This album is the third anthology of light-music piano solos compiled by Paul Guinery, the pianist on this recording.
Cultural Impact
In pre-war years, the BBC was the leading patron of light music in Britain, with airwaves filled with music day and night.
Composer Biography
Sir Arthur Sullivan, known for his operettas with W. S. Gilbert, also composed a symphony, a cello concerto, and several large-scale choral works, though his output of orchestral music largely ceased after 1870.
Compositional Technique
Lennox Berkeley's 'Java' is a witty parody of a salacious dance, featuring 'woozy 'wrong' chords' that imitate a less-than-competent accordionist.
Composer Biography
Billy Mayerl, a composer and pianist featured on this album, was a brilliant pianist, inventive composer, and innovative teacher who founded a 'School of Syncopation'.
Performer Biography
Paul Guinery, the pianist on this recording, was made an ARCM at 18 and later worked for the BBC, balancing his musical pursuits with studying modern languages at Oxford.
Historical Context
The Alhambra, a famous London music hall where 'The Cockney Crawl' was danced, was demolished in 1936 to make way for the Odeon cinema.
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