ALTHOUGH it is the simple melody of ' Tom Bowling ' which impresses the hearer more than its sentiment, the song was composed as a quite sincere expression of grief on the death of Dibdin's eldest brother, whose name really was Tom. He was skipper of a merchantman on the Indian Service. Charles Dibdin himself, the composer. once had it in mind to pay a visit to India, and, to raise the necessary money, made a concert tour throughout most of England. His account of the tour, published in 1788 as The Musical Tour of Mr. Dibdin,' was the only result: although he actually embarked for India, stormy weather decided him to abandon the project, and he went. no farther than Torbay.
For many years connected with one or other of the London theatres, he composed many stage pieces of which more than one is still occasionally, heard. The greater part of the music in Lionel and Clarissa, for instance, was his, and The Waterman, The Ephesian Matron, and... The Quaker are not by any means forgotten. But one of his most interesting enterprises was an entertainment in which he not only wrote the words, and composed the music, but sang, recited, and played, providing the whole ' The evening's programme under the title, Whim of the Moment.' It was for this that many of his best-known songs were written -' Ben Backstay , ' The Lamplighter,' and others. which are still occasionally heard.

Contributors

Unknown:: Charles Dibdin
Unknown:: Ben Backstay

Source: Radio Times

20:00

An Orchestral Concert

5GB Daventry (Experimental)

Wed 25^th Dec 1929, 20:00 on 5GB Daventry (Experimental)

View in Radio Times

(From Birmingham)
THE BIRMINGHAM STUDIO AUGMENTED ORCHESTRA
(Leader, FRANK CANTELL)
Conducted by JOSEPH LEWIS

Two of Mendelssohn's orchestral works the 'Fingal's Cave Overture and the so-called ' Scots' Symphony, owed their inspiration to tho visit which he paid to Scotland in 1829. The melody which forms the chief tune of the Overture 'Fingal's Cave,' sometimes called 'The Hebrides,' was written down immediately after a visit to Staffa and Iona, and sent home in one of his delightful letters, describing the visit with all his own buoyant enthusiasm.
The Overture begins with lower strings and bassoons, presenting a theme, which depicts the long rolling Atlantic breakers, and later it is the same instruments which give us the second chief tune. The Overture is built up on these singly and together ; a very beautiful instance of their use in combination is heard near the end, where flute and horns join to play them very softly.
'OMBRA MAi Fu' is the beautiful air for alto voice which is known the wide world over as 'Handel's Largo.' Accepted, in this country, where we like to draw a hard and fast distinction between Sunday and week-day music, as suitable for playing or singing on the most solemn occasions, it comes from a secular work and the words have nothing to do with any religious subject. It is a stout witness on behalf of the plea that any good music which is not frivolous in its intention is also sacred music