Moving Picture World (Jul-Sep 1911)

THE MOVING PICT.URE WORLD 20 1 Music for the Picture By CLARENCE E. SINN I enjoyed a treat a few evenings since. Prowling around the various picture theaters just to hear how other folks play pictures, I wandered into the Ideal Theater (North Avenue and Larrabee) and though the weather was very warm the house was packed. It took some little time to find an empty seat, but the quality of the show explained the large attendance. I remained for two pictures — "Tragic Wedding" and "Tabarin's Wife," both Pathe releases. The projection was excellent, but of course I was more interested in the musical accompaniment to the pictures. Here is where I had the treat. It is not often one has the pleasure of hearing music (mostly extempo) that sounds as if it were written expressly for that particular picture. It is difficult to convey in cold type a concise idea of descriptive music, but I have a mind to attempt it. "Tabarin's Wife" was introduced with an allegro movement similar to the opening of a French "Opera Bouffe." This held throughout the first scene, diminishing where necessary to allow the drum rolls to come into prominence, and introducing strong marked chords to emphasize the poses of the actor who reads the announcement of the performance. Dominant idea of the music in this scene — vivacious, fortissimo and theatrical. In the next scene showing the meeting of the wife with her admirer, the music changed slightly to something of a more sentimental nature, though not departing far from the original theme. In the following scenes showing the interior of the play house, the music increased both in tempo and volume. As the curtain rose a distinct theme was introduced abruptly, descriptive of "curtain music." The scenes in the dressing room and on the stage were "shaded" according to the action (which was mostly lively), until Tabarin finds the note, then it took on an agitated character until end of that scene, when he appears on the stage, back to the original motif which develops into a strong agitato until her lover kneels over her body, then wildly plaintive. I know this conveys a very incomplete idea of Mr. Thomson's creditable work, and I hope he will forgive me if I have overlooked anything. The other picture, "Tragic Wedding," was chiefly noticable from its long chases on horseback and the "grilling" hurries that were called for. These were worked in a very effective manner; softly, as the riders appeared in the distance, and swelling to forte as they approached the foreground; each time a group of riders halted for a moment, ritard and a few ad lib chords indicative of the restive stamping horses. Scene after scene of this sort of thing, and I believe that the applause the picture received was largely due to the excellent manner in which it was accompanied both as to music and sound effects. They relieved what might otherwise have bordered closely to monotony. That the audience appreciated it was evident even they may not all have realized exactly what contributed to the making of a "good show." At another theater "Marked for Life" (Reliance) was seen. The picture is a beautiful one and its projection was in harmony, but the music was simply a hodge-podge of popular stuff, none of which could possibly have any bearing on the subject. While you looked at the beautiful scene between Travis and his mother you listened to "Come Take a Trip in My Flying Machine." Another pretty scene was accompanied by "Oceana Roll." With one or two exceptions it was like that all through. The exceptions noted were in the "musical" scenes where a pianist and a violinist were supposed to play their respective instruments. The piano player worked to these scenes which indicated that he was watching the picture. Then why did he play music so out of keeping in the remainder of the picture? Apropos, why are so few "violin" pictures produced in which the actor imitates the motions of a real violinist? Even when playing a country fiddler the average actor seems to have little idea of how a fiddler holds his bow and instrument, nor of how he uses them. Criticism of these details is not confined to professional musicians. The average audience will contain others who know what is right or wrong, and technical details are surely worth being brought out correctly if they are worth putting on at all. When a violinist is introduced in a picture, the character usually plays an important part. It doesn't add to the performance to hear some one in the audience exclaim: "That fellow isn't playing — see how he holds his bow — look at that elbow — why didn't they get some one to tell him," and so on. Other instruments being more easily imitated as to pantomime, do not suffer so much. A letter from Pennsylvania bears the following question: "How can it be possible for an orchestra to play to the pictures?" The writer states that he improvises a great part of his accompanying music and depends upon memory for the balance. Those of my readers who work their pictures in the same manner will need no explanation of the question above. For the benefit of others it may be mentioned that the best pianists (who improvise) are more or less familiar with standard music of various kinds, whether it be operatic, dramatic, symphonic, or all of these. What I mean is that they have played or heard enough of this sort of descriptive music to have a pretty definite idea of the requirements musically of a scene almost at a glance. Now whether they should aptly recall a bit from their repertoire or compose something "out of their own heads," as one correspondent puts it, it really does not matter so long as it fits the situation. This for the starter. As the picture develops his musical changes according to action. I have tried several times to give on this page a synopsis of such work by different pianists I have heard, as it is only by analysis of past picture music that one can give any definite idea of what may come. In Brother Thomson's rendition of "Tabarin's Wife," as referred to above, he may have begun with the opening of some standard opera for all I know — if so I failed to recognize it. But whether he did or not made no essential difference. He kept his eye on the picture and humored his music — slower, faster, louder, softer, or modulated to other themes as the shifting situations demanded. To improvise intelligently on a given theme, changing it to meet all situations as they develop and at the same time give a smooth and connected rendition implies a gift of no mean order. But to those who are not thus equipped I offer the suggestion that it is not necessary to compose all your own music; the greater part can be memorized (I know it is being successfully done), and the little connecting links or modulations are a matter of practice once you get the hang of it. So are little things like "humoring" the action (really these can be made very important matters if one cares to take the pains). The whole secret lies in the willingness to take pains. There are those who say "what's the difference" or "what's the use." In their cases there's very little difference and not much use. To get back to what I started to say. Taking the hypothesis that the bulk of your music can be selected (of which it can if your repertoire and memory are equal to the demand), and that the "connecting links" form the principal part of your improvisation, it follows that an orchestra can proceed along these lines in a general way. While nothing is impossible, it must be admitted that it is highly improbable that any number of musicians will be banded together who are so thoroughly en rapport as to follow a leader through all the little subtleties that might be given by a pianist working alone; but the orchestra has other resources which will make up in part for this lacking. There are violinists as well as pianists who can take a given theme and humor it to almost any emotion — lively, pathetic, agitated; major or minor; waltz or march; piano or forte, etc. Giving such a one a pianist who unlerstands and can follow him, there is no reason why the results should not be even more satisfactory than when given by a piano alone. With such a team for the nucleus of your orchestra, the rest would not be such a difficult matter. It must also be admitted that such a team would be extremely rare, but it is certainly not from want of talent or ability. It may be that the inducements are not sufficiently attractive for the better orchestra players to take up this line of work as a serious proposition. With the most of them it is only a make shift or a fill in until they can find something more to their liking. It may be a long time before conditions are such that the better class of orchestra musicians will give picture playing the serious attention