Fairies of the Stream: valse brillante Back
to list of works index
This waltz was originally
published in 1919 for piano. The
orchestral version followed in 1921.
|
Medium |
Artists |
Label |
Matrix |
Format |
Date |
Review |
Locations |
|
Orchestra |
Pathé Concert O |
Pathé 5703 |
? |
12” 78 |
[June 22] |
||
|
Re-issue |
- Actuelle 15111 |
12” 78 |
[June 22] |
||||
|
Piano |
Eric
Halstead |
private
recording |
CD |
2003 |
TM |
||
|
|
Markus
Staab |
private
recording |
|
Web |
2009 |
|
|
The
Halstead recording is available at http://www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/4904172-fairies-of-the-stream-by-ketelbey-mp3
The Staab recording can be
seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=UG&feature=relmfu&hl=en-GB&v=d25jFmh_GPE
Fairy Butterfly
This song was written for Florence Smithson, who was appearing at the Drury Lane Theatre as Princess Rosabel in the pantomime Puss in Boots from 27th December 1915. Other characters listed in the cast included Fairy Queen, and Queen of the Butterflies. The recording pre-dates the publication of the sheet music, and probably represents what was sung in the original pantomime.
Words as written by the composer (Florence
Smithson varies these a little)
Butterfly,
butterfly, winging so brightly,
Fluttering
busily there,
Butterfly,
butterfly, dancing so lightly
Scattering
perfum’d air,
Butterfly,
butterfly, will you not tarry,
Circling
ev’rywhere.
Ah,
ah, ah, ah,
Circling
ev’rywhere.
Twirling,
Whirling,
Ah,
ah, ah.
White
wings,
Bright
wings,
Ah.
Let
me catch you,
Naught
can match you.
Ah.
Like
shadow airy
You
are so wary
Ah.
|
Medium |
Artists |
Label |
Matrix |
Format |
Date |
Review |
Locations |
|
Song
with orchestra |
Florence
Smithson (s), orchestra, Ketèlbey |
Columbia
L 1030 |
6724 |
12”
78 |
[May
16] |
BL |
|
|
Re-issue |
-
Naxos 8.110848 |
CD |
2002 |
BL, NX, PD, TM |
The
Naxos transfer is played at 74rpm, sounding in Bb major. Any faster would sound unnaturally hurried and
squeaky – though the sheet music does say that the original key was C major.
The
recording contains several sections not in the published music, including a
cadenza. The singer sometimes varies
both words and music, ending on a breath-taking pianissimo high D.
Three Fanciful Etchings - complete
This
suite was arranged in 1928 from three of the Six Vignettes, a set of
piano solos published in 1916. Nuages qui passent was merely orchestrated to become A Passing
Storm Cloud on a Summer Day, but the other two movements were substantially
re-written. Papillon bleu was set
to a new rhythm to form a substantial part of Quips, and Cranks, and Wanton
Wiles.
The biggest
transformation was wrought on La brume: representation d'une ville
industrielle, à la nuit. The
whole piece was "greened" to become The Ploughman Homeward Plods
his Weary Way, with the city at night with its smog becoming evening
countryside, perhaps with a bit of autumnal mist. Musically this is achieved by three main
technical changes:
- altering the layout of notes within the ostinato
chords to make them sound opulent major chords rather than discordant and
atonal
- adding a lengthy sustained melody above these
ostinato chords
- keeping the whole piece no louder than mezzo
forte.
Composer’s synopsis
The composer has attempted to illustrate three poetical quotations in a
slightly modernist manner. They are
scored for muted strings, woodwind, harp, celeste and a little brass.
1. A Passing Storm Cloud on a Summer Day.
The first piece represents a calm summer sky with just a few clouds breaking
the blue expanse; thunder-clouds presently appear and threaten to break into a
shower; it subsides quickly and the blue sky once more prevails.
2. The Ploughman Homeward Plods his Weary
Way. The second piece represents the ploughman
plodding along in an autumnal twilight; after a time his steps become slightly
intermittent and he starts to whistle a short phrase softly to himself; he
rests a while and contemplates the scene in a reflective mood. He resumes his homeward journey, whistling
his little tune occasionally, and gradually begins to slow up as he reaches
home.
3. Quips, and Cranks, and Wanton
Wiles. The
third piece represents an imaginary scene at the Russian ballet. After a short introduction, light-footed
nymphs dance about executing fantastic twirls and rushings hither and
thither. They observe an old Satyr and
try to lure him on to dance with them – he rejects their overtures rather brusquely;
they run away and after a pause resume their dancing among themselves. The old Satyr watches them and eventually
joins them clumsily in their dance.
|
Medium |
Artists |
Label |
Matrix |
Format |
Date |
Review |
Locations |
|
Orchestra |
Concert
O, Ketèlbey |
WAX
3218, 3219, 3220, 3221 |
12”
78, 4 sides |
[July
28] rec.Mar 28 |
July
28 p.61 |
BL, PD, (TM CAS) |
|
|
Re-issue |
-
Naxos 8.110174 |
CD |
2001 |
BL, NX, PD, TM |
|||
|
Orchestra |
Louis
Voss & his O |
Bosworth
BC 1217/8 |
CP
1577 (CTP 17450), CP 1578 (CTP 17451), CTP 17474 |
10”
78, 3 sides |
[1947] |
BL (lacks movt.3), (TM CD) |
The
Naxos transfer lacks movement indexes.
Movement 2 begins at 3’ 58”, movement, 3 at 10’ 05”.
Ketèlbey follows his own metronome markings fairly closely in two of the movements, and Robinson (see below) is not far different.
|
Passage |
Length |
Metronome |
Ketèlbey |
Voss |
Robinson |
|
Movt.1
bar 1-16 |
58
crotchets |
crotchet
= 60 |
60
seconds, crotchet = 58 |
crotchet=53 |
60
seconds, crotchet = 58 |
|
Movt.1
bar 26-43 |
72
crotchets |
no
metronome |
38
seconds, crotchet = 114 |
crotchet=90 |
41
seconds, crotchet = 105 |
|
Movt.2 |
436
crotchets |
crotchet
= ca.88 |
363
seconds, crotchet = 72 |
crotchet=64 |
79
seconds, crotchet = 69 |
|
Movt.3 |
386
dotted minims |
dotted
minim = 92 |
246
seconds, dotted minim = 94 |
dotted
minim=83 |
not
recorded |
The Voss recording makes numerous cuts. The first movement only loses 12 bars, but
the second has 4 cuts totalling a massive 68 bars out of 109, and the third 6
cuts totalling 145 bars out of 386. In
the second movement, his harp plays many more notes than written, suggesting
that the ploughman is plodding not homeward but heavenward!
Three Fanciful Etchings – 1. A Passing Storm Cloud on a Summer Day
|
Medium |
Artists |
Label |
Matrix |
Format |
Date |
Review |
Locations |
|
Orchestra |
New
SO of London, Robinson |
Decca
LW 5115 |
10” LP |
[July
54] |
July
54 p73 |
PD, (TM CAS) |
|
|
Re-issue |
-
Decca 452987-2 |
CD |
1997 |
BL, PD, TM, (TM CD) |
|||
|
Re-issue |
-
Decca/Universal 473720-2 |
CD |
|
|
WC |
Three Fanciful Etchings – 2. The Ploughman Homeward Plods his Weary Way
|
Medium |
Artists |
Label |
Matrix |
Format |
Date |
Review |
Locations |
|
Orchestra |
New
SO of London, Robinson |
Decca
LK 4080 |
LP |
[June
54] |
July
54 p.73, Mar55 p.464-465 |
BL |
|
|
Re-issue |
- Decca LW 5140 |
10” LP |
[Dec 54] |
PD |
|||
|
Re-issue |
-
Ace of Clubs ACL 1044 |
LP |
[1961] |
BL |
|||
|
Re-issue |
-
Eclipse ECS (+ECM) 2016 |
LP |
1969 |
Feb
70 p.1332 |
BL, PD, TM |
||
|
|
Re-issue |
-
Decca DDX 190039 |
(Dutch) |
LP |
1969 |
|
|
|
|
Re-issue |
-
Decca NUX 390044 |
(Dutch) |
LP |
1969 |
|
|
|
Re-issue |
-
Decca 452987-2 |
CD |
1997 |
BL, PD, TM |
|||
|
|
Re-issue |
-
Decca 473720-2 |
|
CD |
2003 |
June
03 p.50 |
(TM CD) |
Fanfare for a Ceremonial Occasion
Ketèlbey wrote at least
seven fanfares, but only his earliest, Fanfare for a Ceremonial Occasion,
has been recorded. It dates from 1935,
and is scored for 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani and side drum.
|
Medium |
Artists |
Label |
Matrix |
Format |
Date |
Review |
Locations |
|
Wind |
(trumpets,
saxophones, trombone, side drum) |
Bosworth
BD 101 |
CP
397 |
10”
78 |
[1936] |
BL, WC, (TM CD) |
|
|
Brass |
Trumpets
of HM Royal Marines & others, Haigh |
Waverley
SZLP 2019 |
LP |
1963 |
BL |
||
|
Brass |
Central
Band of the RAF, Wallace |
HMV
CLP 1705 |
|
LP |
1964 |
Feb
64 p.389 |
BL, TM |
|
|
Re-issue |
-
HMV CSD 1526 |
|
LP |
1964 |
Feb
64 p.389 |
|
|
Brass |
Black
Watch Trumpets and Drums |
Decca
SKL (+KL) 4571 |
LP |
? |
May
64 p.526 |
BL |
|
|
Brass |
Band
of the Royal Canadian Regiment, Collins |
Decca
SB 704 |
LP |
1973 |
Dec
74 p.1621 |
BL |
|
|
Brass |
Thurrock
Marching Brass, Loader (arr. Hendle) |
Grosvenor
GRS 1096 |
LP |
1981 |
|
BL |
|
|
Brass |
Virginia
Grand Military Band, Schssl |
VGMB
1171 |
(American) |
CD |
[2002] |
||
|
Brass |
Trumpets of Royal Military
School of Music (Kneller Hall), Roberts |
Decca F 9281 |
DR 14174-1 |
10” 78 |
? |
|
WC |
The
Bosworth version is included on a disc of library music containing 7
fanfares. The tenor trombones are
replaced by tenor saxophones.
The
RAF recording is of a Passing Out Parade at the RAF
College, Cranwell.
The band uses cornets rather than trumpets.
Fiddle Fun
Composer’s
synopsis
[Part
One] of this little Fantasia Burlesca starts with a few bars of Liszt's
Rhapsody interrupted by "Three Blind Mice" treated slightly a
l'Hongroise. "Pop Goes the
Weasel" leads to a Melodramatic episode, with the 4th string as the
Villain; the Maiden shrieks and runs away - presumably with a Scotsman, as we
hear the bagpipe imitation immediately afterwards. "Winding up a rusty clock" and the
clock striking three, leads into a weary rendering of "What Can the Matter
Be?" An Oriental March (with Drum
effect by the Violin) leads into "Poet and Peasant" interrupted by a
snatch of a Hornpipe; after a resumption of "Poet and Peasant" this
part finishes with banjo-like run down the Violin played pizzicato.
[Part
Two] starts with the Ranz des Vaches from "William Tell",
interrupted by "Cockcrows" and "Clucking of hens". A
Cadenza of Bird imitations by the Violin alone leads in a "Cuckoo"
episode in Galop tempo. The
donkey brays during a fragment from the "Midsummer Night's Dream" and
again during "Home Sweet Home" harmonised in a rather Debussy-like
manner. Someone suggests a drink here by
the street whistle "Half a pint of mild and bitter" played by the
Violin, responded to (cordially) by the piano; a hymnlike tag suggests the
restraining presence of a village "Stiggins". A portion of the last
movement of "William Tell" overture interrupted by various musical(?)
sounds brings the novel record to a conclusion.
|
Medium |
Artists |
Label |
Matrix |
Format |
Date |
Review |
Locations |
|
Violin
and piano |
Louis
and Lewis |
Regal
G 6927 |
29318,
29319 |
10”
78, 2 sides |
[July
15] |
BL,
PD, (TM CD) |
|
|
Re-issue |
-
Naxos 8.110869 |
CD |
2003 |
BL, NX, PD, TM |
There can be no doubt that the pianist is Ketèlbey himself, but the identity of the violinist is unknown.
From a Japanese Screen
This intermezzo was published both for orchestra and
for piano solo in 1934.
Synopsis from notes accompanying Ogawa’s recording below:
From a Japanese Screen mixes Japanese and Chinese motifs that are unfolded like a folding
screen. The first part describes a
Geisha girl, the second flowers and birds, and the third Samurai warriors. The Japanese national anthem Kimigayo is
displayed in the third section.
|
Medium |
Artists |
Label |
Matrix |
Format |
Date |
Review |
Locations |
|
Piano |
Noriko
Ogawa |
BIS
CD 1045 |
CD |
1999 |
Mar
00 p.84 |
NX,
TM |
|
|
Piano |
Markus
Staab |
private
recording |
|
Web |
2011 |
|
|
Staab’s recording can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh47VOG7MCU