Music Aboard The Titanic

Carol Wolfe (Composer), Nat D. Ayer (Composer), Irving Berlin (Composer), Franz Lehar (Composer), Ignace Jan Paderewski (Composer), Harry Von Tilzer (Composer), Scott Joplin (Composer), Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Composer), Fryderyk Chopin (Composer), Johann II Strauss (Composer), Paul Lincke (Composer), Leo Friedman (Composer), Carl Wolfe (Composer), Arthur Sullivan (Composer), Roy Brewer (Composer), Anonymous (Conductor), Bruce Erskine (Performer), Joe Kebschull (Performer), Steve Kummer (Performer), Beth Luscombe (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Bruce Erskine, Joe Kebschull, Steve Kummer, Beth Luscombe
• Conductor: Anonymous
• Composer: Carol Wolfe, Nat D. Ayer, Irving Berlin, Franz Lehar, Ignace Jan Paderewski, et al.
• Audio CD (April 7, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Inside Sounds
• ASIN: B0000034DL
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #66,346 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It's hard not to get nostalgic listening to the selections jazz composer and musician Carl Wolf produced and arranged for Music Aboard the Titanic, a collection of mostly popular music from 1912. The strings-and-piano chamber group Wolf leads does its best to showcase the versatility of the White Star Line musicians, playing a set list that includes ragtime, light classical, and waltzes. "Alexander's Ragtime Band," "Blue Danube," and "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" are the best-known inclusions, all played in elegant, straightforward fashion. Songs are intelligently grouped by their presumed setting onboard the ship, with lighter tunes classified as "Luncheon: 1st Class Dining Room" and more serious fare found in "Concert in the 1st Class Lounge." Compared to the bombast of certain Titanic tributes, this collection is sublime. Just be forewarned: whether played on the Titanic or on this CD, this is largely background music. --Jason Verlinde

Product Description

One of the most enduring legacies of the 'Titanic' is the heroism of the eight musicians who continued playing even as the great steamship sank into the Atlantic. A powerful prologue and epilogue composed by Carl Wolfe, along with selections from the White Star songbook, capture the spirit of the voyage and of the music these musicians played.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good recording for the price., August 15, 1999

By A Customer

This recording provides a nice look into the musical trends of the upper class of early 1900s society. Although the quality of the music is certainly not that of I Salonisti, it is pleasant, clear, and relatively well-orchestrated. One of the problems with this recording, however, is that some of the pieces are not complete and/or played as they were intended to be played. The section "Dinner Dance" (tracks 12-15) includes Strauss' BLUE DANUBE; this CD's version is only a 2 1/2 minute "clip" from the original piece. Note also that -- depending on the type of audio CD player you have -- you may experience what one reviewer called "clicking" sounds. This has happend only on one CD player I have used.

Despite the minor flaws in this CD, it is definately worth the fifteen or so dollars, if you are a fan of salon-style music.

You may wish to consider the following other recordings at Amazon.com. I own all of them and am very impressed, overall:

* LAST DANCE: MUSIC FOR A VANISHING ERA (I Salonisti) - EXCELLENT * AND THE BAND PLAYED ON: MUSIC ABOARD THE TITANIC (I Salonisti) - EXCELLENT * MUSIC FROM THE WHITE STAR SONGBOOK - VERY GOOD * THE MUSIC OF THE TITANIC - GOOD * 21 AUTHENTIC SONGS FROM TITANIC (Mary Jane Newman and the Southampton Pier Players) - EXCELLENT * TITANIC: MUSIC FROM THE FATEFUL VOYAGE (Ian Whitcomb & The White Star Orchestra) - EXCELLENT

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This 1997 CD came before the movie and it's a masterpiece..., June 2, 2002

By	Eddie Dattel (Memphis, Tennessee) - See all my reviews

In 1996, Carl Wolfe was commissioned to arrange music from the Titanic playlist (used by the White Star Line musicians) for the 1997 Titanic Exhibition. It is officially endorsed by the exhibition. Since its release, dozens of other CDs have followed, hoping to capitalize off of the success of the movie. Some aren't bad, but "Music Aboard The Titanic" is effective because it was written and arranged by a musician/composer who had served 20 years in the U.S. Navy as an arranger, conductor and musician. His two original pieces--"Leaving Queenstown" and "Fateful Hour"--are emotionally-charged and tie the entire work together as a concept CD. "Music Aboard The Titanic" is a real masterpiece. I should know--I was the one who commissioned Carl Wolfe for the job!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, but flawed, August 26, 2003

By	David Bogosian (Glendale, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Overall, this is an enjoyable album that is worth purchasing. The playing is refined and elegant, and it succeeds in conveying the atmosphere of a tea room or lounge on the doomed ship. But, there are a number of areas where the recording could have been improved:

- Many of the songs are represented only by the chorus, with the verses being completely absent. "Let Me Call You Sweetheart", for instance, runs through the chorus 3 times, with slightly varying orchestration, but never do we hear the verse.

- The string playing is pretty poor with regard to intonation. Passages where multiple strings are (supposedly) in unison come off a little harsh. Maybe that was the authentic way string players sounded back then? Doubtful.

- The newly composed material that bookends the authentic original music is rather discordant in style. I found myself just playing the middle tracks, skipping the first and last two.