Music publishing companies often offer library music to their customers. To acquire library music they invite composers to submit a number of compositions. If deemed suitable, the company will arrange a recording studio session and employ suitable musicians to record the pieces all at the company's expense. Apart from collecting a payment for their work the musicians also agree to accept a further payment to forego any future royalties when the music is used. The composer is able to hear his compositions played by top musicians and may sometimes be able to take the baton and conduct them. The composer will also receive royalties when any of the numbers are used. The company advertises its library music to film and television producers and, of course, charges for any music that is used.

Standard Music Library Standard Music Ltd was formed in 1968 so all of the pieces that Peter Cork submitted to them must have been written earlier than that. Purchasers of library music often want it to sound very similar to pieces that they know well and that can be a big problem. To be successful the piece has to be similar, but not too similar! The composer does not want to be accused of plagiarism. Our composer needs to be aware of every piece of music ever written to be completely safe! Standard Music played their part well. The recording studio was booked, the eight top-class musicians arrived and the music was conducted and the whole session produced by Peter Cork. The result was published on a vinyl LP in stereo and Peter was given nine copies to keep.

Standard ESL 151 front cover

Standard ESL 151 back cover

Peter Cork must have made an extremely good impression on Standard Music to have 14 of his numbers included under the bold heading 1900-1940 Four Decades of Light Music with further notes; From The Grand Hotel, The Palais de Danse and the Bandstand in the Park, a series of numbers written in the style of a Palm Court Trio, an Afternoon Tea Dance and Open Air Music for the Band, during the years 1900-1940. COMPOSED, CONDUCTED AND PRODUCED BY PETER CORK Standard Music are somewhat unusual in listing the musicians that took part: Leslie Pearson - piano, Vivian Joseph - cello, Kenneth Sillito - violin, James Watson - trumpet/cornet, Nat Peck - trombone, Roy Willox - clarinet/alto sax, Joe Mudele - double bass, Johnny Dean - percussion.

side A 1900 - 1910

1. - MARCHING DOWN THE MALL - An Edwardian march for the Coronation. - 2:49

2. - HOW SILVER THE MOON - An Edwardian waltz. - 2:35

3. - THE ROSE AND THE HONEYSUCKLE - A song from Edwardian Musical Comedy. - 3:10

1910 - 1920

4. - MY HEART IS YOURS ALONE - A love song from Operetta. - 2:48

5. - STEPPING OUT TO RAGTIME - A rhythmic number in the 'new stile'. - 2:05

6. - PARTING FROM YOU - A song from the Great War. - 2:59

side B 1920 - 1930

1. - WEDDING OF THE BRIGHT YOUNG THING - A number from the early Twenties. - 1:41

2. - MY DUSKY SPANISH ROSE - A Tango from the days of Valentino. - 2:47

3. - DOWN LIMEHOUSE WAY - A late Twenties Blues. - 1:45

4. - THE GIRL ON THE SILVER SCREEN - A Waltz to accompany the Silent Movies. - 3:25

1930 - 1940

5. - SKYLINE OF MANHATTAN - An evocation of the New York scene in the Thirties. - 2:47

6. - ON SYNCOPATION AVENUE - A Piano solo from the Thirties. - 1:34

7. - COCKNEY TUNE - A song of London defiance at the Blitz. - 2:10

8. - SWEET MUSIC AND YOU - A Ballad in Swing style from the end of the decade. - 1:54

Bruton Music Limited Bruton Music Limited was founded in 1977 and so any of the musical numbers in their early library were written prior to that date. As in the previous case, Peter Cork was able to supply a title for a vinyl LP record containing 17 of his numbers. He was also recognised as the producer of the record. Bruton labelled the record as BRO 2 Historical Period; could it have been just the second record included in their library? Peter Cork named the record CAVALCADE OF MUSICAL THEATRE A sequence of numbers written in the style of Popular Music from the Theatre, Music Hall, Cinema and Radio during the years 1890-1930.

Bruton BRO 2 front cover

Bruton BRO 2 back cover

Bruton do not mention the names of the musicians and this tends to be the norm. SIDE A

1. - OFF TO THE BOER WAR - A Victorian Patriotic March. - 3:28

2. - SWEET ALICE, WHERE ARE YOUR PRETTY FLOWERS - A Victorian ballad. - 2:58

3. - SAVOYARDS IN ARCADIA - A number from Edwardian Operetta. - 2:35

4. - GOLD AND AMBER - An Edwardian Waltz. - 1:54

5. - WALKING OUT IN WAPPING - A lively song. - 1:47

6. - DARLING GERTIE - A Music Hall waltz. - 2:15

7. - SHE WILL BE MY SWEETHEART - A sentimental Music Hall song. - 3:03

8. - STRUMMING THE IVORIES - A Ragtime number. - 2:28

SIDE B

9. - MOON ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI - A soft-shoe shuffle number. - 3:03

10. - LAZY-DAY BLUES - A number from the Deep South. - 3:15

11. - UNTIL YOUR RETURN ONCE MORE - A ballad from the Great War. - 3:16

12. - A LUCIFER IN YOUR KIT-BAG - A soldier's marching song. - 2:14

13. - BLACK AND WHITE SCANDALS - A Jazz age number. - 1:53

14. - DREAMING - A Viennese theatrical waltz from the 1920's. - 3:25

15. - THE GIRLFRIEND - A Twenties Jaunt. - 1:22

16. - OUT OF WORK BLUES - A song from the depression. - 2:31

17. - GOOD TIMES ARE ROUND THE CORNER - A piece of Thirties escapism. - 2:43

studio G Peter Cork composed a record for studio G and named the record The Dance Band Years - 'A Musical Journey of Dance Band Music and Jazz from 1910-1950'. He also called it an anthology of music evocative of the first half of the Twentieth Century and covering the two World Wars. The record was recorded in 1981 so all recorded numbers must have been composed pre 1981.

LPSG 4006 Volume 4 front cover

LPSG 4006 Volume 4 back cover

studio G do not mention the names of the individual musicians but call them 'The Little Big Band'. LPSG 4006 A

Track	Title	Duration	Remarks
1	Tuxedo Rag	3.21 min.	A jazz number in Dixieland. Early twenties
2	Lonesome Road	2.47 min.	A mid-Twenties blues
3	Euphonious Day	2.36 min.	A ragtime piano solo - Scott Joplin style 1910 onwards
4	Shingled Hair	1.58 min.	A Twenties Charleston
5	Windy City Shout	2.56 min.	Jazz number in late Twenties Chicago style
6	On Top of the World	2.07 min.	A 'Megaphone' Croonies Ballad
7	Night Train for Toledo	2.19 min.	Early Thirties 'Boogie-Woogie' Tram Blues
8	The Cats Whiskers	2.06 min.	Early Talkies - Tap Dance Number
9	Limehouse Afternoon	2.27 min.	British Piano Solo in Chinese manner - Mid-Thirties

LPSG 4006 B

1	Street Lights of Manhattan	3.10 min.	Early Thirties - Romantic jazz
2	Anyone for Tennis	1.55 min.	British Thirties Dance Band - Tea Dance Quickstep
3	Cocktail Hour	3.09 min.	Thirties Piano Solo - Cabaret, Hotel lounge setting
4	Telling All the Stars	2.16 min.	Early Forties Swing style Ballad
5	Hitting the High Spots	1.36 min.	Forties - Jitterbug, Dance Band
6	Serenade in Sepia	3.05 min.	Rhapsody in Swing Style - Wartime Glenn Miller
7	Jumping for Joy	2.44 min.	Forties Style, Foxtrot
8	Rhythm in Blue	1.54 min.	Jazz number - progressive style, Forties/Fifties

Chappell Recorded Music Library Peter Cork composed and produced a record for the Chappell Recorded Music Library under the heading "PERIOD NOSTALGIA BY PETER CORK" He named the record THE GOLDEN AGE OF CINEMA a series of numbers depicting the characters and settings of the Hollywood Films produced in the late Thirties and early Forties. The record was published in 1983 so all recorded numbers must have been composed pre 1983.

Chappell CHAP 103 front cover

Chappell CHAP 103 back cover

Side 1 1936-1939

1 - THE SWORDSMAN PRINCE - Swashbuckling number. - 2'53"

2 - COVERED WAGON TRAIL - Lilting Western theme for the wide open spaces. - 3'12"

3 - SPEAKEASY DAYS - The gangster and his moll at the time of prohibition. - 3'29"

4 - LADY IN TULLE - Sophistication and romance for the song and dance team. - 3'16"

5 - PLANTATION SONG - Hollywood looks at the Deep South before the Civil War. - 2'50"

1940-1942

6 - BEGUILING LADY - A woman of mystery and romantic enigma. - 4'38"

7 - GIRL IN A SARONG - Palm trees on a South Sea island. - 3'42"

Side 2 1940-1942 (continued)

1 - IN THE GASLIGHT'S FLICKER - Hollywood looks at the Music Hall in Victorian times. - 3'17"

2 - DOWN CITY STREETS - The Private Detective and the bustle of the city. - 3'08"

3 - THE DARK MANSION - Stylised Gothic Horror and 'B' Movie monsters. - 3'07"

1943-1946

4 - WEEKEND IN COPOCABANA - An overture to a technicolour musical set in Latin America. - 2'57"

5 - UNTIL ALL TIME SHALL END - A theme in 'concerto' style for lovers separated by the war. - 3'46"

6 - A GREEN AND PLEASANT LAND - A look at the British Country Scene. - 4'14"

7 - HERE COME THE MARINES - A patriotic theme for the fighting man. - 2'38"