It is unusual to have a Top Twenty Pop
Chart ‘hit’ by a classical composer. It is even rarer when that composer is
a ‘modernist’ who has flirted with twelve tone music (Serialism) and the more
approachable reaches of the avant-garde.
Hungarian-born émigré composer Mátyás
Seiber did just that. The song ‘By the Fountains of Rome’ written
in 1956 became a ‘top ten’ hit and subsequently won an Ivor Novello award.
The key to understanding Mátyás Seiber’s place
in musical history is always to recognise the various stylistic trajectories
which he explored during his short life. This included Bartok, folk
music and Schoenbergian twelve-tone techniques. His catalogue of work is wide-ranging
and includes an opera, three string quartets, a variety of concerted works and many
songs and folk-song arrangements. In the 1920s,
Seiber lectured in Jazz Studies at Frankfurt. This was influential in his
music. There were the Two Jazzolettes and the ‘blues’ movements in the String
Quartet No.2. One other distinguishing feature of his music was his ‘impish
sense of humour.’ So, it comes as no surprise to find Seiber composing a ‘pop’ song.
By the Fountains
of Rome
By the Fountains
of Rome, we were dreaming
By the Fountains
of Rome, you were mine.
As the Moon on
the water was gleaming
I believed you’d
be mine for all time…
But the Fountains
of Rome heard you whisper
That our wonderful
dream could not be
Now as I walk
alone by the Fountains of Rome
Your Lovely reflection
I see….
In 1956 Mátyás Seiber set the words of ‘By
the Fountains of Rome’ written by Norman Newell (1919-2004). Newell was an English record producer and co-writer
of many songs. He worked with a star-studded group of singers an musicians including
Judy Garland, Petula Clark, Russ Conway, David Carroll and Shirley Bassey.
‘By
the Fountains of Rome’ is very much a product of its time. To be sure, it is
the kind melody that could be sung by a crooner or a light operatic singer such
as Mario Lanzo.
Both words and music are romantic,
idealistic and largely sentimental. It would have appealed to a British audience
who were only just beginning to start taking Continental holidays in the
aftermath of the Second World War. Just two
years previously, filmgoers had enjoyed the comedy Three Coins in the Fountain,
starring Clifton Webb, Dorothy McGuire, Jean Peters, Louis Jourdan and Maggie
McNamara. It featured the title song sung by an uncredited Frank Sinatra. In
1953 Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck had wowed audiences with Roman Holiday.
Things Italian were the order of the day.
Stylistically, ‘By the Fountains of Rome’ is
a million miles away from the raunchy ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ released by a certain
Mr Elvis Presley in January 1956. That was the delight of the ‘pop’ charts in
the 1950s and 1960s: it was possible to have a wide aesthetic range of music,
from Rock and Roll, to novelty songs by way of Latin Beat-infused ballads.
During 1956 two ‘covers’ of the song appeared
in the record charts. The earliest hit was by the Canadian baritone Edmund Hockridge
(1919-2009) released on Pye-Pixa (N15063). The ‘B’ side was ‘I’ll need your love.’ Hockridge
was accompanied by the Beryl Stott Chorus with Tony Osborne and His Orchestra. The
record first charted in 6 September 1956 and reached No.17 in the Hit Parade.
It remained in the charts until 4 October.
The second version was by ‘pop’ and ‘opera’
singer David Hughes (1925-72) on the Phillips label (B26237H). The ‘flip’ side of this single was ‘Tombolee,
Tombola.’ Here, the supporting band was Wally Stott with his Orchestra and
Chorus. This song was to be Hughes only
hit single in the UK charts. By contrast
to Hockridge, David Hughes only made it to No.27, first appearing in the
listings on 27 September 1956. He remained in the charts for a single week. (Official
Charts Database Webpage).
Subsequent ‘covers’ of this song have been
made by Eddie Calvert, Harry Secombe, Vera Lynn and my personal favourite, the instrumental
version by Manuel and the Music of the Mountains on his LP Magic Fountains
issued in 1968 on the Studio 2 Stereo label.
The three versions of ‘By the Fountains of
Rome’ have been conveniently uploaded to YouTube: Edmund Hockridge David Hughes Manuel and the Music of the
Mountains.
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