The Story Of Light Music

[John Wright]

2 x 1hr programmes, The Story Of Light Music, presented by Michael Parkinson on BBC Radio 2, 22 and 29th Feb, 10pm.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01cqwt7

Episode 1 deals mainly with Albert Ketelbey, Frederic Curzon, Sir Edward Elgar, Billy Mayerl, Eric Coates etc

Episode 2 presumably deals with the post WWII era of Wally Stott/Angela Morley, Ernest Tomlinson, Sidney Torch, Mantovani, Semprini and the popular hits of Eric Coates, Robert Farnon etc and the resurgence in performances today championed by John Wilson

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

A pity there isn't a similar programme on R3: the best British Light Music is amongst the finest there is, and deserves feature more regularly. (Hans Keller was a fan, too: and he was infamously difficult to please!) I hope Ronald Binge is among the "etceteras"!

Many Thanks, JW.

[Anna]

That sounds interesting because I know nothing about Light Music (I sort of think it's the kind of stuff your Nan listens to whilst doing housework) I never turn on R2 or even look at the schedules so would never have known about it, perhaps John may like to give it a bump up nearer the date? Wally Stott/Angela Morley cropped up on the AA thread a couple of weeks ago so I did listen to some of the music, never heard of Ronald Binge. Ferney, I know the Simon Heffer British Music was a great success recently on R3 but I'm not sure Light Music is really suitable for R3?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I'm not sure Light Music is really suitable for R3?

Weeeell: if Strauss, Offenbach, Lehar, Gershwin etc are counted as "suitable", then Coates, Mayerl, Farnon are. Not sure about Semprini or Mantovani, though (although IIRC, Binge did the latter's arrangements).

Binge wrote the sort of pieces that people know without necessesarily knowing that they know it.

[Nick Armstrong]

Ferney, I know the Simon Heffer British Music was a great success recently on R3 but I'm not sure Light Music is really suitable for R3?

Didn't stop R3 having that 'Light fantastic' week or weekend a short time ago... The best of 'light music' is indeed fantastic, catchy, felicitous, well crafted, unforgettable. Trouble is, not much of it strikes me as 'the best' - loads is second grade, it seemed to me, and then it's banal, repetitive, uninspired and uninspiring...

I liked the definition of 'light music' as opposed to more 'serious' classical music: in 'light music', the tune is more important than what happens to it.

[PJPJ]

..... but I'm not sure Light Music is really suitable for R3?

How about Elgar's light music?

"Light Fantastic", as mentioned already, was a highlight of last year for me. Pity it was all concentrated into such a short time frame.

I'd have been happy with 1 to 1 1/2 hours a week.

[vinteuil]

Weeeell: if Strauss, Offenbach, Lehar, Gershwin etc are counted as "suitable", then Coates, Mayerl, Farnon are. .

... ah well, there you have it. In my book the (non-Richard) Strausses, Offenbach, Lehar, Gershwin etc are not suitable for Radio 3 - they all belong on the "Light Programme". The clue is in the name - the Light Programme - that is, Radio 2

[salymap]

Years ago, even before television, the BBC broadcast masses of good light music. Eric Coates,Gordon Jacob,
Malcolm Arnold, Franz Reizenstein, Geoffrey Bush all wrote light music, but good music at the same time. It can be done. Thanks for the links to the programmes.

[VodkaDilc]

It seems that more and more we need to check the other radio stations to see if there's better musical programmes than R3 provides. This looks like a good example - in an area now neglected, since the disappearance of Brian Kay's 4pm programme.

Two further examples recently, when I found serious (-ish) music programmes elsewhere:
1 A fairly technical discussion about Keys on R4. This appeared to be part of a series and discussed "A Major" in rather more technical detail than R3 would dare to do these days, for fear of frightening the horses (sorry I mean the Radio 2.5 audience.) I will try to hear more of this series.
2 A strange programme, again on R4, where the whole of Rachmaninov Concerto 2 was played, while people talked over it about what it meant to them. This was far more extreme than anything which has reached Classic FM or R3 so far. For example, Mrs John Peel had a child, while she was ill, and John played this concerto for her. (Or at least a recording of it). It took the whole of the slow movement for her to describe the incident and their annual celebration of it. If the music means so much, then let us listen to it, without all this chat!! If this is part of a series, I will avoid it at all costs.

[VodkaDilc]

Years ago, even before television, the BBC broadcast masses of good light music. Eric Coates,Gordon Jacob,
Malcolm Arnold, Franz Reizenstein, Geoffrey Bush all wrote light music, but good music at the same time. It can be done. Thanks for the links to the programmes.

Don't I remember from my primary school days (1950s) that there would be hour-long programmes on the radio (probably Light Prog or Home Service from about 8am) where an orchestra would play a selection of this type of music? I took an unusually high degree of interest in these and seem to remember a roster of orchestras, including the BBC regional orchestras and the BBC Revue and BBC Variety Orchestras, under conductors like Arwell Hughes, Harry Rabinowitz and Paul Fenoulhet.

Then along came the pirate radio stations in the early to mid 60s and the BBC and the government had to hound them off the air and provide a bland copy of them with R1. And that was the end of these early morning programmes.

[cloughie]

How about Elgar's light music?

"Light Fantastic", as mentioned already, was a highlight of last year for me. Pity it was all concentrated into such a short time frame.

I'd have been happy with 1 to 1 1/2 hours a week.

Or Delius - several of his short pieces ain't that heavy! I'm all for a good tune!

[cloughie]

Don't I remember from my primary school days (1950s) that there would be hour-long programmes on the radio (probably Light Prog or Home Service) where an orchestra would play a selection of this type of music? I took an unusually high degree of interest in these and seem to remember a roster of orchestras, including the BBC regional orchestras and the BBC Revue and BBC Variety Orchestras, under conductors like Arwell Hughes, Harry Rabinowitz and Paul Fenoulhet.

And of course Eric Robinson.

[salymap]

Question....Is the Kodaly Hary Janos music light or heavy? I love it [or Peter and the Wolf], but surely they are light, in the best possible way.

[VodkaDilc]

And of course Eric Robinson.

Wasn't he the smug-looking plump one, who had a more talented brother, Stanford?

[VodkaDilc]

Question....Is the Kodaly Hary Janos music light or heavy? I love it [or Peter and the Wolf], but surely they are light, in the best possible way.

I'd call them approachable serious music.