A Night to Remember

In 1898, a slight, morality novella, was published. Written by an American, Morgan Robertson, and entitled ‘Futility, or the Wreck of the Titan’, it came to prominence in 1912 following the sinking of RMS Titanic.

Robertson describes Titan as ‘the largest craft afloat and the greatest of the works of men’. She was said to be, ‘practically unsinkable’ and carried as few lifeboats as would satisfy the laws. All were said of Titanic, but the similarities do not end there. Both Titan and Titanic were travelling too fast for the weather conditions. Both struck icebergs on an April night – on the starboard side. Both were sunk with enormous loss of life 400 miles from Newfoundland.

Walter Lord, in his nonfictional book ‘A Night to Remember’ telling the story of the sinking of the Titanic on 15th April 1912, notes the similarities between the two ships. A film of the same name was released in 1958. Seen through the eyes of Second Officer, Charles Lightoller (the most senior member of the crew to survive the disaster and played by Kenneth More), the film accurately portrays the then known facts of Titanic’s maiden voyage, without resorting to fictional characters as in James Cameron’s film ‘Titanic’ of 1997.

The film of Walter Lord’s book also benefitted from a score written by William Alwyn. In 1933, S&B published Three Easy Pieces for Flute and Piano (Ref H180 £4.50) from this virtuoso flautist and one time member of the London Symphony Orchestra. William went on to write symphonies, operas, several concertos and string quartets besides the soundtracks of around 200 films including ‘The Winslow Boy’, ‘The Mudlark’, ‘The History of Mr Polly’, ‘The Smallest Show on Earth’ as well as ‘A Night to Remember’. Twenty-five years after his death, Stainer & Bell published his Sonatina for Violin and Piano (Ref H471 £8.50). Lasting around ten minutes and recorded by Madeleine Mitchell (violin) and Andrew Ball (piano) on Naxos 8.570340, the work shows Alwyn’s skill as a composer of smaller forms, and bears his hallmarks of rich, romantic harmony and vigorous, expressive line. In short, something to remember.