The Talkies

Donald Macleod examines the use of light music in cinema in Britain and explores how the transition from silent movies to the talkies affected the genre.

The names of the composers of British light music - Coates, Ketèlby, Farnon, Dring or Tomlinson - might not be as well known as those of Mozart, Beethoven or Bach, but some of their music will be just as familiar to most listeners, and it still provides the soundtrack to many people’s everyday lives through, among other things, the theme music to their favourite TV and radio programmes. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod tracks the rise and fall of light music in Britain over roughly 100 years, from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th. He’ll be exploring the social history which led to this genre flourishing, from the late-Victorian theatre crowds in want of more popular fare after the successes of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operettas, to the orchestras which sprang up to entertain the burgeoning UK seaside resorts. Along the way, Donald will examine the explosion of music in people’s homes, as at first pianos and other instruments, and then radio and television sets, became affordable to households across the country, and the transition from silent movies to the talkies. Donald will also explore the challenges which the genre faced as audiences moved towards new ways of listening in the 20th century and the pioneers who have sought to keep this music alive.

In Wednesday’s episode, Donald examines the huge light music industry which built up around the use of music in cinemas during the silent movie era and explores how composers such as Frederic Curzon, Hubert Bath, and Richard Addinsell had to adapt to the changing needs of film with the advent of the talkies.

Frederick Curzon
Robin Hood – March of the Bowmen
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Adrian Leaper, conductor

Richard Addinsell
Love on the Dole – Main Titles - Sally Awakes; Courting Couples; Blackpool Outing; End Titles
BBC Philharmonic
Rumon Gamba, conductor

Frederic Curzon
The Dread Tribunal
New Concert Orchestra
Frederic Curzon, conductor

Frederic Curzon
Bravada: Paso Doble
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Adrian Leaper, conductor

Hubert Bath/ Charles Williams/ Jack Beaver/ Louis Levy
Music from the 39 Steps: 39 Steps / Highland hotel / Mr Memory / Finale
City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
Prague Philharmonic Choir
Paul Bateman, conductor

Richard Addinsell
Warsaw Concerto
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Hugh Wolff, conductor

Hubert Bath
Cornish Rhapsody
Daniel Adni, piano
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Kenneth Alwyn, conductor

Hubert Bath
Out of the Blue
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Gavin Sutherland, conductor