Springtime
GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5216
Springtime
1 The First Day Of Spring (Leroy Anderson) LEROY ANDERSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Brunswick STA 3030 1960
2 April Is Coming (Assi Rahbani; Mansour Rahbani, arr. Ron Goodwin)
RON GOODWIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Parlophone PCS 3028 1962
3 Tip Toe Through The Tulips With Me (Joseph A. Burke; Al Dubin)
FRANK CHACKSFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Decca LK 4135 1956
4 Blossom (Mark Charlap, real name Morris Isaac Charlip)
RICHARD HAYMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Mercury MG 20048 1954
5 Spring In Baden Baden (Frühling In Baden-Baden) (Lothar Brühne)
BADEN-BADEN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by HANS ROSBAUD
Ariola 36 809 C 1958
6 Springtime (Also known as "Love’s Springtime") (Cedric King Palmer)
THE BOSWORTH ORCHESTRA
Bosworth BCV 1274 1961
7 Mayflies (Edward Stanelli)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by DOLF VAN DER LINDEN (‘Nat Nyll’ on disc label)
Boosey & Hawkes O 2289 1957
8 Spring Cruise (Peter Yorke)
DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON (‘Melodi Light Orchestra Conducted by Ole Jensen’ on disc label)
Chappell C 417 1952
9 Spring Gambol (Harold Smart)
THE LIGHT SYMPHONIA Conducted by ROBERTO CAPELLI
Conroy BM 270 1961
10 Mother Nature (Harry Rabinowitz)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by DOLF VAN DER LINDEN (‘Nat Nyll’ on disc label)
Boosey & Hawkes O 2344 1959
11 Garden Party (George French)
L’ORCHESTRE DEVEREAUX Conducted by GEORGES DEVEREAUX
Francis, Day & Hunter FDH 1205 1953
12 Those Far Away Hills (Reginald King)
REGENT CLASSIC ORCHESTRA
Bosworth BC 1230 1949
13 Spring Promenade (Frederic Curzon)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by CEDRIC DUMONT
Boosey & Hawkes OT 2336 1958
14 Rainbow’s Glory (Cedric King Palmer)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS METROPOLE ORCHESTRA
Paxton PR 584 1954
15 High Cloud (Herbert Leonard Stevens)
CRAWFORD LIGHT ORCHESTRA (probably STUTTGART RADIO ORCH)
Josef Weinberger Theme Music JW 131-A 1957
16 Spring Fashion (Alan Braden)
GROUP-FORTY ORCHESTRA Conducted by LAURIE JOHNSON
KPM 052 1960
17 Spring Song (Haydn Wood)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by CHARLES WILLIAMS
Chappell C 214 1945
18 Prelude For Gardenias (Peter Barrington, real name Felton Rapley)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by JACK LEON
Boosey & Hawkes OT 2195 1950
19 Forest Mood (Frederic Bayco)
THE BOSWORTH ORCHESTRA
Bosworth BCV 1359 1961
20 June Is Calling (Wilfrid Sanderson)
NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by JAY WILBUR
Boosey & Hawkes O 2004 1944
21 April Kiss (Peter Dennis, real name Dennis Alfred Berry)
DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS METROPOLE ORCHESTRA
Paxton PR 527 1952
22 (I’ll Be With You) In Apple Blossom Time (Fleetson; Albert Von Tilzer)
ERNEST MAXIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Top Rank BUY 020 1960
23 Sunbeams And Butterflies (Albert William Ketèlbey)
ELITE NOVELTY ORCHESTRA
Bosworth BC 1062 1938
24 We’ll Gather Lilacs (from "Perchance To Dream") (Ivor Novello, arr. Sidney Torch)
QUEEN’S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by CHARLES WILLIAMS
BBC London Transcription Service 12PH 32255/6 1945
25 Beautiful Spring (Paul Lincke)
LONDON PROMENADE ORCHESTRA Conducted by ERIC ROGERS
Decca LF 1166 1954
Stereo: tracks 1 & 2; rest in mono.
Leroy Anderson(1908-1975) is probably the best-loved American light music composer of his generation. For many years he was the chief arranger for the Boston Pops, and its famous conductor Arthur Fiedler introduced many Anderson novelties to an appreciative world. Leroy’s contribution to this collection is simply the composer’s paean of praise for what many regard as the most welcome season of the year, since it ushers in the warmer and lighter days that are so refreshing after the long, gloomy winter months. The First Day Of Spring is certainly greeted by many with eager anticipation, and it can’t arrive too soon!
Ronald (Ron) Alfred Goodwin (1925-2003) was a brilliant British composer, arranger and conductor, who rose to prominence in Britain during the 1950s through a series of recordings that revealed a fresh and vibrant style of light music that greatly appealed to the public. His ability to arrange and compose soon resulted in commissions to work in films, and popular movies like "633 Squadron" (1964), "Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines" (1965) and Alfred Hitchcock’s "Frenzy" (1972) which introduced him to a worldwide audience. April Is Coming was featured in an album of music associated with Lebanon.
Frank (Francis Charles) Chacksfield (1914-1995) conducted one of the finest light orchestras in the world, and during his long recording career with Decca alone, it is estimated that his albums sold more than 20 million copies. Tip Toe Through The Tulips has been popular ever since it first appeared in the 1929 movie musical "Gold Diggers of Broadway".
Richard Warren Joseph Hayman (1920-2014) as well as being a respected arranger and conductor, was also a harmonica virtuoso, and he sometimes adapted his scores of popular melodies so that he could perform on his favourite instrument (he can be heard in Blossom in this collection). He followed Leroy Anderson as an arranger for the Boston ‘Pops’ Orchestra over a period of more than 30 years, and also served as Music Director of Mercury Records. He was regularly in demand to orchestrate Broadway shows and film soundtracks, and notable among his own compositions are No Strings Attached (GLCD5105) and Skipping Along (GLCD5131). His recordings reissued on Guild now total 26.
Lothar Brühne (1900-1958) was a German composer who seems to have specialised in writing for films. His work has already been featured on Guild GLCD5135 (the exuberant Sport And Music for the Bosworth Mood Music Library), and this time he provides the charming Frühling in Baden-Baden.
Cedric King Palmer (1913-1999) was born in Eastbourne, on the south coast of England; he chose not to use his first name professionally. He became a prolific composer of mood music contributing over 600 works during a period of 30 years to the recorded music libraries of several London publishers. He was able to adapt his writing to many different styles, and our title track Springtime and Rainbow’s Glory find him in a reflective, lyrical mood.
Edward Stanelli (real name Edward Stanley De Groot, 1895-1961) was a British composer and comedian who may still be remembered by some people for his "Hornchestra", constructed from a weird collection of electric and bulb motor horns on which he played jazz music. He demonstrated this device on 2 April 1937 when he made his television debut from Alexandra Palace in London. During his early career it seemed that his future was on the concert platform, both as a conductor and violinist. But such was his popularity with audiences in 1930s music halls that he tended to rely upon comedy rather than a ‘serious’ career in music. Happily he did not completely ignore his talents as a composer: in this collection he is represented with Mayflies, and his longer work Atlantis has previously appeared on Guild GLCD5118 as part of a compilation appropriately titled "Buried Treasures".
Peter Yorke (1902-1966) worked with many leading British bands during his formative years, some of the most notable being Percival Mackey, Jack Hylton and Henry Hall. Later on he conducted one of Britain’s most popular broadcasting orchestras from the 1940s until the 1960s. Peter Yorke was also a gifted composer and he created many stunning arrangements that brought out some fine performances from the top musicians he always employed. Spring Cruise is one of many works he contributed to British production music libraries, and it is his nineteenth composition to be included on a Guild CD.
During the middle years of the last century Harold Smart was well known in Britain as a popular organist. He was usually associated with the Hammond Organ, and followed in the footsteps of his famous father Charles Smart, with whom he sometimes performed. Harold excelled at recordings in strict dance tempo throughout, but he does not appear to have been a prolific composer. Therefore it is nice to be able to hear his Spring Gambol, which reveals another aspect of his considerable talents.
Harry Rabinowitz MBE (born Johannesburg, South Africa 1916) came to England in 1946 and was employed by the BBC, first as a pianist then as conductor of the BBC Revue Orchestra. In the 1970s he was Head of Music for London Weekend Television, and he also conducted a number of film scores. His composition Mother Nature is his seventh on a Guild CD; sometimes he wrote under the pseudonym ‘Andy Thurlow’.
George French (born Bentley, Yorkshire, 1921) was a British violinist who broadcast frequently on the BBC in the happy times of the last century when radio stations actually employed ‘live’ musicians. He contributed to many popular series ("Music While You Work" being one prime example) and performed (often as leader) for most of the well-known conductors. He also had a gift for composing, and Garden Party is his fifth appearance on a Guild CD.
Reginald Claude McMahon King (1904-1991) was an accomplished pianist, who performed under the baton of Sir Henry Wood at the Proms soon after he completed his studies at London’s Royal Academy. In 1927 he took his orchestra into Swan & Edgar’s restaurant at their Piccadilly Circus store, where they remained until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. During this period he also started broadcasting regularly (his total number of broadcasts exceeded 1,400), and he made numerous recordings, often featuring his own attractive compositions. Once again we feature him as a contributor to one of London’s production music libraries with Those Far Away Hills, his ninth composition on Guild.
London-born Frederic Curzon (1899-1973) was a charming, unassuming man who devoted his early career to working in the theatre, and like so many of his contemporaries he gradually became involved in providing music for silent films. As well as being a fine pianist and conductor, he also played the organ, and his first big success as a composer was his "Robin Hood Suite" in 1937. This encouraged him to devote more of his time to writing and broadcasting, and several of his works have become light music ‘standards’, notably March Of The Bowmen (from "Robin Hood Suite") on GLCD5106, and The Boulevardier (GLCD5177). Frederic Curzon was eventually appointed Head of Light Music at London publishers Boosey and Hawkes (where his Spring Promenade originated), and for a while was also President of the Light Music Society.
Len Stevens(d. 1989) (his full name was Herbert Leonard Stevens) was a prolific British composer, contributing mood music to several different libraries, with a style that his admirers quickly grew to recognise. In common with so many of the talented musicians employed in the business, he could turn his hand to any kind of music that was needed, and he was also involved in the musical theatre. High Cloud comes from the Josef Weinberger mood music library.
For around three decades from the 1960s onwards Alan Braden was a familiar name on British Television as the musical director for many top variety shows. He also arranged and composed a fair amount of the music involved, although he was not always credited. Spring Fashion was one of his early works for the new KPM Music Library.
Yorkshireman Haydn Wood(1882-1959) enjoyed much success during the early years of the last century with ballads, before concentrating on full scale orchestral works and suites. Roses of Picardy has been in the repertoire of most singers of the 20th century (even Frank Sinatra!), and that alone should justify Haydn Wood’s place among the great popular composers. Recent recordings of his works have demonstrated the depth and wide scope of his composing abilities, especially in suites. Spring Song is a delicate tone poem that rivals the works of many of his peers.
Edmund Felton Rapley, ARCM, (1907-1976) graduated from being a church organist in Gosport, to a familiar name on the BBC especially during the 1940s and 1950s. His own pieces included the Overture Down The Solent (on Guild GLCD 5140) and the catchy Peacock Patrol (written under the pseudonym ‘Peter Barrington’) on GLCD 5143. He wears his ‘Barrington’ hat again for Prelude For Gardenias.
London-born Frederic Bayco (sometimes spelt Fredric, 1913-1970) was an organist and composer who contributed pieces to several recorded music libraries. He was born in London, and attended Brighton School of Music. Later he was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists. Many of his compositions have an historic or martial feel, although the inspiration for Forest Mood is simply the beauty of nature. During the 1960s he was Chairman of The Light Music Society.
Wilfred (Wilfrid) Ernest Sanderson (1878-1935) was the son of a Wesleyan Methodist minister. Although born in Ipswich, he was educated in London, and from 1895 to 1904 studied the organ as pupil assistant under Frederick Bridge at Westminster Abbey. Thereafter he appears to have based himself in the Yorkshire town of Doncaster, where he was Organist of the Parish Church from 1904 to 1923. This seems to have been his most productive period as a composer; in total he wrote around 170 ballads and several short piano pieces. He died in Nutfield, Surrey, from typhoid at the relatively early age of 56.
Peter Dennis hides the true identity of Londoner Dennis Alfred Berry (1921-1994), who also composed (sometimes in collaboration with others) under pseudonyms such as Frank Sterling, Charles Kenbury and Michael Rodney. For part of the 1950s he ran the Paxton library (from which comes April Kiss), but at the same time he also contributed titles to other publishers. Eventually he was asked by Southern Music to launch their new Mood Music Library which issued its first recordings on 78s in 1960.
In Britain Ernest Maxin became known in the 1960s and 1970s for his work as producer and director of many popular television programmes. He also made a few recordings (he has already appeared on a previous Guild CD with No Orchids For My Lady - GLCD5182), but whether or not he actually had a hand in arranging and/or conducting the music is hard to discover. His contribution to this CD is the popular song (I’ll Be With You) In Apple Blossom Time.
Albert William Ketèlbey (1875-1959), born in the Lozells area of Birmingham, was a highly successful composer, who earned the equivalent of millions of pounds during the peak of his popularity. Pieces such as In a Monastery Garden (GLCD5182), The Phantom Melody, In a Persian Market (GLCD5120) and Bells Across the Meadow (GLCD5108)brought him international fame, no doubt assisted by his enthusiastic participation in the rapidly growing business of producing gramophone records. Many of his works were chosen by London publishers Bosworth & Co. for their mood music library, and Sunbeams And Butterflies is an early example in their catalogue.
Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies 1893-1951) was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who created some of the most popular shows in London’s West End during the first half of the last century. One of these was "Perchance To Dream" from which comes We’ll Gather Lilacs In The Spring Again… The melody is so good that it happily survives without the familiar lyrics, although our version is considerably enhanced with a superb arrangement by Sidney Torch (1908-1990). It seems he never recorded this commercially, so we are fortunate that a transcription disc of a BBC broadcast from 1945 has survived. Apart from many of his songs which have become standards, Ivor Novello continues to be remembered for the annual awards which bear his name, held in London each Spring.
The German composer Carl Emil Paul Lincke (born in Berlin 1866-1946) worked as a theatre conductor and music publisher in Berlin around the turn of the century. He spent two years in Paris as musical director of the famous Folies-Bergère, but then returned to Berlin, where he conducted at the Apollo Theatre. A versatile musician, he started with the violin, changed to the bassoon and then finally to the piano. He became known around the world for his Glow Worm (on Guild GLCD5106 & 5143), but this was just one number in a large body of musical works. He was generally considered to be ‘the father of Berlin operetta’, putting him (in German speaking countries, at least) on a par with Johann Strauss and Franz Lehar. His Beautiful Spring provides a fitting finale to this seasonal collection.
David Ades