Born in 1894 in Daventry, England,
Reginald Foort studied organ with Sir Walter
Parratt and obtained his F.R.C.O. in 1911 at a comparatively young age. He preferred
to be described as a concert organist rather than a cinema or theatre organist
although in fact most of his playing was done in the theatre setting; his one
thousandth organ recital was given in 1939. He also took instruction in classical
piano, which contributed to his much admired keyboard dexterity. He studied with
the great Leschetitzky (a student of Czerny, who studied with Beethoven), and
performed as a solo pianist for some years.
Ernest Joseph Seitz (1892–1978) wrote this song, his
best-known piece, early in his life. He had plans to be a concert pianist,
like Foort, and studied with Josef Lhévinne in Berlin from 1910–14.
These plans, like those of Foort, were ruined by World War I. When The
World Is Waiting for the Sunrise was published in 1919 by Chappell,
it was under the pseudonym Raymond Roberts because Seitz was uncomfortable
having his name associated with popular music. The song was exceptionally
appealing to a post-war public and became widely performed by singers and
instrumentalists alike.
This arrangement was written by a man with superb
piano skills, and the player must remain vigilant to ensure that no tension
is manifest in the athletic left hand. Moreover, this is a true theatre organ
arrangement, and it uses the terminology of that instrument. Foort’s moderately
difficult arrangement is characteristically colorful and more dramatic than Seitz’s
playful, somewhat jazzy, original, and as usual, he beautifully and successfully
bridges the classical-to-theatre divide as well as the UK-to-US gap.
