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The Story of Light Music

 
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FleetingEileenM



Joined: 30 Mar 2010
Posts: 5784
Location: Hampshire

PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 11:03 pm    Post subject: The Story of Light Music Reply with quote

What a delightful and interesting programme presented by Parky with contributions from the likes of Russell Davies and the great John Wilson. It was fascinating to hear an interview with Eric Coates talking about how he composed the Knightsbridge March and about the public reaction to it.

It was good to hear one of my childhood favourites "The Whistler and His Dog", an orchestral version of "The Teddy Bears' Picnic" and many pieces which were used as signature tunes for so many past radio programmes.

Well done, Radio 2 - and I shall tell them so!
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iwarburton



Joined: 08 Dec 2006
Posts: 2133
Location: Northumberland

PostPosted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 9:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, it was very well done, with a good mix of narration and musical examples. Can hardly wait for next week's. There must be scope for a regular weekly series here!

Ian.
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iwarburton



Joined: 08 Dec 2006
Posts: 2133
Location: Northumberland

PostPosted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 9:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh, and another thing. They tantalised us by playing Philip Green's Horse Feathers but not naming the programme to which it was the signature tune. In case you're wondering, it was Meet the Huggetts, a Light Programme domestic comedy of the fifties and early sixties, which starred Jack Warner and Kathleen Harrison.

Ian.
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Helen May



Joined: 10 Dec 2006
Posts: 19372
Location: Cheshire

PostPosted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 9:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm just listening to it now and it's good but am concerned that yet again the end could be missing as happened to Brian Matthew. The recording started at 4.50 minutes in so I fear an email coming on. What is it with Radio 2 these days?

H
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88 - 91 FM this is Radio 2 from the BBC!

I said it live on air in the studio with Jeremy Vine on 10/3/2005
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Helen May



Joined: 10 Dec 2006
Posts: 19372
Location: Cheshire

PostPosted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 10:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes the end is missing so have made a complaint once again. Strange that once again it is on a Wednesday.

H
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88 - 91 FM this is Radio 2 from the BBC!

I said it live on air in the studio with Jeremy Vine on 10/3/2005
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Andy W



Joined: 02 Dec 2010
Posts: 140
Location: France

PostPosted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 11:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Helen - the full programme is now online. Good job as it's the featured programme on the main iPlayer page.
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Helen May



Joined: 10 Dec 2006
Posts: 19372
Location: Cheshire

PostPosted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 12:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The complaint system must be working Andy! I had an email receipt at 10.30 so they've obviously put it right and added an extra 5 minutes to the end.

Success!

H

Update:- Have had email back from Feedback to say they are revisiting the topic of the iPlayer again this week so I wonder what else has happened. I'm not expecting to be on though.
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88 - 91 FM this is Radio 2 from the BBC!

I said it live on air in the studio with Jeremy Vine on 10/3/2005
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becky sharp



Joined: 01 Dec 2008
Posts: 6845

PostPosted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 9:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good work,Helen....keep 'em on their toes Very Happy

I heard Bill Nighy on the radio today saying The Teddy Bear's Picnic was the first record he bought

Many familiar pieces on the programme with one (for me) exception.... Bells Across The Meadow by Albert Ketèlbey.... it wasn't familiar to me at all so I was surprised to hear it was voted the 36th favourite in a poll for Your Hundred Best Tunes in 2003.....and looking on-line afterwards it was ahead of many of my personal favourites..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Your_Hundred_Best_Tunes
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John W



Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 3367
Location: Warwickshire, UK

PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Helen for getting iplayer sorted!

I recorded the first part from iplayer and listened tonight. I was very pleased with the programme. I've listened to and researched light music and dance band music for many years, collecting original 78's from 1910-1950. The 'history' of light music as presented by Parkinson (written by Russell Davies) more or less follows what I think of as the development of the genre(s) - for there is more than one light music.

There's the light classical pieces from the likes of Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Sullivan, Grieg, Elgar, Grainger. They would have been studied by the likes of Ketelbey. And bravo to Russell Davies for mentioning Archibald Joyce who not only wrote some of the embryonic pieces for what we mostly call light music now, he also made some of the earliest recordings of dance band music, as did the first HMV studio 'house' band which also got a mention, The Mayfair Orchestra, in Edwardian-pre-WW1 days.

Mention too for the dancebands, like Henry Hall, who spawned the talents of music arrangers like Stanley Black, Phil Green and Peter Yorke, who made a huge contribution to the sound of light music into the 1950s.

I had to laugh at the story of Elgar 'head-banging' to the music of Eric Coates!

Looking forward to part 2, which I assume will mention Mantovani, (who was making recordings of light music since 1929!), Johnny Gregory, film music and the recent resurgence of interest in light music through the efforts of John Wilson.
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iwarburton



Joined: 08 Dec 2006
Posts: 2133
Location: Northumberland

PostPosted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 11:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Have just heard the second part of this, which was just as great a joy as Part 1. And for me they saved the best till last--Anthony Collins' Vanity Fair. John Wilson is always an extremely welcome commentator and it was a delight to hear Ernest Tomlinson, too. Series, please!!

Ian.
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FleetingEileenM



Joined: 30 Mar 2010
Posts: 5784
Location: Hampshire

PostPosted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 11:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes Ian, it was a lovely programme. I hope that the powers-that-be at the BBC realise how much this type of music is valued and appreciated by many listeners. I sent Radio 2 an email after last week's programme.
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iwarburton



Joined: 08 Dec 2006
Posts: 2133
Location: Northumberland

PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 6:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Meant to add--John Wilson mentioned something about recording some less familiar pieces with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Does anyone know if this is for commercial release?

Ian.
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Helen May



Joined: 10 Dec 2006
Posts: 19372
Location: Cheshire

PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 7:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've not listened yet Ian so I just Googled. It would seem he did a concert last September in Glasgow and it was broadcast in October according to this link. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b016ljns Looks like it was in Scotland only though.

Maybe SOLM was made before the Scottish concert took place.

H
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88 - 91 FM this is Radio 2 from the BBC!

I said it live on air in the studio with Jeremy Vine on 10/3/2005
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iwarburton



Joined: 08 Dec 2006
Posts: 2133
Location: Northumberland

PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks, Helen. I'm not sure if this is the same session, as I thought he mentioned the inclusion of music by Vivian Ellis.

Ian.
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FleetingEileenM



Joined: 30 Mar 2010
Posts: 5784
Location: Hampshire

PostPosted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 10:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I didn't notice John Wilson saying this but I hope if there is a recording it will include Vivian Ellis music. Desmond once did a whole programme devoted to Ellis's music and it was wonderful.
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John W



Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 3367
Location: Warwickshire, UK

PostPosted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 11:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I enjoyed part 2. Mantovani and Bob Farnon were much featured. Predictably the Farnon chart hits were heard, and good to hear part of an interview. I'm not a great fan of the 'cascading strings' or whatever effect Mantovani called his post war arrangements - I much prefer his pre-war dance records with their continental style.

I didn't hear all the programme (but did record it), there was a lot of Eric Coates. And I heard Ernest Tomlinson. Heard him before, I think on R3 when they did a light music programme couple of years ago.

As for film music I think only John Williams and 'Star Wars' got a mention! which was disappointing - Benjamin Frankel was worth a mention; I would have done so. I suppose film music 1945-1965 deserves its own series.
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becky sharp



Joined: 01 Dec 2008
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 2:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Interesting to hear, on this programme, about William Glock (who I have never heard of) and the impact he had on the music played during his time and Robert Farnon saying to John Wilson that the BBC hadn't killed Light Music but had buried it alive.
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Helen May



Joined: 10 Dec 2006
Posts: 19372
Location: Cheshire

PostPosted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 4:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Caught up with this episode and really enjoyed it. I wonder if we can hope for some more light music on Radio 2?

H
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88 - 91 FM this is Radio 2 from the BBC!

I said it live on air in the studio with Jeremy Vine on 10/3/2005
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The Great Gildersleeve



Joined: 17 Sep 2010
Posts: 249
Location: North East England

PostPosted: Sun May 06, 2012 1:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would settle for a repeat of the series Bob Monkhouse did about light music.

Surely even if it was on a limited baises Radio 2 could do such a series like they do with Carrington's Iconic 50's, Bill Kenwright's Golden Years etc...
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