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	• Titanic: Music as Heard on the Fateful Voyage Ian Whitcomb, White Star Orchestra Rhino / Wea, 1997 average customer review:based on 14 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A trip to a more refined era

I mainly picked up this CD becuase of the inclusion of Songe d'Automne, the purported last song played by the gallent musicians of the Titanic, and the White Star March. As big as a Titanic buff as I am, I never knew until reading the liner notes that the Titanic had an electric organ. I did enjoy the "diary" by Wallace Hartley and the poem Convergence of the Twain. When I listen to this CD I can just imagine myself sitting in the Reception Room on D Deck attending an afternoon concert in the company of Molly Brown, John Jacob Astor, and Benjamin Guggenheim. The selections are wonderfully performed and very rare. I'm not sure of any other CD that has such a varied collection of tunes from the turn of the century. On my 20th birthday, my mom used recipies from the book "Last Dinner on the Titanic: Recipies From the Great Liner to throw me a Titanic themed birthday. This CD was on repeat in the stereo. It added just the right atmosphere to the procedings. I'm not particular to any one song, they are each treasures. If you're looking for a change from the drivel that passes as "popular" music nowadays or a Titanic fan, this disk will surely enhance your listening enjoyment.

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Incomplete

Although one reviewer here is spot-on by stating that the integrity of the interpretation of these pieces is evident in the fact that it served as ambience like a plotted plant; the paradox being that this is also which lends to the weakness of these selections as truly enjoyable pieces. Additionally, I really don't understand how this recording could leave off Ragtime tunes, which both surviving officers of the ship maintain were played during the time the ship was going down. One specifically rememebers this because he didn't like jazz, but yet gleaned comfort from it during the horrible ordeal. The other specifically remembers the last song he heard as being "Autumn"---a popular Ragtime number---yet it is not on this disc! The Amazon reviewer says that ragtime music was only beginning to rankle "Edwardian sensibilities." In fact, even a cursory understanding of pop musich history would show that ragtime was actually in its nadir of popularity, after having burst onto the scene of popular music some 15 years earlier.

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As it really was!

We love this CD! We learned more about the real Titanic music from listening to the CD and reading the booklet inside. Imagine, all those pianos on the ship. . . and a real Aolean electric organ! What a surprise to hear that authentic organ music.

The music is gentle, but some pieces are lively, as you would expect from a variety of songs intended to be background music on the ship.

One of the best pieces is the complete "Dream of Autumn," obviously the last song the band played. Imagine the wireless operator hearing them continue to play this as he floated away! Simply amazing!

A nice touch is the small bit of piano music ending the CD. You can close your eyes and imagine the ship sinking, the end of an innocent era.

Thank you Ian Whitcomb and the White Star Orchestra for an excellent job!

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It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This, Folks

How happy I was to find this album - especially what with all of the "Titanic Movie Mania", and the film's awful theme song playing everywhere one went - well, here was truly a breath of fresh air. And even now, some eight years after its release, it's as wonderful as ever.

It probably doesn't hurt that I do have a great deal of interest in the Titanic's story, but more than that, I adore, infinitely, early jazz and popular music. And this album is a shining example of how beautifully that music can be celebrated, in the loving hands of artists who can recreate it with respect and authenticity. As well, this collection has been assembled by Ian Whitcomb, a legend in his own time. Mr. Whitcomb fits into that rare category of those artists strongly devoted to their craft, and his dedication to early jazz sparkles here.

Every selection is a gem, but some stand out particularly: "Glow-Worm", "The Mosquito's Parade", The Arcadians", "Shine On Harvest Moon", "That Mesmerizing Mendelssohn Tune", "Silver Heels", and, of course, the fabled "Songe d'Automne". Also, listen for the extra #24 track, "Ragging the Waves" - this could actually be my favorite on the entire album.

I also have to commend Mr. Whitcomb for his tremendous care put into the album's liner notes - he captures the personality of that great age, and depicts accounts rarely found elsewhere. And, of course, I strongly appreciate his greatly respectful tribute to Wallace Hartley, the leader of the Titanic's orchestra, and to Hartley's colleagues. These men were made heroic by their decision to play as the ship went down, and they were widely celebrated for many years after the tragedy. I sincerely hope that, as the years pass, their noble efforts are not forgotten. Thanks to Mr. Whitcomb, their memory is far less likely to fade.

And so, in conclusion, I very eagerly recommend this album to those who are: 1) Titanic historians and the interested, 2) Fans of early popular music, 3) Lovers of a fascinating story, and 4) The rest of the population. It's a unique and important album, worthy of ownership and many, many listenings.

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THE BEST OUT THERE

If you are looking for a CD that will give an indication of what the passengers on the Titanic might have listened to on the voyage then this is for you.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

British conductor, musicologist, and producer Ian Whitcomb successfully raises the dead in this re-creation of songs played on board the Titanic the night of the ship's plunge. His White Star Orchestra assumes the ghost of bandleader Wallace Hartley, who entertained the White Star Line's first- and second-class passengers from the lounge and eventually atop the decks of the sinking vessel. With detailed liner notes about the music and excursion, this ear-opening collection provides pleasant and quaint parlor renditions of tunes like "Frankie and Johnny" and "Shine On Harvest Moon"--music that was still the standard when ragtime was only beginning to rankle Edwardian emotions. Whitcomb is also savvy enough to articulate the importance of these selections as musical wallpaper meant to be played behind the potted palm. --Joseph Lanza

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