Episode 162

Chapter 23, Radiophonic Music in the United Kingdom. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music 

This episode of the podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text.

The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings.

There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast.

Let’s get started with the listening guide to Chapter 23, Radiophonic Music in the United Kingdom from my book Electronic and Experimental music.

Playlist: RADIOPHONIC MUSIC IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

Time

Track Time

Start

Introduction –Thom Holmes

01:36

00:00

1.     Daphne Oram, “Introduction to Oramics” (1960). Introduction to her Oramics studio and processes for making electronic music. Voice and musical examples by Daphne Oram, recorded in her home studio Tower Folly, Kent.

04:37

01:38

2.     Daphne Oram, “Four Aspects” (1960). Tape composition by Daphne Oram recorded in her home studio Tower Folly, Kent.

08:07

06:14

3.     Delia Derbyshire, “Doctor Who Theme” (Closing Credits) (1962). The most famous version of this theme for the popular television program, composed by Ron Grainer and realized by Derbyshire at the BBC studios.

02:23

14:20

4.     Ray Cathode (George Martin), “Time Beat” (1962). Produced at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Written and produced by George Martin, around the time when he was starting his production work with The Beatles.

02:11

16:40

5.     Ray Cathode (George Martin), “Waltz in Orbit” (1962). Produced at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Written and produced by George Martin, around the time when he was starting his production work with The Beatles.

01:52

18:52

6.     Daphne Oram, “Costain Suite” (1964). Tape composition by Daphne Oram recorded in her home studio Tower Folly, Kent.

13:17

20:44

7.     Delia Derbyshire, “Running” (1964). One of the seven parts from the “radio inventions” called "The Dreams," first broadcast on the BBC Third Programme, Sunday 5th January 1964.

08:08

34:02

8.     Delia Derbyshire, “Falling” (1964). One of the seven parts from the “radio inventions” called "The Dreams," first broadcast on the BBC Third Programme, Sunday 5th January 1964.

08:45

42:08

9.     Delia Derbyshire, “Land” (1964). One of the seven parts from the “radio inventions” called "The Dreams," first broadcast on the BBC Third Programme, Sunday 5th January 1964.

07:02

50:54

10.   Daphne Oram, “Pulse Persephone” (1965). Tape composition by Daphne Oram recorded in her home studio Tower Folly, Kent.

04:03

58:06

11.   Tristram Cary, “Sputnik Code” (1968). Cary was a British composer and pioneer of electronic music. He composed this work for a movie soundtrack.

01:50

01:02:08

12.   Lily Greenham, “ABC in Sound” (1968). Early tape work by this pioneer of electronic music in the UK. Greenham was an Austrian-born Danish visual artist, performer, composer and leading proponent of sound poetry and concrete poetry. She settled in London.

02:39

01:04:02

13.   White Noise (Delia Derbyshire, David Vorhaus, Brian Hodgson), “The Black Mass: An Electric Storm In Hell (The White Noise)” (1969). Experimental electronic music project established in London in 1968, originally as a group project between David Vorhaus and BBC Radiophonic Workshop members Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson. Vocals by Annie Bird, John Whitman, Val Shaw.

07:20

01:06:40

14.   White Noise (Delia Derbyshire, David Vorhaus, Brian Hodgson), “Your Hidden Dreams” (1969). Experimental electronic music project established in London in 1968, originally as a group project between David Vorhaus and BBC Radiophonic Workshop members Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson. Vocals by Annie Bird, John Whitman, Val Shaw.

04:55

01:13:58

15.   White Noise (Delia Derbyshire, David Vorhaus, Brian Hodgson), “Love Without Sound” (1969). Experimental electronic music project established in London in 1968, originally as a group project between David Vorhaus and BBC Radiophonic Workshop members Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson. Vocals by Annie Bird, John Whitman, Val Shaw.

03:07

01:18:52

16.   Electrophon (Brian Hodgson, Dudley Simpson), “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” (Händel) (1973). Electronic interpretations of classical music for various synthesizers.

03:04

01:22:00

17.   Paddy Kingsland, “Fourth Dimension” (1973). Produced by Kingsland for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. “The synthesisers used on this disc are both British, and both made by E.M.S. of London. They are the VCS3, an amazingly versatile miniature synthesiser, and its big brother, the Synthi '100', known within the Radiophonic Workshop as 'The Delaware', after the address of the Workshop.”

02:19

01:25:02

18.   Lily Greenham, “Traffic” (1975). Realized at the Electronic Music Studio, Goldsmiths' College, University of London. Technical Assistance, Hugh Davies.

10:33

01:27:18

19.   White Noise (David Vorhaus), “Concerto Movement 1” (1975). Used what Vorhaus called the Kaleidophon Synthesizer that included two EMS VCS 3’s connected via a console of electronic modules he designed.

11:33

01:37:50

20.   Delia Derbyshire, “Dreaming” (1976). Produced for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop as a work to accompany a television program.

01:13

01:49:18

21.   Glynis Jones, “Crystal City” (1976). Produced for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop as a work to accompany a television program.

01:01

01:50:30

22.   Glynis Jones, “Magic Carpet” (1976). Includes three shorts works, Magic Carpet Take-Off, Magic Carpet Flight and Magic Carpet Land. Produced for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop as sound effects.

00:50

01:51:30

23.   Brian Hodgson, “Tardis Land” (1976). Produced for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop as a sound effect.

00:23

01:52:22

Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes.

My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022.

See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation.

For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.

Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.