Test card music

[acorn]

Where can one obtain the TV test card music of the Sixties, please.

Acorn

[AC/HL]

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...d%20music&sm=3

[lesmw0sec]

Some of that was quite good - also had the advantage if I recall correctly, of being copyright-free

[Mike Phelan]

I remember BBC being the Shadows and ITV various piano concertos.

[ukcol]

I particularly remember the Grieg Piano Concerto being played but cannot remember if it was BBC or ITV.

[Peter.N.]

I think I have a full set of the 'Herb Alpert' records from the '50s.

Peter

[acorn]

Thanks, lads for your help, nice music it takes me back a few years.

Acorn

[8 Tracker]

I typed "test card music" into Youtube a couple or so years ago. It opened up a whole new world of library music to me. There really were some wonderful pieces of music composed and some of the best-known TV themes of the 70s and 80s were in fact library music. There was a program on Radio 4 about this back in 2011 and it is still available to listen to here.

[bc312]

Originally Posted by ukcol

I particularly remember the Grieg Piano Concerto being played but cannot remember if it was BBC or ITV.

Colin - it was ITV. In my TVDX days I could receive Channel 11 from the Mendlesham transmitter; Anglia Television.

Regards

[ukcol]

Thanks Mike.

[Boom]

Don't forget the Dambusters March if you end up on an ITV channel.

[ben]

Look at the KPM 1000 series on their site. Lots of test card and incidental/TV theme music by the likes of Alan Hawkshaw, Keith Mansfield, Steve Gray, James Clarke... amazing stuff. Also Dewolfe for more of the same. There are some real 'curates egg'-type compilations of Easy and test card stuff around, so go direct to the source, I say!

Here's a good blog too

[bobsterkent]

Don't forget that there were 2 cd's released with test card music on, I have them in the car for boring long trips

[FERNSEH]

From the early sixties one of the most well known contributors to BBC test card music was the French composer Roger Roger. Read about him here: http://www.weirdomusic.com/artists/rogerroger.htm

DFWB.

[HamishBoxer]

Many CD,s are still available,try Test Card Circle Magazine.Appollo Records etc.

[Test Card Girl]

Where can one obtain the TV test card music of the Sixties, please?

There have been many commercial releases of original recordings used to accompany the BBC Test Card since the first one in 1996 "The Girl, The Doll, The Music" which I compiled and produced with my friend Tony Currie for the Chandos label.

Some of that was quite good - also had the advantage if I recall correctly, of being copyright-free

There is NO SUCH THING as copyright free music. There is recorded music available for use at a knock-down one-off fee (known as royalty free, because it is not affiliated to such bodies as the PRS who collect royalties on behalf of its composer and publisher members). The music used for the BBC's Trade Test Transmissions (and indeed a lot of the music one heard in the Light and Third Programmes, Radios Two and Three up until as recently as 1997) was classed as "non-needletime" - that is, music for which the performance royalties were paid at a special rate and the recordings were provided under special arrangements with the owners for broadcasting rights only - hence the standard BBC response "Test Card music is not available to the public". A lot of recordings necessarily came from abroad, some from foreign broadcasters. I could go on and on!

I remember BBC being the Shadows and ITV various piano concertos

I fear your memory is playing tricks Mike, as far as The Shadows are concerned: "The Shadows Greatest Hits" (Columbia 33SX 1522) was played on ITA Trade Test Transmissions in the 1206-1230 slot from March 1964. The ITA/IBA music was always commercially available material; from 1957 until 1967 it was mostly popular and jazz instrumentals with a few standard repertoire classical recordings. From 1968 until about 73/74 it was all classical.

I think I have a full set of the 'Herb Alpert' records from the '50s

The four 1960s Herb Alpert LPs used on ITA Trade were as follows:

"Whipped Cream and Other Delights" (Pye International N(S)PL 28058) September 1965 1236-1300
"Going Places" (Pye International N(S)PL 28065) March 1966 1206-1230
"What Now My Love" (Pye Insternational N(S)PL 28077) March 1967 1206-1230
"Sounds like..." (A&M AML(S) 900) September 1967 1206-1230

There were also some Alpert recordings on a BBC Trade Test Tape played on BBC1 between November 1973 and December 1975, as the publishers Ricordi produced a special LP in their series "Musicorama" for use in radio/film and TV - hence it was classed as non-needletime, but in practice the recordings were exactly the same takes as the commercial ones.

There really were some wonderful pieces of music composed and some of the best-known TV themes of the 70s and 80s were in fact library music. There was a program on Radio 4 about this back in 2011

Wonderful indeed! The Radio 4 programme was sadly lacking and typically shallow, but better than nothing to get the subject aired at least.

Look at the KPM 1000 series on their site. Lots of test card and incidental/TV theme music by the likes of Alan Hawkshaw, Keith Mansfield, Steve Gray, James Clarke... amazing stuff. Also Dewolfe for more of the same. There are some real 'curates egg'-type compilations of Easy and test card stuff around, so go direct to the source, I say!

Ah - the legendary KPM 1000 series... The Test Card music you will find on such publishers' sites is mostly more modern material used in compilations made in-house at Channel 4 when they started braodcasting in 1982. Go direct to the source - or get in touch with me...

From the early sixties one of the most well known contributors to BBC test card music was the French composer Roger Roger

And Roger Roger was great friend and Patron of The Test Card Circle until his death. If you really want to get into it, join the Circle; at least take a look at:

http://www.testcardcircle.org.uk

Mr Acorn - do you have a decent sound card and speakers attached to your internet-connected PC? Or perhaps an internet radio ("Squeezbox")? If so, there is a fun programme on tomorrow evening (Friday 31st January) which you might enjoy.

If you don't believe me, ask fellow members System A, Mikey405 and Tazman1966...

Best Regards to All

Lucy
xx

[FERNSEH]

Another contributor to the BBC test card music was the RIAS Entertainment Orchestra. Well I knew that this particular RIAS was not an insurance company.
This youtube link answers the question. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MfDs89WXt4
Also performed as the Helmuth Brandenburg Band I believe.

DFWB.

[lesmw0sec]

"There is NO SUCH THING as copyright free music."

I beg to differ. I write a song and I own the copyright. I am then free to sign a declaration to the effect that I transfer my rights to humanity or whatever.

In the case of the test cards, I have no doubt you are correct - I simply recall that there was something a bit unusual about it - the BBC stuff anyway.

Les.

[paolo]

iTunes has a lot of the KPM 1000 series and there is also a series of Test Card Music albums available to download too. Mostly European orchestras but plenty to like . Example here:

https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/te...-3/id482392652


Paul