Film Music Review (Winter 2009)

Contributing Writer Steve Vertlieb has sent in the following announcement...

Bonhams Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers will be auctioning off Bernard Herrmann's original manuscript for PSYCHO on
24 March 2009.

BERNARD HERRMANN Music and Film: Scores, manuscripts and books sold on behalf of Norma Herrmann

HERRMANN (BERNARD)

Autograph full score of his music for Alfred Hitchcock's film Psycho, including the Murder in the Shower scene ('The Murder') and the 'Prelude', the first page signed and dated "Bernard Herrmann/ Jan 12 - Feb 12/ 60", written between January and February 1960 and reassembled by the composer in 1968 to form his concert suite Psycho: A Narrative for Orchestra.

Autograph full score of his music for Alfred Hitchcock's film Psycho, including the Murder in the Shower scene ('The Murder') and the 'Prelude', the first page signed and dated "Bernard Herrmann/ Jan 12 - Feb 12/ 60", written between January and February 1960 and reassembled by the composer in 1968 to form his concert suite Psycho: A Narrative for Orchestra, the present manuscript comprising:

Part I

(Cue 1) "1. 'Psycho' Prelude", incorporating "Flight": autograph manuscript of the first page of the original score in black ink, with paste-overs for bars 63-78, 109-110 and 129-131 (conclusion), timings in red ballpoint (up to one minute 57 seconds), later marked up for the suite in red felt-tip pen ("Pt I"), including suite revisions to the final three bars in red and blue felt-tip pen, 5 pages

(Cue 2) "2. The City": photocopy reworked in red ballpoint, plus timings in red ballpoint, paste-over autograph title (also originally reading "The City"), later marked-up for the suite in felt-tip pen, one page

(Cue 10) "10. The Rainstorm", incorporating "Flight", "Flight B", "Prelude", and "Flight": comprising a twice-repeated photocopy of the 'Prelude', paste-over titles (see note below), reworked in red ballpoint at bars 51-74, 93-96, and 209-216, adapted for the suite in red and blue felt-tip pen, 3 pages

Part II

(Cue 14) "14. The Madhouse": autograph manuscript of the original score in black ink, with paste-overs for bars 18-19, adapted for the suite in red felt-tip pen and inscribed on the blank recto "Psycho (Pt II)" and at the head "(Pt II)", one page

(Cue 17) "17. The Murder": autograph manuscript of the original score in black ink, adapted for the suite in blue felt-tip pen, 2 pages

(Cue 21) "21. The Water": autograph manuscript of the original score in black ink, with revisions (rests scraped out and replaced), timings in red ballpoint, 2 pages

In all 20 pages, on Ricordi music paper and photocopies thereof, partly taped together with some consequent discolouring affecting the edges and versos, 4to, mostly 12 January to 12 February 1960 [with further alterations made in 1968]

Sale 16761 -
Printed Books, Mansucripts, Music & Photographs
24 March 2009
New Bond Street
Lot No. 198

A wonderful new piece arranged by John Williams and titled, "Air and Simple Gifts," was premiered during the Inauguration Day ceremonies for the 44th U.S. President, Barack Obama, on 20 January 2009.

Watch the performance at the Inauguration by violinist Itzhak Perlman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, clarinetist Anthony McGill, and
pianist Gabriela Montero, here on YouTube

THE INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS ASSOCIATION (IFMCA) ANNOUNCES
ITS 2008 WINNERS
FOR
SCORING EXCELLENCE

Alexandre Desplat wins the 2008 IFMCA’S Film Score of the Year Award for THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, David Fincher’s imaginative re-telling of a 1921 F. Scott Fitzgerald short story about a man who ages backwards from an old man to a baby. These are the fourth and fifth awards for Desplat from the IFMCA, having been named Composer of the Year in 2006 and 2007. The score also wins Best Original Score for a Dramatic Film.

Danny Elfman is named Film Composer of the Year for his excellence in scoring four high-profile movies this year: MILK, WANTED, HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY and STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE. The latter score also wins Elfman an individual scoring award for Best Original Score for a Documentary Feature.

• The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos, music by The Cinematic Orchestra

• Valkyrie: “They’ll Remember You,” music by John Ottman and Lior Rosner

• Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend, music by Jerry Goldsmith; produced by Douglass Fake (Intrada)

• The Boys from Brazil, music by Jerry Goldsmith; produced by Douglass Fake (Intrada)

• Heavy Metal, music by Elmer Bernstein; produced by Lukas Kendall (Film Score Monthly)

• The Matrix: The Deluxe Edition, music by Don Davis; produced by Don Davis and Robert Townson (Varèse Sarabande)

• El Cid, music by Miklós Rózsa; conducted by Nic Raine, produced by James Fitzpatrick (Tadlow)

• The Kentuckian/Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot, music by Bernard Herrmann; conducted William Stromberg; produced by Anna Bonn, John Morgan and William Stromberg (Tribute Film Classics)

• Odna (Alone), music by Dmitri Shostakovich; conducted by Mark Fitzgerald, produced by Hans-Bernhard Bätzing ( Naxos)

• She, music by Max Steiner; conducted William Stromberg; produced by Anna Bonn, John Morgan and William Stromberg (Tribute Film Classics)

• An Unfinished Life – Piano Sketches, music by Christopher Young; performed by Dave Guili, produced by Flavio Motalla and Christopher Young (BSX)

• Gangs of New York/The Journey of Natty Gann/The Scarlet Letter, music by Elmer Bernstein; produced by Robert Townson (Varèse Sarabande)

• Indiana Jones: The Soundtracks Collection, music by John Williams; produced by Laurent Bouzereau ( Concord)

• Le Cinéma de Georges Delerue, music by Georges Delerue; produced by Stéphane Lerouge (Universal Music France)

• MGM Soundtrack Treasury, various composers; produced by Lukas Kendall (Film Score Monthly)

• Superman: The Music, various composers; produced by Mike Matessino and Lukas Kendall (Film Score Monthly)

The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) is an association of online, print and radio journalists who specialize in writing about original film and television music.

The IFMCA was originally formed in the late 1990s as the now-defunct “Film Music Critics Jury” by editor and journalist Mikael Carlsson, a regular contributor to filmmusicradio.com and filmmusicmag.com, and the owner of the Swedish independent film music label MovieScore Media.

Since its inception, the IFMCA has grown to comprise over 50 members from ountries as diverse as Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

Dario Marianelli’s ATONEMENT in 2007
James Newton Howard’s LADY IN THE WATER in 2006
John Williams’ MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA in 2005
Michael Giacchino’s THE INCREDIBLES in 2004

Best Gold Age Soundtracks
Best Silver Age Soundtracks
Best Bronze Age Soundtracks
Best Compilation CDs
Best DVDs
Best Film Book
Best Album Producers
Best Record Labels

The updated 3rd edition of
A Guide to Film Music is available from PineTree Press.

When you order this guide you will also receive a Free CD-R with
film music examples.

Click on this link:

The Special Merit CDs are chosen at any time during a month for outstanding overall production of a soundtrack or compilation.

The Editor's Choice - Best of the Month designation is for those CDs that are singled out for their excellence. They are chosen anytime within a given month and may not be chosen every month.

Capsule review: This set is a bit disappointing, especially the awkwardly filmed and edited documentary, "Becoming John Ford." Commentary by Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman on DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK is very good. Film transfers are clean and sharp, but with great scores by David Buttolph and Alfred Newman, these classic films deserve to have isolated music tracks. Rating: ***1/2

GARDEN OF EVIL (1954)
music by Bernard Herrmann
Isolated score track and commentary by
John Morgan, Nick Redman, Steven Smith, William Stromberg
[Included in FOX WESTERN CLASSICS box set]