In 1965 Ann Rachlin started to teach classical music to children through her Fun With Music classes. In these classes she related stories over classical tracks. EMI realised the potential of these sessions and launched Ann’s Classical Music and Stories series of ten LPs, and almost immediately afterwards, another ten. These were then expanded to include a series of cassette tapes and later CDs. Former students at her classes included the Princes William and Harry, the children of Dame Judi Dench, Spike Milligan, Peter O’Toole and Edward Fox.
For over forty years, seated in her magic story-telling chair, Ann Rachlin enchanted hundreds of children with her colourful stories which she set to the music of the great composers. Her gentle voice, perfectly blended with the music, held the children’s interest as they listened to the works of the great masters.
Ann, who is now 89, lives in Icklesham and was watching the news this week when she suddenly caught a glimpse of a very important dress. She tells the story: “Every year, as part of my Fun with Music summer sessions for children I performed Once upon the Thames – the fascinating true story of Handel’s first performance of his Water Music on the River Thames in 1717, played for King George I.
“Every summer for four consecutive days, I hired a large barge and converted it into a theatre. We re-traced the journey of the king in 1717. On each trip I always had an audience of a hundred and twenty children and their parents – and I always wore the same wonderful dress. It was not a historic costume but it gave the impression of times gone by. I loved it and only wore it when performing Handel on the River. I remember I bought it at Liberty in the early 1970s and it was my favourite concert costume.
“Although I am still very active presenting my talks, of course I no longer perform my concerts for children. Several years ago, I gave all my concert and theatre performance dresses to the Stables Theatre in Hastings. I imagine they must have shared their theatrical wardrobe with the theatre in Tunbridge Wells for tonight on South East Today, I saw it again – my Water Music dress, carefully cherished and looking as fresh as ever. The feature was about the difficulty of keeping theatres open in these troubled times. It ended with a shot of a lady in the costume department of Tunbridge Wells, hanging up a costume – a beautiful dress – my Water Music dress.
“The newspaper of 1717 stated that Mr Handel invited ‘persons of quality’ to his first performance of his Water Music – so I did too. As we embarked in front of Lambeth Palace, I always invited the incumbent Archbishop of Canterbury to be my guest of honour. I remember that Archbishop Runcie took one look at me in my beautiful dress and immediately genuflected and took my hand and kissed my ring. He told that story when he appeared as a surprise guest when I was the subject of This Is Your Life, exactly twenty-seven years ago last Saturday. I know because we always watch it every January 21. I have it on video.
“So, thank you, BBC South East – you reunited me tonight with my Water Music dress just for one split second. What a thrill you gave me!”
Ann has had the most wonderful life and we will be running further stories about her as the year unfolds.
Image Credits: Rachlin archives , Rachlin arhives .