Customer Reviews

Titanic: Music As Heard on the Fateful Voyage

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

...this wonderful CD, "Titanic, Music As Heard On That Fateful Voyage." To any teenager who has had his mind rotted by years of listening to rock and rap it is literally impossible for them to be objective about the older, gentler, and more beautiful music from a bygone era which is represented on this CD. This is the type of music that was popular in 1912, and not the new age melodies of James Horner for the 1997 film, nor the other music heard by the orchestra in James Cameron's film. Ian Whitcomb did his research and was faithful to the style of music heard then, the kinds of instruments which were popular then, and even his interlinear notes are more interesting than any of the other Titanic CDs on the market.

My favorite pieces are the Music Hall numbers and Silver Heels, such lively renditions of these old favorites. Make no mistake about it: in a hundred years people will STILL be singing "Shine On Harvest Moon", while the garbage "music" popular with kids today will be long forgotten.

How happy I was to find this album - especially what with all of the "Titanic Movie Mania", and the film's awful theme song playing everywhere one went - well, here was truly a breath of fresh air. And even now, some eight years after its release, it's as wonderful as ever.

It probably doesn't hurt that I do have a great deal of interest in the Titanic's story, but more than that, I adore, infinitely, early jazz and popular music. And this album is a shining example of how beautifully that music can be celebrated, in the loving hands of artists who can recreate it with respect and authenticity. As well, this collection has been assembled by Ian Whitcomb, a legend in his own time. Mr. Whitcomb fits into that rare category of those artists strongly devoted to their craft, and his dedication to early jazz sparkles here.

Every selection is a gem, but some stand out particularly: "Glow-Worm", "The Mosquito's Parade", The Arcadians", "Shine On Harvest Moon", "That Mesmerizing Mendelssohn Tune", "Silver Heels", and, of course, the fabled "Songe d'Automne". Also, listen for the extra #24 track, "Ragging the Waves" - this could actually be my favorite on the entire album.

I also have to commend Mr. Whitcomb for his tremendous care put into the album's liner notes - he captures the personality of that great age, and depicts accounts rarely found elsewhere. And, of course, I strongly appreciate his greatly respectful tribute to Wallace Hartley, the leader of the Titanic's orchestra, and to Hartley's colleagues. These men were made heroic by their decision to play as the ship went down, and they were widely celebrated for many years after the tragedy. I sincerely hope that, as the years pass, their noble efforts are not forgotten. Thanks to Mr. Whitcomb, their memory is far less likely to fade.

And so, in conclusion, I very eagerly recommend this album to those who are: 1) Titanic historians and the interested, 2) Fans of early popular music, 3) Lovers of a fascinating story, and 4) The rest of the population. It's a unique and important album, worthy of ownership and many, many listenings.

We love this CD! We learned more about the real Titanic music from listening to the CD and reading the booklet inside. Imagine, all those pianos on the ship. . . and a real Aolean electric organ! What a surprise to hear that authentic organ music.

The music is gentle, but some pieces are lively, as you would expect from a variety of songs intended to be background music on the ship.

One of the best pieces is the complete "Dream of Autumn," obviously the last song the band played. Imagine the wireless operator hearing them continue to play this as he floated away! Simply amazing!

A nice touch is the small bit of piano music ending the CD. You can close your eyes and imagine the ship sinking, the end of an innocent era.

Thank you Ian Whitcomb and the White Star Orchestra for an excellent job!

This is a terrific contemporary recording utilizing original instrumentation on the pieces actually played during the voyage. The band and the arrangements were put together by British sixties ex-rocker, Ian Whitcomb, who has since turned his skills to musicological recreations of period music. (Remember the novelty falsetto, circa 1965, "You Turn Me On"? Ah, I was but 12...) Forget the movie soundtrack and Celine Dion's hyperbolized, apotheosized music for elevators; not sinking ships. This is the real stuff played as it was meant to be; it takes you back there to dine with Captain Smith among the Astors, Strausses, and Wideners, and even transports you below decks to the steerage class a time or two. The set opens with a rousing rendition of "The White Star March", played on a stunning Aeloian organ, leading directly into a dramatic but understated recitation of Thomas Hardy's ode to the great ship, "The Convergence of the Twain". By the time the finale piece, "Songe d' Automne", is played by an appropriately melancholic quartet, you will hear the water lapping from below decks and the ship rumbling and creaking to its final destination as the band played on... Accompanied by a finely printed souvenir booklet, replete with a history of the White Star Orchestra, copious notes on the timetable of the sinking, and photos of the ship, the original band, and the sheet music. Try playing this while watching footage, sans audio, from the many Titanic documentaries playing these days on cable and it provides an experience which will arguably transport you into another dimension of reality. It was not Hollywood; it was the north Atlantic!

I mainly picked up this CD becuase of the inclusion of Songe d'Automne, the purported last song played by the gallent musicians of the Titanic, and the White Star March. As big as a Titanic buff as I am, I never knew until reading the liner notes that the Titanic had an electric organ. I did enjoy the "diary" by Wallace Hartley and the poem Convergence of the Twain. When I listen to this CD I can just imagine myself sitting in the Reception Room on D Deck attending an afternoon concert in the company of Molly Brown, John Jacob Astor, and Benjamin Guggenheim. The selections are wonderfully performed and very rare. I'm not sure of any other CD that has such a varied collection of tunes from the turn of the century. On my 20th birthday, my mom used recipies from the book "Last Dinner on the Titanic: Recipies From the Great Liner to throw me a Titanic themed birthday. This CD was on repeat in the stereo. It added just the right atmosphere to the procedings. I'm not particular to any one song, they are each treasures. If you're looking for a change from the drivel that passes as "popular" music nowadays or a Titanic fan, this disk will surely enhance your listening enjoyment.

I was surprised when listening to this recording to hear the electric organ in the "White Star March" (first track); the organ sounded almost comical and gave me a negative impression of the music (I think this is because nowadays, the electric organ is associated with cheap circus music!). But after listening to the recording several times, and after learning that the electric organ was, in fact, existant and part of the music of the Edwardian Era, I began to enjoy the "White Star March."

The rest of the recording is very good, but not excellent. For example, I think certain pieces could have been arranged better, one of which is "Alexander's Ragtime Band." (The I Salonisti version is much better, in contrast.)

Other pieces are done very well and elicit nostalgic feelings for this vanished, but perhaps more colorful era. These songs include "Gluhwurmchen," "Oh, You Beautiful Doll," "Shine on Harvest Moon," "Destiny," "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee," and "Frankie and Johnny." The recording is "crowned" with the valse lente "Songe d'Automne," which is allegedly the last song played by the band on the night TITANIC sank. (Certain other survivors claim that they heard the hymn "Nearer My God to Thee.")

Overall, the recording provides a pleasant look into the popular musical styles of the late Edwardian Era.

This is a charming and thoroughly enjoyable CD, one that complements I Salonisti's "And the Band Played On" wonderfully.

Ian Whitcomb has done it right. He's done the research, even to tracking down the rare sound of the turn-of-the-century Aeolian electric organ. (There wasn't an Aeolian on Titanic, but the sound still belongs to the period, and it FEELS right on this CD.) He's assembled a good set of performers, including his own White Star Orchestra for the upperclass swells and the Musical Murrays for the steerage crowd. And he's chosen a good program. The White Star March opens the disc with just the kind of high spirits that must have been present on the pier in Southampton; and "Songe d'Automne," which was almost certainly the last song Wallace Hartley's band played, almost brings tears in the context of the Titanic disaster.

I suppose this CD could have been done better, but I can't for the life of me imagine how. I carry two or three CDs with me most of the time, and this has been among that short list since I first laid hands on it three months ago.

We've been through fictionalized versions of the Titanic on stage and screen; now Ian has come through with the actual music. Beautiful, tasteful renditions of what partygoers actually heard on that fateful voyage. Ian's everpresent attention to detail gives the listeners of this CD a sense of reality that touches the listener in a most basic way. Listen to the samples . . . you'll be hooked.

I bought several Titanic era music CDs over the last year and this is by far one of the best. I read the earlier review about the CD containing electronic organ etc and did not notice it except on the first opening piece - which is extremely lively and upbeat. The balance of the CD seems very down to earth and in line with the only handful of resources they had on the ship. The Merry Widow Waltz, among other pieces, is great.

Put on the CD, close your eyes and let your imagination soar. You won't see Leonardo or Kate on the bow of a computer generated Titanic, but you will "smell" the ambiance and style of 1912. People wanting sensation won't find it on this CD, but if you want to authetically re-live the period's music (and get a real feeling for life grand and not so grand at the time) then this is a must. (p.s. Don't be put off by the second track...a bit of out of place maudlin poetry which tries to set the mood and place, but distracts from the overall beauty and feel of the music.)