It don't mean a thing if it ain't got those strings.

I'm sure that line has been used many times before, but I like it. Here are some more easy strings from the 1940s--luscious yet incisive, mellow but purposeful. (Purposeful?) Time to drop the intro and let the Holiday for Strings begin. Composer David Rose, and his orchestra, from 1942!

http://www.box.net/public/lee/files/150914.html

And here's Rose's gorgeous Our Waltz (link corrected--sorry!), also from 1942 (and the same slightly-worn EP). Forgive the slight "scritch" in the upper frequencies.

http://www.box.net/public/lee/files/159691.html

And here's a remarkable Morton Gould track from eleven years later--not quite the hi-fi era, but you sure can't tell from the arrangement. The close-miked pizzicato strings; the show-off-your-speakers sound effects; the Clebanoff-esque orchestration; and the deep, wrap-around echo all suggest a 1960 stereo track reduced to a single channel--but this was made in 1953!

http://www.box.net/public/lee/files/140499.html

Remember to save (rather than open) the files. Enjoy!

Lee