| Charles Kennedy Scott (November 16th 1876 – July 2nd 1965) was an English conductor and composer. He studied organ at the Brussels conservatoire, and was particularly known as a choral conductor, founding the Oriana Madrigal Society in 1904, the Philharmonic Choir in 1919 and the Bach Cantata Club in the 1920s. He recorded with both groups. In 1926, he made an early attempt at recording Mozart’s Requiem – 6 sides were eventually issued, though more were recorded. Among his other notable recordings were Bach’s Motet “Jesu, meine Freude” BWV227 in 1927 and Schubert’s Mass in G in 1928. He also prepared the Philharmonic Choir for Albert Coates’s recording of the B minor mass. | |
| Mozart – Requiem – Agnus Dei – Lux aeterna – Cum sanctis Garda Hall, soprano Philharmonic Choir, Orchestra, Charles Kennedy Scott |
His Master’s Voice D 1149 Matrices: CR 550-IA, 551-II (04879, 04880) Recorded 6th July 1926, Queen’s Hall, LondonThe Requiem consists of the following sections: 1. Requiem aeternam – Kyrie 2. Dies Irae 3. Tuba Mirum 4. Rex Tremendae Majestatis 5. Recordare 6. Confutatis 7. Lacrymosa 8. Domine Jesu 9. Hostias 10. Sanctus and Hosanna 11. Benedictus 12. Agnus Dei, Lux aeternam & Cum sanctisKennedy Scott recorded 9, 1b & 2, 8, 7 & 10 and 3 on April 12th 1926. None of the takes were used. In the second session on 6th July 1926 he recorded 9, 1b & 2, 8, 7 & 10, 1a, 4 & 6 and 12 (2 sides – given here). From this session, parts 1a, 1b & 2, 8, 9 and 12 were issued. The soloists were Garda Hall, Nellie Walker, Sydney Coltham and Edward Halland. The solo trombone in Tuba mirum was Jesse Stamp. Thus only parts 5 and 11 were not attempted – both feature just the solo quartet (though this is also the case for 3). If the unissued matrices still exist, then there is a virtually complete 1926 Mozart Requiem lurking in the archives. Interestingly, in the early recorded history of this work, Albert Coates was recorded live in 1927 conducting the Dies irae, Rex tremendae and Sanctus – this was at the same concert where Chaliapin performed Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Mozart and Salieri.” |
| Schubert – Mass in G major No.1 – Kyrie eleison No.2 – Gloria in Excelsis No.3 – Credo No.4 – Sanctus No.5 – Benedictus No.6 – Agnus Dei Philharmonic Choir Elsie Suddaby, soprano. Howard Fry, baritone. Percy Manchester, tenor. Orchestra, Charles Kennedy Scott |
His Master’s Voice D 1478-80 Matrices CR 2116-IIIA, 2117-IIA, 2118-II, 2123-IIA, 2119-III, 2121-IIA (single-side numbers 2-054759, 054760, 054761, 054758, 054756, 054757) Recorded 3rd July 1928 (sides 1, 3 – 6) and 2nd July 1928 (side 2)This was recorded in 2 sessions on successive days in the Queen’s Hall (relayed to small Queen’s Hall). On the first day 2 takes were made of the Kyrie and Gloria, and 1 each of the Credo and Benedictus. (2 machines were used for altenate copies of each take.) Only the 2nd take of the Gloria was issued from this session, and lasts about 3 minutes. It is interesting to note, therefore, that the Sanctus, lasting some 95 seconds was first attempted on the second day on the same side as the Gloria. This should in theory have fitted: the Credo for example takes some 4 minutes 40 seconds. It is clear, though, this plan was abandoned, perhaps because it was decided not to issue the set with the movements out of order. When the Sanctus was recorded on its own, it was actually played twice through on the issued take of CR2123, with the final chord of being linked back to the first chord. Presumably if the combination of the two movements on one side had been achieved, the 6th side of the set would have been used for Schubert’s setting of Psalm 23, which was also attempted at these sessions. On the second day 3 takes of the Agnus Dei were made, 1 of the Gloria and Sanctus combined, 3 of the Sanctus on its own, 3rd takes of the Kyrie and Gloria, a 2nd take of the Credo and 2nd and 3rd takes of the Benedictus. |
| Bach – St. Matthew Passion 25. Behold how throbs; 26. I would beside my Lord Philharmonic Choir Walter Widdop, tenor Orchestra, Charles Kennedy Scott |
His Master’s Voice D 1872 Matrices CR 2513-II, 2514-II (single side numbers 32-1577, 32-1578) Recorded 11th June 1930, Queen’s Hall, LondonThough the record labels indicate that the first side contains No.25 and the second No.26, the side join is in fact some way through No.26.Walter Widdop was one of England’s most respected tenors of the inter-war years, particularly for his Wagner singing. He was one of the original 16 soloists in Vaughan Williams’s Serenade to Music. |
| Monteverdi – L’Incoronazione di Poppea – May sweet Oblivion lull thee Handel – Atalanta – Like as the love-lorn turtle Doris Owens, contralto With Frederic Jackson, harpsichord (Monteverdi) Strings and Harpsichord of the Bach Cantata Club, Charles Kennedy Scott (Handel) |
Dutch Columbia DCH 87 Matrices WA 11086-2, 11102-2 (58460, 58498) Recorded c1930The contralto Doris Owens recorded a number of sides for the “Columbia History of Music by Ear and Eye, Volume II (Baroque)”. I have, so far, only one of her records: a Dutch pressing, containing, oddly, Parts 1 and 7 of the Volume in question. |
| Bach – Violin Concerto in E major – First Movement Strings and Harpsichord of the Bach Cantata Club, Charles Kennedy Scott Yovanovitch Bratza, violin |
Columbia DB 504 (The Columbia History of Music by Ear and Eye – Volume II, Parts 9 and 10) Matrices WA 11098-2, 11099-2 (58500, –) Recorded early c1930 |