Ralph
Elman and his Bohemian
Players will certainly
register with older
readers but as they were
essentially a
broadcasting orchestra,
rarely venturing into the
recording studios, they
are unknown to the
present generation and
will eventually be no
more than a name in old
editions of 'Radio
Times'. So, what better
reason could there be for
placing the orchestra on
permanent record in these
pages?
Raphael
Elman, to give him his
real name, was born on
2nd December 1907 in Mile
End, London. His father,
Philip, hailed from Kiev
in Ukraine and was a
violinist in the days of
the silent cinema.
Ralph's mother,
Moscow-born Annie Odinoff
was a rabbi who went to
the docks to receive
refugees from the pogroms
in Russia. Among those
refugees was Ralph's
father, Philip Elman,
whose brother was the
distinguished and
ultimately world famous
violinist, Mischa Elman.
With such a celebrated
uncle it was hardly
surprising that Ralph
should take up the violin
and that his brother
Henry should become a
well-known cellist.
Ralph
Elman and his Bohemian
Players made their first
broadcast in 1943 and, by
the end of the war had
become regular
contributors to radio's
light music broadcasts.
His orchestra of fourteen
players was a combination
of strings, woodwind,
trumpet, accordion,
piano, guitar and
percussion. He also
broadcast as Ralph Elman
and his Tsigane
Orchestra. His obvious
affinity for gypsy music
inspired him to compose
many pieces in this
idiom, some written under
his pen-name Raphael,
such as 'Romantic
Gypsies', 'Wild Gypsy',
'Laughter and Tears',
'Wandering Gypsies' and,
most famous of all,
'Gypsy Fiddler' which
Ralph regularly included
in his broadcasts, as did
other orchestras.
Ralph
Elman and his Bohemian
Players were heard in
many different series
over the years, including
'Bright
and Early',
'Morning
Music',
'Cafe on the Corner',
various announced
programmes which were
untitled, simply called
the name of the orchestra
and 'Music
While You Work'
for which they
contributed 174 editions
over 18 years. Despite
their title, the Bohemian
Players performed a wide
range of British and
Continental light music,
with the occasional
Romany item. It has to be
born in mind that the
enthusiasm for gypsy
music that existed in the
thirties had largely died
down by the fifties and
the many exotically
titled orchestras such as
Ralph's had to be careful
to provide a varied
programme of music if
they wished to continue
to receive regular
broadcasts.
In
the late fifties, Ralph
also led a sextet for a
number of broadcasts. His
ensembles existed
essentially for radio
and, in commom with many
other speciality light
orchestras were
unceremoniously axed in
the mid-sixties. The
Bohemian Players final
broadcast was in a series
called 'Swing Into
Summer', a compilation
type of programme which
replaced the afternoon
editions of 'Music While
You Work' in 1966.
Being
a much respected
musician, Ralph played in
many other combinations
and led the orchestras of
Isy
Geiger,
Marcel
Gardner,
Harry
Davidson
and Hugh
James.
Indeed Hugh James told me
that he 'admired Ralph as
a musician and as a man',
commending his beautiful
plaintive tone which, he
said, 'was so typical of
someone with his
background'
In
those far off days when
small light orchestras
were heard daily on the
radio, conductors often
included in their
programmes, compositions
by their fellow
bandleaders, often on a
reciprocal basis. During
the sixties Ralph always
made a point of including
a Ron Goodwin composition
in each programme,
possibly because he
happened to lead the Ron
Goodwin orchestra whose
long-playing records
often featured Ralph and
his works.
Although
Ralph was not known as a
recording artist, he
apparently made a few
78s, although I have yet
to come across any. In
1971, however, in what
was probably one of his
last professional
assignments, Ralph and
his orchestra made a
long-playing record of
gypsy pieces, including
some of his own
compositions, on the
Polydor label. Ralph
Elman spent his last
years in Spain, where he
died from lung cancer on
14th January 1983 whilst
listening to a record of
'Tsigane' by Ravel played
by Heifetz.
Listen
to 'Music While You Work'
played by Ralph Elman and
his Bohemian Players
as broadcast on the BBC
Home Service at 10.30am
on 10th January 1959.
Listen
to Ralph Elman and his
Sextet
as broadcast circa 1960.
Listen
to 'Music While You Work'
played by Ralph Elman and
his Bohemian Players
as broadcast on the BBC
Light Programme at 3.31pm
on 22nd March 1966.
MUSIC
WHILE YOU WORK
played by Ralph Elman and
his Bohemian Players
on 22nd March 1966
Calling
All Workers (Sig)
La Mattchische
Little Brazilian Soldier
Bows and Bells
Marichiare
Mercury gets the message
Runaway Romance
March from the 'Little
Suite'
Brazilian Flower Girl
Gypsy Fiddler
Tango el Amour
Swedish Rhapsody
Windows of Paris
Speak to me of love
Carriage and Pair
Whiskey Galore
Portuguese Party
Calling all Workers (Sig)
|
Eric
Coates
Borel-Clark
Barnet
Sydney
Del Monte
Tosti
Ron
Goodwin
Florian
Zabach
Trevor
Duncan
Gonzales
Ralph
Elman
Emmez
Hugo
Alfven
Tony
Osborne
Lenoir
Benjamin
Frankel
Fred
Hartley
Gilbert
Vinter
Eric Coates |
Listen
to 'Music While You Work'
played by Ralph Elman and
his Bohemian Players
as broadcast on the BBC
Light Programme at 3.31pm
on 6th October 1964.
MUSIC
WHILE YOU WORK
played by Ralph Elman and
his Bohemian Players
on 6th October 1964
Calling
All Workers (Sig)
Banda Espanola
Brise de Paris
Rhumbalinda
Man who plays the
mandolino
This is my prayer
Bond Street Rag
Jay Walker
Nightingale Song
The Red Cloak
Exotica
Carriage and Pair
Caracas
Toy Town Trumpeters
Little Venice
Wedding Dance
Carlos' Theme
Magyar Memories
Calling all Workers (Sig)
|
Eric
Coates
Gerald
Crossman
Albert
Delroy
Eric Jupp
Fancuilla
Nisa
Inez
Holland
Maurice
Grew
Zeller
Ron
Goodwin
Brian
Couzens
Benjamin
Frankel
Bernard
Monshin
William
Davies
Busby
Newman
Ivor
Saney
Ralph
Elman
Eric Coates |
Listen
to 'Music While You Work'
played by Ralph Elman and
his Bohemian Players
as broadcast on the BBC
Home Service at 10.31am
on 1st February 1964.
MUSIC
WHILE YOU WORK
played by Ralph Elman and
his Bohemian Players
on 1st February 1964
Calling
All Workers (Sig)
Spanish Harlequin
Little Brazilian Soldier
Heart of Paris
Tipsy Gypsy
The Singer not the Song
The Happy Whistlers
From Russia with Love
Miss Melanie
Silly Billy
Brise de Paris
Skiffling Strings
La Mattchische
Calling all Workers (Sig)
|
Eric
Coates
Peter
Haysom
Douglas
Rossiter
Auric
Leslie
Osborne
Green
Leemans
Lionel
Bart
Ronald
Binge
Norrie
Paramor
Albert
Delroy
Ron
Goodwin
Borel-Clark
Eric Coates |
Listen
to 'Music While You Work'
played by Ralph Elman and
his Bohemian Players
as broadcast on the BBC
Home Service at 10.31am
on 29th August 1964.
MUSIC
WHILE YOU WORK
played by Ralph Elman and
his Bohemian Players
on 29th August 1964
Calling
All Workers (Sig)
Banda Espanola
Amoureuse
Mexican Summer
Little Serenade
Little Lobster
Black Orchid
Night Flight
Serenade
Swinging Sweethearts
Trapeze Waltz
Faire Frou-Frou
Calling all Workers (Sig)
|
Eric
Coates
Gerald Crossman
Berger
Rodriguez
Ernest Tomlinson
Inez Holland
Rice
Peter Hope
Jonny Heykens
Ron Goodwin
Sidney Torch
Ronald Binge
Eric Coates |
Listen
to 'Music While You Work'
played by Ralph Elman and
his Bohemian Players
as broadcast on the BBC
Light Programme at 3.31pm
on 9th May 1963.
MUSIC
WHILE YOU WORK
played by Ralph Elman and
his Bohemian Players
on 9th May 1963
Calling
All Workers (Sig)
Senor Pancho
Taverna
Mexico
Autumn Leaves
Bows and Bells
Harlem Waltz
Whisky Galore
Panatella
Nightingale Song
Donkey Ride
Wedding Dance
Concetta
Vilia
Baion de Santos
Amoureuse
Magyar memories
Calling all Workers (Sig)
|
Eric
Coates
Harold
Geller
Norrie Paramor
Bryant
Kosma
Sidney del Monte
Reynolds
Fred Hartley
Ron Goodwin
Zeller
Albert Delroy
Newman
Harry Dexter
Franz Lehar
Eric Jupp
Berger
Ralph Elman
Eric Coates |
Listen
to 'Music While You Work'
played by Ralph Elman and
his Bohemian Players
as broadcast on the BBC
Light Programme at 3.31pm
on 13th August 1963.
MUSIC
WHILE YOU WORK
played by Ralph Elman and
his Bohemian Players
on 13th August 1963
Calling
All Workers (Sig)
Haifa Festival
Count of Luxembourg Waltz
Messenger Boy
The Little Lobster
Marechiare
Spanish Violins
Jangle Bells
Parakeets of Paraguay
Amoureuse
The March Hare
Tonight
The Cuban Bellringer
The Jazz Drum Major
Swedish Polka
Winter Sunshine
The Man who Plays the
Mandolino
Magyar Memories
Calling all Workers (Sig)
|
Eric
Coates
Isra
Franz Lehar
Ron Goodwin
Rico
Tosti
Helmut Zacharias
Kenneth Baynes
Cedric Dumont
Berger
Phil Green
Leonard Bernstein
Menard
Pastern
Hugo Alfven
George Melachrino
Fanciulla
Ralph Elman
Eric Coates |
MORNING
MUSIC
played by Ralph Elman and
his Bohemian Players
at 7.15 a.m. on the Home
Service on August 13th
1949
Spanish
March
Dolores
Donkey Serenade
Russian Gypsy Airs
Besame Mucho
Ad Infinitum
Sabre Dance
Neapolitan Serenade
Malaguena
Magyar Memories |
Rixner
Emile Waldteufel
Friml arr. Sidney Davey
Trad. arr. Ralph Elman
Velasquez
Kenneth Baynes
Khachaturyan
Gerhard Winkler
Ernesto Lecuona
Ralph Elman |
|