Alfred
Van Dam was born in
London on 1st March 1902.
After studying at the
Guildhall School of
Music, he joined the Carl
Rosa Opera Company at the
age of 17 and, at 19,
began a 12-year
association with
Gaumont-British,
conducting orchestras on
their circuit.
After
a spell at the Trocadero,
Elephant & Castle,
Van Dam was appointed
Musical Director of the
famous State Orchestra at
the Gaumont State Cinema
in Kilburn. Broadcasting
began in 1931 and Alfred
Van Dam and the State
Orchestra were regularly
heard on the air over the
ensuing decade.
Van
Dam tried to establish a
25-piece light orchestra
in the Royal Air Force to
provide entertainment for
RAF personnel as and
where required. The RAF
thought that this was a
wonderful idea and the
the orchestra were
conscripted 'en bloc'.
Unfortunately Van Dam's
eyesight was not very
good and he failed his
medical examination. As a
result, the whole idea
fell through, but the
musicians who had already
joined the RAF had to
remain there for the
duration, having lost the
special posting for which
they had volunteered!
Van
Dam formed a new
orchestra in 1943 from
musicians ineligible for
the services and had a
long association with the
Golders Green Hippodrome.
He resumed broadcasting;
having appeared eight
times on 'Music
While You Work'
with the State Orchestra
he went on to play a
further 132 editions over
the next 15 years. He was
also heard many times in
the breakfast- time
programme 'Morning
Music'.
In common with several
other theatre orchestras,
the Van Dam Orchestra
ceased broadcasting in
1958, at a time when the
use of conventional
orchestras in the theatre
was diminishing. The BBC
was also rationing the
appearances of such
combinations, which were
larger and more expensive
than many of the other
ensembles in use. Believe
it or not, there is even
a BBC memorandum
advocating minimal use of
theatre orchestras in the
hope that they would
disband. Many duly
obliged!
Alfred
Van Dam died in 1973.
Music
While You Work
at 3.45 p.m. on 14th June
1957
Played by Vam Dam and his
Orchestra
Calling
All Workers (Sig)
Entry of the Gladiators
Carousel Waltz
Marigold
Fiesta
Two Guitars
The March Hare
Theme from the Threepenny
Opera
Shooting Star
Selection: Maid of the
Mountains
Calling All Workers (Sig) |
Coates
Fucik
Rodgers
Mayerl
Coles
arr. Martin
Green
Weill
Torch
Fraser-Simpson
Coates |
|