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1 Get Happy THE LIBRARY Harold Arlen, arr. Paul Hart and Robert Rice [3.43] This is the second volume in our EP series ‘The Library’. * 2 Meet You In The Maz e The idea behind this series is to explore both the James Blake [5.52] 3 Penny Lane history, and the new horizons, of our close-harmony Lennon & McCartney, arr. Bob Chilcott [2.41] repertoire. Close-harmony is arguably the part of our 4 Takeda Lullaby work for which we are best known, and our library of Traditional Japanese, arr. Grayston Ives [3.20] thousands of arrangements is one we’re determined 5 Slow Train Donald Swann, arr. Gordon Langford [3.37] always to explore, maintain and develop. The track * 6 Good Old-Fashioned Lover Bo y listing is designed to celebrate some old favourites Freddie Mercury, adapted by Nick Ashby [3.19] * from the library alongside brand new arrangements 7 Scots Son g James MacMillan [5.01] and adaptations, created especially for these * 8 A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Make s recordings, which may perhaps become ‘old Mack David, Al Hoffman & Jerry Livingston, adapted by Patrick Dunachie [2.59] favourites’ of the future. Volume 2 was recorded in the Total timings: 30.39 beautiful surroundings of Snape Maltings, Suffolk (UK) * indicates first recording by The King’s Singers — a place most famous for its association with THE KING’S SINGERS Benjamin Britten — and it proved to be a relaxing and Patrick Dunachie countertenor inspiring place to work for two beautiful wintry days. Edward Button countertenor Julian Gregory tenor Christopher Bruerton baritone Nick Ashby baritone Jonathan Howard bass
kingssingers.com/the-library
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NOTES ON THE LIBRARY VOL. 2 Get Happy was written by the American songwriter Harold Arlen (1905 — 1986) in Slow Train is a nostalgic song, written by the British musical comedy duo Flanders 1930, in collaboration with the lyricist Ted Koehler. It is in the tradition of Christian and Swann, who were much-loved figures in the entertainment world of the 1950s evangelical meeting songs. Our arrangement, by Paul Hart, has been in the library and 60s. It was written in response to a 1963 report by the chairman of British for many years and was first recorded in a version with George Shearing playing Railways, Dr Richard Beeching, who made vast cuts to Britain’s railways. The song piano, on the album Get Happy from 1991. Robert Rice took this arrangement by laments the closure of thousands of small stations and lines, which were deemed Paul Hart with instruments and adapted and extended it to work a cappella, and unprofitable in the age of cars, but which had connected rural communities for it has since sat proudly in our bank of songs by the great Harold Arlen. decades. The song captured a general spirit of national disappointment at the closures. It was arranged for The King’s Singers in their early years by Gordon Langford Of the brand new songs on this release, Meet You In The Maze is perhaps the most (1930 — 2017), who added a charming handwritten note at the end of the score which unusual inclusion for us. The decision to cover a song by James Blake (b. 1988) was reads: ‘Effigies of Dr. Beeching (complete with box of pins) available upon request’. inspired partly by seeing the British singer/producer perform at the Grammy Awards in 2019. This is the final track on his 2016 album ‘The Colour in Anything’, When we were selecting material for this recording in 2019, the Freddie Mercury biopic and its simplicity struck us. Much of James Blake’s music comprises layers of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was talk of the town. With all six of us having seen it on various complex electronic sampling and drum loops; but in this track, he simply layers his plane journeys and been inspired, we decided to include a song by Freddie Mercury, own voice into 6 parts (making it an ideal song for us to cover). Each of us took one and Nick volunteered to adapt for us Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy from the 1976 of his vocal lines and we were able to recreate the song live, with its moody, dark Queen album ‘A Day At The Races’. Lacking, as we do, electric guitars and drums, he textures and reflective silences. employed the full extent of our instrumental forces: 6 kazoos and a dusty old tin whistle. For some people, The King’s Singers are inextricably linked to the music of The Sir James MacMillan (b. 1959) is one of the UK’s greatest living composers; he lives and Beatles. In our concerts, iconic songs by that ‘other British boyband’ go down a works in Scotland and his music is strongly influenced by the sounds of Scottish treat with audiences all over the world. This is partially thanks to the 1986 King’s folksong and often inspired by the beautiful landscapes of his homeland. He wrote Singers album ‘The Beatles Connection’, which featured 19 arrangements of their Scots Song for us in 2019, for the wedding of our countertenor Patrick and his wife songs, the opening track of which is Bob Chilcott’s (b. 1955) arrangement of Penny Ellie, by adapting an existing version for piano and voice which he wrote in 1991. The Lane . This is Lennon and McCartney’s great hit from 1967, which tells about the words are in the Scots language, by William Soutar (1898 — 1946), a Perthshire poet of weird goings-on in that Liverpool street, and which features an eccentric but the early 20th century. MacMillan’s melody for Scots Song is something of a musical thrilling key-change between verse and chorus. ‘signature’ and is used in several other choral and orchestral works. From many thousand miles away, but equally full of nostalgia, is Takeda Lullaby — The year 2020 marks 70 years since the release of the original Walt Disney film a Japanese folksong which Julian has known since his childhood, and which we ‘Cinderella’, and 5 years since the release of its newest version, starring Lily James. One have enjoyed performing on recent tours of Japan. The song originally comes of the enduring songs from these films is A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes , which from the city of Kyoto, and is a lament for home, sung by a woman who has been is sung by Cinderella to encourage her animal friends always to dream of a better life. forced to travel to the other side of the mountains to work for a rich family. This The melody is taken from Franz Liszt’s Etude No. 9, “Ricordanza”, but the sparkling, arrangement was written by our former tenor in The King’s Singers, Grayston (Bill) colourful harmony of the Disney song — alongside its optimistic lyrics — made it an Ives (b. 1948) as part of a larger set of folksong arrangements. attractive prospect to adapt for our forces and record.
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THE KING’S SINGERS Publishers: The King’s Singers were founded on 1 May 1968 by six choral scholars who had Get Happy : S.A. Music and WB Music Corp. recently graduated from King’s College Cambridge. Their vocal line-up was (by Meet You In The Maze : Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd. chance) two countertenors, a tenor, two baritones and a bass, and the group has Penny Lane : Sony/ATV Tunes LLC dba ATV o/b/o ATV (Northern Songs Catalog) never wavered from this formation since. With 2018 marking the 50th birthday of Takeda Lullaby : KS Music Ltd. the group, The King’ s Singers recently celebrat ed their GOLD anniversary, which Slow Train : Chappell Music acknowledges their amazing musical heritage, as well as the bright future of vocal Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy : Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC music in all its forms as they move into 2019 and beyond. Scots Song : Boosey and Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd. A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes : Walt Disney Music Company What really distinguished the group in its early years was its musical diversity. The King’s Singers were a weekly fixture on prime-time television, celebrating popular Recorded at the Britten Studio, Snape Maltings, Suffolk, UK music never usually touched by choral ensembles, and their unique British charm, from 5th to 6th February 2020. combined with their precise musical craft, captured audiences’ hearts the world over. Producer & Editor - Nicholas Parker The group has consistently been welcomed on the world’s great stages throughout Recording Engineer - Mike Hatch its history – from London’s Royal Albert Hall to the Opera House in Sydney or New York’s Carnegie Hall – as well as being ambassadors for musical excellence across the Cover Image & Design - www.rumneydesign.co.uk globe. Two Grammy® Awards, two more Grammy® nominations, an Emmy ® Award, and a place in Gramophone magazine’s inaugural Hall of Fame sit among the numerous accolades bestowed upon the group. This love of diversity has always fuelled The King’s Singers’ commitment to creating new music. An array of commissioned works by many of the great composers of our times – including Sir John Tavener, Toru Takemitsu, John Rutter, Luciano Berio, Nico Muhly, Gy örgy Ligeti, P2020 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Signum Records Ltd C2020 The copyright in this CD booklet, notes and design is owned by Signum Records Ltd Sir James MacMillan and Eric Whitacre – sits alongside countless bespoke Any unauthorised broadcasting, public performance, copying or re-recording of Signum arrangements in the group’s extensive repertoire. The group is determined to spread Compact Discs constitutes an infringement of copyright and will render the infringer the joy of ensemble singing, and leads workshops and residential courses all over the liable to an action by law. Licences for public performances or broadcasting may be obtained from Phonographic Performance Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this world each season – 2019 took them from the World Youth & Children’s Choir Festival booklet may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form in Hong Kong to their week-long Summer School within the beautiful surroundings or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from Signum Records Ltd. of Cambridge University. The world may have changed a lot since the original King’s Singers came together, but today’s group is still charged by the same lifeblood – one SignumClassics , Signum Records Ltd, Suite 14, 21 Wadsworth Road, Perivale, Middlesex, UB6 7LQ, UK. that wants to radiate the joy singing brings every day, and that wants to give life to +44 (0) 20 8997 4000 E-mail: [email protected] audiences with their virtuosity and vision for an exciting musical future. www.signumrecords.com 6 7
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