Sylvia Marlowe Plays Falla, Surinach and Rieti

After my recent post of harpsichordist Sylvia Marlowe playing the music of Vittorio Rieti, friend of the blog centuri asked if I had her recording of the Falla Harpsichord Concerto.

I do, indeed, and it is the centerpiece of this 1955 Capitol LP. Also on the record are Carlos Surinach's "Tientos" and the second of Marlowe's three traversals of Rieti's Partita.

Sylvia Marlowe

Marlowe is accompanied by the Concert Arts Players. "Concert Arts" was a nom de disque that Capitol hung on a variety of studio ensembles in the 1950s. I haven't been able to track down any further information about the musicians. The lack of credit seems ungenerous on the part of Capitol and perhaps Marlowe - these are all chamber works. The Falla is scored for six instruments, the Rieti for seven and the Surinach only three!

Regardless, it is a good record. The Falla is widely considered a masterpiece and the beguiling Rieti work is here even more persuasive than in the 1966 recording I posted not long ago. If I don't much care for the overbearing timps in "Tientos," it is a relatively brief work. (It seems to me that I also own Surinach's own recording of this piece, made in the same year for M-G-M.)

As I mentioned in my earlier Marlowe post, she specialized in contemporary music as much as the more often-heard baroque repertoire for the harpsichord. She also ventured into the realm of popular music - earlier in her career she made a living as a cabaret and radio attraction, and her first records were of popular music. Earlier this week I posted two boogie-woogie pieces that she borrowed from the repertoire of pianist Meade "Lux" Lewis, from a 78 dating from about a decade before this LP. Boogie on down to my other blog for those sides.

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Introducing Johnny Costa

André Previn's recent death reminded me that I had intended to present the first LP by another pianist strongly influenced by Art Tatum - Johnny Costa.

Costa's wizardry has appeared on this blog before, via a 1955 Coral LP, available here in a newly remastered version.

That Coral album dates from July 1955; this present record comes from February of the same year and was issued by Savoy. It's in the 10-inch format, although Savoy put it out later as a 12-incher.

Costa's first instrument was the accordion

My previous post tells you something of Costa's background. Here, let me just mention that he was the music director of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood for nearly 30 years until Costa's death in 1996. That show was produced in Pittsburgh, where both Costa and Fred Rogers spent most of their careers. Costa's early LPs, however, date from his time in New York, where this record was taped. His rhythm section on the date included the well-known bassist Gene Ramey and drummer Kenny Clarke.

I know that many of you enjoy André Previn's early recordings and those of Cy Coleman, both of whom play in a similar style. I can almost guarantee that you will like Johnny Costa as well.

I want to mention that my vintage copy of the LP was in deplorable shape - it sounded like it was recorded under a tin roof in a hail storm. But after some restoration, the sonics are good, save some slight discoloration on the piano tone. I've included a brief excerpt from the unrestored transfer for those who want to hear where I began.

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Previn Plays Hindemith, Barber and Martin

André Previn, who died this week, was a thoroughly remarkable musician. Several of his pop and jazz recordings have appeared here over the years:

• His astonishing early jazz recordings from 1947-50, made while he was still a teenager.

• His wonderfully eclectic score for one of the three segments in Gene Kelly's film, Invitation to the Dance. Previn manages to wedge in echoes of Britten, Khachaturian, Gershwin, Kenton, blues piano, salon music, mood music and much more.

• A set of songs written with his then-wife, Dory Langdon Previn, and performed by the superb jazz duo, Jackie and Roy.

• His pop success, the Secret Songs for Young Lovers LP, with its hit song, "Like Young," all featuring his piano and backing by David Rose.

For some reason, I've never featured Previn in the classical repertoire, and now, sadly, will need to do so posthumously.

Previn in 1961

The beginning of Previn's classical recording career is sometimes marked by his Britten/Copland orchestral session in St. Louis on March 25, 1963. But his recordings as classical pianist date back to the early 1950s, when he did a series of short works for RCA Victor. As far as I can determine, his next outing was a duo-piano Mozart record with Lukas Foss for Decca in 1956. In March 1960, Kostelanetz engaged him as soloist in two Gershwin works. Then, in November of that year, Previn taped the program for US Columbia that I'm presenting today.

Rather than sticking to the standard repertoire, Previn took on three works by living composers dating from the preceding 25 years - Paul Hindemith's Piano Sonata No. 3 from 1936, Samuel Barber's Excursions from 1944, and Frank Martin's Prelude No. 7 from 1948.

Previn plays these as naturally as he did the Art Tatum-like pieces that he recorded for RCA Victor a decade earlier. The Hindemith is something of a neo-baroque work. Barber's Excursions are his closest approach to writing in the Americana style that was popular in the 1940s. Surprisingly, Previn seems a little too chaste in his approach to this music. Martin's music is not to my taste, and this dour Prelude did little to change my mind.

The Hindemith was recorded on November 3, 1960; the Barber and Martin on November 29, 1960, all at Radio Recorders, Hollywood. While the LP was issued in stereo, this transfer is from my mono copy. The sound is good, though. I'm not sure what the circuit board graphic on the cover is supposed to represent.

Much or all of Previn's orchestral output has been reissued. I'll have to search around to see if I can locate something in my collection that isn't in print.

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Mac Wiseman - 'Tis Sweet to Be Remembered

It's been a week for notable deaths in the music world. I will be paying tribute to the remarkable André Previn soon, but before I do, I want to mention the passing of the beloved bluegrass musician Mac Wiseman, whose career dates to the early days of the genre.

Born in 1925 in north central Virginia, early in his career Wiseman had been a sideman for Molly O'Day, then a founding member of Flatt & Scruggs' Foggy Mountain Boys and a member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. This particular record captures Wiseman as a fledgling solo artist. He was one of Dot Records' first signings, and the album gathers 12 of his 1951-54 singles for that company.

Wiseman's high, clear voice was perfectly suited to the bluegrass genre, as is shown in his first record, "'Tis Sweet to Be Remembered," his 1951 take on a sentimental tune from 1902.

1953 Billboard ad touting many of the songs on this LP

Wiseman always was willing to try his hand at material from other types of music, and later in his career would chafe at being typed as a bluegrass artist. This compilation is squarely in the bluegrass realm, however, even though he brings in "Love Letters in the Sand," a 1931 pop song based on an 1881 melody. Wiseman's New York Times obituary states that his version of "Love Letters" was a cover of Pat Boone's hit record, but the opposite is true. Wiseman's dates from 1953, Boone's from 1957. Both were on Dot Records.

Wiseman recorded a great many LPs, and the songs on this 1957 compilation were later anthologized a number of times. I doubt, however, that many readers of this blog will be familiar with his artistry, so I wanted to bring him to your attention.

The recorded sound is good, although the pitch was quite sharp on several songs, which I have adjusted. My guess is that Dot increased the speed of some singles to give Wiseman even more of the high lonesome sound that is supposed to characterize bluegrass music.

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Sylvia Marlowe Plays Vittorio Rieti

The eminent American harpsichordist Sylvia Marlow (1908-1981) is heard today in two works dedicated to her by the composer Vittorio Rieti (1898-1994).

In the Concerto for Harpsichord, the orchestra is conducted by Samuel Baron, better known as a flutist, although he conducted throughout his career. Baron also takes part in the Partita for Flute, Oboe, String Quartet and Harpsichord, conducted by Marlowe from the keyboard.

Vittorio Rieti

These are delightful works in a neoclassical vein from the pen of Rieti, an Italian who was resident in the US after 1940. Despite the scowling portrait of the composer at left, Rieti's music is known for its charm. He composed two ballet scores for Serge Diaghilev during the 1920s, both choreographed by George Balanchine. The composer and choreographer continued to work together after both moved to America.

Marlowe was particularly fond of the Partita, which she commissioned and recorded three times. The Harpsichord Music Society, which she founded, commissioned the concerto.

Known both for her mastery of the baroque repertoire and her dedication to contemporary composers, Marlowe was one of the key figures in bringing renewed attention to the harpsichord during the mid-20th century.

Sylvia Marlowe

The performances here are everything you might wish, and the upfront sound is what American Decca was providing on disc during the 1960s. (These date from June 1966.) If anything, though, Marlowe's instrument is buried in the mix - in contrast to many other harpsichord records of the day, where the instrument is unrealistically loud. One minor drawback to the sound is the presence of some rustle in the right channel.

This transfer was in response to a request on another forum.

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The Blackwood Brothers' First LP

I've featured the Blackwood Brothers Quartet a few times on this blog and its companion, but have never offered a full album by the group. So here is the group's first LP, a 10-incher from 1952. And as a bonus, I have included the four songs added in 1956 to fill out a 12-inch version of the same album.

The Blackwoods were and are arguably the most important and popular southern gospel group of all time, sharing that status with the Statesmen and Hovie Lister.

Before and for some time after signing an RCA Victor contract, the Blackwoods put out records on their own label, a few of which you can find in the post on my singles blog. But greater prestige and better distribution were to be had with the RCA affiliation.

The eight songs on the 10-inch LP were recorded by the personnel on the cover above: (top) bass Bill Lyles and tenor Dan Huskey, (middle) lead James Blackwood and baritone R.W. Blackwood, and (bottom) pianist Jack Marshall. These date from January and May 1952.

The songs added to the 12-inch LP are "The Love of God" and "Everywhere He Went" from January 1952, and "Oh, What a Time" and "The Hand of God" from October 1952. On the latter two songs, tenor Bill Shaw replaced Dan Huskey. (This group is depicted at right, in an image from now-vanished Grand Old Gospel Reunion site.)

That group, which would remain intact for a few years, was widely admired. The Southern Gospel History site terms them, "Four outstanding, versatile vocalists accompanied by arguably the finest quartet pianist of the day. This was as close to a perfect quartet as the world of gospel music had experienced thus far."

In June 1954, the group won Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts competition, but just two weeks later a plane crash claimed the lives of R.W. Blackwood and Bill Lyles. After the tragedy, James Blackwood's first impulse was to disband, but he ultimately reformed the group with Cecil Blackwood replacing his brother R.W., and J.D. Sumner replacing Bill Lyles. This version of the quartet would remain together for 11 years, achieving tremendous success. I believe the 12-inch LP cover below depicts that quartet, although the earlier configurations are heard on the record.

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(From left) Bill Shaw, James Blackwood, Cecil Blackwood and J.D. Sumner

'Sweet and Low' with the Robert Shaw Chorale

Previously on this site, we have heard from the eminent choral conductor Robert Shaw leading Bach cantatas with Cleveland Orchestra members and presumably vocal forces from that ensemble's choir.

Today we find him guiding his namesake chorale in an early RCA Victor LP, recorded in 1950, just two years after he founded the group. The repertoire is nostalgic songs from long ago, which had attained newfound popularity in the postwar era. (See, for example, this collection from Jo Stafford and Gordon MacRae, also from 1950 and also including "Sweet and Low" and "In the Gloaming.")

The young Robert Shaw

The chorale's performances are predictably secure and sensitive. A few words about the soloists might be helpful.

Soprano Shirlee Emmons joined the chorale on its founding. She later was widely cast by regional opera companies, then became a noted voice teacher and author, including a book on Lauritz Melchior.

Baritone Raymond Keast sang for Shaw as far back as the latter's days with Fred Waring. Keast was in the Broadway casts of Allegro and Song of Norway in the 1940s. He also appeared on the 1955 RCA recording of La Forza del Destino (which included Shaw Chorale).

The accompanist is Raymond Viola. I haven't found much information on him, other than he was one of the artists on a 1952 RCA recording of the Bartok Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion.

RCA later turned this 10-inch record into a 12-incher by adding the six Schubert songs that the chorale's male voices had recorded in 1949. The sound on this version is quite good.

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The chorale in an informal moment on tour.
Shaw is at the center of things, counting the beer bottles.