Product Description

Book passage aboard the most famous shipwreck of all time with 15 songs (plus a couple of originals from conductor Carl Wolfe) straight from the White Star Orchestra songbook, performed with the same instrumentation as that ill-fated ensemble. Includes Nearer My God to Thee; Alexander's Ragtime Band; Merry Widow Waltz; Maple Leaf Rag; Andante Cantabile, and more.

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It's hard not to get nostalgic listening to the selections jazz composer and musician Carl Wolf produced and arranged for Music Aboard the Titanic, a collection of mostly popular music from 1912. The strings-and-piano chamber group Wolf leads does its best to showcase the versatility of the White Star Line musicians, playing a set list that includes ragtime, light classical, and waltzes. "Alexander's Ragtime Band," "Blue Danube," and "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" are the best-known inclusions, all played in elegant, straightforward fashion. Songs are intelligently grouped by their presumed setting onboard the ship, with lighter tunes classified as "Luncheon: 1st Class Dining Room" and more serious fare found in "Concert in the 1st Class Lounge." Compared to the bombast of certain Titanic tributes, this collection is sublime. Just be forewarned: whether played on the Titanic or on this CD, this is largely background music. --Jason Verlinde