England

Music special to this time of year seems to have for many of us a particular meaning. For musicians like me we have already sorted out and played over the songs we know people like to hear like…”Chestnuts roasting……” and Have yourself a merry…..” both songs have interesting middle parts and we need to refresh our memories so that we may be note perfect when we play them. I’m sure the “boys” who appeared on the front cover of the October issue of Senior magazine have been rehearsing the songs we play at this time of the year. Its a pity that we normally only hear this seasonal music once a year although when I played in a local band many years ago the month was July and it was in a specially erected marquee in the garden of a large country house.  It was getting towards the end of the function and we were playing the last watlz……the penultimate tune we played was ..”Silent Night”….believe me people came up to the bandstand afterwards and said how much they enjoyed it !!!!

Over here in England a rather special feature at this time of year in certain churches is a candlelight carol service. It takes quite a long time to light the hundreds of candles but the effect is magical.

Incidentally, Irving Berlin, who I referred to in my earlier notes wrote a song that was featured in the film “Holiday Inn”. The story of the film was about a man who only wanted to work on holidays so he opened an Inn.The song  was “(I’m Dreaming of a) White Christmas”, which won an Academy Award. It did however take on a meaning that the composer says he never intended and it became a peace song in the midst of war.The sales figures for the song were unequalled by any other American song and it is now a part of the seasonal festivities. It was perhaps one of the most popular songs of the war years and one that was always requested by visiting GI’s as it got them thinking of home. The words of the verse set the scene for the song and referred to someone who was enjoying the green grass and swaying palms of Beverley Hills L A and the words go on…………..” But its December the twenty fourth, and I am longing to be up north……..”. Then followed the well known chorus of the song. “White Christmas”. I did read somewhere that the song was so popular with  the GI’s that subsequent  reprints of the sheet music omitted the verse.

In December I shall be playing at the seasonal party of the Suffolk Air Crew Association …there will indeed be some members there who were flying operationally during WW2.They will be there enjoying the company and the songs many of which I played  to the residents of Rivers Edge on my visit to the States in May and also to the Veterans of the 447th when they visited Rattlesden in Suffolk in July this year.

May I take this opportunity to send seasons greetings to them and to all the readers of Senior Magazine.  May the year of  2010  bring you all you wish for yourselve