Geoff Wooff Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Has anyone an idea where I might find the score for a Waltz called Belinda as played by Tommy Williams on his record "Springtime in Battersea"? Thanks for any help, Geoff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted October 1, 2011 Author Share Posted October 1, 2011 It does appear to be a little strange to me that I can find almost nothing about this tune,on the web. It is a fine composition that surely was made by a 'proper' composer. I suspect that it has been mis-titled... this makes it rather difficult to pin down.. I have tried searching under some names variants, like Melinda and lucinda, but nothing yet... any ideas ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Libris Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 Hi Geoff - just had a look through the ICA library and couldn't find it there . Sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted October 1, 2011 Author Share Posted October 1, 2011 (edited) Hi Geoff - just had a look through the ICA library and couldn't find it there . Sorry Hi Jeremy, many thanks for seaching the files... maybe it is time for me to join the ICA . I am now trying to learn the piece using a slow-down programme... it is great practice for my baby Maccann fingering . This process re-enforces my belief that this was a proffesional composition.. it smacks of Continental Accordion repertoire. It is a bit like the theme from "The Third Man". Edited October 1, 2011 by Geoff Wooff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirge Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 Hi Geoff - just had a look through the ICA library and couldn't find it there . Sorry Hi Jeremy, many thanks for seaching the files... maybe it is time for me to join the ICA . I am now trying to learn the piece using a slow-down programme... it is great practice for my baby Maccann fingering . This process re-enforces my belief that this was a proffesional composition.. it smacks of Continental Accordion repertoire. It is a bit like the theme from "The Third Man". I don't know it. Is it anywhere I can hear it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Drinkwater Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Hi Geoff - just had a look through the ICA library and couldn't find it there . Sorry Hi Jeremy, many thanks for seaching the files... maybe it is time for me to join the ICA . I am now trying to learn the piece using a slow-down programme... it is great practice for my baby Maccann fingering . This process re-enforces my belief that this was a proffesional composition.. it smacks of Continental Accordion repertoire. It is a bit like the theme from "The Third Man". I don't know it. Is it anywhere I can hear it? Dirge, you can always buy your own copy of the CD, Masters of the Concertina, Gordon Cutty and Tommy Williams, on which this track by Tommy Williams is featured, from Free Reed Records. The cost is a measly £6.00! Click on this link. http://www.free-reed.co.uk/frrr12 Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirge Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Dirge, you can always buy your own copy of the CD, Masters of the Concertina, Gordon Cutty and Tommy Williams, on which this track by Tommy Williams is featured, from Free Reed Records. The cost is a measly £6.00! Click on this link. http://www.free-reed.co.uk/frrr12 Chris I think I've only ever bought 3 or 4 music cds in my life. Sometimes I think I might, but I manage to resist it. I look forward to receiving my complementary Duet International cd when it is issued. At that point I'll have to remember how the cd player works. I know, odd, isn't it? But I'm not about to change a lifetime's habit just on the off chance that I can recognise a track that Geoff is trying to pin down, even if this cd is probably one I'd appreciate. I don't buy magazines or books on my passions either. My thinking is that I want all my spare spondulix to go directly into buying bits for ancient vehicles or improving the concertina holding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted October 2, 2011 Author Share Posted October 2, 2011 I did find a website that offered to play that track but I don't recall the link... I will seach further. My attempts yesterday afeternoon using the slowdowner programme gained me the first part, melody only,.... it uses all the chromatic notes except G#.This was good practice and at a rate that suggest I might have the whole melody in a week or two. Then, by Christmas I might have worked out the chords and appegio accompaniments. Now my head neck and back are a bit sore, from watching the righthand keyboard and sitting in a stretched position to operate both the computer and the Maccann at the same time... left hand on mouse right on concertina wedged against the table front! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 I did find a website that offered to play that track but I don't recall the link... I will seach further. My attempts yesterday afeternoon using the slowdowner programme gained me the first part, melody only,.... it uses all the chromatic notes except G#.This was good practice and at a rate that suggest I might have the whole melody in a week or two. Then, by Christmas I might have worked out the chords and appegio accompaniments. Now my head neck and back are a bit sore, from watching the righthand keyboard and sitting in a stretched position to operate both the computer and the Maccann at the same time... left hand on mouse right on concertina wedged against the table front! Ther is a Belinda Waltz on Masters Of The Concertina - Gordon Cutty & Tommy Williams. The same rendition? A 40 seconds impression on CDuniverse.com. Track 27. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirge Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Ther is a Belinda Waltz on Masters Of The Concertina - Gordon Cutty & Tommy Williams. The same rendition? A 40 seconds impression on CDuniverse.com. Track 27. Didn't recognise it, so that's that. Sorry Geoff. Mind you it seemed to include a lot of Random Notes, or is that another tune... Heard some of the samples on that site and I'm glad I didn't buy it. Not that it was likely anyway but it reinforces my funny ideas... Must go and see how the All Blacks are doing; there's lots of cheering from the TV area.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted October 2, 2011 Author Share Posted October 2, 2011 Yes that is the tune and the player but a snippet as offered on that site does not give a decent impression of the playing. My view is that Tommy Williams was a very musical fellow and one must remember that these recordings were made when he was well over 80 years old, the same for Gordon Cutty... I do not hear many today that could come close to their standard of playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirge Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 one must remember that these recordings were made when he was well over 80 years old, the same for Gordon Cutty... Fair comment; I didn't realised, although if I'd had my brain in gear I might have guessed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Drinkwater Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 I have now put the full version of Tommy playing Belinda, up on YouTube. Here is the link for anyone interested in listing to the full version of the waltz. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirge Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Thanks Chris, on behalf of all the cheapskates of C net I salute you. It sounds just like any number of jaunty piano pieces you could buy in the days before everyone had a record player; if that's Tommy waving the 81 key arround on the video he may well have just used the piano score. 'Bert Greene did just that for his music because I asked his family, and even I am going this way nowadays. So on this principle I looked in the index of The Charles Templeton Collection which is good for this sort of thing. No luck, no Belindas. I wonder if this is another one that Tommy renamed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 I have now put the full version of Tommy playing Belinda, up on YouTube. Here is the link for anyone interested in listing to the full version of the waltz. Chris Chris, Many thanks for putting Tommy on Youtube... it is most usefull to have a Web literate person around when you need them. Geoff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 (edited) Thanks Chris, on behalf of all the cheapskates of C net I salute you. It sounds just like any number of jaunty piano pieces you could buy in the days before everyone had a record player; if that's Tommy waving the 81 key arround on the video he may well have just used the piano score. 'Bert Greene did just that for his music because I asked his family, and even I am going this way nowadays. So on this principle I looked in the index of The Charles Templeton Collection which is good for this sort of thing. No luck, no Belindas. I wonder if this is another one that Tommy renamed. Thanks Dirge for having a dig around for Belinda... I guess you could be correct in your surmise that Tommy changed the name or it got mis-translated from the 'semi toothless- slighly lispy- south London accent' into something resembling 'wot weez speeks terdaeeé'. So, yes I was expecting to find a Piano score..... What is, to me, more amazing is that according to the sleeve notes Tommy did not read music! Now to learn tunes, single line melodies, these days using a Repeat button and Slowdowner programme is difficult enough but, stuff like this where the first part of the tune uses all the Chromatic notes (except G#).. Now imagine Tommy Williams learning it... by what method ? Listening to the radio, watching a film ? Having a friend play it over and over? Maybe lifting the arm of his gramaphone and jogging the needle back a few bars whilst holding the 72 or 81 in the other hand. I learned many tunes myself by the 'Vinyl pothole method' and know how 'tuff go-in it ezz'. Incidently, I vividly recall watching Tommy play standing up with his 72k.. hmmm.. back in 1974 or '75, at an ICA meeting, and he was a tiny man of 80+ years... he did have a chair behind him which he eventually and reluctantly utilised half way through one of his pieces. Edited October 3, 2011 by Geoff Wooff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Drinkwater Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 (edited) Just a thought, but would it be worth contacting Neil Wayne of Free Reed records, who recorded Tommy and interviewed him while he was still alive, to ask him if he can shed any light on the origin of this tune. Chris Edited October 3, 2011 by Chris Drinkwater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 Just a thought, but would it be worth contacting Neil Wayne of Free Reed records, who recorded Tommy and interviewed him while he was still alive, to ask him if he can shed any light on the origin of this tune. Chris Hmm yes maybe... that was what my wife suggested too... So I will try that... it could be possible that Neil has more recordings because he refers to other pieces in Tommy's repertoire in the sleeve notes. Geoff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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