rec. 1940-1946
GUILD
LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5137 [78:36] MUSICWEB FRIDAY DECEMBER 07 2007
The Golden Age of Light Music:
Light Music While You Work
Volume 2
rec. 1940-1946
GUILD
LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5137 [78:36]
1.
Eric COATES
“Calling all workers” March (excerpts) [0:27 + 0:56]
2. Louis GANNE March Lorraine [3:10]
3. Ivor NOVELLO Selection from “The Dancing Years” (1939) [3:10]
4. Katy MOSS “The Floral Dance” [3:02]
5. Pyotr Ilych TCHAIKOVSKY Waltz from “The Sleeping Beauty” [3:18]
6. Montague EWING “Pierrot comes to town” [2:53]; “Butterflies in the
rain” [2:36]
7. Franz LEHÁR Lehar in the Ballroom [3:13]
8. Raymond SCOTT Toy Trumpet [2:43]
9. George GERSHWIN Selection from “Girl Crazy” [2:55]
10. Johann STRAUSS Waltz from “Die Fledermaus” (arr. Ronnie Munro)
[3:07]; Emperor Waltz (arr. Ronnie Munro) [2:43]
11. Jack STRACHEY “Theatreland” March [2:59]
12. Franz von BLON Sizilietta [3:07]
13. Charles ANCLIFFE “Castles in Spain” [3:04]
14. Georges BOULANGER Selection from the film “One Exciting Night” (1944)
[5:34]
15. Jack GLOGAN & Robert KING Fashionette [3:07]
16. Franz SCHUBERT Moment Musical No. 3 [3:17]
17. Lloyd THOMAS Scarlet and Gold [3:52]
18. Paul LINCKE Softly unawares [2:56]
19. Harry WARREN & Leo ROBIN “Journey to a star” & “ No love no nothing”
[2:43]
20. Percy FLETCHER “Bal Masque” (from Two Parisian Sketches) [3:20]
21. Lance STARKE “With sword and lance” [2:44]
22. Trad arr. Harry DAVIDSON “Turkey in the straw” [3:01]
23. Kurt WEILL Selection from “Lady in the dark” (1941) [5:28]
Eric Coates & Symphony Orchestra (1)
London Coliseum Orchestra/Reginald Burston (2, 13, 17, 21)
Harry Fryer and his orchestra (3, 11)
Harry Davidson and his orchestra (4, 17, 22)
Richard Crean and his orchestra (5, 16, 20)
Harold Collins and his orchestra (6, 15)
Wynford Reynolds and his orchestra (7)
Reginald Pursglove and his orchestra (8)
Studio Orchestra/Phil Green (9, 19)
Ronnie Munro and his Scottish Variety Orchestra (10)
David Java and his orchestra (12)
Phil Green and his Theatreland Orchestra (14, 23)
The radio show “Music while you work” ran for 27 years from 1940, and for two
shorter periods in the 1980s and 1990s. The formula was simple – half an hour of
uninterrupted music suitable to be played in factories to relieve the workers’
boredom. As half an hour a day was not always sufficient for this, the Decca
company issued a series of records similar in type but which could be played
between broadcasts. The orchestras chosen were not necessarily those who took
part in the broadcasts but their style and choice of music was very similar.
This is the second of Guild’s selection of these recordings. It starts and ends
with a brief extract from the signature tune to the broadcast: Eric Coates’
“Calling All Workers” March, conducted with characteristic dash by the composer
himself. The 24 pieces forming the programme embrace a mixture of styles, from
somewhat stiff and even eccentric performances or arrangements of popular
classics such as the Waltz from Tchaikovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty” and the
“Emperor” Waltz, to more up to date pieces such as “Toy Trumpet” and “Fashionette”.
There are selections from films and shows, including “The Dancing Years”, “Girl
Crazy” and “Lady in the Dark”, and novelty numbers such as Harry Davidson’s
version of “Turkey in the straw”. What they all have in common is a brightness
and very forward projection of the music. This is both very evocative of the
period and very wearing to listen to in more than small quantities. Certainly
even now it does help to take the mind off such tasks as ironing or washing up -
I have tried it with both - but its main interest musically is essentially
historical. The sound of the orchestras of the period now seems to be beyond
recall, both in terms of the individual instruments, especially the oboes, and
of the clipped crisp articulation generally favoured at that time. Such a
change, over such a relatively short period is as good an indication as I have
found of the difficulties facing those aiming more widely at Historically
Informed Performance.
Clearly this disc will appeal to fans of the music of that period, or of the
various artists featured here whose recordings are otherwise hard to come by,
but I am doubtful of its wider interest. Taken a few tracks at a time, however,
it does have an appeal all of its own for the curious and the nostalgic.
John
Sheppard
Journal into Melody Issue No. 174 December 2007
The enthusiastic response to Guild's first dip into the catalogue of music recorded in the 1940s for Decca's Music While You Work label (on Guild GLCD 5128) has meant that a second volume simply had to follow. This time there are some new names, but the general concept follows the pattern that was fully explained in the booklet notes for the earlier collection.
In summary, the title 'Music While You Work' was the name of a BBC radio. programme that was first broadcast at 1O.30am on Sunday 23 June 1940. It soon became something of an institution in British broadcasting, where it was to remain in the schedules for an unbroken run of 27 years. It was resurrected for short runs in the 1980s and 1990s before the very last broadcast was heard in 1995.
The man credited with the original idea - and its successful implementation - was Wynford Reynolds (1899-1958). 'Live' musicians were usually engaged for the programme, ranging from solo performers such as organists, to small groups, dance bands, light orchestras and military bands. The shows were aimed at factory workers during the Second World War, and it was hoped that the choice of music would relieve the boredom of many repetitive tasks and thus assist productivity.
However the factories soon realised that they needed to provide such music throughout the day, and gramophone records were the obvious answer to fill those periods when suitable music was not being broadcast by the BBC. Someone at Decca proposed that a special series of 78s would suit this purpose admirably and their own "Music While You Work" label was born; sensibly they sought Wynford Reynolds' advice from the outset, and he even made some of the 78s with his own orchestra. These were not intended to be an accurate carbon copy of the BBC broadcasts, and the orchestras on the Decca records (mostly their contract artists) did not necessarily also perform on the radio. But they did succeed in conveying the 'feel' of the programme and have provided a fascinating subject for collectors to study over the years.
Page revised Friday December 07 2007