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

  Robert Duncan Peel    (b. 14 May 1914) Boy Soprano Soloist 
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Robert Duncan Peel Robert Duncan Peel and John Bonner were the first of four Manchester boy sopranos to make records. Peel's record is one of the earliest to be featured in the series. Duncan Peel was born on May 14th 1914 and educated at Manchester Cathedral School. He entered the choir in 1921 aged seven-and-a-half. Duncan's record Angels ever bright & fair was recorded in the Cathedral with Mr. Wilson at the organ at the same session as John Bonner's first record With verdure clad on 21st September 1927, a few months after Ernest Lough's famous recording of Hear my prayer, made in the Temple Church, London. Columbia was not entirely satisfied with the quality of Peel's record and claimed the wax had not set correctly; it was, therefore, hoped to re-record it six months later. Unfortunately, Duncan's voice broke soon after so it was decided to issue the record as it stood, with an organ solo on the reverse. This was issued in 1928 some months after Bonner's first disc.

-- bio and pic from Betterland.boychoirs.org
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Featured Recordings Compact | Full
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Handel: Angels ever bright and fair (from (Columbia (Dark Blue Label) DB.9501 (12-inch), 78 RPM) December 1928
Featuring Robert Duncan Peel  
Handel ("Theodora"): Angels ever bright and fair (matrix WAX 3076-2) Rec. 21 Sept. 1927 in Manchester Cathedral with Archibald Wayet Wilson (1869-1950), the Cathedral organist 1919-43. Available on Amphion CD "The Better Land" vol. 5. This was Peel's only recording; the coupling is an organ solo by Wilson (Bach: Chorale Prelude no. 17, made the same day).
Retail price 4/6.
Other Recordings Compact | Full
Robert Duncan Peel - 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".
Books Compact | Full
Robert Duncan Peel - 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.
This page last modified on Saturday, June 04, 2011
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