Step back in time with a collection of tunes from one of the most dynamic decades of the 20th century. This collection is not just a set of tunes; it's a portal to an age of jazz clubs, speakeasies, and a generation dancing towards modernity.
1.
A. G. Villoldo - El Choclo (tango)
El Choclo means "The Corn Cob" and is one of the most popular tangos. It was written by Ángel Villoldo, an Argentine musician, apparently in honour of a nightclub owner, who was known as "El Choclo".
3.
Kullak - Grandmother Tells a Ghost-Story (Grossmutter erzahlt ei...
If you've ever been told a ghost story by someone close to you, you'll recognise the creeping feeling of fascination and dread as you listen. This piece captures that atmosphere really well. The composer Theodor Kullak was also known as a great teacher.
"Over There" is a 1917 song written by George M. Cohan that was popular with the United States military and public during both world wars. It is a patriotic song designed to galvanize American young men to enlist and fight the "Hun." The song is best remembered for a line in its chorus: "The Yanks are coming."
5.
Jack Judge - It's a Long, Long Way to Tipperary
"It's a Long Way to Tipperary" is a British music hall song co-written by Jack Judge and Henry James "Harry" Williams. Although there has been a long-standing controversy over authorship. It was originally penned as a ballad, it was the publisher, Bert Feldman, who suggested it should become a marching song. It became popular among soldiers in the First World War and is remembered as a song of that war.
'O surdato 'nnammurato ("The Soldier in Love") was written by Enrico Cannio in 1915 with lyrics by Aniello Califano. The song describes the sadness of a soldier who is fighting at the front during World War I and who pines for his beloved. Originally Cannio's sheet music was published with piano accompaniment, but in recordings, on 78rpm, then LP, Neapolitan standards such as "O surdato" have usually been orchestrated to suit each tenor. The song is used as the anthem of S.S.C. Napoli.
Gardel's 1927 Adios Muchachos tango was apparently inspired by an evening with friends that ended with the parting words "Adiós muchachos." In collaboration with Argentinian poet César Vedani he elaborated these words into a compete piece. In it the parting is more melancholic—it consists of a dying person reminiscing about his life whilst saying goodbye to his friends. The song went on to become hugely popular, with over a hundred commercial recordings in existence. It also appears in numerous films, including "Scent of a Woman" and "The Full Monty."
'O surdato 'nnammurato ("The Soldier in Love") was written by Enrico Cannio in 1915 with lyrics by Aniello Califano. The song describes the sadness of a soldier who is fighting at the front during World War I and who pines for his beloved. Originally Cannio's sheet music was published with piano accompaniment, but in recordings, on 78rpm, then LP, Neapolitan standards such as "O surdato" have usually been orchestrated to suit each tenor. The song is used as the anthem of S.S.C. Napoli.
If you're looking for a spook-tacular dance that seems to depict a whole host of creatures of the night, this piece is it. Engelmann himself is not so well known today, but he was a hugely prolific composer of educational music. Let's hope his lessons weren't as scary as this!
"O sole mio" is a globally known Neapolitan song written in 1898. Its lyrics were written by Giovanni Capurro and the melody was composed by Eduardo di Capua. There are other versions of "O sole mio" but it is usually sung in the original Neapolitan language. "O sole mio" is the Neapolitan equivalent of standard Italian "Il sole mio" and translates literally as "my sunshine." In the UK in the 1980s the song was famously used for series of television commercials for Cornetto ice-cream, sung to the words "Just one Cornetto..."
