Musical Comedy Medleys from Arthur Fiedler and Leroy Anderson

Arthur Fiedler and Leroy Anderson had a symbiotic relationship. Anderson would produce arrangements for the Boston Pops, and Fiedler would introduce the composer's brilliant pop compositions.

This particular 10-inch record of Musical Comedy Medleys comes from 1950, relatively early in their association. Only five years before, Anderson, still in the US Army, had written his first notable composition, "The Syncopated Clock," and conducted it with the Pops at Fiedler's invitation.

Anderson's first big popular success was with "Sleigh Ride," in the Fielder recording of 1949. You have probably heard its concluding instrumental whinny one too many times in the past month.

Meanwhile, Anderson was producing arrangements for use by the Pops. The Musical Comedy Medleys LP is a good example of his work. In it, Anderson explores top tunes from the massive hit musicals of the time - Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun (1946), Frederic Loewe's Brigadoon (1947), Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate (1948) and Richard Rodgers' South Pacific (1949).

Leroy Anderson and Arthur Fiedler

Anderson's arrangements were perfectly suited to Fiedler's approach. In a previous post, I described his recordings this way: "All feature the typical Fiedler élan that stops just this side of seeming rushed . . . If there is little depth in this approach - well, it is the Pops, after all."

That earlier post was devoted to a later LP called Curtain Going Up, also consisting of medleys. South Pacific and Brigadoon appear on the that album as well as on Musical Comedy Medleys.

The sound on Musical Comedy Medleys is reasonably good, although RCA had trouble delivering detail and presence from the resonant Symphony Hall acoustic. Nor was the LP especially well produced - most of it was considerably under pitch. Note (January 2024): this has now been remastered in ambient stereo.

Also on the blog: a post from 2010 has Fiedler conducting Anderson's own compositions for RCA, as well as Anderson leading his "Irish Suite" for Decca.

LINK to Musical Comedy Medleys

A Christmas Bouquet from Paris

For my final share before Christmas is upon us, I thought I might return to the roots of this blog as a repository for 10-inch LPs. I have for you a lovely mid-50s collection combining Renaissance music for the season with Christmas carols.

The cover of Bouquets de Noel shows an organ even though this is a choral LP without an organ in sight (or sound). The performers are the Ensemble Vocal de Paris, a notable chorus of the time. Directing the proceedings is André Jouve, who was in his mid-20s at the time and in the midst of a recording contract with the French Ducretet-Thomson label, which had him conduct both orchestral and choral music. Several of these can be found on Rene Gagnaux's excellent site.

Ducretet-Thomson Cover

There is little information on Jouve available on line, but I do know that that he was born in Marseille and educated at the Paris Conservatoire. But I have no clue about his activities after his Ducretet-Thomson contract was up in 1958.

Regardless, this is a very good record with the vocal ensemble handing Renaissance music by du Caurroy, Costeley and Praetorius as nicely as the carols on side 2. My transfer is from a German Telefunken pressing with good sound.

Happy holidays to all!

Christmas Music from the Renaissance, Plus Alfred Burt's Holiday Compositions

We reach back to the 16th and 17th centuries for today's Christmas program, which comes to us from the Renaissance Singers and the Choristers of Ely Cathedral, circa 1958. As a bonus, our friend David Federman has contributed two LPs devoted to the music of Christmas composer Alfred Burt.

Let's look at David's selections first.

The Irving Berlin of American Sacred Christmas Music: Alfred Burt

Alfred Burt

David explains that "in 1942, big band trumpet player and arranger Alfred Burt wrote the first of the 15 Christmas carols, 'Christmas Cometh Caroling,' he would write yearly until the end of his life in February 1954, aged 34, from lung cancer."

David has compiled two LPs dedicated to presenting Burt's craft, one conducted by Ralph Carmichael in 1954, the other by Jimmy Joyce in 1963. "You owe these albums a listen," says David. "My second-favorite carol, after 'Silent Night,' is 'Some Children See Him,' from 1951."

Music for the Feast of Christmas

Michael Howard

Argo Records' holiday issue for 1958 was a collection of primarily Renaissance music presented by the Choristers of Ely Cathedral and the Renaissance Singers, directed by Michael Howard.

The choral items are by Caustun, Gibbons, Amner, Palestrina, Sweelinck, Byrd, Handl, Victoria and Dufay, with two plainsong selections and the Coventry Carol from 1591. Argo added - incongruously - a Messiaen organ work, "Les Anges," following the Amner anthem, the connection being that both the 17th and 20th century composers depict angels attending the birth of Christ. No fluttering wings for Messiaen - the din from his angels would have awakened half of Bethlehem.

The performances are very good. Michael Howard was founder and director of the Renaissance Singers as well as music director of Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire. He played a significant role in the revival of Renaissance music in post-war Britain.

Nave of Ely Cathedral

According to the contemporary Gramophone review (included in the download), Howard utilized women's voices for the Singers' London concerts, replacing them with the boys of the Ely Cathedral choir for this recording. The organist was Arthur Wills, who replaced Howard as the Ely music director soon after this record was made, remaining there for 32 years.

Composer John Amner was himself an Ely Cathedral music director, in the 17th century. By that time, the Cathedral, an astonishingly beautiful place, had already been in existence for more than five centuries.

The sound is reasonably good, although the pitch was about a quarter tone off. My copy is mono. Argo also issued a stereo version (see ad below). Decca would soon take over Argo, and my record is a slightly later pressing on Decca's London label made for export to the US.

The cover art above is by the wonderful Arthur Wragg, who did many designs for Argo in its early years. You can see a selection of his work for the label here.

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Ad from December 1958 Gramophone (click to enlarge)

Carols from Contemporary Composers, 1952

Contemporary Records is known today for West Coast jazz recordings. But when it was founded in 1951, it primarily featured antiquarians such as the Firehouse Five Plus Two, Turk Murphy, Bob Scobey and Kid Ory. It wasn't until July 1952 that the company signed Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars, a seminal West Coast ensemble.

Along with his love for jazz, Contemporary founder Lester Koenig wanted to provide an outlet for the classical composers of the day. One of his first efforts in that realm is this little-known LP of Contemporary Christmas Carols, which came out in 1952, I believe. Contemporary commissioned carols from five young American composers for the album - David Kraehenbuehl, Arthur Harris, Charles Jones, John Gruen and Manus Sasonkin.

The LP comes to us courtesy of my friend Ernie, the Christmas music maven who has seemingly published every obscure Christmas LP on his blog except this one, which he reserved for readers of Big 10-Inch Record.

The carols contained herein all are composed in a conservative, accessible style that will not frighten the horses on your sleigh. But none are truly memorable, nor are they widely performed, to my knowledge.

The five young composers of 66 years ago all have passed on, and none became famous for their music, although each is notable in his own way. The best known is probably John Gruen, for his work as a critic. Here are a few words about each composer.

David Kraehenbuehl (1923-97) was an American composer, theorist, and creator of piano-teaching materials. A student of Paul Hindemith at Yale, he was on the Colorado College faculty, moving to Yale, where he stayed until 1960. Many of his compositions have a religious inspiration.

Arthur Harris (1927-92) was a pianist, composer and arranger who became known for his arrangements for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Philadelphia Orchestra, including much Christmas music. He studied with Stefan Wolpe and Hindemith. He also wrote for Broadway and jazz ensembles, and even did a few industrial musicals.

Charles Jones (1910-97) was Canadian-born composer. He studied at Juilliard with Bernard Wagenaar. He later taught at Mills College with Darius Milhaud, as well as at Juilliard and the Mannes College of Music. A CD of his compositions is available on Albany Records.

Manus Sasonkin (1930-92) studied with Quincy Porter, Hindemith, Gardner Read and Arnold Schoenberg. In addition to composing, Sasonkin taught, was an active harpsichordist, and appeared in and wrote music for theatre productions.

John Gruen (1926–2016) became a well-known cultural critic for the New York Herald Tribune and New York magazine, and was an author and photographer, in addition to his musical works. As a composer, he wrote an early set of songs that was issued on the first ever Elektra LP.

The scrupulous performances on the LP are led by the superb conductor Margaret Hillis. Performing are members of her New York-based Concert Choir, here comprising six voices. Hillis moved to the Midwest in 1957 to found and direct the Chicago Symphony Chorus, which achieved great renown under her direction. Her recording of Masses by Lou Harrison and Wilhelm Killmayer is available on this blog.

Thanks again to Ernie for this transfer and for the complete scans, including labels and texts.

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Christmas with Marilyn Maye and Skitch Henderson

Not too long ago, my friend Ernie put out a general appeal looking for this LP, which had eluded him. It's one of a series of Christmas records put out by the U.S. Air Force in the 1960s, featuring its musical ensembles and guest stars.

Ernie has about everything Christmas related, so I was glad that I was able to supply him with a copy of the album from my stock of holiday records.

Before I shipped it out, I tried to transfer it for possible use here. That was back when my recording equipment was giving me fits, so I never did succeed in getting a usable dub before I sent it off to a safe haven with Ernie down in Florida.

Fortunately, Ernie had no such trouble with the needle staying in the groove when he went to play the LP, and today he posted his transfer of this very worthwhile record.

It features the excellent if little-remembered singer Marilyn Maye on side 1, and on side 2 Skitch Henderson introducing a diverse group of performers taken from previous Air Force Christmas LPs, including Jack Jones and the Free Design.

There's more about this 1969 LP on Ernie's site. I think you'll enjoy this one!

Christmas with Bing Crosby and Dick Haymes, Plus a New Year's Romance

Here are Christmas contributions from two of the finest baritones of the last century, Bing Crosby and Dick Haymes, in their primes.

For Haymes, I've assembled his five V-Disc recordings of Christmas fare from a bootleg collection of dubious provenance. Two songs - "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and "God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen" - are dubs from Haymes' 1947 Decca Christmas album. "Silent Night," "O Come, All You Faithful" and "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" are taken from broadcasts, I believe.

Dick Haymes

Bing serenades us with 10 seasonal items, all from airchecks dating from 1942 to 1946. The songs range from several Holiday Inn numbers - including "White Christmas" - to two versions of "Adeste Fidelis."

I am sure that most or all of the Crosby material has appeared elsewhere, but I chose to transfer them from a 1970s bootleg with execrable sound - noisy, off pitch and out of kilter. Why? Because I could find it, of course. The results are not too bad, save for some momentary squealing on one cut that I haven't entirely eradicated.

All told, the sound on this material is certainly acceptable, and is sure to please the fans of these two exceptional artists.

An Ardmore New Year's Romance: Three's a Crowd

David Federman has assembled another collection for us, this one titled "An Ardmore New Year's Romance: Three's a Crowd." He explains:

"How funny that we should spend the one night of the year meant for farewells and welcomes painting the town red because we otherwise might feel blue. I’ve decided to paint the year-end town of Ardmore soft white as in candlelight and snow."

As usual, David has put together a diverse 30-song playlist ranging from Bing's "Let Start the New Year's Right" (which also figures in my collection above) to Duke Ellington to Isham Jones to Morton Gould. The link can be found in the comments to this post.

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1944 ad (click to enlarge)

A Country Christmas Collection from 1949

My friend Lee brought this 10-inch LP to my attention not long ago, after I had expressed admiration for Ray Smith's recording of "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas," which it contains.

I'm glad I acquired the album - it's very enjoyable and the sound came up nicely.

Ray Smith

Half the LP is devoted to Gene Autry, one of the best known Christmas troubadors and one of the stars of Columbia's artist roster. But let's first discuss the relatively obscure Ray Smith, who despite his talent was with the label only for a year or two. Born in California, Smith was working in New York when he managed to get a contract with Columbia Records in 1949. He had already produced a few sides for National the year before.

Columbia had Smith record "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas" and "An Old Christmas Card" in one of his first few sessions for them. The former tune dates from the 19th century, while the latter was a new item by Vaughn Horton. The single did relatively well, but Smith only had a few more dates for the label and, as far as I can tell, never recorded another Christmas song.

Smith was from the Eddy Arnold school of singing, but when I first heard his voice, it put me in mind of Jim Reeves, a later artist. Reeves in fact remade "An Old Christmas Card" in 1963, and his version is the one that is heard today, if the song is heard at all.

The label of Smith's 78 says he is accompanied by string band, but it sure sounds like organ and chimes on "An Old Christmas Card" and guitar and organ on "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas."

Gene Autry's records, in contrast, feature his version of a Western swing band, with trumpet and twin fiddles prominent. The big hit on this LP was "Here Comes Santa Claus," released in 1947. On 78, that tune was coupled with "An Old Fashioned Tree," also included here.

The other Autry songs, "Santa, Santa, Santa" and "He's a Chubby Little Fellow," date from 1949. Although less familiar than some of Autry's fare, they are no less enjoyable.

Columbia really didn't have much of a country artist roster. The back cover of this LP shows that its early long-playing catalog could offer only albums by Bob Wills, Roy Acuff, Bob Atcher, Al Dexter, George Morgan and Spade Cooley.

To fill out its country Christmas collection, Columbia had to reach back to its predecessor ARC, whose catalog it acquired in 1938. Fortunately, the two items it chose from that source are good ones, even though one is in no way countrified.

The Hoosier Hot Shots

First, we have the wonderful Hoosier Hot Shots with a rollicking version of "Jingle Bells," with the conceit that they are playing the tune while riding in the sleigh. The Hot Shots recorded the number in 1936, relatively early in their recording career. ARC issued it on Melotone, Conqueror and perhaps other labels.

The earliest item on the LP, "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" dates from 1934, and was originally issued on Melotone and Conqueror as by the American Novelty Orchestra. ARC used that orchestra name as a pseudonym for a variety of bands, including Victor Young, Johnny Messner, Jack Shilkret and Joe Green. Discographer Brian Rust shows Johnny Messner's brother Dick as having recorded "Jingle Bells" in 1935 for ARC, which issued the title under the American Novelty Orchestra name, so his band is another possibility. (UPDATE: Allan Sutton's Pseudonymns on American Records, which I recently acquired, confirms my surmise that this was Dick Messner's orchestra.)

Whatever the case, it's a spirited rendition with a reedy vocal entirely characteristic of the period, and great fun - as is the whole LP.

The Billboard ad below shows the Columbia Christmas issues for 1948, which included four of the numbers from this LP. Also included are the wonderful Sinatra holiday records from that period, and a set by the Lyn Murray Singers, which appeared on this blog in 2013 and is still available. Unfortunately, the Country Christmas Collection does not include the Korn Kobblers' "Don't Give Me No Goose for Christmas, Grandma," which either has to do with poultry or tickling, not sure which.

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The Big 10 Christmas Collection, Plus Many Remastered Reups

My friends Ernie and Lee have been posting Christmas records daily, and you should be following them if you enjoy the genre. Ernie in particular has been setting a blistering pace. This year, he has already included more Hanukkah records among his stash than I have offered Christmas records.

That said, I do try to keep my holiday inventory in stock. I have uploaded 76 Christmas LPs or collections in the last 11 years, and every one of them is still available. (Please let me know if there are any oversights.) Just click on the Christmas label in the directory on the right. One caveat: when you go back to the early days, the sound quality may not be up to my current-day standard. I have honed my skills as the years have passed.

My habit has been to remaster the old shares when people request uploads. Today I have a large number of remastered reups for you, including a few Christmas items. Let me put the holiday items at the top of the list, then proceed to the many other LPs. As usual, the links below will take you to the original post, where the links to the shares can be found in the comments.

Christmas with the Crooners. The Julius LaRosa Christmas EP at left kicks off a collection that showcases some of the best male voices of the 40s and 50s - Frankie Laine, Eddie Fisher, Johnny Mercer, Tony Martin and Johnny Desmond.

Christmas Music from M-G-M. A diverse collection of M-G-M singles. Includes the Korn Kobblers (love that name), Jimmy Durante, Lionel Barrymore, Mary Mayo, Little Rita Faye, Leslie Uggams and the great Barry Gordon with "I'm Gettin' Nuttin' for Christmas."

Jo Stafford Christmas 45s. This collection centers on the 1949 Christmas medleys that Jo recorded with frequent partner Gordon MacRae. It also features Capitol and Columbia singles from the 40s and 50s. Remastered in 2014 and treasurable!

Rose Marie. For this filmed Friml operetta, Ann Blyth shared the screen and the grooves with the remarkable Howard Keel and the unremarkable Fernando Lamas. Also Marjorie Main and Bert Lahr. I think I may prefer Lahr to Lamas.

The Desert Song. Another movie operetta, this one from Romberg and starring Kathryn Grayson. It's an excellent "songs from the film" compilation that pairs her with the mellifluous Tony Martin. (Her film co-star, Gordon MacRae, made a competing collection.)

So This Is Love. Another Kathryn Grayson musical, a biopic of Grace Moore. It includes everything from opera arias to "Everyone Ought to Know How to Do the Tickle Toe," which is just as awful as it sounds. Generally good listening, though, in fine sound.

Ballet Music from M-G-M Films. This compilation is largely devoted to the obscure film Unfinished Dance, so is worthwhile on that count. Also includes the ballet from The Pirate and the version of "Slaughter on 10th Avenue" seen in Words and Music.

Enescu Conducts Enescu - 1. Composer George Enescu conducts the Concerts Colonne orchestra in his first Romanian Rhapsody on this Remington LP. Coupled with the Liszt "Les Preludes," from a Viennese group led by George Singer.

Enescu Conducts Enescu - 2. George Enescu returns with his second Romanian Rhapsody. George Singer returns, too, this time with Smetana's "The Moldau." Adorably hokey cover by Alex Steinweiss. Is that fellow supposed to be Romanian or Czech?

Georgescu Conducts Enescu. Enescu cedes the conductor's podium to his compatriot George Georgescu in this Electrecord LP that couples the Romanian Rhapsodies. Now why didn't Remington think of that? George Singer could have had his own LP.

Stokowski Conducts Falla and Borodin."El Amor Brujo" and the Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor in characteristically atmospheric performances led by Leopold Stokowski. Nan Merriman assists in the Falla suite. Recordings are from 1946 and 1950.

Lawrance Collingwood Conducts Elgar. Less frequently heard Elgar - the "Nursery Suite" and "Three Bavarian Dances," along with the Serenade for Strings. Collingwood was better known for producing records than conducting, but he does well here.

Dorothy Carless Sings Informally. Cabaret singer and pianist Dorothy Carless in a well-chosen program of Kurt Weill and Harold Arlen songs. Carless is relatively unknown these days, but this LP is a gem. It was made for Commodore in 1953.

A Shorty Warren Party. Last - and least - we have the worst-recorded LP ever to appear on this blog. It is what seems to be a private pressing done for the Western swing ensemble Shorty Warren and His Western Rangers, who were riding the range in New Jersey when this was made.

I'll be back later in the week with more Christmas music.

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A Bedford Falls Christmas Plus a Huge Nonesuch Christmas Bouquet

Our indefatigable contributors David Federman and 8H Haggis have once again been busy, and the result is two collections that are sure to please. David calls his "A Bedford Falls Christmas - Homecoming" and 8H has named his a "HUGE Nonesuch Christmas Bouquet."

A Bedford Falls Christmas - Homecoming

David's compilations are very affecting - you should try them if you haven't as yet. He writes, "I have prepared a nostalgic mix for penurious sentimentalists like myself who remember pre-MasterCard Christmases funded completely by savings accounts and piggy banks, ones rooted in wishes no department store or its Santa could make come true.

"I call it: 'A Bedford Falls Christmas: Homecoming,' in homage to the America Frank Capra affirmed in 'It’s A Wonderful Life' where George Bailey saw how much worse the world would be without him and went on living to prevent it becoming Pottersville. The songs reflect the values of the world his humanity saves: needs based on compassion not consumption."

The link to this 30-song collection can be found in the comments to this post.

A HUGE Nonesuch Christmas Bouquet

Our friend 8H has prepared a Christmas bouquet drawn from "great, old, valued (and of course out of print) Nonesuch LPs!" It can be found in the comments to the 20 Christmas Tunes from Vintage 78s post. As always, these are limited-time shares that will only be available for a few weeks yet.

The collection is so huge, 8H split it into three parts. Let me provide an outline of its contents.

Part 1

An Eighteenth Century Concert/The London Harpsichord Ensemble

J. S. Bach - Cantata "Gott Soll Allein Mein Herze Haben"/Eva Bornemann, contralto, Yves Rudelle Vocal Ensemble, Saare CO, Karl Ristenpart

Baroque Music for Recorders/Concentus Musicus of Denmark, I. K. Mathiesen, A. H. Mathiesen

Beethoven - Quintet in E Flat for Piano & Winds, Octet in E Flat for Winds/Paris Wind Ensemble, Roger Boutry, piano

Music Of The French Baroque/Chamber Orchestra Of Versailles, Bernard Wahl

Part 2

Battle Music/Angelicum Orchesta of Milan, Newell Jenkins

Music at Drottningholm/Ulf Bjoerlin, conductor

The Legacy of the Mannheim School/Saare CO, Karl Ristenpart

Purcell - Sonata for Trumpet and Strings, Suites from The Virtuous Wife & The Gordian Knot Untied, Pieces for Harpsichord (with Ruggero Gerlin)/Rhenish Chamber Orchestra of Cologne, Gunter Kehr

Telemann - Suite for Flute, Strings and Continuo in A Minor; Suite for Strings and Continuo in F Sharp Minor; Concerto for Violin, Strings and Continuo in A Minor/Cologne Soloists Ensemble, Helmut Müller-Brühl (Hans-Jürgen Möhring, flute)

Part 3

Albinoni - Works including the Giazotto Adagio - Sinfonia Instrumental Ensemble, Jean Witold

Military Fanfares, Marches & Choruses from the Time of Napoleon - Brass And Percussion Ensembles of Gardiens De La Paix De Paris, Desire Dondeyne

Poulenc - Clarinet Sonata, Oboe Sonata, Aubade/André Boutard, clarinet, Pierre Pierlot, oboe, Jacques Février, piano, Lamoureux Orchestra, Serge Baudo

Haydn - Two Concerti for Flute, Oboe And Orchestra/Jean-Pierre Rampal, Pierre Pierlot, Collegium Musicum of Paris, Roland Douatte

Telemann, Vivaldi – The Splendor Of Brass/Laurence Boulay, harpsichord, Georges Barboteu & Gilbert Cousier, horns, Collegium Musicum Of Paris, Roland Douatte

Stamitz - Symphony in A Major, Mozart - Divertimento K.136/Tibor Varga Orchestra, Munich Chamber Orchestra

Stölzel - Concerto Grosso for Trumpets, Winds, Strings and Harpsichord, Telemann - Concerto for Three Trumpets, Two Oboes, Strings and Percussion, Suite In A Minor. Soloists, Chamber Orchestra of Versailles, Bernard Wahl

Sad to say, 8H tells us this will be his last contribution. If so, I can only convey our thanks for the extraordinary riches he has bestowed!

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The Magnavox Chorus and Virgil Fox - Christmas Favorites

My friend Ernie shared this one many years ago, but I decided to transfer my own copy, not so much because I am crazy about the Magnificent Magnavox Chorus (they aren't) but because they split the LP with the magnificent Virgil Fox (he is).

Oh, the Magnavox folks aren't bad - they are pleasant to listen to. But Fox is a constant delight, and this album is half his doing. It's a nice addition to his Christmas catalog, some of which has appeared here previously.

Virgil Fox

The LP was a promotional item, probably given away by dealers who handled the Magnavox line of audio equipment and televisions. I believe it is either from 1957 or 1958. The notes make reference to 1956 in the past tense, and in 1959, the LP would likely have had to be in stereo, to be current with the dual-channel equipment that was new in the market. This one is mono. (UPDATE: reader Boursin, a wily person, checked the matrix numbers in the dead wax, which have a code that tells us that the record was pressed in 1956.)

The choir's repertoire is almost exclusively holiday favorites. Fox, however, ranges more widely. The cover and labels do not identify what he is playing, unfortunately, and I don't know most of the pieces. So I have labeled them generically as "Organ Interlude" and the like. If any organ savants out there know these pieces, please let us know what they are!

Just to be clear, the chorus and Fox do not perform together. Magnavox must have licensed the organ cuts to fill out the LP and bring some star power to the proceedings. As far as I can tell, the Fox items do not appear on any of his other records. He performs at the organ of Riverside Church in New York, where he was in residence from 1946-65.

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Music for the Holidays, Plus Limited-Time Uploads

This is the time for sharing holiday music, and today I want to point you to two of my favorite sites for Christmas tunes, and let you know about a new compilation from our own David Federman. Plus Santa himself in the form of 8H Haggis arrives with a vast array of presents for all good little girls and boys - especially those who are fond of Eugene Ormandy's records.

Big Apple Bash - A New Year's Musical Narrative

First, David's contribution, which he is calling "Big Apple Bash - A New Year's Musical Narrative." He tells us, "If you think there's a crisis in Christmas music, then there's an absolute catastrophe in New Years music. This mix is the first attempt of two to remedy this cultural malady." The selection takes you through one festive night in New York City, particularly focusing on the music of the 1930s. There are 30 songs here, all winners.

David explained his compilation in the comments to a previous post, but I have included his introductory remarks in the download. You can find the link in the comments to the post.

Two Great Sites for Christmas Music

Just a brief plug for two of my blogging pals, who have been at this even longer than me. Ernie of Ernie (Not Bert) specializes in Christmas music. If he doesn't have it, it doesn't exist. This year, he's been posting holiday music since Thanksgiving, and has already pumped out 30 LPs. My favorite is the Capitol Christmas promo LP set from 1957, with Fred Waring introducing all of the label's holiday offerings from that year, but there are lots of oddities and rarities on Ernie's site.

Meanwhile, my friend Lee of the Music You Possibly Won't Hear Anyplace Else blog is already on his third Christmas compilation of the year. Lee specializes in restoring 78s, and the sounds he wrings from these relics is a constant source of amazement to me. This is what Christmas sounded like to your grandparents and great-grandparents.

Limited-Time Uploads from 8H

The music machine called 8H Haggis has been particularly industrious lately, so much so that I am having a hard time keeping up with him. This week's booty features an enormous collection of Eugene Ormandy recordings, all processed with the unusual care that 8H lavishes on every project.

As always, see the comments to the posts below for what 8H has for you, as well as his amusing and enlightening comments. I suggest searching on the composer or artist to minimize scrolling. Note that these are limited-time uploads - the links may not last for more than a few weeks.

In the Two from Morton Gould, More Christmas Presents, Plus Limited-Time Uploads comments

Coates - London Suite/Morton Gould
Copland - Symphony No. 3/Antal Dorati
Debussy - La Mer/Bruno Walter
Respighi - Vetrate di Chiesa (Church Windows)/Antal Dorati
Strauss - Don Juan/Bruno Walter
Strauss - Sinfonia Domestica/Bruno Walter
Stravinsky - Petrushka/Ernest Ansermet
Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture, Capriccio Italien/Antal Dorati
Vaughan Williams - Greensleeves and Tallis Fantasias, English Folksong Suite/Morton Gould

Plus an 8H Haggis Historic Schumann Symphony Cycle:
Symphony No. 1/Sir Adrian Boult
Symphony No. 2/Georg-Ludwig Jochum
Symphony No. 3/Arturo Toscanini
Symphony No. 4/Eugene Goossens

In the A Pre-Climate Change Christmas - the Complete Set comments

Bartók - Second Suite/Antal Dorati
Bartók - First Suite/János Ferencsik
Mozart - Piano Sonata K.331, Fantasia in c K. 457, Sonata in c K. 475/Paul Badura-Skoda
Mozart - Piano Trios (K. 496, 542, 458)/Jean Fournier, Antonio Janigro, Paul Badura-Skoda
Mozart - Piano Concertos Nos. 19 and 27/Paul Badura-Skoda, Felix Prohaska
Mozart - Piano Concertos Nos. 22 and 24/Paul Badura-Skoda (conducting from the keyboard)

In the Unre-released Charles Munch, Part 1 comments

Saint-Saëns - Symphony No. 3 (live)/Charles Munch (improved sound)

In the Bartok from Sándor and Ormandy, Plus Miaskovsky comments

An Ormandy Extravaganza:
Bach - Air on the G string
Barati - Concerto for String Orchestra
Bartók - Divertimento
Bartók - Four Pieces for Orchestra
Bartók - Second Piano Concerto/Alexis Weissenberg
Beethoven - Eroica (1981 recording)
Beethoven - Violin Concerto/Zino Francescatti
Brahms - Symphony No. 2 (1953)
Brahms - Variations on a Theme by Haydn
Brahms - Violin Concerto/Zino Francescatti
Bruckner- Symphony No. 7 (1968)
Casella - Paganiniana
Castelnuovo-Tedesco - Guitar Concerto No. 1/John Williams
Corelli - Christmas Concerto
Debussy - Iberia (1951)
Dvorak - New World Symphony (1966)
Elgar - Cockaigne Overture
First Chair with music by Griffes, Phillips, Purcell/Clarke, Handel Weber, Beethoven, and Chabrier
First Chair Encores, Vol. I
Gabrieli/Stein - Sonata Pian e Forte
Ginastera - Concerto for String Orchestra
Haydn - Symphonies Nos. 7 (1950) & 100 (1953)
Haydn - Symphony No. 101 (1949) & No. 99 (1954)
Mendelssohn - Scherzo from the Octet
Paganini - Violin Concerto No. 1/Zino Francescatti
Paganini/Ormandy - Moto Perpetuo
Poulenc - Organ Concerto/E. Power Biggs (1962)
Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky (1979)
Prokofiev - Scythian Suite
Rachmaninoff - Symphony No. 3, Vocalise (1954)
Rachmaninoff - The Bells (1954)
Ravel - La Valse (1953)
Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe
Respighi - Feste Romane
Rimsky-Korsakov - Russian Easter Overture (1946)
Rimsky-Korsakov - Sheherazade (1953)
Schoenberg - Theme and Variations
Schoenberg - Verklaerte Nacht
Schubert - Symphony No. 9
Sibelius - En Saga & Tapiola
Sibelius - Four Legends from the Kalevala (1951)
Strauss, J. - Fledermaus music et al. (1956)
Strauss, J. - Waltzes (1934-35)
Strauss, R. - Der Rosekavalier Suite (1947), Death and Transfiguration (1945-46)
Strauss, R. - Suites from Der Rosenkavalier & Die Frau ohne Schatten (1957)
Strauss, R. - Don Juan & Don Quixote (both 1955)
Strauss, R. - Ein Heldenleben (1954)
Tchaikovsky - Pathetique (1953)
Tchaikovsky - Romeo & Juliet, 1812 Festival Overture, Marche Slave
Tchaikovsky - Serenade in C
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 5 (1950)
Telemann - Concertos for various instruments
Vaughan Williams - Tallis Fantasia (1963)
Vivaldi - Concerti for 2 Violins/David Oistrakh & Isaac Stern
Wagner - Orchestral Program
Walton - Belshazzar's Feast
Walton - Violin Concerto/Zino Francescatti
Yardumian - Armenian Suite

In the 20 Christmas Tunes from Vintage 78s comments
"Echo-Konzerte" (music by Mozart, Haydn, Vivaldi and Roman)/Rudolf Baumgartner
Liszt - A Faust Symphony/János Ferencsik
Liszt - Missa Solemnis/János Ferencsik
Nicolai - Te Deum/Carl Mathieu Lange

In The First Recording of Vaughan Williams' Pastoral Symphony comments

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 5/Sir Adrian Boult
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 5/Paul Kletzki

In the Mewton-Wood in Tchaikovsky 1 comments

Haydn - Symphonies No. 30 ("Allelujah") & 31 ("Hornsignal")/Hans Swarowsky

In the Kurtz Conducts Chopin, Villa-Lobos and Herold comments

Berlioz - Harold in Italy/David Oistrakh conducting
Brahms - Piano Concerto No. 2/Gyorgy Sandor, Rolf Reinhardt
CPE Bach program/Jean-Pierre Rampal, Robert Bex, Pierre Boulez
Kabalevsky - The Comedians Suite/Efrem Kurtz
Lecocq - Ballet Suite "Mam'zelle Angot"/Efrem Kurtz
Paganini - Violin Concerto No. 4, Bottesini - Grand Duo/Ruggiero Ricci, Piero Bellugi
Rameau - Suite from Castor and Pollux, Gluck - Suite from Orfée/Charles Mackerras
Schumann - "Fanfares and Fantasy Pieces"/Nobuko Imai, Harold Wright, Harris Goldsmith
Villa-Lobos - Little Train of the Caipira/Artur Rodziński

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20 Christmas Tunes from Vintage 78s

My record record-transferring paraphernalia has had a bad case of the troubles for some weeks now. The main turntable isn't tracking properly and is having some speed issues. My usual analog-to-digital converter has been flaky. And even my audio drivers are acting up, resetting themselves to mono repeatedly for no good reason.

While these problems get sorted out, I've been plunging into the limitless depths of the Internet Archive in search of items to bring to you. Today I am kicking off the Christmas sharing season with a selection of 20 holiday tunes taken from vintage 78s, as extensively remastered and repitched by me. The sound on all these is very good, with the one exception noted.

The selections date from 1945 to 1957, when 78s were being phased out. (I am just old enough to have purchased quite a few new 78s myself - I've been a record collector as long as I can remember.) I've selected familiar items in versions you may not heard and unfamiliar songs, sprinkling R&B, jazz and country selections among the pop platters, plus a polka!

The earliest item in our collection is from orchestra leader Mark Warnow and vocalist Dick Todd, the "Canadian Crosby." Both were mainstays of radio's Your Hit Parade in 1945. As far as I know, "All Around the Xmas Tree" was only recorded by them.

Next we have one of the innumerable jazz takes on "Jingle Bells." This specimen comes from a 1946 single helmed by veteran pianist Frank Signorelli, who was in the Original Memphis Five way back in 1917, and later in the ODJB. He's best known for writing "I'll Never Be the Same."

Also in 1946, Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers had a success with "Winter Wonderland." Capitol had a habit of reissuing this number during subsequent holiday seasons. This pressing is from 1950.

Steel guitar virtuoso Leon McAuliffe made his name with Bob Wills' band during the 1930s. In 1947, he recorded "A Cowboy's Christmas Song" for Majestic, with a vocal by Gene Autry sound-alike Jimmy Hall.

Another little known song, "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year," comes from 1948 and the tonsils of Crosbyite John Laurenz, who recorded for Mercury, Pan-American and Jubilee during his career. If there are any Bowery Boys fans out there, you may be interested to know that Laurenz dubbed Huntz Hall's vocals in the great Blues Busters, in which Satch becomes the world's most unlikely romantic crooner.

Also in 1948, country artist Doye O'Dell became the first to record "Blue Christmas." It wasn't a hit then, but the following year, Ernest Tubb did well with it, as did Hugo Winterhalter with the pop version in today's collection.

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" has endured so many awful recordings since it debuted in 1949 (in Neptune's Daughter), that it's refreshing to encounter one that throws away the coy aspect of the song in favor of a more straightforward approach. That's what you get from Pearl Bailey as the knowing female who is all too willing to be ensnared by the raspy wolfishness of Hot Lips Page, a trumpeter by trade. Their version came out on Columbia's budget label, Harmony, which Pearlie Mae manages to name-check during the proceedings.

Poor Hot Lips Page didn't even rate a mention in this ad

Frankie Yankovic, the most popular polka artist of the time, came up with "Christmas Polka" in 1949. As with many of Frankie's records, the chorus is nothing exciting, but the break is a wonder to behold. Yankovic also recorded a "Merry Christmas Polka" in 1950, but I believe the bigger hit version was by the Andrews Sisters.

Al Hibbler taped "White Christmas" for Decca later in the 50s, but today's version is an earlier one he did with the Ellingtonians for Mercer Ellington's label right at mid-century. The Ellingtonians were a side group from Duke's band led by Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney and Billy Strayhorn. Duke himself even showed up on one of their record dates. There is some overloading on the peaks here, which I have tried to moderate. This was caused by the transfer being done at too high a level, a no-no in digital recording.

Nineteen fifty also was the year for "Silver Bells," from Bob Hope's epic The Lemon Drop Kid. The hit versions were by Bing Crosby and Carol Richards for Decca and Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely for Capitol. Here we have Mercury's entry in this race, performed by Richard Hayes and Kitty Kallen.

Our final work from 1950 is the first of three tunes set down by the great Billy Eckstine for M-G-M - another version of "Blue Christmas." Skipping ahead slightly to 1953, we have Eckstine's two-sided holiday effort for the year, the unfamiliar "Christmas Eve" and the all-too-familiar "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve." The label says the conductor here is Lionel Newman. My ears say the arranger on "What Are You Doing" is Nelson Riddle.

M-G-M's holiday lineup for 1953

From 1952 or 1953, we have a "White Christmas" from the combination of adenoidal crooner Jack Russell and the Honey Dreamers, a vocal group that has appeared on this blog before. Russell was unknown to me, although he does appear on some Peter Pan children's records, as do the Honey Dreamers.

We move to Nashville and 1954 for an Ernest Tubb side called "Lonely Christmas Eve," with strong backing by some talented studio vets, including Owen Bradley on piano and Billy Byrd on guitar.

Also from 1954, jump blues artist Oscar McLollie joins us for a two-sided entry on Modern, the boisterous "Dig That Crazy Santa Claus" and the lugubrious "God Gave Us Christmas." As with many of McLollie's efforts, these are Leon René productions.

Johnny Desmond, who has been featured here a few times, offers up "Happy Holidays to You," which comes from 1955. This is the flip of "Santo Natale," which I vaguely recall sharing here before.

To close things off, we have two earnest efforts from Big Maybelle, "Silent Night" and "White Christmas," on Savoy. Maybelle started out as the less colorfully named Mabel Smith, band singer for Tiny Bradshaw. Okeh records bestowed the fancier name on her when she joined its roster. This single comes from 1957, when the 78 era was drawing to a close.

Please enjoy these tunes, and the entire festive season! More soon, if my recording apparatus cooperates.

Kurtz Conducts Chopin, Villa-Lobos and Herold

The Alex Steinweiss cover above is particularly appropriate for this recording - conductor Efrem Kurtz made his name as a ballet conductor, principally with the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo.

Here, the Russian-born maestro leads the Gretchaninov orchestration of the Les Sylphides ballet, drawn from the works of Chopin. The LP also contains the Villa-Lobos symphonic poem Uirapurú. As a bonus, I've added Kurtz's rendition of Hérold's Zampa Overture, taken from a Columbia Harmony compilation LP.

Efrem Kurtz

Kurtz conducts the excellent Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York in all three recordings. The Chopin and Villa-Lobos pieces date from an October 1949 recording session in Columbia's 30th Street studios. The Hérold comes from an April 1945 session in Carnegie Hall.

Kurtz had emigrated to the US in 1944 to become the music director of the Kansas City Philharmonic. I don't believe he made any recordings with that ensemble. The Zampa overture was his first American recording, and the first music he recorded that wasn't drawn from the ballet. His US recordings were all with the New York Philharmonic until he moved to the music directorship of the Houston Symphony in 1948. There, Columbia engaged him to direct suites from South Pacific and Kiss Me, Kate, followed by music from Satie and Auric. I have the LP of the two French suites, and will transfer it at a later date.

After the Chopin/Villa-Lobos sessions, Kurtz began recording for English Columbia, first with the Royal Philharmonic, later with the Philharmonia. He also continued his sessions in New York. He left Houston in 1954, becoming music director in Liverpool from 1955 to 1957. The balance of his career was as guest conductor. Kurtz died in 1995 at the age of 94.

The Chopin is elegantly done, the Hérold is lively, and the mystical Villa-Lobos is impressive, as are all the Kurtz recordings I have heard. The sound is very good.

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