Americana from Alec Wilder, Bruce Catton and Carl Sandburg

Here is an interesting recording I transferred by request, with two works by that distinguished musician Alec Wilder.

Alec Wilder

First is an earnest piece written upon the centennial of the US Civil War, Names from the War, which sets verse by the popular historian Bruce Catton. Dave Garroway is the narrator.

Bruce Catton

That work is coupled with an instrumental Carl Sandburg Suite, which is taken from tunes chosen from Sandburg's American Songbag; it is not settings of his poetry.

Carl Sandburg

Some background -  Wilder was primarily a songwriter, but he also wrote quite a bit of instrumental music. Catton was best known for A Stillness at Appomattox, one of his several books on the Civil War. 

Walter Ehret

Dave Garroway was a television personality who was for several years the host of NBC's Today Show and the weekly program, Wide, Wide World. He appeared here recently introducing a jazz record featuring Lee Wiley. Conductor Walter Ehret, a Juilliard graduate, was the director of music for the Scarsdale schools and a widely published author of educational materials.

The record unfortunately received little fanfare, and the one review I have found did not like it. At all.

My own view is that Catton's narrative for Names from the War is evocative, and Garroway does a fine job reading it. I don't think the music gets in the way, although it is certainly from the standard patriotic mold. I enjoyed the Carl Sandburg Suite. The performances are good.

The record had a few sound problems that I've addressed, as follows.

First, the music was recorded in the very W-I-I-I-D-E stereo that was common in the early days. (The record was released in 1961.) I've narrowed it so that the left and right channels don't appear to be coming from different counties.

Dave Garroway, minus his hat

Next, Garroway sounded like he was speaking through his hat. I re-equalized his voice.

Finally, there was some groove damage or a pressing fault on the left channel early in the Carl Sandburg Suite. I've addressed this, although some minor noise may remain.

The record has a gatefold cover; the back features The Carl Sandburg Suite

And just so you don't think you're missing something, this is one of the shortest 12-inch LPs I own - 26 and a half minutes.

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