROTA

Il cappello di paglia di Firenze

The Magazine of the Light Music Society

Greetings, dear reader, from LMS HQ, and a warm welcome to the first of three editions of Light & Lyrical in 2023.

In some ways, it feels to me that there is a cloud hovering over this edition in the light of some recent events in the music world. While I am thankful that the BBC singers and other threatened organisations within the institution appear to have attained a stay of execution, those of us familiar with the history of Light Music cannot help but hear echoes from history in the current situation. In my opinion, the actions taken by BBC authorities in relation to their cultural programming of late has constituted nothing short of outright aggression, far beyond the philistinism of previous years. Mercifully, the “review” of the proposals seems to have been prompted by public outcry. This suggests at least some receptiveness to the demand for cultural activities. That said, I can’t say my hope for the long term is terribly high at present. In conversation with one individual who presented musical shows on television they said they were told in no uncertain terms that no musical analysis programmes were going to be considered at all in the future. Thus I’m still left with a gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach that further abandonment of the one-time duty to inform, educate and entertain may be imminent. So let’s keep the pressure up. After ET wrote to the national papers as chairman of the Composers’ Guild of Great Britain in 1964, subsequent headlines read “BBC Ignores New Music”. Here’s hoping that tomorrow’s headlines won’t end up reading “BBC Ignores All Music”.

In happier news, the next edition of this magazine will be the 100th publication by the society since its re-establishment in 1996 and we will be running many historical articles from the magazines along with contemporary articles to illustrate just how far we have come – so do get any articles you’d like included sent in soon to avoid disappointment!

Meanwhile sit back and enjoy this bumper edition of news and features for your Light Music delectation!

Dan Adams – Editor

President: Peter Hope

Chairman: Hilary Ashton

Treasurer: Tracey Johnson

Membership: Sarah Glossop

Trustees: Jim Cooke, Chris Irvin-Browne, David Greenhalgh, Jan Mentha, Howard Rogerson, Catherine Tackley, Paul Witkiewicz

LIGHT & LYRICAL

Membership Enquiries: Sarah Glossop, Magna House, Main Street, Long Preston North Yorkshire BD23 4ND

Library Enquiries: Email: lmsliborders@gmail.com

General Enquiries: Hilary Ashton: 01729 840371 (info.lightmusicsociety@gmail.com)

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Dear Member,

It is with great reluctance that the trustees have made the decision to increase subscriptions to the LMS from £25 to £28 for individual members, and from £30 to £33 for groups and overseas members from May 1st 2023. The last increase was over 2 years ago, and like many we are struggling to keep up with price increases in the general cost of living.

If you pay by standing order you will need to notify your bank of the change. This can be done easily via on-line banking or by completing the enclosed form and sending it to your bank. If you receive a hard copy magazine, the month in which your subscription is due is shown on the address label of your envelope as a number in the top right hand corner. If you are unsure of your due date please contact Sarah on the info.lightmusicsociety@gmail.com address.

SUBSCRIPTION INFO AS FROM MAY 1ST 2023

Individual membership: £28.00

Group membership (i.e. organisations/families/orchestras): £33.00

Overseas members (i.e. non-UK): with magazine emailed: £33.00, with magazine posted: £35.00

Members renewal dates are based on the month they joined. (Please refer to your magazine's address label where the number shown should tell you your month. January = 1, February = 2 etc).

If you pay by standing order you will need to amend the mandate to your bank; you can usually do this quite easily online (if you use electronic banking), or we can provide you with a form to send to your bank confirming the change. Please note that we cannot change your standing order for you. We hope you will understand the need for the increase and, as always, thank you for your continued support.

Please return all subscriptions to: Sarah Glossop at The Library of Light Orchestral Music, Magna House, Main Street, Long Preston, North Yorkshire, BD23 4ND. Email: info.lightmusicsociety@gmail.com We really appreciate your prompt payments and support.

Many thanks also for your donations – whatever the size, they are all very welcome. If you are making a will, you may want to consider a legacy to the Society.

If you have any further queries, please contact the Membership Secretary.

Data Protection

Any personal details the Society holds will only be used to send you our Magazine and any information for LMS administration (e.g. subscription payments), details of events organised by the LMS, and other items of interest or relevance to LMS members. We will not pass on your details to third parties. LMS’s formal data protection policy is available on its website under the “Join the Society” section, or on request from the Membership Secretary.

CALL FOR MAGAZINE SUBMISSIONS!

Please note details

Deadline for the Summer 2023 magazine is 10th July. We hope to send out in mid-August. Submissions are welcome any time.

Your articles, reviews, comments and points of interest are needed; this is your magazine, so your input is essential. Please note that ALL articles submitted will be subject to editorial review in accordance with the submission guidelines:

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

The submission of articles and features is always welcome from members – you will note the various features on light music and broader themes in the current edition. All material submitted must be factually accurate to the best of your knowledge. It is the author’s responsibility to fact check their own articles and carry out any corrections. Space is at a premium in our magazine, therefore our guidelines are as follows:

• Short article around 500 words

• A feature (a double-page) around 1000 words. Please note that if your article is longer than this, it WILL need to be cut down.

• For a CD review, we would ask for a maximum of 700 words. CD reviews should include notes on the performance and product and, if necessary, some background on the music.

Please send all submissions as an MS Word document (as .doc or .docx). Pictures are best as jpeg files. Pdfs are not as good, as information can’t easily be lifted from them. Please do not use double spaces between words or lines as this creates formatting problems!

Ordering from the Library:

Email: lmsliborders@gmail.com

Tel: 01729 840371 & leave a message

Library hours: Wednesdays & Fridays 10am-3.30pm

Music may be borrowed by Light Music Society members for an administration charge plus postage and packing. This is not a hire fee and does not include any performance fees. Notifications about performances are the responsibility of borrowers.

Basic administration charges for loans of up to 3 months: £30 for short individual pieces £40 for longer works such as suites, selections and rhapsodies. £12 per month if extension of loan is required

P&P charges are added depending on weight.

Orders can be sent in at any time. We have had trouble with the website online forms so please email orders to the above email.

All submissions for Light Music Society publications should be emailed to: info.lightmusicsociety@gmail.com OR posted to:

Dan Adams at

The Library of Light Orchestral Music, Magna House, Main Street, Long Preston, North Yorkshire, BD23 4ND.

A VERY WARM WELCOME TO: AGM INFO

Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra

Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra

Peter Deverill – Dorset

Glasgow Orchestral Society

Noord Holland Promenade Orkest

Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra

Christopher R Walker - Hest Bank, Lancaster

Kevin Grunill - Penistone Cinema Organ Trust

Richmond Light Orchestra

We are pleased to announce that we intend to hold the 2023 Light Music Society AGM Weekend at Victoria Halls in Bolton on the 1st of October.

Plans for the weekend are still being discussed, but following last year's extremely enjoyable and successful playday we are hoping to have a similar event. This time we hope to be able to have a short informal concert in the early evening (open to the public

OUR COVER IMAGE NOTES FROM THE LIBRARY

This edition’s cover image was a piece recently featured at the Promenade Concert Orchestra of Morecambe’s concert. It is called Springtime in the Village, and is described as a Rustic Dance by composer Alec Templeton.

Templeton was born on July 4th 1909 or 1910 (there is some confusion regarding the year) and died march 28th 1963. He was born in Cardiff, was blind from birth but was blessed with perfect pitch. In the 30s, he moved to America as part of the Jack Hylton Jazz Band and later set up his own Radio Station called the Alec Templeton Time in 1939. Being blind, he had his scripts read to him before the shows 20 times over in order to memorise them. In his view, "Good music need not be ponderous to be good. It can be everything from Bach to jazz.". Being a lover of Bach, he once also wrote a parody piece called Bach Goes to Town, which was played famously by Benny Goodman and which can be borrowed from the LMS library. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Radio.

LIBRARIAN’S CORNER

Version 6 of the main catalogue is now live on the website and our volunteers are working hard rationalising pieces ready for version 7. This involves gathering multiple sets of the same piece from various collections (and therefore different locations in the building) and streamlining them into one bag of usable sets. Different versions/arrangements are collated for better clarity and any parts that are in poor condition and therefore unusable are thrown away. To give an idea of how much shelf space can be saved, three pieces whose combined sets/bags occupied seventeen locations in the library were rationalised to just three bags, one for each piece. This is helping enormously to downsize the library and make the most of the space available.

Greetings to you all from a very spring-like Long Preston! We’ve had a brief spell of three consecutive sunny days recently which has encouraged the daffodils to bloom in the window boxes and the newborn lambs to run around in the fields around the village.

The library team has received 58 orders so far in 2023, some of which are for events taking place several months hence and we thank you for giving Helen plenty of advance warning! 55 different pieces of music have been sent out since January covering a variety of composers, from Bernstein to Binge via Mendelssohn and Morley. Your support of the library is very much appreciated and we hope to receive many more orders over the coming months.

Our first visitor of 2023 was Catherine Tackley who came to look in our dance band collections for pieces for performance during an upcoming public lecture at Liverpool University. After spending a few hours sifting through our Winter Gardens and BBC Dance Band collections, Catherine left with half a dozen suitable pieces and we were very happy to be of service!

As spring wends its way towards summer, we look forward to longer days, warmer weather and the continued support of our loyal members.

Best wishes from The Library Team

CURATOR’S CORNER

INSTRUMENT OF SUCCESS

Kevin Grunill, the chairman of the Penistone Cinema Organ Trust in Barnsley has been in touch. The Trust built and operate “The Astoria Centre”, which is the National Theatre Organ Heritage Centre. As part of the centre, there is an extensive music archive, which includes a number of arrangements and compositions by theatre organists of years gone by, such as Sidney Torch, Ronald Hanmer, Gerald Shaw, Lloyd Thomas, Frederic Curzon etc, all of which were theatre organists, as well as composers of Light Music. Should any LMS members wish to obtain a copy of these scores, please feel free to contact the Penistone Cinema Organ Trust, who would be only too happy to work with you regarding this.

A HOWLING SUCCESS!

When Catherine Tackley visited us, she discovered this copy with an amusing cover! Intrigued by the title, we are now able to say that this is a jaunty dance band arrangement of a song that you might just enjoy programming yourself! You can find it on YouTube performed by Charles Penrose and even find a stuffed toy version of this cover image!

MUSIC FOR A KING

There have been further announcements in the news about the forthcoming Coronation in May. Will you be staging a celebration concert? Here is some of the music performed at the 1953 coronation. All are available from our library.

Handel: Zadok the Priest

Handel: Music to the Royal Fireworks

Butterworth: Banks of Green Willow

Elgar: Nimrod

Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1, 2 & 4

Vaughan Williams: Greensleeves

Parry: I Was Glad

And it doesn’t stop there! Do you want to play some Light Music along a similar theme? Here are just a handful of titles available from our library, which might interest you!

Meyerbeer: Coronation March from Le Prophete

Elgar: Coronation March

Walter Partridge: Coronation Bells

Robert Farnon: State Occasion

Albert W. Ketélbey: Royal Cavalcade

Walter Slaughter: King Charles March

Montague Phillips: Charles II Overture

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

While listening to the New Year’s Day concert from Vienna, it occurred to me that the LMS could try to promote something similar for British Light Music so that, like the Vienna, it became an annual institution with the ultimate aim to have it broadcast on the radio and television. To achieve this, it is necessary to sell the plan to one of our leading orchestras which, like the Vienna Phil, would be involved annually at the same venue which should be a major concert hall in London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester or Liverpool.

The Vienna concert runs from 10.15am to 1pm on New Year’s Day, so it might be difficult to find a suitable slot on that date, in which case it would have to be staged on another public holiday such as Boxing Day or May Day. The concert should also follow the Vienna model, which always closes with the Blue Danube Waltz and the Radetzky March. Perhaps Sailing By, the Fantasia on Auld Lang Syne and the Dam Busters March would be ideal to establish similar tradition.

Though the concert would be based on the core group of British Light Music composers, such as Binge, Coates, Farnon, Tomlinson, Wood & co., the inclusion of other works would be good in order to provide a bit more variety, such as a Gilbert and Sullivan Overture, marches by Elgar and Walton and things such as the English Folk Songs Suite by Vaughan Williams.

Obviously, the LMS is in a strong position to get involved in such a project with its collection of scores and parts for many of the works which would be performed. It may also be possible to obtain commercial sponsorship in which case the backer’s name would have to be included in the concert’s title such as the “Sponsor’s British Light Music May Day Concert”.

-Keith Warsop

A recent remark by the friend of a friend, that he was going home to listen to some Beethoven, prompted me to ask which piece, at which he smiled and just said Beethoven, and that puzzled me. I like a wide range of musical styles, yet I can’t think of any composer who I would want to listen to indiscriminately. For me, it’s a combination of the music, the arrangement and the performance; in particular, the arrangement of a composition can make a huge difference to my enjoyment of it, and, I believe, to others too.

This makes me wonder about the relationship between the composition and the arrangement; I found out that different conductors put their own interpretations and emphasis on a performance, which means two versions of the same composition could sound very different. It’s therefore possible to like one version and dislike another, even though they’re the same piece. I’d unconsciously assumed Beethoven’s Fifth was Beethoven’s Fifth, whoever the conductor.

It’s commonplace amongst most other styles of music, particularly in pop or rock, to like one particular version over any other, but most classical music lovers seem to speak mostly of the composer, and rarely – if ever – of any particular performance, yet it seems to me the two are inseparable.

I suppose by its very nature, many variants of light music compositions don’t arouse much controversy, and perhaps are accepted with little or no comment. However, that’s not always the case; one that comes to mind is Theme from ‘A Summer Place’, originally recorded for the film by Hugo Winterhalter, but it was Percy Faith’s arrangement that hit the charts and is by far the most memorable, despite the fact that over fifty versions were recorded. Another was Frank Chacksfield’s version of Terry’s theme (from the film, Limelight), which, in my, view, was much better than the one in the film (Frank also managed a pop hit with Little Red Monkey in the same year). There must be many more where one version is favoured over all others. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?

-Peter Smith

Many thanks for your feedback on the latest editions of the magazine. Occasionally, we’ve been alerted that some of the articles with grayscale boxes have sometimes been a little hard to read for some of our audience. With this in mind, we’ve taken the decision to lighten this shading in the hope that this will make it easier. Sometimes, we are unable to test this out accurately, as it depends on the printer and paper how it will appear, so this is often not knowable until it is too late. However, your feedback on this would be welcome: is it easier to read, harder, or more or less the same?

With thanks again for your input!

FOR OUR MEMBERS

JOURNEY INTO MELODY

By Maurice Powell

The Isle of Man Symphony Orchestra’s 2022 Gala Concert, which took place at the Villa Marina, Douglas, on Sunday 4th December, was a huge success. Entitled ‘Journey into Melody’, the programme of British Light Music from the genre’s Golden Age, delighted the large and enthusiastic audience, and won new friends both for the orchestra and for British Light Music. The compère, Charles Guard MBE, the orchestra’s Patron, paid a generous tribute during the course of the concert to Ernest Tomlinson as the composer of some of the best loved pieces in the repertoire, his great work in saving so much performing material from oblivion, and to the work of the Light Music Society in making this wonderful repertoire available to orchestras today.

There were a number of essential favourites in the programme: Coates’ overture The Merrymakers to open the concert; Grainger’s Shepherd’s Hey to close the first part; E.T’s Little Serenade (the theme music chosen by conductor Maurice Powell for his weekly Manx Radio programme A Little Light Music), Robert Farnon’s Portrait of a Flirt, Ronald Binge’s Elizabethan Serenade, Frederick Curzon’s The Boulevardier, Trevor Duncan’s The Girl from Corsica and Charles Williams’ The Devil’s Galop. A decided ‘hit’ of the concert was Louise Denny’s delightful French style waltz

The audience particularly enjoyed some of the lesser-known pieces: Farnon’s À la Claire Fontaine (the orchestra’s principal flautist Ruth Crossley played beautifully as the ‘nightingale’), and Coates’ Saxo-Rhapsody, brilliantly performed by Chris Sullivan, one of the most versatile musicians in the orchestra (he was also the accordion soloist in Violette), which ‘brought the house down’ and earned him a well-deserved ovation. Elgar’s Dream Children number 2 and Delius’ La Calinda were included in the programme for their lyrical beauty. Principal oboist Andrew Cole produced a gorgeous tone for the wonderful opening theme of the Delius piece.

There is always a very special atmosphere in a concert hall whenever the orchestra performs music inspired by Manxland, written by a composer uniquely associated with the Island before a predominantly Manx audience, and the second half of the concert unsurprisingly featured two pieces by the Island’s adopted national composer, Haydn Wood, whose early years were spent in Douglas. Montmartre is always popular with its breezy swagger and brilliant orchestration, but the final piece, Mannin Veen (Dear Little Isle of Man) incorporating no less than four traditional Manx melodies, was appreciated by the audience at a far deeper level and many were clearly moved by hearing the favourite

LIGHT MUSIC GOING DOWN A TREAT IN BERKSHIRE

By Geoff Bushell

from both the Light Music Society and the similarly-initialled New London Music Society (NLMS).

Conductor Terrence Lovett founded NLMS in 1981, establishing a choir and orchestra which gave regular concerts in London and the Home Counties. NLMS held its first residential summer music course at Wycombe Abbey School (High Wycombe) in 1982. In 1999 the summer school moved to Queenswood School near Hatfield in Hertfordshire, and then in 2019 to its present Berkshire home at Downe House.

NLMS Music Summer School offers a challenging and enjoyable week of music making in a friendly atmosphere. Two orchestras, a choir, a brass ensemble, a percussion group and a string group provide a wide variety of courses to suit all abilities and interests.

Evenings feature a variety of concerts, as well as 'open' sessions for anyone to join in. For many years at Queenswood there had been a popular Open Light Orchestra session run by oboist John White – he was the principal oboist at Sadlers Wells in the 1960s and is recorded on the famous Goodall Ring cycle. John would source sets of parts from the LMS Library of Light Orchestral Music, and conduct a rehearsal/play-through of favourite pieces of light music, frequently introducing participants to lesser-known gems.

When John decided not to continue, volunteers were sought to keep the session going. Having been an active amateur conductor since 1983, and having performed concerts of light music, I put my hand up, and was invited to run the session in 2020 – although in the event the pandemic conspired to prevent the summer school from running that year and the next.

Orchestra reconvened with sets of parts hired from the LMS library. As the session was open to any summer school member, I had taken the precaution of ordering double sets of woodwind from LMS – this proved to be useful, as an impressive 85 players participated (out of a total summer school contingent of 130). It was pleasing to see nine professional tutors taking part (including two on saxophones), rather than seeking some well-earned time off from leading their courses – such is the popularity of light music.

I had chosen a set of pieces that I thought would appeal widely and generally be not too challenging to sight-read:

Eric Coates – London Everyday Suite

Leroy Anderson – Promenade

Franz Lehar – Gold and Silver Waltz

Ernest Tomlinson – Concert Jig from Silverthorn Suite

Barry Gray arr. Sutherland – Theme from Thunderbirds

Having played through and rehearsed these, I asked participants to vote on which pieces they would like to perform in the remaining time by way of an informal concert, and they chose the Coates, Anderson and Gray. Thus ended a very enjoyable ninety minutes, and everyone said they were looking forward to a similar session next year.

One of the unexpected pleasures of using the LMS library was how carefully sets had been brought together from a variety of sources into playable sets of parts. In earlier years of light music, conductors and other musicians owned their own sets of parts, and even their own ink stamps, but some sets only contained enough parts for a small ballroom-sized ensemble. It's well known that LMS has amassed parts from a huge variety of sources that were discarding their

wide variety of ownership marks, some of which are listed below. Thank you, LMS, for going to such trouble to make up such sets for larger ensembles.

Previous owners of some of the Gold and Silver parts:

Aberystwyths [sic] Borough Accountants Office

Arthur John, violinist, Hull

Band 1st Bn. [Battalion] South Staffordshire Regt.

Charles Haberreiter [violin/conductor]

Cyril Broben

Cyril Geor [remainder unreadable]

D.C.E.C. Music Section

Eugene Genin [M.B.E., conductor of Merseyside amateur orchestras]

Herbert J. Sutton

J. Whitehead

Jessie G. Rhoden

Kursaal Orchestra [conductor Louis Voss]

Lido Harries [unclear – may be Harrop]

Louis Voss A.G.S.M. [and his Grand Orchestra]

Nelson Orchestral Society [Lancashire]

Primitive Methodist A.B.C. Scotland Road [Nelson, Lancashire]

The Methodist Orchestra, Seven Kings

My thoughts are now turning to choosing repertoire that participants might enjoy in 2023. As always with my programming, I try to make the instrumentation of a set of pieces reasonably consistent – having once got this badly wrong in a concert of light music when the second oboe observed that being in so few pieces, there was no point coming, and wasn't seen for the rest of the term! As the summer school has a full complement of horn and brass players (who share their time between playing in the brass ensemble course and the two orchestras), as well as the members of the percussion course, it seems prudent to select fuller-scored pieces.

hundred years, but while selecting for 2023, I shall enjoy listening to my light music CDs, and making more discoveries in the LMS library. For ninety minutes in Berkshire next August, the NLMS Open Light Orchestra will meet and resound again.

Geoff Bushell co-founded and conducts Didcot Concert Orchestra, and has conducted St Giles Orchestra, Oxford since 1983. Geoff plays the horn and helps with the marketing of NLMS – www.nlmsmusic-summerschool.co.uk

PROMENADE CONCERT ORCHESTRA OF MORECAMBE

‘MUSIC FROM THE PALM COURT’ The Platform, Morecambe, Sunday 26th March, 3pm

Sarah Glossop

It was with some degree of relief that the loyal followers of the PCO arrived at The Platform in Morecambe for the orchestra’s Palm Court concert. Recent developments regarding The Platform’s availability as a performance venue have been worrying to say the least but the healthy audience for this event must surely be the best sign that it must be saved at all costs.

On this occasion, the audience was transported back to the days when all the grand hotels had a Palm Court orchestra to provide musical entertainment for its guests. The PCO is the largest orchestra in the country still playing Palm Court music and we are fortunate indeed that it allows us an authentic glimpse into that elegant world of aspidistras and afternoon teas.

The carefully-chosen programme included some less wellknown pieces and composers alongside more recognisable names, introducing the audience to music they will not have heard before. Vincent Wallace’s overture to the opera Lurline which opened the concert was one such piece, proving that lesser-known music is no less fine for its relative obscurity! Similarly, Springtime in the Village ‘Rustic Dance by Alec Templeton is probably not well-known to many but its jaunty nature put smiles on the faces of many in the audience and for that alone it, and others like it, deserve to be played more.

The players of the PCO were on sparkling form, none more so than in Oscar Straus’s Piccolo! Piccolo! featuring a wonderfully bubbly duet from Myra Bennett (piccolo) and Christine Lorriman (flute). Later in the programme, Christine featured again in Henry Bishop’s Lo! Hear the Gentle Lark, this time in a beautifully crafted duet with Janet Barlow on clarinet.

The variety of PCO programmes always allows every section of the orchestra to shine at some point, even the violas! On this occasion, conductor Howard Rogerson’s clever arrangement of David Clegg’s Tynemouth Palace March featured a viola tune, something of a rarity in orchestral

music!

One of the stand-out pieces of the programme was Haydn Wood’s charming entr’acte Lovelorn, the pretty tune and pleasing harmonies bearing all the hallmarks of Wood’s writing. This was matched by Elgar’s Idylle, its simple, quiet style a pleasing contrast to the energetic tempi of Texidor’s Amparita Roca and the Cuban rhythms of Trocha by William Henry Tyres.

Charm of the Valse – a selection of waltzes arranged by Aubrey Winter – required some audience participation as we were invited to try and count how many waltzes featured in the medley! My answer of 16 was one waltz shy of the actual total of 17, so I missed one out somewhere!

In light of the recent drive to improve awareness of female composers, it was good to see Amy Woodforde-Finden’s Four Indian Love Lyrics in the programme. Some may remember the third movement

PUZZLES

Cryptic Prize Crossword

Across

1. Bent superior? (4)

3. Root weight we hear (5)

6. Start coming in to Yerevan and you’ll find yourself here (4)

8. Girl picks fruit for the dance (5,5,5)

9. Timeless haircut produces abdominal strap! (6)

10. Practically useless! (8)

11. Silly person chooses to be fussy (8)

13. Sounds like the cat got this chap! (6)

15. Kingdom in Orient gives shape for this costume (6)

17. Users and steppers? (8)

19. Very strong detective (8)

21. A French rest is actually a disturbance (6)

22. Trueman isn’t into moving the musical layout (15)

23. One fiddle could become an object of worship (4)

24. Knight receives thanks for instrument (5)

25. Look noble (4)

Down

1. Ed and Dan took a day in France and were delayed (9)

2. Touch this person (7)

3. 10cc about on an island find a whimsical expression (9)

4. Soldiers and posh company going to America can be noisy (7)

5. Perfunctory gift? (5)

6. Best soap? No. One eats it! (5,4)

7. Red hot number gets on the best seat (7)

12. University will perhaps add heavy weight? (9)

13. Electrifying musician! (9)

14. Rose, Aster, Nerium – flowers for someone in the Orient (9)

16. Company with a nice seaside view? (7)

17. Sounds like there’s disagreement about the way down (7)

18. Girl similar but very different (7)

20.Call out slobbish youths! (5)

Quick Crossword

15.

1. One of ET’s Folk Dances (9) 7. Race course (5)

movements of the sea (4,5)

1. Wind direction indicator (7,4)

2. Arrange for instruments (11)

3. What musicians should be (2,4)

4. Young person (5)

5. Old keyboard instrument (11)

6. Swedish name of Finnish capital (11)

9. Consumed (3)

11. Unhappy (3)

13. Harvest (6)

Weird (5)

My Dream Come True Part 3

Following the demise of The Edinburgh Light Orchestra, founder and conductor James Beyer looks back at a life-long passion for light music.

Last time, we left the Edinburgh Light Orchestra in 1995 ‘on the backburner’, where it remained simmering away quietly. Then, in 1997, I was granted early retirement. A new dawn beckoned

free from the fetters of teaching and the perils of the chalkface.

With this new lease of life, one of the first things I did was to make plans for an ELO comeback.

Our leader of sixteen years – Miles Baster – retired in 1995, so the first thing I did was to find his replacement. David Hume was the obvious choice – a local professional violinist who also ran his own chamber orchestra, The Philomusica of Edinburgh. Apart from his talent as a musician, his unassuming, kind and friendly demeanour meant that he was more than ably suited to take over from Miles; and with this renaissance, there was a shedding of the old in favour of a new rejuvenated orchestra.

I felt that our programmes should have a different focus. Now, there would be more emphasis on selections from modern musicals, concert arrangements of film music and ‘jazzy’ selections, thanks to the comprehensive catalogues of arrangements published by Hal Leonard, Belwin-Mills et al (which are now in the LMS library awaiting your requests!). Hitherto, ELO concerts took the form of a traditional classical concert i.e. a programme without any spoken introductions. So, in 1997, like the Hollywood silent movie stars of the late 1920s, our audiences soon realised that James Beyer had a voice!

As you can imagine, our audiences warmed to this new approach, which gave a more friendly, intimate and homely touch to our concerts. In addition, we decided to adopt a

signature tune with which to open each concert and for this we chose Robert Farnon’s ‘Journey Into Melody’.

That autumn, I had the privilege of meeting Iain Sutherland after one of his concerts with The City of Glasgow Symphony Orchestra. Our programmes regularly featured Iain’s compositions – his Concert March

‘Edinburgh Castle’ was a regular favourite and I've lost count of the number of times we performed his superb ‘Me and my Girl’ Concert Overture; but more importantly, Iain’s guidance and support influenced the way in which the orchestra was developing. Another composer whose music we performed regularly and who I got to know well, was Louise Denny. Her compositions were always enjoyed by my musicians and audiences alike –such as ‘Atlantis’ March, ‘Theme for Zara’, ‘Mulberry Harbours’ March and ‘Sea of Scarlet’. In 2015, I had the great pleasure of meeting Louise while visiting her home-town of St Leonards-on -Sea.

In 1998, I was approached by the Manager of Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall who asked me to form a Palm Court Orchestra to fill an occasional Sunday afternoon ‘slot’. I accepted with alacrity and set about forming the ensemble from existing members of the Edinburgh Light Orchestra – piano, five violins, viola, ’cello, bass, flute, two clarinets and percussion. Giving three Sunday afternoon concerts each year (until 2007), it turned out to be a popular and successful venture – attracting around 300 people each time – far in excess of the other organisations that were part of the Sunday afternoon concert syndicate.

Naturally, the principal violinist was ELO leader, David Hume. Sadly, David passed away suddenly following our first concert, so we had to find his replacement very quickly. At the top of the list was Lawrence Dunn, who had occasionally played for the ELO since 1980 and had knowledge and a love of the lighter repertoire. Lawrence accepted the position and consequently he became leader of the ELO too – a position he held until the orchestra disbanded in 2022. In addition to leading the orchestra, Lawrence also worked ‘behind the scenes’, assisting and supporting me in many ways – something for which I will always be grateful.

Throughout the years, many people supported my endeavours. The principal ‘players’ were Miles Baster, Arthur Blake, Robert Farnon and last but by no means least – Ernest Tomlinson –and The Light Music Society!

I remember with great affection the many telephone conversations I had with Ernest – not to mention the faxes and letters which passed between us.

I will always be indebted to Robert Farnon

I can't recall exactly when we first met; but in all probability it was at a meeting of the Farnon Society.

However, I do recall my first visit to Lancaster Farm with my leader Lawrence Dunn – the main purpose of which was to donate some boxes of orchestral music. This would have been during 2003. I will never forget Ernest and Jean’s kind hospitality that day. On arrival, Jean had prepared a substantial lunch for us – a very welcome repast, following our tiring journey from Edinburgh.

Needless to say, ‘Light Music’ was the main topic of conversation!

After lunch, Ernest treated us to an interesting and informative guided tour of the music library (who also took pride in demonstrating his electronic gadgets); and afterwards, Jean prepared some light refreshments for us before we headed back to Edinburgh. It was a most wonderful, exciting and memorable day.

Ernest also gave me valuable support and advice when I was forming the Edinburgh Palm Court Orchestra. He was always approachable and ever willing to share his vast experience and knowledge. Prior to my entering hospital for a heart operation in 2008, I remember very fondly the card I received from Ernest and Hilary wishing me well for the impending procedure. A most touching and extremely kind gesture. I still have the card!

Around 2004, I knew that Robert Farnon was writing a Symphony and that it had some connection with my native city. Subsequently, telephone calls between us confirmed this. (Bob always referred to our telephone conversations as the Guernsey hotline!)

behalf of fellow amateurs who achieve great pleasure and satisfaction from playing Robert Farnon’s music – and his supportive role in my accomplishments.

Another example of the kindness shown to me by a leading composer and arranger was that of Angela Morley.

Around 2006, I contacted Angela at her home in Scottsdale, Arizona regarding the possibility of performing two of her compositions –‘A Canadian in Mayfair’ and ‘Venturing Forth’ from ‘Watership Down’. Almost ‘by return’, she sent me the requested scores and parts electronically, whilst generously waiving any costs and fees. The following year, Angela got in touch with me, with a request for us to perform some new works she had written –‘The Liaison’, ‘A Tender Mood’ and ‘Reverie’. An honour indeed!

Something I will always remember is that these ‘giants of LightMusic’ never spoke down to me – they never made me feel inferior – I was treated like an equal. They were unique and special people – the class of which we are unlikely ever to meet again.

The final years of the ELO saw further changes. We dropped the vocalist from the programme in preference to an all-orchestral presentation – a format that would have continued had the orchestra not disbanded. For me personally, the final two programmes were very special ones. In December 2018 we presented a Christmas concert – something I had always wanted to do; and in 2019 – an evening of film music. As a lifelong cinema enthusiast and film collector this was a wonderful experience. This was to be our final concert.

Many young students have played in our ranks and it is satisfying to know that the ELO gave them some understanding of the lighter repertoire and the opportunity to play it – something which they may not have had the joy of experiencing otherwise. Some entered the music profession; and it makes me proud to think that the ELO provided a ‘helping hand’ along the way.

Sadly, Bob passed away only a matter of weeks before the premier of his ‘Edinburgh’ Symphony. There was much newspaper coverage and there were times when it was uncertain as to whether or not the performance would go ahead in Scotland’s capital city; but thanks to Iain Sutherland and his National Symphony Orchestra of Scotland, the premiere of Robert Farnon’s Symphony No 3 in F –‘Edinburgh’ took place at the city’s Usher Hall on 14th May 2005.

In July of that year, I was given the very great honour of being invited to address the congregation at St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden as one of the contributors at The Service of Thanksgiving For the Life of Robert Farnon. The other speakers were professional musicians – so, for my address, I decided to talk on

Forty-five years is not a bad innings for any organisation. My Dream did Come True; and looking back with pride on many happy years and memories – I have no regrets whatsoever. I won't pretend that it has been easy –there have been difficulties and disappointments, but the successes and triumphs have out-weighed the negatives. However, things must move on –but it was grand while it lasted! On behalf of all the members of the Edinburgh Light Orchestra over the years – a heartfelt thank you!

Baithoven and Bark!

By Peter Worsley

I must have been the only music teacher in the country who couldn’t play a musical instrument – yes really! Like all deputy heads I got lumbered with what was left over on the timetable and during my career I taught no fewer than ten different subjects but music …? Well actually I enjoy music and later became the music editor of a significant international magazine but I digress.

read because if he could we would have deservedly received six of the best. I blush when I think about it! If it was Eric Morecambe he might have answered “We’re singing all the right words – but not necessarily in the right order!” Never mind, time moves on and the children in my music lessons were soon thrilling to the sounds of Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, and Jelly Roll Morton and his Red Hot Peppers. Never heard of them? Shame on you because they were the pick of the late-1920s American jazz scene which I discovered during my teens. The seed was sown by a young student teacher who turned up one day with some old 78 rpm records which he played for us on a wind-up gramophone. I went up to him afterwards and said I liked them whereupon – get this – he gave them to me. What is more, I still have them and in recent years have re-recorded them on the CD label which I organise. I wish I could have thanked him for his generosity.

Music has come a long way since I sat on the back row of our second form school music lessons (no Year 8 when I was at school) singing “Do you ken John Peel”. Actually we didn’t ken John Peel and I squirm at the alternative version which me and my extremely vulgar chums bellowed out in competition with the goody goodies on the front row. I think the music teacher was deaf but not too deaf to bang his hands down on the keys and shout “You boys on the back row. You’re not singing the right words! I can tell by your mouths.” It was a good job he couldn’t lip

Fast forward five years to the sixth form and the same poor music teacher being lumbered with a group of arrogant 16 year olds (one of whom is now a director of a famous football club) who took great delight in baiting him. The aforesaid director, who also laid out several opposition goalkeepers each year in his starring role as 1st XI centre forward (strikers had yet to be invented), took extra delight in pretending to enjoy the pulsating last part of the 3rd movement of Tchaikovsky’s Pathetique Symphony, at which the teacher would smile and play it again. I am not sure if he ever twigged he was being made a fool of but, just as on the football field where I was the goalkeeper, I watched the antics from a safe distance. Once, when his friend, who was actually a fine trumpeter, overstepped the mark the poor old teacher flipped and attacked him. Silence ensued after which the startled pupil could only whisper “You shouldn’t have done that sir!” He shouldn’t and everyone knew it but who could blame him. We were musical bear baiters and he was the bear.

Then it happened... one day he played a piece of music which I recognised and was instantly hooked. No more messing about. The revelation was the opening of the dramatic 3rd movement of Dvorak’s 7th Symphony which was the introductory theme to Walter Scott’s novel Redgauntlet which had just been screened on television. To the sound of this great music, in the opening sequence a horseman galloped madly across the Solway Firth and when I later met the actor/horseman on a school cruise he owned up to being absolutely terrified of horses! I had suddenly discovered serious music and I liked it. A lifetime of musical appreciation followed and I only wish I could have thanked the man who

Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five

Jelly Roll Morton

inadvertently started me off. If only he had known he had been a success and not a failure.

Back to my class at school. At the time I may not have known a basset horn from a treble clef but I knew what I liked. The fact that my pupils knew a great deal less than me, however, was perfectly illustrated when I decided to quell a riot in the English room next door. Before I departed I invited my charges to write ten famous composers on the blackboard (whiteboards had yet to be invented).

Having flexed my muscles and disciplined several clowns next door – and I include the teacher in that description – I returned to see what they had come up with. The results were interesting if not terribly accurate.

Top of the pops was Baithoven (clearly a fisherman); followed at number 2 by Bark (obviously a lumberjack); number 3 was Handle (must be a crank); with Crokoskey (Tchaikovsky) in 4th place. Number 5 had me beaten for some time though. Was Sarsons the 19th Century fish and chip shop owner who invented malt vinegar? Then the penny dropped – they meant Saint-Saens!

Number 6 was Paul McCartney who was actually a composer of sorts although apparently cannot read music (like me) but as for Liberace, Nigel Kennedy, the Rolling Stones and Status Quo I had my doubts.

I congratulated them on their efforts and celebrated with a full blown version of Jelly Roll Morton’s all time classic Doctor Jazz. I was about to clip Jimmy Smith round the ear when I realised he was tapping his ruler in time to the beat and trying to emulate Jelly Roll’s throaty Creole singing. Perhaps he had experienced one of those life changing moments as I had 30 years before. Why not? It happened to me and it could happen to anyone with the realisation there is more to music than Madonna or Michael Jackson

than the contemporary pop to which they were accustomed. As each of the movements unfolded, so the children were invited to sketch what came into their minds. Springtime at Kew evoked daffodils and crocuses; The Maze at Hampton Court produced all kinds of curly-wurly shapes; St. James’ Park – a Lakeside Reverie resulted in ducks and swans swimming aplenty while the grand finale, Hampstead Heath – Rondo for Roundabouts brought forth all manner of helter-skelters, dodgem cars, candy floss, toffee apples and the like. The icing on the cake came after the fourth week when a small boy approached the teacher at the end of the lesson and said “Please sir, I like this music. Can you do a recording for me?” He got his recording and for all I know he is, like me, still playing it.”

The following year I knew I had cracked it as far as music lessons were concerned and can do no better than quote the following extract from a webpage I wrote about the composer Phyllis Tate:

“One of the author’s favourite pieces is the delightful fourmovement suite London Fields, commissioned for the BBC Light Music Festival in 1958. With the help of a privately recorded performance he used it to introduce a class of innerurban very academically limited boys to music more serious

Follow that! I enjoyed teaching music and have since got to know several influential people in the music profession whose blushes I will spare by not naming them!

PS. I learnt only recently that the head of music deliberately used to play both jazz and English symphonies very loudly to his class when he knew I was in my office down the corridor with bets taken as to how long it would take me to arrive and identify the piece in question. True – even if it took him another 20 years to own up!

A page from Tchaikovsky

Hampton Court Maze

’s Pathetique

Phyllis Tate

Ernest Tomlinson’s Life in Music

by Hilary Ashton

From September 1963 my father was increasingly busy with committee matters, but had also much to do regarding his music. The performance of Sinfonia ‘62 was expected to be in early 1964, so all the orchestral parts had to be obtained for the BBC from the Italian publishers. Part of the deal with the Italian competition had been that the copying costs would be met, but the copyright of the work and performing material would belong to Mercurio. This caused a series of letters to and from the publishers in a mixture of Italian and English. The letters from Mercurio were in Italian but, although ET was progressing well with his Italian studies, he wasn’t yet able to reply in that language. Eventually the orchestral parts arrived in the UK, but some were sent to the BBC instead of to ET who needed to make extensive corrections before being sent to players, so there was added delay.

In these days of computerisation and easy copying facilities, it’s hard to imagine the importance of those first handwritten scores and parts and the difficulty of getting copies. ET had sent his own full score to the BBC, and the only other was still in Italy after the performance at Cava in August. He now had only his pencil sketches to refer to, so he had to get that back too. He had recorded the Italian performance of the Sinfonia onto reel to reel tape so that he could stop and start the tape and replay bits that might need changing. The Italian performance was so bad in places that he needed his own complete score to be able to assess what should have been played, and also to decide whether what he’d originally written was actually never going to work!

There was plenty going on with other compositions too. Mills Music in the US were asking for parts of the Rhapsody and Rondo for Horn and Orchestra and there were several other jobs in hand. Various Alan Perry pieces needed

revision and adaptation (Merry-Go-Round Waltz, Mississippi Melody and Mediterranean Moonlight are among the titles mentioned in his letters to his parents), some for further publisher recordings, others for inclusion in the increasingly rare lighter music programmes. His Georgian Miniatures that he had written as period pieces (somewhat in the style of Thomas Arne) for Boosey & Hawkes’ background catalogue had been enthusiastically received, but the publishers wanted the Air from the suite to be extended into a longer piece.

Earlier in 1963 a new LP had been issued by HMV called British Light Music of the 20th Century. The sleeve notes were written by Fredric Bayco who was then Chairman of the Light Music Society, and the pieces chosen (played by the Pro Arte Orchestra, conducted by George Weldon) were a good representation of the various composers of light orchestral music. They included music by Edward Elgar, Edward German, Percy Fletcher, Roger Quilter, Haydn Wood, Eric Coates, Walter Collins, ET, Alan Langford, Fredric Bayco, Gilbert Vinter, Harry Dexter and Frederic Curzon. The LP had been well-received and ET had been very pleased with Weldon’s sympathetic conducting of the music. It was the first of his pieces to be commercially available rather than on publisher records.

As well as music there were German and Italian lessons to fit in, plus a course in public speaking. As chairman elect of the Composers’ Guild ET knew that he must ensure his speeches were well prepared and to the point. Also he would have to be able to answer things “off the cuff”. He had very little experience of being a spokesman and, typically, was determined to make a good job of it. Writing to his parents he said, “We have to prepare a little speech each week and deliver it to the rest of the class. First week was on Holidays (I chose camping!), the second was a sport or hobby (I talked on Rugger and Soccer) and last week on Education. The first week I wrote the whole thing out and tried developing things if necessary away from what I’d written. After then I decided to talk with only headings as a guide. I know I shall have to be able to do this – to be able to think out and shape a sentence whilst standing there with all eyes gaping – and it is something I’ve never had to do and a technique that has to be acquired. In the class I could take a chance on making a mess of things – which I undoubtedly did – knowing this was the very thing that was teaching me how to do it. I still find myself scared stiff but it seems to be getting very much better each time. If I can do this with unfamiliar topics then I’m sure it will be reasonably plain sailing when I come to talk about music. I have a lecture to give on November 19th at the Imperial College about my music, and the difference in confidence now that I’ve done some speaking from notes alone is remarkable.”

Meanwhile, committee work was filling his time. The meeting with the Composers’ Guild representatives and the BBC had been fixed for November 15th. Sir Arthur Bliss and the working committee (ET, John Gardner and Malcolm Arnold) were to meet with, “Mr Glock and Dr Abraham (Controller of Music and his assistant), and Frank Gillard and Mr Marriott (Director of Sound Broadcasting and his assistant). Before that our side will have to meet and discuss our case so that we go in absolutely agreed on all points. I’ve made my report to all members in the form of an appraisal of the whole situation. It has taken a lot of time to work out, but I felt it had to be done, as no-one now knows the case like I do, having dealt with composers’ complaints as well as having met the BBC. On the popular music side the position is grim. They have people in charge who really can’t see farther than an electric guitar and a plodding beat. I’ve no objections to either as an ingredient, but their aim seems to be to apply this mentality to everything they can lay their hands to. When you get brilliant composers unable to get a hearing at all while hour after hour of pops and oldies is pouring out it’s enough to make your blood boil!

… As far as future composing is concerned I really feel there is such a big question mark over the composer these days it is very difficult to think of any definite project until at least this forthcoming negotiation is over. I feel ready to do some, if only I can find myself a clear objective – and find a few free days to cut out everything else from my mind! But I wouldn’t do all this committee stuff if I didn’t think it would achieve something.”

In point of fact ET was disappointed with the meeting in November. At the last minute Sir Arthur Bliss (who was President of the Composers’ Guild) decided that the press should not be allowed to know anything about it. In a letter home ET said, “Once I’m Chairman I intend to seek out every opportunity for press coverage. It seems the only way you get anywhere these days.”

In spite of the lack of progress at the BBC meeting, my father was pleased with the way his public speaking was improving. His talk at the Imperial College went down extremely well and he received a letter of thanks on November 20th. “That was really most enthralling. Many thanks for a most enjoyable visit. I enclose our small token of gratitude.”

Although the BBC had once again rejected his orchestration of the Schubert Grand Sonata in Bb for “National Wavelengths” it was nevertheless considered good enough for the provinces! Stanford Robinson had again programmed it for broadcast by the BBC Northern Orchestra (now the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra) and ET hoped to travel north in early December to listen to the rehearsal before the recording on December 15th. In the event it wasn’t possible, as there was too much to do for the Composers’ Guild and the preparation of all the parts of Sinfonia ’62. This had finally been scheduled for recording at the beginning of February 1964.

On December 14th 1963 my father became Chairman of the Composers’ Guild of Great Britain. He made sure that

his appointment was noted in as many newspapers as he could, although it was only the local ones in Kent and Lancashire that seemed interested. (However, as the campaign with the BBC hotted up during 1964 the national press started to report on things.)

January 1964 was busy making sure the BBC players had corrected parts for the forthcoming recording of Sinfonia ‘62. ET knew that the piece would cause problems for some of the players. On the 29th he wrote to the first bassoon player apologising. “Dear Mr. Bassoon-player, I gather from Stanford Robinson that I have written an ‘impossible bassoon solo’ in the Toccata of my SINFONIA ‘62. Sorry to have caused this bother. Actually, as Robbie probably said, all these solos are really ad lib., so a great deal of liberty can be taken with it to suit yourself. I’ve written out a simpler version of this Variation which you may prefer to follow. Or you can take bits out of both, or paraphrase it just as you like! The only part which has to keep fairly close to my original is the last 8 bars, but we can simplify here too if necessary. I shall be attending rehearsals from Monday, so if you have any queries I shall gladly try and sort them out.” He also wrote to the BBC Manchester librarian to refer any other difficulties players were having to him.

In an article called “Northern Broadcasting News” which was circulated to about 300 papers and magazines in the north region, the BBC announced the forthcoming recording as an “Unusual Musical Event in the North

Combined Orchestras play Symphonic Jazz Music”. The Gala Concert by the combined BBC Northern Orchestra and BBC Northern Dance Orchestra, was to be at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester, on Tuesday February 4th. This “exciting Northern musical event, will be given before an invited audience and will be recorded both monaurally and stereophonically for future broadcasting. The main work will be the first performance in this country of Ernest Tomlinson’s prize-winning Sinfonia ‘62, composed for an Italian competition in 1962 which it won. The score embodies a relatively new idea in that although the composer uses the symphonic mould, the content and arrangement is in the jazz idiom and calls for a symphony orchestra augmented with jazz trumpets, trombones and saxophones. On this occasion, the extra brass will be supplied by the NDO.” Tickets could be applied for.

At home in Eynsford ET had let himself be persuaded to be the musical director (and accompanist) for the forthcoming Scout Gang Show in aid of “Freedom from Hunger”, with three performances scheduled for February 13th, 14th and 15th. The original Gang Show songs in the production were written by Ralph Reader, who started the whole Gang Show idea. As well as playing the piano for all the musical numbers ET composed some original tunes for words written by song-writer Ross Parker*, also living in Eynsford, who contributed a number of lyrics and sketches. Amongst Parker’s output was There’ll always be an England, so he was entitled to re-write this as There’ll always be an Eynsford. The other writer was Alan Cremer who produced the show. Having taken on the responsibility ET wouldn’t get out of being at rehearsals,

so his trip north for the Sinfonia ‘62 rehearsals was delayed by a Gang Show rehearsal.

Guild business involved him in receiving and analysing letters from any composers whose works had been either refused by the BBC or taken out of programmes without explanation. There certainly seemed to be a lot of disgruntled composers. Some had been having success with their works and had already had broadcast performances, but were now having these same works rejected. “I am extremely disturbed to hear from several composers that their pieces have been taken out of ‘Morning Music’ programmes after having been programmed by Paul Fenhoulet. It is of course a considerable blow to a composer to find his work suddenly excluded from a section of broadcasting. It appears that the items in question were eminently suitable for ‘Morning Music’, so I should be most grateful for an indication as to why it was felt necessary to take such drastic steps.” Since one of the pieces was Chattering Samba by a certain Alan Perry, ET was bound to find out!**

The performance of Sinfonia ‘62 duly took place and ET was reasonably pleased with the result. It was played alongside Gershwin’s Second Rhapsody and a piece called Improvisations for Jazz Band and Symphony Orchestra by Seiber and Johnny Dankworth. The concert went down well with the audience but there was still no date for a broadcast of the recording. My father had also been interviewed with Dankworth for a discussion about symphonic jazz that would be used for broadcasting in the interval of the concert when it was finally scheduled.

Back in Kent the Gang Show was imminent so ET was at the piano again. The local papers reviewed the subsequent performances with enthusiasm, commenting most positively on the professionalism of the production. The show was called “Swinging High £2000 today) for the of the newspaper articles said, wrote all the original music including the opening and closing numbers and played the piano for them throughout the performance. Eynsford Scouts were particularly grateful to Mr Tomlinson who gave them so much of his time to help them along. They must have been grateful too for that piano accompaniment. The village hall piano has never sounded like that before!

After that rousing event committee work took over again, with brief interruptions for composition and football. For a “Light Music Guild was unusual, so ET also tried to get other representatives of the lighter field to join the Guild. He felt that all composers should be represented by the society and that their case for more airplay with the BBC would be strengthened by Guild backing. He was pleased to have been able to encourage Harry Rabinowitz, Harry Dexter, Van Phillips, Arwel Hughes and Alan Owen to join up, and Carey Blyton had also offered his services in a committee capacity should that be of help.

* Amongst many other things, Ross Parker was for many years a writer for Bud Flannagan and the Crazy Gang. **ET’s alias was not known outside of PRS and the music publishers who were promoting the works attributed to AP at this time.

AVAILABLE TO LISTEN

A CD of Ernest Tomlinson’s prize winning Sinfonia ‘62

(see article on page 16) taken from a broadcast in 1965, conducted by Stanford Robinson, can be obtained for a donation of £5 to the LMS plus £2 p&p. The CD also includes another symphonic jazz piece, Concerto for Five Saxophones. This is for private listening only. Please email Hilary Ashton on info.lightmusicsociety.com or write to her at Magna House if you are interested in obtaining a copy.

The following CDs are scheduled for re-release by Naxos. Watch this space!

GRAND HOTEL COMES TO DOUGLAS

by Maurice Powell

Albert Sandler’s first violin was a three-quarter size instrument bought for 16s from a pawn shop. His career blossomed after two years at Guildhall School of Music and he soon became recognised as a leading personality in the field of light music between the wars, becoming established as the Musical Director of the Grand Hotel, Eastbourne from where the BBC broadcast from the Lounge Hall on Sundays from July 1924 until 1939. He later led the orchestra at London’s Park Lane Hotel. During World War II he worked with ENSA, and his broadcasts with the Palm Court Orchestra (a unit of the BBC London Studio Players from 1941) made him a household name. He was the first host of the new Grand Hotel series from 1943.

Albert Sandler’s name first appears in the Isle of Man newspapers in October 1945 when he appeared at the Villa Marina with his trio (Jack Byfield, piano, and Reginald Kilbey, ‘cello), the popular soprano Gwen Catley and composer-pianist Billy Mayerl. This first of a projected series of post-holiday season celebrity concerts was designed to ‘break up the tedious winter months’, and such was the enthusiasm from music lovers in the north of the Island, ‘every available hackney motor vehicle in Ramsey was requisitioned to convey parties to Douglas’.

The trio’s reception was reportedly ‘overwhelming’ as the audience listened spellbound to selections from Cavalleria Rusticana and Kalman’s Countess Maritza, a medley of Strauss waltzes entitled Here We Are . . . You Will Remember Vienna, ‘played with consummate skill (and) blended with sounds of sheerest beauty’. The encores included Strauss’s Pizzicato Polka and Monti’s Czardas during which ‘Mr Sandler’s artistry reached its highest peak ... (and) which brought the house down’. Sandler was further praised for his ‘perfect mastery of the violin’ with ‘round after round of applause’ following his solo performances of Schubert’s Ave Maria, Godowski’s Fandango, Hubay’s Hejre Kati and an encore: Come Back to Sorrento. Gwen Catley sang Haydn Wood’s A Brown Bird Singing by request.

Later that year in November, Sandler, and singers Ann Ziegler and Webster Booth, and Richard Tauber, appeared in the Romantic comedy film Waltz Time which was shown shown at the Plaza Cinema, when the combination of sunny sentimentality and the picturesque Old Vienna setting made for a charming evening’s entertainment.

By May 1946 plans for the series of Sunday Concerts at the Palace Coliseum for the first full post-war summer season in Douglas were well advanced, and included appearances by the violinist Alfredo Campoli, piano duettists Rawicz and Landauer, concert pianists Mark Hambourg and Cyril Smith, and Albert Sandler and his trio. On Sunday 30th June he delighted the audience with a programme featuring gypsy style music, a selection from Desert Song, a medley of Strauss waltzes, Schubert’s Ave Maria and Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen. The following month the film I’ll Turn to You featuring Albert Sandler and his Palm Court Orchestra in a memorable scene, was shown at the Royalty Cinema, Douglas.

The widespread fame of the ‘perfect trio’ drew a large crowd to the first of a projected series of winter season celebrity concerts at the Villa Marina on Sunday 1st October, who doubtless enjoyed their evening of ‘….lighter classics, virtuoso showpieces’, and most memorably, Sandler’s performance of Handel’s Largo.

His last appearance in the Isle of Man was on Sunday 21st October at a Celebrity Concert together with pianist Jack Byfield. He died in August 1948 at the age of 42, from liver disease, perhaps a legacy of his impoverished childhood and the strain of a punishing, life-long schedule of public appearances and recording sessions.

Andreas, June 2022

Selected Sources:

The Isle of Man newspapers online archive.

Albert Sandler, Judah Mirvish, an online biography and discography, jmirvish.com.

The Lost BBC: Grand Hotel, Margaret Ashworth, 2019, The Conservative Woman, Defending Freedom, an online article

Albert Sandler and the Isle of Man

by Peter Worsley

Almost everyone knows Charles Williams’ music, even if they don’t realise it. A prolific composer, he was an integral part of the early Chappell Mood Music Recorded Library from which many early post-war new film, radio and television programmes chose their signature tunes. His gift for melody has remained unsurpassed and even today his familiar Pioneer Trail can be heard introducing BBC Television’s Sports Personality of the Year while High Adventure introduces Friday Night is Music Night, possibly the most played live piece of light music after Eric Coates’ phenomenally successful Calling All Workers which was played four times a day to introduce Music While You Work.

Older readers may remember Dick Barton, Special Agent, a thrilling post-war radio series with the hugely exciting theme tune called Devils Galop, while another radio favourite on BBC Children’s Hour was Jennings at School, introduced by a very catchy tune called The Old Clockmaker. Then there was Girls in Grey, the backdrop to BBC TV Newsreel as the titles circled round the mast at Alexandra Palace, and Young Ballerina for the Potter’s Wheel TV interlude, plus Starlings, the accompanying music for the Church, Mill and Stream, TV interlude.

If, as a child, you sneakily listened to Radio Luxembourg on 208 metres under the blankets then you may remember Commandos and Searchlight, theme tunes to Dan Dare who made his first appearance in the Eagle comic back in 1950. Other wonderful tunes included Quiet Stroll which introduced the early morning Farming programme, Rhythm on Rails for Morning Music, Follow that Car for Safety First, Ten Days Leave for Top of the Bill, and The Falcons which indicated Bertram Mills Circus was about to start.

His real name was Isaac Cozerbreit, born to Jewish immigrants from Poland in 1893. His father, a singer, selected Charles Williams as his professional music name which was later adopted by his son who, after surviving service with the King’s Royal Rifles during the First World War, continued studying at the Royal Academy of Music and became Leader of the New Symphony Orchestra under the batons of Sir Thomas Beecham and Sir Edward Elgar, the latter presenting him with an autographed copy of his biography in recognition of his services rendered.

It was but a small step for Williams to take up the baton himself and he was soon conducting several cinema orchestras in the era of silent films. In 1929, however, the first sound film, Blackmail, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, took everyone by storm, with music supplied by Charles Williams, the first of many sound tracks which he supplied over the next two decades. Among the more famous movies to benefit from his composer’s quill were The 39 Steps, The Dream of Olwen, Night Boat to Dublin, several Will Hay comedy films and countless others for which he was often uncredited.

Specialised recorded music libraries had taken off during the Thirties and in 1942 Williams was invited by Chappell’s, the biggest and arguably the best of the bunch, to take charge of their New Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra, the original QHLO having been established as long ago as 1916. It was an inspired choice and large numbers of wonderful numbers were recorded for every conceivable item, most of them, alas, unavailable to the general public but heard regularly on radio in particular. It was inevitable that Williams would compose a signature tune for the orchestra entitled Voice of London and so successful was he that four years later he decided to go freelance and formed the Charles Williams Concert Orchestra, leaving the Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra to the baton of firstly Robert Farnon, then Sidney Torch. The wonderfully acoustic Queen’s Hall itself was not so fortunate and was completely destroyed by bombs in May 1941.

A genuinely friendly and likeable man, Williams had no problem in recruiting top musicians for his recording sessions – rather like John Wilson today – all of whom belonged to other well established orchestras of the time.

Latterly, however, he developed a drink problem which caused him to turn down an honorary Doctor of Music from Oxford University because he no longer considered himself worthy of the award. This coincided with the era where light music was being consigned to the dustbin by many established musical figures who should have known better. Following retirement, he moved with his wife from Hampstead in north London, to Findon near Worthing, on the south coast, where he died in 1978 aged 85, a largely forgotten figure.

"Happily, a resurgence of interest in light music during the last four decades, much of it due to Ernest Tomlinson and supporters, means that Charles Williams is now back where he deservedly belongs at the forefront of British light music composers. Did he ever write a poor tune? I have never heard one!

(with acknowledgements to Tony Clayden)

MUSIC IN BRITISH ISLANDS

By Philip Scowcroft

musical sense is I suppose Staffa. Mendelssohn visited in 1830 and was inspired to compose the overture Fingal’s Cave (The Hebrides). The islands have produced much traditional music, sought out and arranged by Marjory Kennedy Fraser. The Orkneys have had Peter Maxwell Davies as a resident which has inspired Farewell to Stromness, a Light Music classic.

The Isle of Man was a well-frequented resort from the mid19th century and, like so many other seaside resorts, had at one time orchestras to entertain visitors. There were at least three in the 1890s, orchestras and venues: J. H. Greenwood’s at the Falcon Cliff Pavilion; Derby Castle had an orchestra directed by the young Harry Wood; and Oliver Gaggs’ orchestra at the Palace, though Gaggs also appeared at Falcon Cliff. He composed the waltz Estella, the fantasia A Trip to the Manxland and the ‘vocal schottische’ Manx Herring. But the most significant composers associated with the IOM was Haydn Wood (1882–1959) with compositions like the Manx Rhapsody, Manx Country Dance, Manx Countryside Sketches, the tone poem Mannin Veen and many settings of Manx folksongs. No discussion of the Isle of Man should go without mention of the sterling work being done by Maurice Powell and the Isle of Man Symphony Orchestra in keeping Light Music alive and well in these parts.

Moving southwards to Wales’s Isle of Anglesey, this was for a long time the home of William Mathias (1924–music department for many years at nearby Bangor University, whose compositions included three symphonies, three piano concertos and much church music like the anthem for the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales.

The tiny Isles of Scilly never had a resident orchestra. Their musical connection is that they are the resting place of one time opera singer Ann Cargill (nee Brown) drowned in a shipwreck in 1784.

Mendelssohn played to Queen Victoria at Osborne House. Richard Strauss twice enjoyed holidays in Sandown and there composed some of his Symphonia Domestica. And Elgar honeymooned at Ventnor in 1889.

What of the Channel Islands? Again, no resident orchestra, but the composer John Ireland visited Jersey and Guernsey many times throughout his life. He was perhaps nominal organist at Guernsey, and resided in the islands and had to make a quick escape in 1940 with the Nazi threat. Among Ireland’s compositions, The Forgotten Rite and Sarnia were inspired by his visits to the islands. More recently Robert Farnon moved to Guernsey, where he lived for many years, and the Guernsey Symphony Orchestra has played light orchestral music in recent years.

John Ireland

William Matthias

Robert Farnon

IL CAPPELLO DI PAGLIA DI FIRENZE

Music: Nino Rota

Libretto: Ernesta Rota Rinaldi & Nino

Rota

So said composer Nino Rota of his compositions. Rota was best known, of course, as a film composer, working in collaboration with Italian greats Luchino Visconti and Federico Fellini as well as with American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola on– The Godfather Trilogy, the second score of which won him an Academy Award. Born Giovanni Rota Rinaldi in Milan in 1911, Rota quickly achieved renown as a musical child prodigy, but it was in film music that he would be most remembered. Aside from film music, Rota’s output of concert and chamber music is extraordinarily prolific, including 4 symphonies, over 10 concerto and concertante works, and an array of solo and quartet works. Il Cappello di Paglia di Firenze is the fifth of Rota’s 11 operas and remains his most frequently performed

It is based upon the play Un chapeau de paille d'Italie by Eugène Labiche and Marc-Michel and for the libretto, Rota collaborated with his own mother Ernesta Rota Rinaldi. Film adaptations of the play had followed, most notably by René Clair in 1927, but talkies and tv adaptations subsequently

appeared. The farcical nature of the story lends itself rather well to Rota’s musical style, steeped as it is in pastiche and musical references to other works (sometimes, in the case of this work, direct references to works by Rossini and Cimarosa). The opera premiered in Palermo on 21 April 1955, but subsequent productions in Italy, America, the UK and Germany have been met with popular and critical acclaim and it is a new CD release of the opera from the Capriccio label (C5466) that has occasioned this article. Musically, this is a score full of allusions to other composers of earlier eras, at times tipping over into knowingly parodic music, resulting in an opera that is as clever in poking fun at the very genre itself as it is in telling the story. Ultimately, Rota is a musical chameleon, who readily adapts his work to a variety of styles and contexts, whilst being supremely informed of the idioms he is adapting. In some ways, the lightness of this opera may come as something of a surprise, as work on it was started in the darkest days of the 2nd World War. Perhaps it is the composer’s way of attempting to combat the trouble he had seen by choosing to make a work that is unashamedly upbeat, silly and firmly rooted in music of the past. It is not an operetta, but a through-sung buffa work, which simply promises a good fun light night out at the theatre – and delivers what it promises. The story begins simply enough, but soon devolves into slightly surreal levels of chaos, before being resolved at the end. By way of introduction, I’m going to attempt to give something of a synopsis here to ease you into the piece!

A giddily entertaining orchestral overture introduces us to many of the main themes of the opera, condensed into four and a half minutes (a piece that would work very well on its own in a concert). Act 1 opens in the Parisian home of Fadinard, a well-to-do, if accident-prone young man on the day of his wedding to Elena, the daughter of a rich country bumpkin. The couple are not yet home, but Elena’s hard-ofhearing uncle Vézinet has arrived, struggling with a large box containing a wedding present. Suddenly Fadinard bursts in, having just suffered a misadventure: whilst out riding, his horse spotted an Italian straw hat hanging from a tree and proceeded to eat it, despite his master’s protestations. The owner of the hat, Anaide and her escort Emilio subsequently appeared and was appalled to find what had just happened, but before Fadinard had chance to apologise, the horse bolted and took him swiftly home.

Annoyed, Fadinard takes a seat and attempts to relax and await his bride, only to be disturbed by a knock on the door: Anaide and Emilio have followed him home and are demanding a replacement hat for the recently digested one. The sound of carriages announces the arrival of the wedding guests, prompting Anaide and Emilio to run off and hide in a bedroom. Elena, the bride to be arrives, overjoyed to see her fiancé, but accompanied by her boorish father, Nonancourt, who despises Fadinard and constantly interjects with the refrain “Tutto a monte!” (It’s all off), distrusting his future son-in-law for reasons he himself hasn’t quite worked out. The tirade from Nonancourt is finally subdued when he succumbs to the agonising pain of his new shoes, which are far too tight. His struggles to extricate himself from them allows Fadinard and Elena to enjoy a few moments of soonto-be-wedded bliss. Nonancourt then takes Elena down to

"When I'm creating at the piano, I tend to feel happy; but – the eternal dilemma – how can we be happy amid the unhappiness of others? I'd do everything I could to give everyone a moment of happiness. That's what's at the heart of my music.”

accompany the wedding party, leaving Fadinard to get rid of his unwanted visitors.

Anaide and Emilio, however, aren’t for budging. She explains to Fadinard that the hat was given to her by her brutish and jealous husband, who suspects her of being unfaithful to him which she is… with Emilio! Despite Fadinard’s protestations, the pair refuse to leave until he produces for them an identical straw hat. Anaide faints, Emilio threatens a duel and Fadinard is left with no choice but to oblige.

Act 2 opens with a brief intermezzo, where Fadinard visits a milliner’s shop asking if they can help, but to no avail. Their last Italian straw hat has already been sold. They do, however, supply him with information of who the customer was: the fashionable Baronessa of Champigny, who is hosting a gala that evening.

The scene changes to the Baronessa of Champigny's villa, where Fadinard finds himself mistaken for Minardi, a famous Italian violinist, who is due to perform there. Fadinard, for his part, does not exactly dispel the illusion, though does confess to the pianist that he isn’t a violinist. He asks the Baronessa for the hat as a keepsake he can remember her by. She graciously agrees and goes to fetch it, but while he waits, Fadinard is suddenly disturbed by the all-too-familiar sound of “Tutto a monte!”. Yes, his bride’s father has followed him, suspecting some impropriety is afoot and he has brought the entire wedding party with him! Desperately subduing Nonancourt, Fadinard is doubly perplexed when the countess presents him with the wrong hat. The countess, frightened by Fadinard’s outburst of a demand for the straw hat, admits she has given it to her daughter Madame Beaupertuis as a present. The wedding guests, in high spirit, burst in and Elena proposes a toast to her future husband, when the real Minardi, violin in hand appears. The countess (unsurprisingly) suddenly feels unwell. Her guests, realising the deception, call for the police, but Fadinard has taken advantage of the confusion and slipped away. Chaos reigns as the curtain falls.

Act 3 (a very brief passage) takes place in the house of Beaupertius. Here, Fadinard fails to locate the straw hat for reasons that suddenly and alarmingly become clear … Beaupertius is the jealous husband of Anaide, the daughter of the Baronessa and has vowed revenge for her infidelity now that she has not arrived home!

Act 4 finds the exhausted wedding party still marching through the nocturnal Parisian streets in the rain. Nonancourt has had enough and has decided the wedding is truly off this time, but Elena refuses to leave with him, now totally in love with her bridegroom. Fadinard suddenly appears, breathless, with the news that Beaupertius is on his way with a loaded gun intending to shoot Anaide. Nonancourt, realising there is another woman in his son-in-law’s house is now apoplectic and a physical tussle ensues, into which Elena’s uncle Vézinet inserts himself to rescue his wedding present to the couple, which just happens to be a Florentine straw hat! Overjoyed, Fadinard goes to fetch Anaide and Emilio, but Nonancourt makes off with the hat, still in a strop. The hat is now enclosed in a guard post, when Beaupertius arrives, gun in hand. Fadinard disguises Anaide as a guard so her husband won’t spot her, while Emilio fetches the hat. Triumphant, Emilio hurriedly throws the hat from the upper story window of the guard post, where it lands perfectly… on top of a lamp post! Emilio tries to nudge the hat

from the lamp using his sword, but succeeds only in severing the cable securing the lamp in an upright position, sending hat and lamp crashing into the middle of the street and plunging everyone into darkness. Hearing the racket, wedding guests, passers by and guards all rush into the square, but Anaide (now in her own clothes and the hat!) appears and scolds her husband for being so jealous. Beaupertius tries to respond, but as everyone present points out “She’s wearing the hat!”. And so the matter is resolved and even Nonancourt, to whom a kindly corporal has explained the whole situation is placated and gives his blessing to the union of Fadinard and Elena. Everyone retires, at last to rest!

Recommended recording

I mentioned earlier that this article was occasioned by a new recording of the complete opera on CD. Piotr Buszewski is Fadinard, Tetiana Miyus is Elena and Anna Brull is the Baronessa. It is a production from Oper Graz, featuring their resident chorus and the Grazer Philharmoniker and a really superb package, with full libretto and translations. The young cast excel themselves and really make the most of the absurdity, whilst retaining all the finesse the demanding vocal writing requires (including a couple of fine arias for Buszewski and Miyus in acts 2 and 4 respectively). The opera, however, is a distinctly visual work. There was in fact a film made of the opera, but this is relatively hard to find. A staging of the work is viewable on YouTube, however, with Juan Diego Florez in the role of Fadinard, bringing some physical quirks worth of Charlie Chaplin to the character, highly appropriate for the piece. Between the CD and the video, you’ll be guaranteed a fine account of the piece and hopefully the CD release will offer some scope for future performances of this work, sure to leave the listener beaming from ear to ear (if slightly exhausted!).

CD & BOOK HIGHLIGHTS

Rutland Boughton: Of Delights and Passions

English Piano Trio EM Records

EMRCD081

The writing of this review has proved slightly bittersweet. Brian Boughton, the last remaining son of the composer Rutland Boughton passed away on Easter Sunday.

Rutland Boughton remains best known for his operatic works, particularly the magical The Immortal Hour, which turned the composer into an overnight sensation. Less well known are his chamber works, but there is a recording of his complete chamber music for oboe For Joyance available on the oboe classics label. This recording marks the first foray on record into his music for piano and strings and is a valuable addition to the composer’s discography.

Three substantial works feature here: a violin sonata from 1921 and a string trio and a cello sonata both from 1948. Two shorter works also feature: Celtic Prelude (The Land of Heart’s Desire) for trio and Winter Sun for violin and piano.

The String Trio is in some ways an important rediscovery, having been penned in the late 40s but never published and never performed until 2019 by the very ensemble on this CD. It is in a surprisingly conventional harmonic language for much of its running time, more linked to early romanticism than the Celtic styles more commonly associated with Boughton’s music. Formally, however, the work is far less conventional: in two movements rather than three. It shows the composer’s easy gift for melody and attractive tonal music throughout and the final movement is particularly pleasing.

The Violin Sonata is a real treat: full of the gossamer spun grace of the composer’s finest Celtic-inflected works. As with The Immortal Hour, the slightly magical atmosphere is not one of purely delightful spirits, but rather a shadowy world, as best exemplified in the stunning central movement. Beginning with the marking “Slow and Severe”, the mood is at first chilly and austere, but then relaxes into “a steady time”, then “quiet and simple”. It is as if some long lost folk song is echoing through an enchanted landscape, only now being rediscovered and soaring to wondrous heights before calmly ebbing away once again. The work also contains allusions to the music of Richard Strauss, particularly the Nietzsche-inflected Also Sprach Zarathustra. It is stunningly played by Jane Faulkner and Timothy Ravenscroft, both of whom capture all of the

as the Trio, perhaps inhabits similar realms to the Violin Sonata. Its dedicatee was Kathleen Davis, the composer’s third partner and mother of Brian. Kathleen took up the cello following a successful singing career. Again, the sonata is cast in three sharply contrasting movements, but allusions to folk song are sometimes noticeable, especially in the final movement. The work has only received one public performance but this recording by Pal Banda, accompanied by Timothy Ravenscroft really ought to make the case that it is a work well deserving of future revivals.

The two shorter works featured here are also from very different periods in the composer’s life and development. The Celtic Prelude dates from 1917, while Boughton was in military service and is an arrangement itself of incidental music the composer wrote for W.B. Yeats’ The Land of Heart’s Desire. Again, the composer’s interest in the British folk and fairy tale shines through in this delightful work and the English Piano Trio are as superb in ensemble playing as they are as soloists and duettists.

The CD closes with Winter Sun, which is adapted from some of Boughton’s music from the opera The Lily Maid, one of his Arthurian Cycle. This work seems to inhabit a far darker musical landscape than the other works on the CD. Far more tonally adventurous and intense than other areas of the CD, it left me wondering what the music from the rest of the opera would be like However, in conversation with Brian Boughton some years ago, he did not seem to hold out a great deal of hope on that score!

With the release of this CD, I hope as ever that the day in which Boughton’s position in the pantheon of great British composers is confirmed, but in the meantime, the addition of these fine chamber works to the catalogue of recordings is truly cause for celebration and I have no hesitation in heartily recommending this disc.

8.555228

When Sir John Barbirolli championed Edward German’s second symphony, he described it as “the sort of symphony that Elgar would have composed at that time”. Of course, it would not be until the 20th century that the first of Elgar’s symphonies would appear, but Barbirolli is absolutely right about the musical character found in German’s 1893 Norwich Symphony, with its brooding atmosphere, striding rhythmic figures and transformations of chorale-like melodies. Sir Arthur Sullivan was similarly praising of Edward German’s musical output, commenting (as is proudly proclaimed on the rear of this rerelease) “There is only one man to follow me who has genius, and he is Edward German”. However the compositional voices of Sullivan and German are quite markedly different, in both their lighter and heavier works. The second symphony was commissioned by the Norwich Festival and was warmly met with praise from audiences and critics alike, but a small, if vocal group of negative reviewers were enough to thoroughly shake the composer’s confidence. The detractions of George Bernard Shaw are often cited as the final nail in the coffin, dismissive as he usually was of British efforts in the symphonic genre. Shaw found a sense of “theatricality” in this symphony, which he found ill-suited to the concert hall. While I and I’m sure several more accomplished critics find his comments rather absurd with the hindsight afforded by another century and a bit of music - making, it proved harsh enough to ensure that Edward German never again wrote another symphony. He did, however, compose two mighty four-movement suites, of which The Seasons has also been recorded and recently re-released on Naxos conducted by Andrew Penny.

The Norwich Symphony is a remarkably assured piece and really does steal the show on this CD, boasting very substantial outer two movements, the first showing German in particularly dramatic vein with a strong grasp upon the musical material he develops over the course of 10 minutes. The second slow movement takes up the romantic sweep of the first (starting in the minor key in which the first left off) but in a far subtler and altogether calmer tone, which is a delight to the ears after the storminess of the opening. The third movement finds German in territory with which

listeners may be more familiar from his Light Music works. It is all the more surprising, therefore, that this work was written significantly earlier than a majority of the composer’s lighter works. The final movement shares much of the dramatic heft of the first. However, it spends much of its time in a major key, before, in a musical coup de théâtre, a chorale melody (on which much of the movement is based) crashes in. This returns us in somewhat pessimistic musical terms to the opening A Minor key.

The symphony is accompanied on the disc by two smaller works: a brief, but charming Valse Gracieuse and the Welsh Rhapsody, the latter another deeply impressive fairly large work based upon Welsh folk music and written about in depth in Issue 98 of Light & Lyrical.

The National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland are fine interpreters of this music and Andrew Penny’s reading of German’s works carry the drama as well as the subtlety of the score, conveying the restrained careful pacing of the works. There were odd occasions on the recording when I became aware of the strings in particular sounding a tad distant (I suspect to do with the engineering rather than the performance), but fortunately such occurrences are rare and we are always aware of the textural contrasts and internal voices throughout. What I found especially impressive was the unity which the Irish Orchestra and Penny bring to the symphony, so much so that I was lulled into thinking that there were themes in common across the four movements. This is not actually the case, but I found myself consulting the score, the excellent liner notes by David Russell Hulme and Andrew directly to confirm this. A criticism of the symphony might be that musically it doesn’t entirely hang together with its blend of light and dark moments, but I feel it is testimony to this interpretation that I could be so convinced of a sense of unity driven purely by the force of the interpretation alone, which in less skilled hands would have been lost. DA

Edward German: Symphony No. 2 “Norwich”, Valse Gracieuse, Welsh Rhapsody National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland Andrew Penny

PAUL O’GRADY (1955–2023)

Comedian, broadcaster and chatshow host Paul O’ Grady has died at the age of 67. His career in entertainment, which spanned four decades, began with the creation of his acerbic drag queen alter-ego, Lily Savage. From there, he progressed to hosting game- and chat-shows, initially as Lily and later as himself. In 2017, O'Grady presented a two-part documentary for BBC Radio 2 called The Story of the Light, in which he celebrated the 50th anniversary of Radio 2 by looking back at the channel’s predecessor, the BBC Light Programme O’Grady was appointed President of the British Music Halls Society in 2020, succeeding fellow light entertainment giant Roy Hudd. A self-confessed ‘huge fan’ of music hall, his favourite turn was Stella Moray singing She Was Poor But She Was Honest. In his own words: “It used to go down very well at the Hackney Empire when I was giving it my Lily Savage on a Saturday night but not so well with my mother when I'd belt it out on my way home from church." An entertaining anecdote from a true entertainer.

SG CHRISTOPHER GUNNING (1944– 023)

Cheltenham-born Christopher Gunning was an English composer of concert works and music for films and television. He was an alumnus of the Guildhall School of Music in London where he was tutored by Richard Rodney Bennett. His film and TV output is easily his most recognisable and recognised work, having won a BAFTA for La Vie en Rose and three additional awards for the ITV Agatha Christie’s Poirot adaptations. Gunning also won Novello awards for the TV miniseries Rebecca, and the film scores for Under Suspicion and Firelight. However, his compositional range extended far beyond music for film and TV. His concert works included thirteen symphonies, several of which have been recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Gunning himself and released on Signum Classics. He also composed several concertos, most notably Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra which has been performed by John Harle with the Academy of St Martins in the Fields at London’s Southbank Centre. SG

OBITUARIES

BURT BACHARACH (1928–2023)

The music world is mourning the loss of prolific American songwriter Burt Bacharach, who has died aged 94. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th century popular music and wrote hundreds of pop songs, many in partnership with lyricist Hal David. Bacharach’s music is recognisable for its changes of time signature and jazz-influenced chord progressions, reflecting his trips to 52nd street clubs as a teenager to see bebop artists such as Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie perform. Having written 73 US and 52 UK Top 40 hits, it is no surprise that his songs have been recorded by over 1,000 different artists, including Dionne Warwick, Perry Como, Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield. Bacharach produced, arranged and conducted much of his recorded output, and was notable for his uncommon selections of instruments for small orchestras.

SG

Celebrated English counter-tenor James Bowman has died aged 81. He began singing as a chorister at Ely Cathedral before going on to study Education and History at New College, Oxford, where he was a member of the New College and Christ Church choirs. Bowman gave his London debut at the opening concert of the Queen Elizabeth Hall in March 1967 on the invitation of Benjamin Britten after auditioning for Britten's English Opera Group. His five-decade career covered many musical styles and genres including opera, oratorio, contemporary music and solo recitals During this time, he made over 180 recordings with all major record labels and gave the world premieres of important contemporary music including works by Benjamin Britten, Michael Tippett, Peter Maxwell Davies, Richard Rodney Bennett, Robin Holloway and Michael Nyman. He gathered many accolades throughout his career, including admission to L'ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 1992, the Medal of Honour of the City of Paris in recognition of his contribution to the city’s musical life, and an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Music from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne (received May 1996). His retirement recital was at London’s Wigmore Hall in May 2011, with harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani. SG

JAMES BOWMAN (1941–2023)

NICK LLOYD WEBBER (1979–2023)

Record producer and composer Nick Lloyd Webber has died at the tragically young age of 43. He was best known for a theatrical and symphonic version of The Little Prince (co-written with James D. Reid) based on the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The production premiered at the Lyric Theatre Belfast and Theatre Calgary before headlining the Abu Dhabi music and arts festival with the Heritage Orchestra. Together, Lloyd Webber and Reid produced the Scottish folk music album Speyside Sessions with actor Kevin McKidd, which went to No.1 in the iTunes World Music Charts. He also composed the music for Fat Friends The Musical, which premiered at the Grand Theatre in Leeds and subsequently toured the UK in 2018. Besides musical theatre, Lloyd Webber was known for scoring the BBC One drama Love, Lies and Records, and the film The Last Bus, directed by Gillies McKinnon and starring Timothy Spall and Phyllis Logan. Lloyd Webber also wrote music for 56 Up, the eighth installment of the documentary series that began with 7 Up, for Children's television, and for television advertisements. At the age of 14, Lloyd Webber was the tape operator on Sunset Boulevard: World Premiere Recording, the album of the 1993 original London production of his father Andrew’s musical.

Lloyd Webber produced the Andrew Lloyd Webber Symphonic Suites at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London, released by Decca Records in 2021 and also co-produced and mixed the pre-production concept album of the musical Cinderella for Polydor Records, which went to number one on the official UK compilation album charts in July 2021.

BRIAN BOUGHTON

We were saddened to learn that longtime LMS member Brian Boughton died on Easter Sunday. We will be publishing a tribute in full in the next edition of the magazine. Brian was the last remaining child of composer Rutland Boughton, who established a music festival at Glastonbury. Brian was the dedicatee of Rutland’s Trumpet Concerto, as Brian was studying trumpet at the RCM under Ernest Hall. Speaking personally, I fondly remember Brian as the first LMS member with whom I conversed outside of the office when I began working here. He was a charming and informative gentleman, with many fascinating recollections of his father and his music. DA

CHRISTOPHER NUPEN (1934 2023)

South African Nupen was renowned as one of the finest documentary filmmakers of our time. Famed especially for his documentaries about musicians, including Paganini, Sibelius and Schubert, he also produced the deeply moving documentary about music in Auschwitz Light. Some years earlier, he had achieved international renown for filming and documenting of the now legendary performance of the Quintet featuring Jacqueline du Pré, Daniel Barenboim, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zuckerman and Zubin Mehta. He was born to test cricketer E.P. “Buster” Nupen and Claire neé Meikle and trained as a banker, before working as a sound engineer for the BBC. His wife Caroline survives him. DA

NICOLAS REVELES (1948 –2023)

Dr. Nicolas Reveles was adored in San Diego and beyond as an educator, composer, therapist, film buff and more. He was director of outreach and education for San Diego Opera where he produced articles, presented documentaries and

roundtable discussions designed to invite the curious firsttimer to come to the opera (however challenging the operas might be!). He held a PhD in piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music and toured as accompanist to ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov for 5 years. Nic then took Holy Orders, but left after 16 years, living as an openly gay man and working as a therapist for other gay men who had experienced trauma. As a composer, he wrote no fewer than seven operas, the last of which Ghosts is now being performed in San Diego posthumously. He was choral and music literature professor at the University of San Diego for 13 years. His new opera is being very well received in San Diego, despite the sadness that he was not able to see it staged in his lifetime. Someone with whom this author very briefly and serendipitously corresponded, I’d like to say he will be fondly remembered from this side of the pond as well! DA

ERNEST TOMLINSON’S MUSIC

Available to buy or hire

Little Serenade

Nautical Interlude

Passepied

Graceful Dance (strings only)

Dances from Aladdin

Second Suite of English Folk Dances

Highway to the Sun

English Pageant Suite

For full details email hilaryjeanashton@gmail.com

Not all ET’s music is available through the LMS even though his works are all currently listed in the online catalogue. For any of ET’s longer works, such as Fantasia on Auld Lang Syne, please get in touch with Hilary Ashton direct.

www.ernesttomlinson.com

THREE FANTASIAS ON “THE ENGLISH RING”

We are pleased to announce the publication of three fantasia arrangements on the operas that make up the so-called “English Ring”, arranged by LMS Trustee Howard Rogerson.

The “English Ring” consists of three operas.

The Bohemian Girl – Michael William Balfe. 1808-1870 First performed in Drury Lane Theatre Royal London in 1843

Maritana – William Vincent Wallace. 1812-1865 First performed in Drury Lane Theatre Royal, London in 1845.

The Lily of Killarney – Julius Benedict. 1804-1885 First performed at Covent Garden Theatre, London in 1862

All three fantasias have been arranged and edited by Howard Rogerson, based on piano and clarinet fantasias by Charles le Thière. All three are now available from Forton Music.

LIGHT & LYRICAL TURNS 100!

The next edition of Light & Lyrical marks the 100th edition of a magazine published by the Light Music Society since its re-establishment in 1996!

The next edition will feature a great deal of archive material alongside more recent articles, to create a special retrospective edition, with an overview of some of the Light Music Society’s work over the years!

CRYPTIC SOLUTION FROM LAST EDITION

We received 1 correct entry for the Cryptic Crossword and the winner is Gareth Glyn! Congratulations!

Crossword Entry for this edition

closes 15th July 2023

QUICK CROSSWORD ANSWERS

The next edition of Light & Lyrical marks the 100th edition of a periodical published by the Light Music Society since 1968! In honour of this, we are preparing a special edition of the magazine, featuring vintage articles as well as many insights into the history of the Light Music Society, Library of Light Orchestral Music and the magazine itself.

Don’t miss it!

LIGHT & LYRICAL TURNS 100¬!

The next edition of Light & Lyrical marks the 100th edition of a magazine published by the Light Music Society since its reestablishment in 1996!

In honour of this happening, we are preparing a special edition of the magazine, featuring some articles from the very first magazine in 1957 and many insights into the history of the Light Music Society, Library of Light Orchestral Music and the magazine itself.

If you’d like an article included in the special 100th edition of Light & Lyrical, please send articles as soon as possible to avoid disappointment!