Pop Music
The song “A Lover’s concerto” was written by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell, and the girl group The Toys recorded it in 1965. The melody, which is based on “Minuet in G major” has a long history. It was first attributed to Johan Sebastian Bach, and was published in J.S. Bach’s Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach. Over the years, it was found that the composer was probably Christian Petzold, an German composer and organist. In the 20th century, in the 1940s, bandleader Freddy Martin employed the melody in a composition and titled it “A Lover’s Concerto.” The Linzer-Randell is different than “Minuet in G major” in that it is in 4/4 time rather than 3/4 time (which is typical for many minuets). Anyway, in 1965, “A Lover’s Concerto” by The Toys went to #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #1 on Cashbox and in Canada, and #5 in the U.K. It sold more than two million copies and was awarded an RIAA gold record.
The Toys formed in 1961 in Queens, New York, and were active until 1968. They were Barbara Harris, Barbara Parritt, and June Montiero. They were discovered by manager Vince Marc, who introduced them to Linzaer and Randell. They also had charting success with a cover of Brian Hyland’s “Sealed with a Kiss.” They were on most of the TV rock programs and had a small role in the 1967 film It’s a Bikini World.