Juanjo Diego: Bernard Herrmann, my favourite film score composer

Last week we were talking in our English class about cinema and plot devices, and we mentioned several times one of my favourite directors, Alfred Hitchcock. Then, I thought that in class we hadn’t had enough time to talk about one important issue in some of his best-known thrillers: their soundtracks. In fact, even before films became “talkies”, music was the main instrument to move the spectators’ emotions. Some films are remembered because of their music rather than the story which they tell us (The Bridge over the River Kwai, Zorba the Greek, Flashdance). Others are perfectly and inseparably associated with their music (Doctor Zhivago, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Psycho, Jaws, etc.) 

The art of writing scores for films has given the history of the great music some of the best composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Probably, the most famous soundtrack composer nowadays is John Williams (remember his fantastic collaborations with another genius, Steven Spielberg) but we could name many others with master works in this special and difficult genre, who are already in the history of modern western music: Danny Elfman, Elmer Bernstein, Lalo Schiffrin, Maurice Jarre, André Previn, Jerry Goldsmith, etc. (or, in Europe Morricone, Alberto Iglesias or Nino Rota). For me, the “Holy trinity” in this business is formed, together with Williams, by Henry Mancini and Bernard Herrmann.

Williams is more commercial, more “pop” if you want, but very adequate to accomplish his purpose.  He has a recognizable language (Are you able to distinguish by heart between the melodies of Superman, Stars War or The Adventures of Indiana Jones?) and his music has the capacity of being easily remembered. It is very “cantabile”, as musicians say, and absolutely tonal (the more traditional language in music composition). Nowadays, more than a composer is hardly ever like a company.

Mancini was a jazz master and he had an incredible creativity to write unforgettable melodic lines. The main theme of The Pink Panter is still performed by the best big-bands all over the world, and some of his best songs are included in “The Real Book” for jazz musicians and have been recorded hundreds of times, like Days of Wine and Roses, Moon River (Breakfast at Tiffany’s) Charade, Peter Gunn (The Blues Brothers) etc.

But if I had to choose one of them, I would pick, without any doubt, Bernard Herrmann. His style is more classical and he used an elaborate musical language, closer to the academic norm than both Williams and Mancini, but he was able to create for films a particular and inimitable atmosphere that, in most cases, transforms films making them better. You could imagine in “Taxi Driver” the yellow cab moving slowly through the streets of New York, and watch the freak night of the Big Apple, but it is not the same night or the same city if an alto sax is being played along.

Perhaps the most perfect example of this is the murder scene in “Psycho”. Hitchcock originally conceived it without any music, but Herrmann persuaded him to watch it once to the sound of his astonishing score. The British director changed his mind immediately. Herrmann had managed, only with a masterfully conducted string orchestra, to improve the horror and anguish of this disturbing scene to unimaginable limits.

Herrmann (1911-1975) started his career working for radio programmes with Orson Wells and finished it on December 23rd 1975 with the recording of his music for Taxi Driver. The next day, on the midnight of Christmas Eve, Herrmann died and Scorsese dedicated his film to the maestro.

His first film was Orson Well’s “Citizen Kane”. Besides Wells, he wrote music for the films of many great directors such as Joseph Mankiewicz, Robert Stevenson, Nicholas Ray, Robert Wise, Henry Hathaway, Michael Curtiz,  Burt Lancaster, Fred Zinnemann, Francois Truffaut, Brian de Palma or Martin Scorsese; but of course his most fertile and best known collaboration was in Hitchcock’s "golden age" films. 

The truth was that Bernard Herrmann seemed the perfect musical expression of Hitchcock’s “benign malevolence”. He composed the soundtrack for The Trouble With Harry, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Wrong Man, Vertigo, North By Northwest, Psycho, The Birds, Marnie and Torn Curtain. This last music score was rejected by the director and this decision meant the end of their fruitful relationship.   

Because of his training (Herrmann had studied at the prestigious Juilliard School with Aaron Copland, an excellent American composer) he knew and handled the possibilities of an orchestra like any of his colleagues. However, he was practically the first to use effects and electronic sounds in order to get his purposes. For instance, the soundtrack of “The Birds” is apparently nonexistent, but all the flappings of the birds’ wings and the ghostly cries we can listen to, are made artificially with the help of synthesizers and recording effects. He also used electronic musical instruments in his fantastic music for The Day the earth Stood Still (Ultimatum a la tierra, in Spanish translation) and in It’s Alive.

Bernard Herrmann was nominated four times for the Academy Awards, but he won just one in 1941 for The Devil and Daniel Webster. In my opinion, together with Vertigo, North by Northwest and Psycho, his best scores are Citizen Kane (Wells), The ghost and Mr. Muir (Mankiewicz), Herrmann’s favourite score, Jane Eyre (Stevenson) Cape Fear (Thompson), Fahrenheit 451 (Truffaut), Sister (De Palma), Obsessions (De Palma) and Taxi Driver (Scorsese) 

Bernard Herrmann was not only a soundtrack composer, but, above all, a whole musician, as well as a gifted conductor, and he wrote and recorded many concert works of excellent quality. Sadly, his scores for films may have overshadowed his magnificent pieces in this field, and his works aren’t performed frequently.

I could write pages and pages about Herrmann’s music, but you’d better listen to his scores. Finally let me tell a curiosity. Do you remember the “whistling theme” from Kill Bill? It was composed by Bernard Herrmann for Twisted Nerve (1968) and reused by Tarantino in his gory film.

Fantastic post, Juanjo, beautifully documented and so enlightening. Congrats! 

I've really enjoyed reading the stories behind Herrmann's music and, above all, listening to his awesome music. Thanks a lot for the hard work.

Elena Herrero: "Out of Africa" - Memoirs of Tanzania and Zanzibar

Talking about “magical places”, I would like to share with you one of the best experiences in my life. Well, some years ago, in 2006, one of my dreams came true: to visit Africa and, in this particular case, Tanzania. It seemed that it would never come and much less that it would finish. Lots of photos and infinite memories. Truly, it is impossible to forget Africa!

How to define my African experience? Surprisingly easy, really. It can be summarized in a single word, one that visitors will hear a dozen times daily, no matter where they travel in Tanzania, or how they go about it: the smiling, heartfelt Swahili greeting of “Karibu!” – Welcome!

Tanzania is known by its magic mountains, its vast extensions burned by the sun and splashed by the impressive baobabs (the trees of life), its volcanos that soar from the centre of the earth, its enormous prehistoric lakes surrounded by wild animals and, what is more important, its people full of mystery and ancient customs. The sights are spectacular and I say with sadness that I may not return so I would like to treasure this instant in some place where I could recall it and re-live it through these emotions …

Tanzania is where you’ll find Serengeti, Ngorongoro or Tarangire National Parks, Manyara Lake or Zanzibar – names that immediately conjure up the breathy tones of David Attenborough:

"I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Hills..."

Dou you remember Meryl Streep pronouncing this words in the film Out of Africa? Although I am not Karen Blixen (as you know, the writer of the book, and the main character in the movie), nor do I have some lands in the continent (although part of my soul is there), I will try to tell you my experience, even though I am sure that any of these words or pictures will convey the feelings and mental images that I keep.

To see the sunrise on this very special land is a unique moment …

The aboriginal look of the people or the intense colours of their lands were sinking into my deepest heart and, without being conscious, I was getting lost in this thought: the desire of dreaming Africa that was living in the deepest of my being and the company of the simbas (simba means "lion" in Swahili) made me feel that time had stopped.

In the loneliness and the silence I discovered a new country in my soul. I could see the life of the nomadic Maasai tribesmen in their manyaras (the typical huts), their women with their incredible adornments … this world that runs parallel to my own and that I ignore constantly … 

From the highest part of the old Ngorongoro volcano, it is possible to observe the whole crater, with its 22-km diameter. It is indeed a striking vision … in the centre there is a salty lake, the Magadi, which contributes to a spectacular beauty. A peaceful backwater that invites reflection and silence. During the day I saw the magnificent wildlife: zebras, giraffes, elephants, impalas, wildebeest, ostriches, monkeys, hyenas, big cats, crocs, buffalos, hippos, rhinos – as well as all sorts of apes and birds, like flamingos, and even a majestic lion. We were lucky to see a precious female leopard with her baby, resting on the branch of an acacia. I did not get tired of looking at it and the harmony of the image will never be captured by a photograph; it was amazing!  

Words cannot describe such grandeur; it has to be lived to experience these instants out of time. I have seen it often in documentaries, but on the spot it is impressive, the contemplation of the cycle of life.

Here finishes the first part of our adventures in this incredible country. But the journey doesn’t end here, what about the ultimate post-safari hangout, a magical place, the idyllic Spice Island? Yes, I am talking about Zanzibar. 

Zanzibar's capital (and the largest town) is Stone Town, located in the middle of the west coast of Unguja. The town was named after the coral stone buildings that were built there largely during the 19th century, and it is known for its narrow alleyways, large carved doors and covered balconies that are a part of the Swahili culture, influenced by both Arab and especially Indian motifs. 

One of the most important aspects of Zanzibar is that it has been a collage of different cultures since it was colonized by several civilizations for centuries, from Europe to Asia. The architectural styles reflect Arab, German, and British influence and occupation, as well as the rich long history of Tanzania, but also, sadly, it shows the remains of the East African slave trade. This famous city, Stone Town, is a home to lots of mosques, several Hindu temples and two Christian churches. Incredible, isn’t it?

Apart from that, The Zanzibar Islands have excellent locations for diving because living reefs surround many of the islands. In addition to the warm still waters, full of colorful fish, there are many challenging dives.

So if you are interested in knowing a bit more about this magical and incredible place called Tanzania here is the link to a brief excerpt of the clip that I made with many of my photos, related to Serengeti National Park.

This is a video produced by the Tanzanian Tourist Board with the aid of the European Union:

Hey, I've just forgotten, do you want to know a curiosity? Freddy Mercury was born in Zanzibar. In fact, a trace of Freddie's Zanzibari roots can be heard in one of the most famous Queen songs, "Bohemian Rhapsody": the Arabic word 'Bismillah' had a special political significance in Zanzibar for a brief period to a group who used it to express discontent. But Queen's use of words like 'Bismillah' or 'Beelzebub' was most likely related to the Koran; the blessed phrase Bismillah is a sign of Islam, meaning in the Name of God, and the beginning of all good things. You can now watch the original videoclip of the famous song:

Or also on one of our blog's entries written by José Luis last November, talking about this unforgettable rock star.

I hope you have enjoyed this post and maybe one day it will encourage you to visit these breathtaking places that I strongly recommend you.

David Bowie turns 65 today

Nearly 50 years after he started his career, an aura of mystery still hovers around the man who, as the title of one of his songs reads, sold the world: David Bowie. A true musical chameleon, who's adapted all these years to fashion and trends by continuously reinventing himself, Bowie is undoubtedly one of rock's most enduring icons. There are so many legends attached to his sexual life (Is he bisexual? Was he really found in bed with Mick Jagger?), his enigmatic left eye (apparently he had an accident in his youth during a fight over a girl with his best friend), his self-destructive addiction to cocaine, and, above all, his complete immersion within the characters he created for his music (most famously Ziggy Stardust)

Today he turns 65, and his public persona is still as appealing as ever. I mean, to me he’s got such a mesmerizing personality when I hear him talk. He oozes charisma and with the years he’s become so classy, so incredibly elegant, in every sense of the word. The first stuff by the “White Duke” I recall listening to, as a teenager back in the late seventies, is Space Oddity, which still today remains one of my favourite Bowie songs. 

One of the things that immediately attracted me of Oddity, being a secondary school student at the time who would devour lots of music in English, was that I could understand pretty much of the lyrics. I loved the story, poor astronaut Major Tom finally lost in space. It seems Bowie found the inspiration after watching Kubrick’s famous sci-fi epic 2001: A Space Odyssey (it all sounds like a play on words, thought the song’s title is never mentioned in the lyrics). This is the original 1969 video:

If you are familiar with the song, I’m sure you think it sounds rather different from the usual version, which I embed here with its lyrics:

I was never really fond of the aesthetics of glam rock and David Bowie epitomized the looks of a glamorous rock star. When I saw him in the guise of the extremely extravagant, androgynous Ziggy Stardust (his alter ego and stage persona for both the namesake album and concert movie) I thought he was a freak, yuk! But I loved his elaborate music, if not the whole album, some of the songs, especially Starman and Suffragette City, as well as, of course, the one that gives the album its title. And he looked to me a pretty remarkable vocalist, a modern crooner, so to speak, endowed with a classy voice.

Now that I think of it, I don’t have any CDs or vinyl albums by David Bowie, except for a couple of Greatest Hits. I admit I sort of like the singles better than his complete records. I can instantly remember dozens of fantastic songs which I’ve heard so many times: Aladdin Sane, Jean Genie, Heroes, Ashes to Ashes, Loving the Alien, Rebel Rebel, Young American, Life on Mars, … the list would be too long. 

But if there is one that I really enjoy listening to that is Changes, suitably a word that summarizes David Bowie's whole career. This is again a clip of the song with the lyrics so that you can sing along. I love the way the great Rick Wakeman (who soon after became Yes keyboardist) plays the piano. As a curiosity, David does the saxo parts himself, which is hardly surprising since he had received lessons as a young kid.

Well, I don't want to extend this entry much further, even if some of you might like Bowie a lot (Marisol?) But I cannot help embedding a couple of TV interviews, with a 30-year gap between them, to show Bowie’s transformation as a person / artist:

From a shy glam rock star in the making ... 

... to a confident, happily married, successful music legend with an illustrious career behind (he’s sold an estimated 150 million records, no less!)

Let me just end up saying that, oddly enough, another music genius was born on the same day, mind you, 46 years later: David … Antigüedad, yes, my own son (ha ha, isn’t it coincidence!).

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY the pair of you!