AFRTS Station Library

The Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) supplied recorded music to American military radio stations around the world. Its Station Library included transcription discs containing classical music, popular songs, and other musical selections for disc jockeys to use in their broadcasts.

Rather than complete radio programs, these recordings provided music that AFRS announcers could incorporate into their own shows, bringing familiar entertainment and a touch of home to American servicemen and women stationed overseas.

Selections:

C-1443 — Suite Provençale — Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Charles Munch

Composed by Darius Milhaud, Suite Provençale is a lively orchestral work inspired by traditional melodies from Provence, France. Its eight short movements combine colorful orchestration with the character of French folk music.

C-1444 — La Création du monde — Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Charles Munch

Also composed by Darius Milhaud, La Création du monde (The Creation of the World) was written in 1923 as a ballet. Influenced by the jazz Milhaud encountered in America, the composition blends classical orchestration with jazz rhythms and harmonies.