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News at SoundtrackCollector
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The Lost Transcriptions - Volume 4 released
5-Sep-2013 -
Guild Light Music in Switzerland has released Volume 4 in their The Golden Age of Light Music: The Lost Transcriptions series. But what are ‘Transcriptions’ and why have they been ‘lost’? Generally speaking the term refers to recordings of live performances made for use by broadcasting organisations before the advent of audio tape. The majority of these discs were destroyed after use, and those that have survived (mostly in private collections) are of historical importance. These CD's: Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3 and Volume 4 include rare, long forgotten performances by the likes of Sidney Torch, David Rose, Percy Faith and George Melachrino. They were recorded by names familiar within broadcasting circles such as the BBC, Standard, World, Thesaurus and Lang-Worth, to name just a few. Another valuable source was the entertainment arms of the Armed Forces during World War 2, including the Overseas Recorded Broadcasting Service in Britain, and the Armed Forces Radio Service in the USA.
For many people sound recordings probably just mean commercial recordings, offered for sale by record companies who have strived to anticipate what their potential customers will be willing to buy. But alongside the familiar commercial gramophone records, a large number of recordings were also being made to serve the needs of various sections of the entertainment business. Today it is often labelled ‘production music’ or ‘stock music’; it often came from the music publishers themselves who wanted their music to be used in the cinema, radio, television, newsreels, documentaries – in fact anywhere that music could play a useful part. Some larger radio stations also made special programmes to offer to other broadcasters around the world, who maybe couldn’t afford the cost of some of these lavish productions. These were usually referred to as ‘Transcriptions’.
Four leading Light Orchestras provide the lion’s share of the music in this collection – David Rose, Mantovani, Sidney Torch and Percy Faith. In each case they have enjoyed international success with their numerous commercial recordings, and it may come as a surprise to some of their admirers to learn that they were also actively involved in making transcription recordings.
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