Response from Radio 4

Daisydoo if you made that up you should be a composer.

You have a lot of us intrigued now and we want to solve the mystery.

I am not musical enough to explain why it works as a tune but it just "sounds right." I am sure someone must know what I mean by that.

It sounds like an older tune but the story appears to have been set in the future. Its very dignified and gentle tune I would suggest Edwardian or earlier.

I will copy it again on manuscript paper now I know the proper timings, and try again.

You can type it in on the pretend piano on here. Somehow I set all the all the possibilities going at once and couldn't stop them.
www.musipedia.org/flash_piano.html

Musical brother, when asked, said
"Is she sure she hasn't missed out a bar? I feel like it should have 8, maybe a whole bar between bars 3 and 4?

(Actually I suspect that there are four bars and the note values are half what she has transcribed them as) Maybe something like the attachment ...

Unfortunately I still don't recognise it!"

I shall put the attachment onto my profile, in case anyone wants to try that out and see whether it becomes recognisable.

It's a little like 'I had a little nut tree'

Is it the Israeli 'song of freedom' which I think is their national anthem?

I've just played it and I recognised the tune straightaway but I'm going to have to dig deep in my memory to get the name.

You used to hear it on BBC Light Programme. It's one of those tunes that was written for light entertainment by composers like Ronald Binge and Trevor Duncan.

And I'm going to have it in my head all day now.

Transpose it into C. Then look in Clarks musical directory.

I've got to pop out for a bit but then I'm going to have a look at Brian Kay's Light Programme website. Quite a few composers on there.

Galen I don't think it's the Ha tikvah. feetlebaum will know.

I've tried the website recommended by Grannyactivist but for some unknown reason it can't hear anything I'm singing!

My son's smart phone doesn't recognise it. I heard another tune on Radio 4 last year that intrigued me, and his phone recognised it as Max Richter's Lullaby from the West Coast Sleepers. These tunes get into my head!

I am heartened by merlotgran's response and I think she's right about it being a Light Programme tune.

I tried the Musical Directory Galen, couldn't find it. I will try Nelliemoser's link.

Thank you all again, I'm really chuffed at all the responses.

I think this is it

Click on number 9 Vanity Fair written by Ernest Tomlinson

Tears of joy! As soon as I read 'Vanity Fair' I knew you'd got it right, because I'd been wondering about Vaughan Williams' Pilgrims Progress, but that wasn't it. I didn't have it quite right, did I?

Thank you SO MUCH merlotgran - I've been looking for this for years and years!

Going to listen to it again - and look up Ernest Tomlinson because I've never heard of him.

The tune's been in my head all afternoon. As soon as I saw Vanity Fair I remembered it was the theme tune to the lovely TV series in the fifties. I watched it on my gran's black and white TV as we didn't have one.

I've had a great time trawling through radio light music on Amazon looking for it this afternoon so thanks Daisy for giving us the teaser.

HOW ON EARTH did you do that, Merlot??? I am so impressed!!

Wow!!!

I've been doing some more research; it looks as if Vanity Fair was written by Anthony Collins; Ernest Tomlinson conducted the orchestra for the version merlotgran found.

A red-letter day for me, thanks to merlotgran and Gransnet!

It wasn't too difficult, gracesmum. I recognised the tune when I played it on the piano but couldn't remember the name or composer. I then trawled through some compilation CDs, on Amazon, clicking on my favourite light music composers until I got to Ernest Tomlinson and there it was!

Here's another little teaser. The Watermill was the theme tune to The Secret Garden and I always thought it was written by Ronald Binge. I have it on a download. I notice it's credited to Ernest Tomlinson as well.

Ah that answers my query over The Watermill as well, Daisy. Ronald Binge obviously did write it.

Ah! A result from the combined minds of " Gransnet"

Well done MerlotGran - what a clever lot we are when we put our minds together.

Gosh! I am sooooo impressed. I am so inadequate when it comes to anything musical..except listening and enjoying! What a very clever lot you are!

Well done merlot!

Sorry Granny23 just realised I mixed you up with Grannyactivist

I'm very impressed!! Well done

Ronald Binge also wrote 'Elizabethan Serenade' - another lovely tune.

I've sent Radio 4 an email to tell them the name of the tune - so that's the end of that!