Quite possibly the best of the BBC Ghost Story for Christmas strand, and definitely my favourite, The Signalman is based on the Charles Dickens short story written in 1866. It has a magnificent central performance by Denholm Elliott and a real atmosphere of dread. It’s amazing to think that I was only 11 when I first saw it because it’s frightening enough as an adult! It’s bound to be on TV at sometime this Christmas, so happy viewing!
The first thing to point out is that poor Denise Bryer suffered the indignity of having her name spelt wrong on this cover. She shares reading duties with Martin Jarvis (spelt correctly) and lifts this version above all others purely because it is the only one that doesn’t rely on an actor trying to put on a female voice, which often strays into caricature. Everything about this is amazing, and if you want to hear it for yourself I have finally tracked it down on the internet! Here it is https://era.org.uk/lit-resource/book-at-bedtime-a-christmas-carol-1985-episode-1/
Here is the original article https://davidgpearce205.blog/2023/12/06/book-at-bedtime-a-christmas-carol-martin-jarvis-and-denise-bryer-cassette/
This vinyl dates from 1983, but the recordings date from the 50s and 60s. They demonstrate how much the approach of the choir has changed in 60 years. The approach eschews complication and gives the carols a much more traditional ring that I love. You might not agree necessarily, but the article below takes you through this lovely set of carols one by one.
Above you will see the first page of a song called Excelsis! Gloria! which, in common with a number of others in my two Singing Together at Christmas entries has been lost in the mists of time. If you are a musician and could find the time to play it and record it that would be incredible. Whether you can or not, I think you will find the second entry as fascinating as the first.
One of the most surprising success stories of my blog over the last 18 months has been the number of views that my Memories of Singing Together post has got. It has become the first of my posts to break through the 500 views barrier which I am extremely happy about. My two companion pieces looking at the Christmas songs from the six years of Primary School haven’t been quite as successful but they have both racked up decent numbers. The first, today, covers 1970 – 1972 and the second, tomorrow, covers 1973 – 1975. Hope you enjoy them and that you look at my original posts particularly if you can read music. For the songs that have disappeared down the side of the internet sofa (!) I have provided the sheet music and I would love to hear the songs again if anyone is able to play them. Thanks in advance!
https://davidgpearce205.blog/2023/12/01/christmas-songs-from-singing-together-1970-1972/
David Pearce - Popular Culture and Personal Passions 