Harry Horlick Orchestra- Music For Every Mood- A5- Songs Of The Danube, Russian Dance

Описание: Harry Horlick's "Music For Every Mood"

In the landscape of post-war budget record labels, releases like "Music For Every Mood" by Harry Horlick and His Orchestra offered an affordable introduction to orchestral music for typical American households. This budget album (P12-73, circa 1950) is the kind of record many collectors might neglect or discard today. Yet, it offers an intriguing glimpse into how mid-century America marketed classical and folk music traditions to middle-class consumers.

Album Details and Track List:

Artists: Harry Horlick and His Orchestra / Viennese Symphonic Orchestra
Title: Music For Every Mood
Label: Plymouth Merit (P12-73)
Release Year: circa 1950

Side A:

Hora Staccato
Scene Tzigane
Sabre Dance
Songs My Mother Taught Me
Songs Of The Danube, Russian Dance
Dance Of The Maiden

Side B:

Overture to "Barber Of Seville"
Largo From "New World Symphony"
March From "Le Coq D'or Suite"


I've owned a copy of this album for many years, well over a decade. However, my copy has a significant pressing defect. I didn't have the original jacket; it was stuffed inside a different budget release jacket from Royale Records, roughly from the same era. That other record wasn't available in the thrift store bins I explored that day when I obtained my copy. This defect resulted in noticeable thuds in some tracks that I could not polish out, no matter how hard I tried. Luckily, I found a raw transfer from another fellow collector, which was free of my copy's specific defect, but it did have the typical crackle and surface noise expected with such used records. I then refined this transfer using DeNoise and Click Repair software to create the restoration presented here. I've also assembled captures of various alternate colors, but the overall cover art design remains consistent line-wise.

Harry Horlick: Radio Fame to Budget Label Staple

While Harry Horlick's life story was indeed remarkable—he was born in Ukraine, served in the Russian army, was captured by Bolshevik forces before escaping to Constantinople and eventually reaching America in 1922—by the time his name appeared on Plymouth Merit releases, his career had traveled from radio stardom to budget label obscurity.

Horlick's original claim to fame came through his leadership of The A&P Gypsies "the first commercially sponsored musical act on radio" in the early 1920s. Sponsored by the A&P grocery chain, this ensemble became a fixture on American radio. However, as radio programming evolved and popular tastes shifted, Horlick's star gradually faded.

By the post-war period, Horlick's name recognition made him valuable to budget labels looking to add credibility to inexpensive releases. Whether Horlick was directly involved in these recordings or lent his name to the production remains questionable – a common practice among budget labels was to license names and recordings from artists whose mainstream careers had declined. For consumers unfamiliar with classical music, seeing the name of a once-famous radio conductor provided reassurance of quality, regardless of the actual performers or recording conditions.
Budget Programming: "Greatest Hits" or "Familiar Favorites" Approach.

The "Music For Every Mood" track selection epitomizes the budget record approach to classical and international music, focusing on recognizable, accessible pieces rather than comprehensive works. The album begins with "Hora Staccato," a flashy violin showpiece that had become popular through Heifetz recordings, followed by "Scene Tzigane," capitalizing on the mid-century American fascination with romanticized "gypsy" music.

Khachaturian's "Sabre Dance" represents a particularly interesting choice – by 1950, this piece had already become a pop culture phenomenon after its use in vaudeville acts and appearances on variety shows. Similarly, Dvořák's "Songs My Mother Taught Me" was frequently featured on radio programs as an accessible entry point to classical music. The inclusion of "Russian Dance" likely aimed to capitalize on Horlick's background rather than representing any meaningful musical statement.

Side B offers abbreviated versions of orchestral warhorses – the overture to Rossini's "Barber Of Seville" (familiar to many Americans through its use in cartoons and commercials), the famous "Largo" from Dvořák's "New World Symphony," and a march from Rimsky-Korsakov's "Le Coq D'or Suite." These selections were the classical equivalent of a "greatest hits" package – offering just enough cultural cachet without demanding significant listener investment.

A reminder about the exclusive benefits available for supporting World Of Budget Vinyl Records:

Consider becoming a patron on Patreon at   / budgetvinylworld  . As a patron, you'll enjoy early access to exclusive content, including complete albums, often unavailable elsewhere on YouTube! If there is already an online copy, ours will