My Utterly Spiffing Guide to Light Music. Part 1: Harmony Overview

A project I've been working on for several months. I had a few jobs last year that involved composing 40s and 50s Light Music and I was frustrated with the lack of material online. So, I rolled up my sleeves, did a lot of research and searching and managed to track down a bunch of scores from this era.

First, I did a few mock-ups to get my head around how it all worked (the "My Computer is a 1950s Orchestra" series): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_22rDauDR0&list=PLS-pN_Fz3OFde0rCQi_9bnwo2l3El-MSN

Moving on from that, I thought it would great to make some content breaking down some of the theory and ideas behind this great genre. I'm planning to make a couple more covering the orchestration and arranging further down the road.

Links to recordings of the pieces referenced in this video:

Pizzicato:

Holiday for Strings (David Rose):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2u0BvyDxdM

High Heels (Leonard Charles Trebilco as Trevor Duncan)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTn4Z2LLu3U

On a Spring Note (Sidney Torch):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWvBbCbHymw

Melody on the move (Clive Richardson):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyDIs89OPNY

A Canadian In Mayfair (Angela Morley):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EvrBGrYJSU

Legato:

Holiday for Strings (David Rose):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2u0BvyDxdM

Lady In Love (Leonard Charles Trebilco as Trevor Duncan as Steve Bretton)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX5UxcoXDjo

A Canadian In Mayfair (Angela Morley):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EvrBGrYJSU

Melody in the Sun (Ernest Tomlinson as Alan Perry)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZILiuDCR6cQ

Portrait of a Flirt (Robert Farnon):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gbq4hjzM9g

Sounds used to recreate these excerpts:
Spitfire Audio Chamber Strings
LA Scoring Strings
A few live overdubs of violin & viola I did myself here and there
Spitfire Audio Symphonic Woodwinds
Sequenced in Cubase
FX: U-he Satin, Waves Abbey Road Vinyl, Waves EQ & Compressors
Edited in Filmora

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Видео My Utterly Spiffing Guide to Light Music. Part 1: Harmony Overview канала Alex Ball