This is the second
of two CDs devoted to the songs of George
Grossmith. This one also includes a
few of the songs he used to sing when
taking the comic roles in Gilbert &
Sullivan operas.
Leon Berger is no
newcomer to this genre and may be remembered
from the excellent portrayal he gave
of Bouncer in the only full-length recording
of Cox & Box (Divine Art
2-4104). His remarkably versatile voice
with wide compass provides much variety
of character and colour from track to
track. It is generally for this reason
that this disc so successfully holds
the listener's attention. In two of
the tracks he doubles as two singers
and achieves the multitracking most
convincingly where the voices need to
harmonise. Two vintage tracks of George
Grossmith himself are also included
on the disc.
Unobtrusive accompaniment
is sensitively and competently provided
by Selwyn Tillett who has much experience
of studying and playing Victorian music.
His light and nimble fingerwork is a
joy to listen to and is always closely
married to the voice. The piano sounds
as one might expect it to in the intimate
cosiness of a Victorian drawing room.
The voice is nicely filled out with
a small amount of reverberation, but
not artificially so. Some tracks are
provided with a spooky cave acoustic
appropriate to the situation.
The songs are nicely
varied in style and carry vivid portrayals
of the numerous characters Berger musters.
The opening number, The Gay Photographer
[tk.1] (reminiscent of Grigg, a photographer
from Sullivan's first operetta The
Contrabandista) is lifted by its
catchy decoration and good whistle accompaniment.
A railway song, The Muddle Puddle
Porter [tk.3] is not that far removed
from the 'North South East West Diddlesex
junction' song written by Gilbert
in Thespis, his first stage collaboration
with Sullivan. A patter song in nature
the lyrics give an overview of topsy-turvy
railway management during a time when
they ran to time. A Juvenile Party
[tk.5], written in 1879 at the time
of HMS Pinafore is an excellent
item to include and provides a contrast
from the Grossmith songs. It is a descriptive
sketch with dialogue and sections set
to music. It gives an interesting overview
of the direction such an event might
take. (The Silver Wedding is
another sketch written in a similar
fashion and not yet recorded.) The nautical
flavour of The Bay of Battersea
[tk.9] is provided with a bright well-composed
hornpipe tune to provide the atmosphere
of a pseudo London port of Battersea
and suitably amusing lyrics. A nice
take-off of a mid 19th Century
ballad is found in Keep the Baby
warm, Mother [tk.14], particularly
with its Balfe-ian ending and phrases
that could be a forerunner to Keep
the home Fires burning. Grossmith's
composition I've loved another Girl
[tk.16] could well have provided Sidney
Jones with a couple of ideas for numbers
in his operetta, The Geisha (1896)
written three years later.
The CD notes by
Berger and Tillett are excellent: they
contain much about the background of
George Grossmith (GG) who came from
a theatrical family and was well known
for his one man stage shows in 1870s
London. (He is easily confused because
there was a GG 1st, GG 2nd,
and GG 3rd). Because diction
is clear throughout the lyrics have
been omitted from the booklet apart
from the last two tracks that feature
Grossmith himself in 1909 recordings.
Grossmith's humorous
songs often describe events or the jobs
of certain trades people, e.g. The
Dismal Dinner Party, The Old
Organ Man or The Autocratic Gardener
and were published by J. Bath or Reynolds
& Co. There are still enough published
songs of Grossmith to fill a third disc
if the artistes here have the inclination
to further entice Britain's genuine
collectors.
The disc is likely
to be highly appreciated by those who
know G&S well, principally because
Grossmith was a founder actor for the
D'Oyly Carte triumvirate since The
Sorcerer (1877). As a largely untrained
musician Grossmith is clearly influenced
by exposure to the Savoy productions
he knew so well. He is perhaps more
gifted than many of his contemporaries
writing at that time for London's Music
Hall scene. His accompaniment, although
simplistic and often following the vocal
line with light harmony, is catchy and
flows with good rhythm. At times he
mimics Sullivan, at others he parodies
the Christy Minstrels (a contemporary
singing group). This said, the music
is wedded nicely to the lyrics.
Raymond Walker
see also Volume
1 'A Society Clown'
Further reading:
George Grossmith, Tony Joseph (Bunthorne
Books, 1982)
Leon Berger (bar), Selwyn Tillett (piano)