Archibald Joyce
Archibald Joyce (25 May 1873–22 March 1963, age 89) conducted a salon orchestra in Great Britain in the Edwardian era that was so fashionable for balls and dances that he was known as the "English Waltz King",[1] conducting "the first modern dance band in Britain"[2] His most familiar waltzes are "Dreaming",[3] "Songe d'Automne" ("Autumn Dream") and "A Thousand Kisses", which Charlie Chaplin incorporated into the sound track he added to his silent classic The Gold Rush.[4] A conventional method of gaining public exposure for a song was to arrange to have it included a revue: in this way Joyce's "Vision of Salome" (1909) was included in Florenz Ziegfeld Jr's Follies of 1910.[5] Archibald Joyce recorded for His Master's Voice in 1912.
Harold Bride's recollection that the orchestra was playing "Autumn" as the Titanic foundered in 1912 has led to speculation by Walter Lord that he was in fact referring to "Songe d'Automne", which was part of the repertory of the White Star Line orchestras and with which he would undoubtedly been familiar.[6]
Notes
- ^ The "Waltz King" was Johann Strauss II.
- ^ D.B. Scott, "Other mainstreams: light music and easy listening, 1920-70" in The Cambridge history of twentieth-century music, 2004
- ^ Provided with lyrics by Earl Carroll, it was introduced in the US by Miss Kitty Gordon in Oliver Morosco's comedy with music, Pretty Mrs Smith (1913). ("The Sensation Waltz Song of Two Continents: Dreaming" (sheet music)).
- ^ (Naxos) Philip Lane, "Archibald Joyce" 2006
- ^ "Vision of Salome"
- ^ Encyclopedia Titanica: "Songe d'Automne"
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