Moving Picture World (Jul - Aug 1918)

August 31, 1918 THE MOVING PICTIRK WORLD 1267 *r Music for the Picture Conducted by GEORGE W. BEYNON Unity of Musical Purpose Brings Better Service WE live in the age of unions. The keen competition in industrial lines has forced upon men the significance of the axiom, "United we stand, Divided we fall." The playing of the pictures has become an industry because of its magnitude of operation, and the essentiaility of the work. At present, every leader is doing his own work in his own way, drudging out the hours of employment, which being long, preclude his learning of the advances made in his art. He has had no trade journal devoted to his interests, giving him up-to-date information. What they are doing in the big houses in the large cities, gets to his ears by inaccurate hearsay. This has a tendency to confuse him. In spite of these drawbacks, it is remarkable how much progress has been made in the musical interpretation of pictures. But we feel that the time has come when there should be a greater unity of purpose, feeling and brotherhood in the ranks of the picture playing musician. The Moving Picture World realizes the importance of the problem of uniting the theatre musicians in such a way that will be advantageous to them and the picture industry in general. We have spent the last six months in searching out the detached and distant musician with the view to ascertaining his needs in his chosen profession. From the data we have received, we believe that this department, in its enlarged form, will give better service in the future than in the past. "Music for the Pictures" will henceworth contain an interesting and leading article dealing with the varied phases of picture presentation musically. It will give you the reviews of music rendered at the big New York picture palaces and other notable performances throughout the country. An educational feature of the department will be a thumb-nail history of our patriotic songs, telling you about the composer, the reason for the song and interesting facts connected with its birth and growth. There will be a page devoted to the lastest musical "hits" and a "Leader's Service Bureau" in which will be found answers to your many problems and a "Roll of Honor," calling attention to special musical numbers, well adapted to picture playing. The cue sheet problem, which has become a bugbear to the leader, will be dealt with in a classified and larger form. Here you will find a cue sheet for every picture which has been released, alphabetically arranged and clearly comprehensible to every leader. It will not be necessary to use the entire book upon the rack. These sheets can be used separately and returned to the files for playing a "repeat date." The arrangement will be uniform and standardized, no matter what producer releases the picture. This new idea has been praised by all leaders who have seen it, and we anticipate every musician will welcome this progressive service. There is no field in the musical profession where such great quantities of music are bought yearly and used so profusely. A pianist with a library of five hundred numbers, considers he is well equipped for his work, yet five hundred selections would not last a month even if it were possible to play them all in the picture theatre. Songs will bear almost a continuous repetition, but a leader dare not repeat his numbers too frequently. One of the drawbacks with which every leader is familiar is the dearth of new music. His only way of securing such is by means of catalogues, which are not definite, or by personal search through publishing houses. Inasmuch as the large majority of the publishers are situated in New York City, the out-of-town director must rely on lists which may trickle through to him. We have been surprised and aghast at the musical antiques forced upon the people who visit the out-of-way theatres. Our aim will be to bring to the attention of the picture playing musician all new numbers suitable for his use from the various publishing houses with a short review upon their picture possibilities. This should prove a wonderful boon to the leaders throughout the country. Those things doled out to us by the hand of one in equal rank are regarded of greater worth than the advice emanating from the mealy mind of the efficient expert. Therefore, we shall be pleased to give space in our columns to interesting letters dealing with the solution of the leaders' problems. Give us the benefit of your experience that your brother may profit thereby. This will make for unity of brotherhood and create in this column a mutal confidence club, interesting and educational to all. In this connection, it might not be premature to suggest the formation of a Picture Playing Club, the membership of which would consist of musicians who are earning a living playing for pictures. Let us hear an expression of opinion on this matter. We can assure you we are strongly for it. When we place our profession upon a more dignified basis in the picture industry, we reap for ourselves the rewards of better art. The Moving Picture World in enlarging your department, officially recog nizes the musician as a vital factor in the film industry. It extends the hand of welcome and friendship, offering itself as a medium for mutual mingling and friendly fraternizing. It joins the hand of the producer with that of the leader, delivering to him a service in cue sheets that heretofore has been anything but satisfactory. Its whole-hearted efforts, its unstinted expense, and its ever-prevailing progressiveness should receive the praise and popular support of all musicians in the country. Make the Moving Picture World your Bible and "Music for the Pictures" your best loved text. Music At the Strand. L\ W. Griffith has rightly Rained the name of "The Mu.st.-r of Filmeraf t." His picture, "The Great Love." presented at the Strand during the week of August 11, shows his clever handiwork and artistic touches. Notwithstanding this fact the music poorly portrayed what Mr. Griffith tried to interpret in his wonderful picture. Old and well-known songs were used as themes and suited the roles admirably. There was a lack of smoothness to the setting, which detracted from the picture considerably and we felt that the fault lay in poor modulation. At times there was no modulation whatsoever, while at other times only a drum-roll could be heard in joining two numbers of extraneous keys. It was evident that the music belonged to a score, the composers of which gained no credit for themselves for such slip-shod methods. The Synchrony was good, but the use of II Guarny in the bedchamber scene was anything but appropriate. The overture selection from "I'Pagliacci" by Leoncavallo was handled by Conductor Edouards. The rendition was traditional in every respect, and although the orchestra once in a while beat the conductor to the note, we are safe in saying that there could not be any exception taken to the interpretation. The back-set showed a Venetian canal bordered with Italian foliage, half hiding the picturesque bungalows in the distance. The Strand topical review followed and as usual was well fitted and played. An innovation was used in the idea of community singing of "The Star Spangled Banner," led by Miss Cora Tracy, contralto. In a recent issue of these columns we dwelt extensively upon the educational value and propaganda purposes of Community sinpriner in the picture theatres. Our suggestion was that a slide be used in order that, by having the house darkened, the singing would be louder and more spontaneous. However. Mr. Edel has evolved a new feature by having a patriotic address, showing the history of our flag. This was followed by singing "The Star Spangled Banner" by the audience from a booklet donated by Hinds, Hayden & Eldredge. The booklet is a pocket edition with words and music and Is exceptionally legible in spite of the condensed The idea !s splendid and should be