GLCD 5107 Charles Williams & The Queen's Hall Light Orchestra Reviews & Broadcast

THE GOLDEN AGE OF LIGHT MUSIC Charles Williams & The Queen's Hall Light Orchestra With Eric Coates - Haydn Wood -  - John Ansell - Percy Fletcher - Montague Philips - Charles Williams - Clifton Parker - Charles Shadwell - Clive Richardson Sound Clips Track 22 Rhythm on Rails Track 28 The Glass Slipper

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There is a vast quantity of light music which is unknown to the majority of music lovers. It resides in the Recorded Music Libraries of music publishers, and exists for the convenience of radio, television and film companies who require readily accessible music covering every conceivable mood. These recordings only come to the attention of the public when pieces become familiar as themes for signature tunes – vintage programmes such as "The Archers" and "Doctor Finlay’s Casebook" in the UK, and "Captain Kangaroo" in the USA are prime examples.

Originally better-known as ‘Mood Music’, these libraries were established partly for legal reasons, when court rulings made commercial records too expensive to use as ‘background music’ in films and newsreels. Back in the 1930s, there was a great demand for such music, especially in cinema newsreels, mainly because synchronised recording of sound and pictures on cine film was not in general use. Recorded sound effects could sometimes suffice, but audiences became used to hearing appropriate music in the background to the latest stories in their favourite newsreels which were part of each programme at the local cinema.

Film producers – especially makers of documentaries – appreciated the wide availability of affordable music that could be easily licensed. Today television also needs vast amounts of music and, although some composers write specifically for certain productions, much of it comes straight ‘off the shelf’.

Apart from occasional works to support theatrical productions, the regular supply of music particularly suitable for the entertainment industry can be traced back almost one hundred years, when sheet music was required by the musicians accompanying silent films. Today’s major libraries of recorded music are reckoned to have seen the first positive signs of development back in the mid-1930s when the London publishers Bosworth and Boosey & Hawkes each started making 78s. At first they relied partly on their vast catalogues of manuscripts by established writers, but it wasn’t long before it was realised that ‘mood music’ or ‘background music’ needs a certain dedication and skill on the part of the composer. Several distinguished writers soon gained reputations for being adept at providing just what was required, and they were the pioneers in a segment of the music business that was to witness an astonishing growth in the following decades.

In Britain the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 created a great demand for dramatic music to accompany the newsreel pictures, and it soon became obvious that the two companies that had been the first to ‘test the water’ in providing recorded music could not themselves satisfy the demand. The famous London publishers Chappell & Co. issued their first single-sided 78s in 1942, and during the next twenty years they were to become recognised as the world leader in this niche of the music business.

A legendary figure in the music business - Teddy Holmes - was appointed by Chappell as the first manager of their Recorded Music Library in 1941. He was well aware of the capabilities of the composers then working in the British film industry, notably Charles Williams, Clive Richardson and their colleagues who were employed (often anonymously) by Louis Levy. Quickly Holmes commissioned a number of new compositions, with most of them having a direct relevance to the pictures of the war that were filling the newsreels. He made what was to be a brilliant choice in engaging Charles Williams to conduct the first series of recordings, which took place at the EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London early in 1942.

When it came to naming the orchestra that would record this music, it was decided to use ‘The Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra’. This name had been used by Chappells during the early years of the century; the Queen's Hall (from which it takes its name) was built in 1893 on a site close to where the BBC’s Broadcasting House is now, at the top of Regent Street in London. It had superb acoustics, and was the only major concert hall situated conveniently in London's West End. Sadly it was destroyed on the night of 10/11 May 1941 by enemy bombing during World War 2, and was not re-built.

The previous ‘Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra’ performed its last concert in 1927, since when Chappells had not used the name. But it was still associated with high quality music-making, and its resurrection proved to be a wise decision. Although the members of the orchestra were drawn from the pool of session players in London (many were top instrumentalists in the capital’s symphony orchestras), the ‘new’ QHLO soon developed its own unique sound.

During 1942 Chappells continued to make their mood music recordings at EMI, often on Saturday mornings when musicians were more freely available. Their venue changed to Levy's Sound Studios at 73 New Bond Street in 1943, and it is possible to discern a different studio acoustic.

At this distance in time, it is not easy to discover career information about all the talented composers whose work is preserved here for posterity. Possibly some of them were hiding behind pseudonyms – that bugbear of musical researchers – but happily some of the major players are known today for their many achievements.

Foremost among the musicians in this collection is Charles Williams (1893-1978). His real name was Isaac Cozerbreit, and he began his career accompanying silent films, then played violin under the batons of Beecham and Elgar. Right from the start of the ‘talkies’, he provided scores for numerous British films, and his "Dream Of Olwen" is still remembered long after the film in which it appeared – "While I Live". In 1960 he topped the American charts with his theme for the film "The Apartment", although in reality the producers had resurrected one of his earlier works "Jealous Lover". By far the greatest volume of his composing skills were employed in mood music, providing hundreds of works for Chappells alone, many of them also conducted by him as heard on this CD.

Eric Coates (1886-1957) was particularly adept at writing catchy melodies that lent themselves as signature tunes for radio, and later television, programmes. "London Calling" was associated with BBC broadcasts to overseas, but today his best-remembered radio theme is "Sleepy Lagoon", used for over 60 years as the theme for ‘Desert Island Discs’. Before war broke out, Coates seemingly had the musical world at his feet. He had progressed from being a leading writer of popular ballads, into one of the greatest light music composers of all time. His talent didn’t desert him in later life; although far less prolific in the 1950s, nevertheless he composed one of the most famous war film themes of all time – "The Dam Busters March".

Charles Shadwell (1898-1979) was a respected conductor of theatre orchestras, before a ten-year engagement with the BBC Variety Orchestra, commencing in 1936, made him a household name in Britain. He conducted for top radio shows such as ‘ITMA’ and ‘Music Hall’, which ended with his own march "Down With The Curtain". Although not a prolific composer, his pieces "Morning at Bibury" and "Lulworth Cove" reveal that he could have made a bigger name for himself in light music circles.

Percy Eastman Fletcher (1879-1932) spent much of his career as a musical director in London’s theatreland. A prolific composer, he wrote numerous ballads as well as choral works and light orchestral suites. The two pieces on this CD were not composed as mood music (Fletcher had died ten years previously), but were extracted from ‘Rustic Revels’ and ‘Famous Beauties’.

Billy Reid (1902-1974) was best known as a writer of popular songs - his big success was "The Gypsy" for Dorothy Squires, which was also recorded by Frank Sinatra to a Robert Farnon arrangement.

Dr. Denis Wright (1895-1967) became highly respected as a composer and arranger in the brass band world. His "Empire Jubliee March" was written in 1935, originally for brass and military bands.

Frank Tapp (1883-1953) directed the Bath Pump Room Orchestra between 1910 and 1919, and in later years he appears to have written his fair share of light music, including an "English Landmarks" suite and the overture "Beachy Head".

Haydn Wood (1882-1959) was a contemporary of Eric Coates, and both of them enjoyed success with ballads before branching out into light orchestral music. "Virginia – A Southern Rhapsody" heard on this CD, is probably taken at a much faster pace than the composer intended, simply because conductor Charles Williams had to ensure that it fitted on to the 10" 78rpm disc. When performed in concerts, it is usually performed far more sedately.

John Ansell (1874-1948) was at one time assistant conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and he was also frequently employed in London theatres. Today he is remembered mainly for his Nautical Overture "Plymouth Hoe" (included on the Guild CD "The 1930s – GLCD5106), composed in 1914, in which he cleverly linked many seafaring themes.

Montague Phillips (1885-1969) is now being rediscovered as a light music composer of real merit. Part of the problem has been that so few of his works were recorded commercially, when compared with his close contemporaries Eric Coates and Haydn Wood. His operetta ‘The Rebel Maid’ still attracts amateur performances, from which comes his best-known song "The Fisherman of England". His two tracks on this CD represent a welcome addition to his recorded repertoire.

Clive Richardson (1909-1998) was part of ‘Four Hands in Harmony’ (with Tony Lowry), but that was just a small interlude in a long and successful career. He accompanied several artists on the piano, and was an early contributor of scores to British films (especially some of the Will Hay comedies, although he wasn’t credited on-screen). "London Fantasia" was a big success in the 1940s, when mini-piano concertos were all the rage. His composition "Melody On The Move" was especially successful, and his affinity with nautical themes is exemplified in his "Naval Splendour" which cleverly combines several well-known themes associated with the Royal Navy.

Kenneth Leslie-Smith (d. 1993) seems to have specialised in composing for radio musicals and stage revues. "Always" (with lyrics by James Dyrenforth) became a popular song in the 1940s, but "Mulberry" (written as a tribute to the floating harbour towed across the English Channel for the D-day landings in June 1944) is simply mood music of a superior kind.

Clifton Parker (1905-1989) composed around fifty film scores, possibly the most notable being ‘Western Approaches’ in 1944, from which came his atmospheric "Seascape". Another work from the same period to achieve similar success was his Overture to "The Glass Slipper", which concludes this collection.

It has to be stated that this selection from recordings made by Chappell & Co. between 1942 and 1945 is not fully representative of their output during this period, simply because so many of their titles had a war theme. Although fascinating from an historical standpoint, the inclusion of too many on a CD like this might seem unnecessarily militaristic, although "Naval Splendour" and "Mulberry" do stand out as better examples of the kind of material that was demanded by Chappell’s clients at the time. Also Charles Williams’ "Witches Ride" undoubtedly lent itself to scenes of battle encounters, but it is included here just because it is a fine piece of action music in the composer’s finest "Devils’ Galop" (the famous ‘Dick Barton’ signature tune) traditions. The rest of the collection perhaps illustrates that, even in times of war, life has to attempt to carry on as usual.

Page revised 22.09 04