Hyperion Records

French titles were very much in vogue at the time, as witness Valse Septembre (1909) by Felix Godin. One might wonder how a composer with such a French-sounding name finds a place in this collection; but that, too, demonstrates the mystique of anything French. It hides the identity of the more mundanely named Henry Albert Brown (c1864–1925), who under his nom d’artiste was, like Archibald Joyce, a popular dance-band leader before and after World War I. This waltz has recently enjoyed renewed exposure by featuring prominently among the period music played in the film Titanic. We hear it here in the original orchestration by Adolf Lotter (c1870–1942).

from notes by Andrew Lamb © 2000