Archibald Joyce (1873-1963) has
been dubbed the ‘English Waltz King’ and the ‘English Waldteufel’. However,
Philip Scowcroft has suggested that he is ‘not quite an answer to the Strausses.’
The reason given is twofold: Firstly the very best of waltzes by the Strauss
family are ‘miniature tone-poems’ thus making them ‘significant concert pieces’
whereas the present waltz is an entertainment, and secondly, the sound world of
Joyce is nearer to the French waltz than the Austrian. I would go further and
suggest that Archibald Joyce’s music much ranges wider that that particular dance
form, and that all his music has something undefinably English about it, rather
than Continental.
The programme notes provided in
the Naxos/Marco Polo recording gives the story as to how the waltz came to be written.
Apparently a friend of the composer remarked on seeing an attractive lady enter
the room – ‘What a lovely girl! She’s worth a thousand kisses’. And this remark
became the inspiration for the waltz.
Further, as the waltz is dedicated to a certain Miss Madge Slowburn, it
is thought that she may have been the lady in question.
After an introduction, the gorgeous
main theme is heard a number of times with its beautiful wistful melody. Like
all waltzes of this kind, it is presented as a kind of rondo, with varying
short episodes between statements of the main theme.
‘A Thousand Kisses Waltz’ was
composed around 1910 and was published by Ascherberg, Hopgood and Crew Ltd. It has been arranged for piano, military band
and orchestra.
This waltz appealed to Charlie
Chaplin, who made use of it in the later soundtrack for his 1925 silent film The Gold Rush for the ‘saloon dance scene.’
One final thought. It is reported
on the internet that Madge Slowburn (perhaps the same lady) who was born around
1886, married a gentleman called Charles Gordon Mills at St Mary’s Church, Wimbledon
on 18 January 1915. Charles was a Second Lieutenant in the Coldstream Guards. After
the wedding he reported back to France. On 25 January he was killed in a mined
trench in France, aged only 19. He had been married for only 7 days.
Archibald Joyce’s 'A Thousand
Kisses Waltz' has been released on the Marco Polo
label and has been uploaded to YouTube.
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