Recollections of Carey
Heinz Herschmann, Apollo Sound
Written shortly after Carey’s death
I first met Carey Blyton in the fifties when we were both members of the Composers Guild of Great Britain. A friendship soon developed which lasted until his death.
Our business relationship underwent several phases. At that time the most efficient and economical method of music reproduction (both for scores and parts) in a limited number was by Dyeline reproduction, and this work played a large part in my professional activities. I also did some private recording work for him. Thus I became very familiar with all his compositions, arrangements, etc. and came to appreciate his great creative abilities. This all entailed a great deal of personal contact and the visiting of each other’s homes.
At that time we both attended a course for electronic music, held by Tristram Cary in Fressingfield, and we both stayed in the same hotel. Carey was, of course, a very distinguished editor, proof reader, etc. and among his numerous clients was Benjamin Britten and many other distinguished composers. I will never forget the wonderful lessons which he gave me in these subjects, and soon afterwards I began to use these newly acquired skills for myself, when correcting scores and orchestral and instrumental parts for my own compositions and other publications with which I was involved. In fact, in subsequent years these activities took up an increasingly larger part of my time with great success.
In the early sixties I started an independent record label, specialising in music not recorded elsewhere, and I was honoured that he entrusted me with the recording of his Guitar Music (ASCD203) and Solo Piano pieces (ASCD204). All this, of course, increased my knowledge and appreciation of his talents. The last four discs (APSCD224–227) contain all his music for films, plays, documentaries and advertising on television channels. The first two (224, 225) concentrate on extracts and the last two (226, 227) are the complete versions of all the works in this genre.
With absolute justification he can be described as a pioneer in using minimal instrumental forces with the maximum descriptive effect. In the last two records, every effort has been made to match the tracks with the action described in the booklets (the composer’s own notes) and both listeners and students alike can follow both music and action in every minute detail.
Needless to say that all this resulted in a wonderful, lifelong, enriching friendship.
This reminiscence was written after Carey’s death in 2002 by Heinz Herschmann, founder of Apollo Sound, which issued six CDs of Carey’s music: four CDs of his scores for film, television and advertising, a CD of his complete piano music, and a disc of his complete music for one, two and three guitars. Heinz Herschmann is also a composer and arranger, including (like Carey) of film music.