The Talkies

Available for 18 days

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