HERBERT SIMMONDS (Baritone)
THE WIRELESS MILITARY BAND, conducted by B. WALTON O'DONNELL
T. EARMONT DRYSDALE was a prolific Scottish composer, who was born in Edinburgh in 1866, and died in 1909. His Tam o' Shanter (an orchestral 'Concert Overture'), written in a week in 1890, won the thirty-guinea prize of the Glasgow society of Musicians. It deals with the weird and supernatural happenings in Burns's - famous poem. It is headed with the line, 'The hour approaches, Tam maun ride,' and at the opening we hear the motif representing the frantic dash for safety of poor Tam, pursued by witches.
A further quotation from the poem, given in the score, describes the wild night, in which: 'a child might understand
The de'il had business on his hand.'
Since the time when the German country dance became the Waltz of the ballroom, has any composer of importance existed who has not written Waltzes? The Waltzes of some of the greatest composers have been amongst the most lovable compositions. Probably, many people would feel that Brahms never wrote more beautiful music than in some of his Waltzes. Yet, strangely enough, not more than one or two are really widely known. He wrote Waltzes for various small combinations of performers. There are, for instance, his Liebeslieder, or Love Song Waltzes for Vocal Quartet and Piano Duet. Today we are to hear some of his Waltzes, originally written for the Piano, and newly arranged for Military Band.