(1968) Various Artists – Voices (6 vols)

VOICES – an anthology of six long-playing records of sounds, music, song and speech presented in association with Penguin Education

Argo issue numbers: DA 91-96 (six LPs), re-released 1970 or 1971 as PLP 1112-17

Edited by: Geoffrey Summerfield
Produced and directed by: Harley Usill and John Gilbert

Narrators/readers
Mike Newby
Sidney Bradley
David King
Peter Orr
Freda Dowie
Tony Church
Yvonne Bonnamy
Frank Duncan

Original Recordings – Performers/Musicians

Children of Archbishop Holgate’s Grammar School, York
Children of Heslington Primary School, York
Choir of Trinity School, Croydon
Staff and students of York University
Freda Dowie
Richard Orton
Jane Phillips
Patrick Harrex
Moray Welsh

The Critics Group
Terry Yarnell
Bob Blair
Tom Paley
John Faulkner
Sandra Kerr
Phil Colclough

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In the listing below, the folk music tracks are given in italics. Where possible, sources of musical tracks taken from earlier Argo and Decca recordings are given at the end of each listing. Not sure yet which of the poetry and prose readings are original recordings made for the anthology.
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FIRST BOOK, RECORD ONE (DA 91, PLP 1112)

SIDE ONE
Band 1
Noises – knives sharpening
Band 2
The Devil’s Nine Questions (trad) – Peggy Seeger (1)
The Devil’s Polka – Ilona Porma kantele (2)
Band 3
Jabberwocky (Herbert) – n. Mike Newby, Archbishop Holgate’s Grammar School children percussion
Child’s bouncing song (Connor) – Children of Heslington Primary School, York
Jane, Jane (trad) – Shirley Collins & Davy Graham (3)
Band 4
Old Man’s Song (Mellers) – Trinity School, Croydon choir, c. David Squibb
Toward The Grave – Kaarina Kuivalainen vocal, Onno Kuivalainen kantele (4)
Band 5
The Seafarer excerpt – n. Sidney Bradley, read in Anglo-Saxon
Man Cursing the Sea (Holub) – n. David King
Sea Interludes (Storm/Britten) – Royal Opera House (London) Orchestra, c. Benjamin Britten (5)

SIDE TWO
Band 1
Pastoral (trad) – Sicilian shepherd playing open pipe
Shepherds’ Fire (Clare) – n. Peter Orr
Aunt’s Tantrums (Barnes) – n. Freda Dowie
Turf Carrier on Aranmore (Hewitt) – n. Peter Orr
Derby Ram (trad) – Peggy & Mike Seeger unacc. (6)
Band 2
Church bells – sound of bells in Zurich, Switzerland in Bolby B
Bells of Rhymney (Seeger/Davies) – Terry Yarnell & The Critics Group
Band 3
What’s What (Reid) – n. Tony Church
Narnian Suite (Harrex) – staff & students of York University, primary school children spoken chorus
Band 4
Chant before battle – David King
Janos Hary excerpts (Kodaly) – LSO c. Istvan Kertesz (7)

(1) from The Long Harvest Vol 2, Argo ZDA 67, 1967
(2) from Music from the Far North – Argo ZDA 127, 1967
(3) from Folk Routes New Routes – Decca LK 4652, 1964
(4) from Music from the Far North – Argo ZRG 533, 1967
(5) from Decca SXL 2150-2, 1959
(6) from Peggy ‘n’ Mike – Argo ZDA 80, 1967
(7) from Hary Janos – Decca SXL 6136, 1965

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FIRST BOOK, RECORD TWO (DA 92, PLP 1113)

SIDE ONE
Band 1
Noises – noises of lions, tigers, elephants, monkeys and tropical birds
Band 2
Enigma Variations, XI (Elgar) – London Symphony Orchestra, c. Malcolm Sargent (1)
Band 3
The Gallows (Thomas) – n. Yvonne Bonnamy
Kangaroo (Lawrence) – n. Frank Duncan
Folk Rhymes – Freda Dowie vocal
The Badger (Clare) – n. Peter Orr
Hedgehog (Clare) – n. Frank Duncan
Hedgehogs Sniffing and Eating – recording
The Fox (Clare) – n. Frank Duncan
Band 4
Ketjak (Monkey Dance) – Gamelan Orchestra from Pliatan (2)

SIDE TWO
Band 1
Violin Concerto, excerpt 1st movement (Sibelius) – LSO, c. Oivin Fjeldstad, Ruggiero Ricci violin (3)
Band 2
Thief in the Night (Lawrence) – n. Tony Church
Ploughing on Sunday (Stevens) – n. Freda Dowie
Band 3
Autumn (Kato) – n. David King
Nocturne from Serenade for tenor, horn and strings (Britten) – Peter Pears tenor, Barry Tuckwell horn, LSO c. Benjamin Britten (4)
Band 4
Cherry Tree Carol (trad) – Peggy Seeger, vocal and banjo (5)
Boy at the Window (Wilbur) – n. Yvonne Bonnamy
Winter (Clare) – n. Freda Dowie
Winter Piece (Tomlinson) – n. Frank Duncan
Band 5
Symphony No 7 (Vaughan Williams) – London Philharmonic Orch. C. Adrian Boult (6)

(1) from Enigma Variations – Decca LXT 2786, 1953
(2) from Music from Bali – Argo RG1-2, 1952
(3) from Sibelius, Violin Concerto D minor – Decca SXL 2077, 1959
(4) from Nocturne from Serenade, Decca SXL6110, 1964
(5) from The Long Harvest, Vol 8 – Argo ZDA 73, 1967
(6) from Sinfonia Antartica – Decca LXT 2912, 1954

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SECOND BOOK, RECORD ONE (DA 93, PLP 1114)

SIDE ONE
Band 1
Entrance of the Emperor (Kodaly) – LSO, c. Istvan Kertesz (1)
Band 2
There Was a Man (Crane) – n. Yvonne Bellamy
The Nightmare (Wang Yen-Shou) – n. Tony Church
A Fire-Truck (Wilbur) – n. Yvonne Bellamy
Band 3
Strigaturi De Nunta (trad wedding dance) – Maria Popa (vocals) and gypsy musicians from Lazareni (2)
At a Country Fair (Hardy) – n. Freda Dowie
Roome for Companie (trad) – The Critics Group, John Faulkner vocal plus whistle and drum
Band 4
Royal Fireworks Suite Movement 4 (Handel) – LSO, c. George Szell (3)
Band 5
The Casualty (Ted Hughes) – n. David King
Band 6
Rumba – El Sali and his Band Espagnol (4)

SIDE TWO
Band One
Tod Und Verklarung excerpt (Richard Strauss) – Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, c. Herbert Von Karajan (5)
Band Two
First Blood (Stallworthy) – n. Frank Duncan
Blue Moles (Plath) – n. Yvonne Bellamy
The Mosquito (D.H. Lawrence) – n. Tony Church
Band Three
Le Festin de l’Araignee (Roussel) – L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, c. Ernest Ansermet (6)
Band Four
Original Sin (Jeffers) – n. David King
Old Blue (trad) – Peggy Seeger vocal and banjo (7)
Travelling Through the Dark (Stafford) – n. Frank Duncan

(1) from Hary Janos Suite – Decca LXT 6136, 1965
(2) from Music from Rumania – Argo ZRG 531, 1967
(3) from Decca LXT 5666, 1962
(4) from El Sali and his Ballet Espagnol – Flamenco! – Decca LK4787, 1966
(6) from Decca LXT 5035, 1955
(5) from Decca LXT 5629, 1961
(7) from Poetry and Song Vol 1 – Argo DA 50, 1967

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SECOND BOOK, RECORD TWO (DA 94, PLP 1115)

SIDE ONE
Band One
False Friends-like (Barnes) – n. Freda Dowie
Band Two
Cancion del amor dolido (Falla) – Marina de Gabarain, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, c. Ernest Ansermet (1)
Girl, Boy, Flower, Bicycle (Joseph) – n. Yvonne Bonnamy
Crow Sat on the Willow (Clare) n. Frank Duncan
Scarborough Fair (trad) – Frankie Armstrong and Sandra Kerr unacc. (2)
Band Three
Song (Clare) – n. Yvonne Bonnamy
The Great Silkie (trad) – Bob Blair
Reuben Bright (Robinson) – n. Tony Church
Band Four
Amores (Cage) – Richard Orton prepared piano, Jane Phillips percussion, Patrick Harrex percussion, Moray Welsh percussion

SIDE TWO
Band 1
Johnny Armstrong (trad) – John Faulkner unacc.
Night Wind (Clare) – n. Frank Duncan
North Wind (Whittemore) – n. Freda Dowie
Band 2
Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche (Strauss) – Vienna Philharmonic, c. Von Karajan (3)
Band 3
John Henry (trad) – Tom Paley (4)
Scialoma (trad) – Sicilian fishermen (5)
Gresford Disaster (trad) – Critics Group, John Faulkner vocal
Band 4
Choirmaster’s Burial (Hardy) – n. David King

(1) from El Amor Brujo – Decca LX 3151, 1956
(2) from Poetry and Song vol 4 – Argo DA 53, 1967
(3) from Decca LXT 5620, 1961
(4) from Poetry and Song, vol 7 – Argo DA 56, 1967
(5) from Sicily in Music and Song – Argo DA 30, 1965

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THIRD BOOK, RECORD ONE (DA 95, PLP 1116)

SIDE ONE
Band 1
Dustbowl Song (Guthrie) – Tom Paley vocal and banjo
Follower (Heaney) – n. David King
Hay for the Horses (Snyder) – n. Frank Duncan
Band 2
I am (Clare) – n. Yvonne Bonnamy
Africa’s Plea (Dempster) – n. David King
Telephone Conversation (Soyinka) – n. Tony Church
Black and White (MacColl) – John Faulkner and Sandra Kerr
From William Tyndale to John Frith (Bowers) – n. Frank Duncan
Band 3
Dance of the Knights (Prokofiev) – Orch. De la Suisse Romande, c. Ernest Ansermet (1)
Band 4
Sair Fyeld Hinny (trad) – Bob Blair unacc.
Soup (Sandburg) – n. Frank Duncan
Epitaph on a Tyrant (Auden) – n. David King
Leader of men (MacCaig) – n. Tony Church
Band 5
Dārbāri Kānadā (raga for the second quarter of the night) – Jyotish Chandra Chowdhury on surbahar (bass sitar) (2)

SIDE TWO
Band 1
Miralogia (trad) – Nicholas Halkias clarinet, with ‘three female voices’ (3)
Jesus and his Mother (Gunn) – n. Yvonne Bonnamy
The Unquiet Grave (trad) – Sandra Kerr unacc.
Band 2
Father and Child (Yeats) – n. Tony Church
Strawberries (Morgan) – n. Yvonne Bellamy
Ou Phrontis (Causley) – n. Tony Church
Frankie and Johnny (trad) – Tom Paley, vocal and guitar
Band 3
Kije’s Wedding (Prokofiev) – L’Orchestre de la Societe des concerts du Conservatoire de Paris, c. Adrian Boult (4)
Band 4
Magpies (Glover) – n. Freda Dowie
Death and the Maiden (Nemerov) – n. Yvonne Bonnamy
For Sale (Lowell) – n. Tony Church
Father Dunman’s funeral (Hardy) – n. Frank Duncan
Last mystery (Stallworthy) – n. David King
Band 5
Soleares (trad) – Paco Peña guitar (5)

(1) from Romeo and Juliet – Decca SXL 2306, 1962
(2) from Ragas From Benares – Argo ZRG 559, 1968
(3) from Greece in Music and Song – Argo DA 29, 1965
(4) from Decca LXT 5119, 1956
(5) from El Sali and his Ballet Espagnol – Decca SLK 16825, 1966

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THIRD BOOK, RECORD TWO (DA 96, PLP 1117)

SIDE ONE
Band 1
Latest Decalogue (Clough) – n. David King
Grey October (Peggy Seeger) – Peggy Seeger (1)
Band 2
Guns firing – sound effect
Anthem for Doomed Youth (Owen) – n. Peter Orr
Parable of the Old Man and the Young (Owen) – n. Tony Church
Big Muddy (Pete Seeger) – Tom Paley vocal and guitar
Defence (Silkin) – n. Frank Duncan
Band 3
Victory Dance – villagers from Himalayan village of Tuinem (2)
Death (Yeats) – n. David King
Musee des Beaux Arts (Auden) – n. Yvonne Bonnamy
Twin of Sleep (Graves) – n. Tony Church
Band 4
Death of Tybalt (Prokofiev) – Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, c. Ernest Ansermet (3)

SIDE TWO
Band 1
Trap (Stallworthy) – n. David King
Birds (Wright) – n. Yvonne Bonnamy
Red Cockatoo (trans Waley) – n. Frank Duncan
Wedgebury Cocking (trad) – Critics Group, Phil Colclough vocal
Band 2
Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird (Stevens) – n. Freda Dowie
Four Seasons, Spring, 1st movement (Vivaldi) – New Philharmonia Orchestra, c. Stokowski, Hugh Bean violin (4)
Band 3
Four Seasons, Winter, 2nd movement (Vivaldi) – New Philharmonia Orchestra, c. Stokowski, Hugh Bean violin (5)
Saying from the Northern Ice (Stafford) – n. David King
Snow (Thomas) – n. Yvonne Bonnamy
Band 4
God’s Grandeur (Hopkins) – n. Tony Church
Lament (Stallworthy) – n. David King
Felix Randall (Hopkins) – n. Tony Church
Acension (Messiaen) – Simon Preston organ (6)

(1) from The Angry Muse, Argo DA 83, 1968
(2) from Music from The Himalayas – ZRG 530, 1967
(3) Death of Tybalt – Prokofiev, Romeo and Juliet Suites, Decca SXL 2306
(4) and (5) from Decca LK 4873, 1967
(6) from Argo ZRG 5339, 1963

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Notes

Here’s a nice summary of what these records are all about, courtesy of a review in The Gramophone in January 1969:

“Briefly, Argo and Penguin Education have collaborated to produce a set of records to complement the latter’s threebook anthology of poetry and pictures entitled Voices. The anthology is edited by Geoffrey Summerfield, of the York University English and Education departments, costs 25s. 6d. for the three books and has been very well received. The books give the visual and literary side; each record deals with a special topic (heroes, winter, jealousy inter alia) and adds further dimensions through natural, musical and ‘prepared’ sounds. Bands of a disc enclose elements of the topic, so the inbuilt variety might give you some Kodaly, a Rumanian wedding dance, Hardy’s poem on a country fair, a folksong and a movement from Handel’s Royal Fireworks Music. On another side, a Balinese choir, sniffing hedgehogs, a John Clare poem and an Enigma variation will find common ground.

“Although there appears to be no financial package deal, I would think that many people will want to buy both discs and books as it is rather difficult to absorb the poems at first hearing. In any case, one angle that the discs add is musical settings of established poems—two excerpts from Britten’s Serenade appear in this context. The orchestral music, from existing first-class recordings, is programmatic, thus adding possibilities of mime and spontaneous drama to the inexaustible discussion-points of musical and poetic imagery. Mr Summerfield’s introduction, which usefully appears on all six record-leaflets is stimulating, particularly on creative music-making.”

(More on the people responsible for putting this fantastic teaching aid together and how it was received in the classroom when I find my notes)

~ by folkcatalogue on December 7, 2010.