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9 TREBLES Featured Boy Sopranos | All Trebles | Boy Altos | Soloist Recordings | Chorister of the Year | 78 RPM | Pop Singles

  Raymond Kinsey    (b. 5 March 1920) Boy Soprano Soloist 
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Raymond Kinsey Born in Bradford Raymond joined the choir of St Philip's aged eight. After winning a silver cup at the Blackpool Festival in 1932 he made six records for HMV between Jan. & Sept. 1933, but the early breaking of his voice later that year curtailed his career as a boy soprano. His life is sketched in more detail in Stephen Beet's book "The Better Land" (2005). Raymond died in 1997.

Herman Klein wrote in "The Gramophone" (December 1933), "There is in this boy's voice a dark, rich colour and a beauty of texture that are quite exceptional. The same adjective applies to his breath-control, the evenness of his scale, the depth and maturity of his expressive power. His style is characterized by a degree of natural feeling that has the similitude of passion which we know cannot be real in a boy, but which evidently induces his teacher to give him songs that call for strong underlying emotion . . ."
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Featured Recordings Compact | Full
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Gounod: Ave Maria / Foster: Oh! for a closer walk with God (HMV C.2629 (12-inch), 78 RPM) December 1933
Featuring Raymond Kinsey  
A: C.F. Gounod (1818-93): Ave Maria (religious song 1853-59, here sung in Engl.) (matrix 2B3557-7, rec. 1933)
B: M.B. Foster: Oh! for a closer walk with God (For details of this piece please see under Thomas Meddings) (2B3558-4, rec. 8 Sept. 1933)
With organ accomp. by R. Arnold Grier.
The multiple takes indicate that his voice was already beginning to change.
Review in "The Gramophone" (Dec. 1933, p. 278f) quoted at top of page.
The second item is available on Amphion CD "The Better Land" vol. 5.
  Side A -   Ave Maria (Gounod)  
  Side B -   Oh! for a closer walk with God (Foster)   4' 00
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Bach: My heart ever faithful / Haydn: With verdure clad (HMV C.2571 (12-inch), 78 RPM) July 1933
Featuring Raymond Kinsey  
A: J.S. Bach (1685-1750) (Cantata No. 68, 1725): My heart ever faithful (matrix 2B6513-1)
B: J. Haydn (1732-1809) ("The Creation", oratorio 1798): With verdure clad (2B6514-1)
Both rec. 24 Apl 1933 with orch. accomp.
"Both musically and vocally . . . a greater achievement still." (Review by C.M. Crabtree in "The Gramophone" July 1933, p. 61.)
Both items are available on Amphion CDs "The Better Land" vols. 4 & 5 respectively.
  Side A -   My heart ever faithful (Bach)   3' 07 (from Cantata No. 68)
  Side B -   With verdure clad (Haydn)   4' 32 (from "The Creation")
no cover
Handel: Rejoice Greatly / Let the Bright Seraphim (HMV C.2556 (12-inch), 78 RPM) May 1933
Featuring Raymond Kinsey  
Two pieces by G. F. Handel (1685-1759):
A: Rejoice Greatly (from oratorio "Messiah", 1742) (matrix 2B6269-1)
B: Let the Bright Seraphim (from oratorio "Samson", 1743) (2B6270-2)
Both rec. 6 Feb. 1933 (when he was a month short of 13 years) with orch. accomp.
"A brilliant record . . . unusually bright timbre to his voice . . . his runs are almost perfect, and easy." (Review by C.M. Crabtree in "The Gramophone" May 1933, p. 478.)

"Outstanding Records of the Month - Remakable New Boy Soprano. Another real 'find' by His Master's Voice is the thirteen-year-old boy soprano, Raymond Kinsey, who is something in the nature of a phenomenon. Without any hesitation I class him as the most wonderful singer of his age the gramophone has ever known - and I am not forgetting the popular Master Lough when I write this. Young Kinsey has a flute-like voice which is amazingly even throughout the whole of a very extensive compass; but, more than this, he has the golden gift of perfect pitch, and his firm and sure attack must be heard to be believed. On this, his first record, he is given two exacting Handelian arias to sing - Rejoice Greatly and Let the Bright Seraphim - and his beautifully unfaltering phrasing of their long roulades is worthy of any coloratura soprano. This lad will go far if not overworked, for he should have at least a couple of years' voice left him - and there is no doubt as to his vocal stamina."
(Review by Hubert S. Ryan in The Talking Machine and Wireless Trade News, London, May 1933, p. 81.)

Both items are available on Amphion CDs "The Better Land" vols. 5 & 4 respectively.
  Side A -   Rejoice Greatly (Handel)   4' 35 (from "Messiah")
  Side B -   Let the Bright Seraphim (Handel)   4' 45 (from "Samson")
Other Recordings Compact | Full
Raymond Kinsey - The Better Land Volume 6
The Better Land Volume 6 (Amphion PHI CD 220, CD) May 2007
Featuring The Better Land Series   Frank Bird   Richard Bonsall   Master Vernon Carter   Desmond Casey   Thomas Criddle   John Evans-Pughe   Robin Fairhurst   John Gwilym Griffith(s)   Raymond Kinsey   Walter Lawrence   Michael Lumb   Billy Neely   Christopher Robins   Mansel Squire   The Choir of St. Nicholas' College, Chislehurst   Robert 'Bobby' Waddell  
The Better Land Volume 6, with Master Thomas Criddle's photo on the cover, features some previously unissued recordings and broadcasts from the days when 'bel canto' and 'Old Cathedral Tone' was taught to our finest soloists. In addition to a previously 'lost' recording of Billy Neely, this includes broadcast recordings of Master Robin Fairhurst (Temple Church) and an unpublished recording of Vernon Carter.

The choristers of St Nicholas' College Chislehurst feature by popular request in their famous 'Brother James' Air and O Lovely Peace. Master Thomas Criddle's amazing voice has excited much comment by reviewers and singing teachers.
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This disc is quite remarkable for the wide range of vocal qualities and styles displayed, spanning a period of nearly 60 years. The two tracks by John Gwilym Griffith (new to CD) are alone worth the price of the disc, being sung with exquisite tone, style and feeling. Walter Lawrence, the New York choirboy, shows us in a track from 100 years ago, an amazingly easy vocal mastery of coloratura in "Rejoice Greatly" (Messiah), despite the slightly hurried tempi necessary to fit the (abridged) aria onto a 4-minute disc. The French song on his other track is another example of excellent technique and breath control. Thomas Criddle again shows a very attractive, pure, clear voice and good style in his May 1943 items. Frank Bird (also newly on CD), sounding younger than his 15¼ years, is a fine example of the English parish choirboy between the wars. Other tracks are perhaps not quite as pleasurable, but rewarding in their own way as historically illustrative. Michael Lumb and John Evans-Pugh sing in an over-refined or "precious" manner now outdated and probably not to most tastes. Robin Fairhurst lacks the necessary "steel" in his voice and has less than ideal breath control, while Raymond Kinsey (so prized in volumes 4 & 5) here sounds tired in a laboured account of Gounod's "Ave Maria". Mansel Squire's rendering of "I know that my Redeemer liveth" (Messiah) is rather curious: worryingly hesitant and inexpressive, without the progress from conviction in the opening lines, through triumph to awe and wonder at Divine grace, which the very best singers bring to the piece. He is not helped by an uninspiring organ accompaniment. One can only assume that limited studio time precluded a re-take. In summary, with a total playing time of 76 minutes this is a valuable document for those interested in the singing styles of boy soloists (both choristers and entertainers) since the earliest days of recording and the disc bears repeated careful listening. BJP
  1.   That Old-Fashioned Mother of Mine (David / Nicholls)   Master Thomas Criddle
  2.   I give thanks for you (Linton / Young)   Master Thomas Criddle
  3.   Rejoice Greatly (Handel -- The Messiah)   Master Walter Lawrence
  4.   Come unto Him (Handel -- The Messiah)   Master Robert Waddell
  5.   How beautiful are the feet (Handel -- The Messiah)   Master John Gwilym Griffith
  6.   I know that my Redeemer liveth (Handel -- The Messiah)   Master Mansel Squire
  7.   Danny Boy (F.E. Weatherly / Old Irish tune Londonderry Air)   Master Desmond Casey
  8.   Drink to me only with thine eyes (Ben Jonson / traditional English air)   Master John Gwilym Griffith
  9.   Brother James' Air (Psalm 23 / Marosa by J.L.M. Bain, arr. G. Jacobs)   Masters Michael Lumb & John Evans-Pughe
10.   O lovely peace (Handel -- Judas Maccabeus)   Masters John Evans-Pughe & Michael Lumb and the Choristers of St. Nicholas' College, Chiselhurst, Kent.
11.   Song of Songs (Lucas / Moya)   Master Frank Bird
12.   Villanelle (The Lark's Song, sung in French) (F. van der Elst / Eva Dell'Acqua)   Master Walter Lawrence
13.   A Tragic Story (Thackeray / Britten)   Master Billy Neely. Recording issued for the first time.
14.   Sheep may safely graze (Bach BWV208)   Master Robin Fairhurst
15.   Where e'er you walk (Handel -- Semele)   Master Robin Fairhurst
16.   The Tailor and the Mouse (traditional)   Master Robin Fairhurst. Recording issued for the first time.
17.   Ave Maria (sung in English) (Gounod)   Master Raymond Kinsey
18.   Turn Thy Face from my Sins (Attwood)   Master Vernon Carter. Recording issued for the first time.
19.   Tell Me, Lovely Shepherd (E. Moore / W. Boyce -- Solomon)   Master Christopher Robins. Recording issued for the first time.
20.   Santa Lucia   Master Richard Bonsall
21.   Daddy (Mark-Lemon / Behrend)   Master Thomas Criddle
22.   I shall be there (Bowler / Haydn Wood)   Master Thomas Criddle
Email   Stephen Beet Order directly from Stephen Beet to avail of the special price: Each CD is £10 plus postage.
The Better Land set of six CDs is £55 plus postage. (This includes a copy of Mr. Beet's book "The Better Land - In search of the lost boy sopranos." Please contact Mr. Beet StephenRBeet@gmail.com. PayPal address: beetstphn@aol.com Prices quoted in Euro and other currency on request.
Raymond Kinsey - The Better Land Volume 5 - Great Boy Sopranos Recorded 1927-1957
The Better Land Volume 5 - Great Boy Sopranos Recorded 1927-1957 (Amphion PHI CD 189, CD) October 2003
Featuring The Better Land Series   Derek Barsham   John Bonner   Alan Bradbrook   Master John Brookman   Thomas Criddle   Master Leslie Day   Beverley Jones   Raymond Kinsey   Cyril Lewis   Ernest Lough   Michael Morley   Billy Neely   Robert Duncan Peel   Kenneth Purves   Robert Regent   Trevor Schofield  
* denotes recordings published for the first time
  1.   Rejoice Greatly (Messiah, Handel)   Master Raymond Kinsey
  2.   Mighty like a rose ( Nevin-Staton)   Master Michael Morley
  3.   If I can help somebody (Androzzo)   Master Michael Morley
  4.   Hark! Hark! the lark (Schubert)   Master Ernest Lough
  5.   There is a green hill far away (Mrs C.F. Alexander-Gounod)   Master John Bonner
  6.   On Wings of Song (England-Mendelssohn)   Master Thomas Criddle
  7.   Should he upbraid? (Shakespeare-Sir Henry Bishop)   Master John Bonner
  8.   Angels Serenade (La Seranata)   Master John Bonner
  9.   Birdsong at Eventide (Coates)   Master Michael Morley
10.   Y Deryn Pur -The Dove (arr. Somervell-Williams)   Master Cyril Lewis
11.   A song of long ago (D.Furber-A.E. Adams)   Master Trevor Schofield
12.   Nearer my God to Thee (Carey)   Master John Bookman
13.   A brown bird singing (Barrie-Haydn Wood)   Master Leslie Day
14.   Lullaby (Brahms)   Master Michael Morley
15.   O for the wings of a dove (Mendelssohn)   Master Kenneth Purves
16.   Father in Heaven* (Largo-Handel)   Master Robert Regent
17.   Hallelujah (Exsultate Jubilate-Mozart)   Master Billy Neely
18.   Abide with Me (Liddle)   Master Derek Barsham
19.   Angels Ever bright (Handel)   Master Robert Duncan Peel
20.   With Verdure Clad (The Creation-Haydn)   Master Raymond Kinsey
21.   Oh for a closer walk with God (Foster)   Master Raymond Kinsey
22.   Beekeeper's Introit * (arr. G. Dixon)   Master Alan Bradbrook (Private Recording 1957)
23.   A Song of Peace*   Master Beverley Jones
Email   Purchase from the producer, Stephen Beet You can order the Better Land CDs directly from producer Stephen Beet for £10.00 plus post and packing. £55 for the set of 6 CD's (which includes, as a special offer, Stephen R. Beet's book "The Better land - in search of the lost boy sopranos" E-mail for postage quotes: StephenRBeet@gmail.com PayPal address: beetstphn@aol.com Please make cheques payable to "Stephen Beet".
Raymond Kinsey - The Better Land Volume 4 - Great Boy Sopranos Recorded 1927-1954
The Better Land Volume 4 - Great Boy Sopranos Recorded 1927-1954 (Amphion PHI CD 168, CD) July 2001
Featuring The Better Land Series   Derek Barsham   John Bonner   Master John Brookman   Master Leslie Day   Robert Harris   Beverley Jones   Raymond Kinsey   Harold Langston   Ernest Lough   Brian Moody   Billy Neely   Graham Payn   Robert Regent   Trevor Schofield  
* denotes recordings published for the first time. This volume will shortly deleted and replaced by the double CD volume The Better Land Volumes 3 & 4. Hurry to order now while stocks last
  1.   Come Back (Toselli's Serenade. Words R.H. Elkin) (L)   Master Leslie Day 1933
  2.   Abide with me (Lyte-Liddle) (L)   Master John Bonner 1929
  3.   Five Eyes* (Gibbs-Cecil Armstrong) (L)   Master Billy Neely 1949
  4.   The Fairy Tree* (Vincent O'Brien)   Master Billy Neely 1949
  5.   I will sing of Thy Great Mercies O Lord* (Mendelssohn)   Master Harold Langston 1929
  6.   Pierrot at the dance (Lockton-Drummond)   Master Trevor Schofield 1929
  7.   One night of love (Kahn-Schertzinger) (L)   Master Robert Harris 1933
  8.   Hark! Hark! the Lark* (Schubert)   Master Brian Moody 1944
  9.   Slumber dear maid (Handel)   Master John Bonner 1929
10.   My heart ever faithful (Bach) (L)   Master Raymond Kinsey 1933
11.   The Old Church Bells* (H.M.Farrar)   Master Robert Harris 1934
12.   Love's old sweet song (Bingham-Molloy) (L)   Master Robert Harris 1933
13.   The Trout* (Schubert)   Master Brian Moody 1944
14.   Nursery Scene, Boris Godounov (Moussorgsky)   Master Derek Barsham
Recorded 30 Apl. 1947 (AR11093 & 11094), with Gladys Palmer, contralto, Norman Lumsden, bass & London Symphony Orchestra cond. Stanford Robinson. Issued June 1947 on Decca K.1601. ["Better Land" the two parts separately in vols. 3 & 4]
15.   Hear my prayer* (Mendelssohn) (L)   Master Billy Neely 1950
16.   Star of Bethlehem (Adams)   Master John Brookman 1934
17.   A Brown Bird Singing (Barrie-Haydn Wood) (L)   Master Robert Regent
18.   I know that my Redeemer Liveth (Handel) (L)   Master Ernest Lough 1927
19.   Hear ye, Israel (part1)* (Mendenssohn) (L)   Master Ernest Lough 1927
20.   Kitty my love will ya marry me?* (Trad. - arr. Hughes)   Master Billy Neely live 1950
21.   Birdsongs at Eventide* (Barrie-Coates) (L)   Master Graham Payn 'Live' 1932
22.   Let the bright Seraphim (Handel) (L)   Master Raymond Kinsey
23.   Angels guard thee (Reilly-Godard) (L)   Master John Bonner 1929
24.   A song of wisdom* (Charles V. Stanford) (L)   Master Beverly Jones 1954
Email   Available from the producer at £10 plus postage, or £55 plus postage for the set of 6 CD's (which includes as a special offer Stephen R. Beet's book "The Better Land - in search of the lost boy sopranos" Contact StephenRBeet@gmail.com Paypal: beetstphn@aol.com
Books Compact | Full
Raymond Kinsey - Better Land, The: In Search of the Lost Boy Sopranos
Better Land, The: In Search of the Lost Boy Sopranos (Rectory Press , Book) April 2005
Featuring The Better Land Series   Temple Church Choir   Clifford Adams   Derek Barsham   Denis Barthel   John Bonner   Richard Bonsall   Alan Bradbrook   Master John Brookman   Richard Brown   Master Gordon Carter   Master (Arthur) Iwan Davies   Master Leslie Day   Robin Fairhurst   Frederick (John) Firth   Michael Ginn   John Gwilym Griffith(s)   Robert Harris   Michael Hartnett   Aled Jones   Beverley Jones   Raymond Kinsey   Harold Langston   Ernest Lough   Robin Lough   Thomas Meddings   Brian Moody   Billy Neely   Graham Payn   Robert Duncan Peel   Kenneth Purves   The Choir of the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy   Steffani and his Silver Songsters   Thomas Tweedy   Denis Wright  
By Stephen Beet. Features much newly-discovered material, telling the often very human stories of the boys behind the voices, at the height of their singing careers and in their later lives. Copiously illustrated with many previously-unpublished photographs and manuscript samples, with a Foreword by Peter Purves.

As well as chapters on Iwan Davies, Derek Barsham, and Denis Wright, amongst others there are also chapters under the following headings: The Temple Boys, The Manchester Boys, The Music Hall Boys, The Fleeting Boys, and The Broadcast Boys.

This book is available directly from the author: Contact StephenRBeet@gmail.com Price £10 plus postage

This book is available for the cost of postage and packing only if the set of six The Better Land CD albums is ordered.
Email   Stephen Beet The book costs £10 plus postage. Cheque or PayPal.
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