Robert Russell Bennett: "The Fun and Faith of William Billings, American"

[John Boyer]

Is it just me or are the Decca "Eloquence" reissues among the hardest things to find?  What should be an inexpensive re-issue series has become the subject of some of my most desperate internet searches.  I suspect, though I am unsure, that they were meant for distribution among the Commonwealth nations rather than the US.  I well remember my exultation upon managing to have delivered into my hands Bernard Herrmann's Phase-4 recording of Holst's Planets.  And so it is with the present disc, which I never thought would ever be reissued.

About 40 years ago I tuned in to a broadcast of a remarkable sacred cantata.  I missed the beginning, so I didn't know what I was listening to, but I was completely taken by what I heard  -- bowled over, really, the way you are bowled over the first time you hear Carmina Burana -- and wanted to cheer when the chorus's final amens ended.  When it was over, the announcer gave its curious title, which sounded more like a description: The Fun and Faith of William Billings, American, by Robert Russell Bennett (1894-1981).

The cantata, then only a few years old, was written in 1976 on a commission to celebrate the American bicentennial.  It was recorded by Decca for limited US distribution as the official souvenir album of the Kennedy Center.  Most of Bennett's work lies outside the remit of this board, and even what almost qualifies I have never warmed to: his Violin Concerto makes me cringe with its (intentional) pop elements, while his Abraham Lincoln symphony never fully gets off the ground, despite many good ideas.  In his Billings cantata, however, everything comes together.  He mines Billings for tunes that he then freely develops in a grand, unabashedly romantic style, despite the classical era source material and the composer's 20th century upbringing.  The result is, like Carmina Burana, intentionally backward looking, but all the better for it.

I long ago gave up ever seeing it on CD, so about 10 years ago I tracked down a copy of the LP.  Then in 2014 the UK-based Antal Dorati Centenary Society issued a CDR transfer of the LP -- clicks, pops, and all -- which I picked up as a stop-gap.  There were no notes or texts, but it was nice to have it in a more convenient format.  I concluded, however, that this LP transfer indicated that Decca would never sponsor an authorized re-issue from the masters.

A few weeks ago, while seeing if I could locate a copy of the score or the texts, I chanced upon the official Decca reissue.  It seems they released it in 2016 in their Eloquence series.  Given the American theme of the release (it also includes William Schuman's Three Places in New England, which lies outside our remit), I found it curious that it would appear in a series that seemed to be for Commonwealth distribution.  In any case, I snapped up a very good used copy, though I see it is listed at JPC, but whether you'd get a real CD now or just a CDR reprint is anyone's guess.  But give it a shot.  It's hoot.  The Eloquence re-release includes full notes and texts, which even my LP did not have.

[Wheesht]

Interesting. I think it is correct that the "Eloquence" series was at least originally meant for Australia only. Physical discs are much harder to find than downloads but Europadisc lists the CD as being in stock.

[semloh]

Yes, here in Australia I've seen many of the Eloquence series being sold very cheaply in the shops.

[John Boyer]

Ah!  The Down Under connection explains it!  I had noticed them associated with Australia in one way or another.  Anyway, here is the JPC listing, with samples:

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/various-be-glad-then-america/hnum/5332055

The samples incorrectly list tracks 9-11 as part of the cantata.  They are, as can be seen from the image of the actual track listing, original choruses by Billings.