What's next, what's next . . .?

But in this December, 2008 Issue . . .

Keep checking CONTENTS below, check out our new introductions: The latest additions include the full MusicSmiles railway story of Hellfire Jack, with a link to his burial site. Here also is a great serialized story developing about Francis Drake. Click the galleon to start the tale (and listen to some Sea Shanties). . .  And there is a taster in Charles Villiers Stanford's setting of Drake's Drum . . . Then be on the alert for pyrotechnics in one of G*S's best numbers - Stand by for a shock entrance of the Sorcerer's Song, from their Comic Opera The Sorcerer . . . Sir Francis Burnand and Arthur Sullivan's very successful show The Contrabandista and its even more successful number Wake Gentle Maiden . . . Anton Rubinstein's world-famous Melody in F. A few words about one of the world's greatest Russian composers Pyotr (Peter) Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and his tune: Danse Russe . . . A rare opportunity to accept a welcome to Sir Arthur Sullivan's Haddon hall and his poignantly beautiful Bloom of May . . . A page about Felix Mendelssohn's He Watching Over Israel from his magnificent oratorio Elijah. Added an interesting 'footnote' or two to the National Anthem; and executed a little more tweaking of the George Gershwin tune. A trip to America for a change in Fascinating Rhythm with George Gershwin. Cesar Frank's  beautiful Panis Angelicus, A very famous prelude by Frédéric Chopin. Here's possibly the greatest operatic baritone song, from Bizet's Carmen: The Toreador's Song.  An introduction to Sullivan and German's The Emerald Isle, and an Irish Jig . . .All about the Brothers Grimm and their fairy tales, particularly Rumpel-Stilts-Kin . . . An extra (foot)note or two about England's Yeomen!! A further glance into the wonders of Vienna with a visit to The Blue Danube . . . Watch out this month for a story about Brahms and his famous academic drinking tune . . . Sullivan's The Beauty Stone, together with the beautiful Laine's Prayer . . . Sullivan's last complete operetta The Rose of Persia, and its famous Drinking Song.  Dem Golden Slippers!! AND all about Lewis Carroll, who is to take us on a Golden Afternoon! river trip . . . Speed Your Journey with Giuseppe Verdi. Also Maud's Reply! by Joyce Grenfell to the Eternal Pop Song (See below). Michael Balfe's Eternal Pop Song! Come Into the Garden Maud. And the masterpiece Entr'acte and Barcarolle from Act II Scene 1 of The Tales of Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach.  We've retained A Nice Dilemma from G&S's Trial by Jury. Hope you enjoy the romp . . . Click the very lovely Uriel's Recitative to follow the promised masterpiece from The Creation by Haydn. Also there is the very special winter's tale about the Little Match Girl. Then visit some of our special seasonal pages: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Arthur Sullivan's Christmas Hymn, and our winter Ghost Story, Pop in Vienna, and other favourites from the Winter Warmers section. And Alfred Lord Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade. Also we've Continued to display one of the 'Pictures at an Exhibition' in a great piece called The Oxcart by Modest Mussorgsky. Try a visit to Switzerland with Rossini's famous William Tell Gallop in addition to his 'William Tell' selection. We've marched on with John Philip Sousa's march The Liberty Bell, an American musician and his music, Sullivan would have known well. Retained Edward Elgar's Ave Verum Corpus, perhaps the greatest composer living whom Sullivan helped in his formative years. Retained Tell Me Pretty Maiden from one of the greatest Hit-Shows of the period: Florodora, the beautiful Graceful Dance from Dorothy, and a hugely favourite Spring poem: William Wordsworth's Daffodils, and an extended Handel page. And retained Claude Debussy's famous piece: Golliwog's Cakewalk,and  A Lullaby from Arthur Sullivan's first fun show: Cox & Box. (Is it the first Gilbert & Sullivan show? Well now is the time to find out!) Then there's Chin, Chin, Chinaman from The Geisha; and look out for our story about 'Hellfire Jack'. To compliment this tune in to Marie Lloyd's Oh! Mr Porter. And have a look at our Swing Low in honour of Rugby Football the World over; and our Hymn to Footie to honour Soccer. We have included The Judge's Entrance, followed by The Judge's Song from Trial by Jury. Also see two pages of G&S we have retained - the ever-popular Nightmare Song from Iolanthe; and a wonderful seldom heard piece, End of Dreams, from their final opera The Grand Duke. Also take a walk through the garden with a Stranger in Paradise! And the young Arthur Sullivan's Summer Night! We also recommend the new pages about Mozart, and a Dear Little Donkey. Try our page about MusicSmiles statistics (we show a constant stream of visitors and other statistics); and Arthur's last song - O Swallow, Swallow. Visit our Pie Jesu from Faure's Requiem; and the Easter Hymn from Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana. Also the Little Maid of Arcadee, and Little Gem additions to our: Gilbert & Sullivan Story, as well as Spring Memories!, Summer Sounds!, Autumn Tones!, and Winter Warmers!  with Arthur Sullivan's Christmas Hymn, Dickens' A Christmas Carol, (and with our MusicSmiles ghost story!). And take another look back at the 2002/3 Jubilee Special  (lots of lovely tunes for the Queen's very special year); and the very special Sullivan tune to toast Absent Friends. This issue also complies with the very many requests to retain the music from previous releases.