Desert Island Discs Ref to DM.

[piedpiper]

I was suprised to find this BBC reference on the internet.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs/castaway/ce33bd6f

[sarahk]

Thanks for sharing this fun, cool find!  I'm not surprised to see Elgar represented in Munrow's desert island discs, but am surprised by his favorite book.  Men and Animals is apparently written in Italian.  Did he speak, read, or write Italian or any other languages besides English?  I've read that he was a linguist but have not found more specific information regarding his foreign language skills.

By the way, how well did Munrow know Eric Idle when they were students at Pembroke College?  I'd guess they were friends because, as you probably know, you can hear a brief snippet of Munrow's The Leaves Bee Green (?) during a Monty Python parody of the 1972 Elizabeth R series.

[piedpiper]

Sarahk,

       Being a bit thick I did not realize that the rest of the data on the link concerned was to do with DM! Thank you for pointing it out! Moreover, I know nothing about the claims you make in the last paragraph. You can enlarge on it if you like.

Robert Searle (piedpiper)

Cut, and paste copy of the BBC post on DM.



David MunrowThis programme is not currently available to listen. Why?
Broadcast

First broadcast: Sat 28 Sep 1974
Musician
Roy Plomley's castaway is musician David Munrow.



Choices 1.

Thomas Tallis
Spem in alium

Choir: Clerkes Of Oxenford

Others who chose this artist
 2.

Luis Abanto Morales
La Pitita

 3.

Johann Sebastian Bach
Mass in B minor - Agnus Dei

Soloist: Alfred Deller

Others who chose this artist
 4.

Sir Edward Elgar
Falstaff

Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Anthony Collins

Others who chose this artist
 5.

Natalie Wood
I Feel Pretty (from West Side Story)


Others who chose this artist
 6.

Bix Beiderbecke and His Gang
At The Jazz Band Ball


Others who chose this artist
 7.

Diana Luca
Love Song

 8.

Castaway's favourite

George Frideric Handel
He was despised (from Messiah)

Soloist: James Bowman Orchestra: Academy of St Martin in the Fields

Others who chose this artist
Book

Men and Animals, a book in Italian Luxury item

Piano


 

[sarahk]

Robert, since my last post I've come to realize that David Munrow and Eric Idle probably did not know each other when they were students at Pembroke.  Munrow had attended Pembroke from ca 1961 to 1964 and Idle had attended the school from 1965 to 1969.  They had missed each other by a trifling year.  Drat!

There is another reason why I'd hitherto thought Munrow and Idle might have been friends or colleagues.  Monty Python used an excerpt of Munrow's work during the introduction of their Erisabeth L [ sic ] sketch (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9aXTtVtaLA).  I thought the piece in question comes from Two Renaissance Dances, but for the life of me I can't find it on the album.  This is just driving me nuts.  Can you name the piece and source?

[piedpiper]

Yes, the two pieces come from the Renaissance Dance Bands. One of them is on side 1, and the other one side 2 on the original record.

....With respect, I cannot believe you cannot find them on the cd. It is very easy. One of the pieces (the second recording heard on the Monty Python Programme) is called the Le Bergeret if I recall correctly. I cannot remember the exact title of the other piece but it is one of the broken consort entries.