Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-12-19
MOVIE PIANIST'S
WORK IS HARD
Life Is Just One Distorted
Drama After Another, With
a Few WaltzeS Mixed In

Life for n moving picture pianist
is one distorted, elongated. tragic
drama or comedy after another, gen.
erously interspersed with equally
disproportionate news weeklies ana
animated cartoons. And the rapt on
locker who sits with placid hands
folded in his lap listening to the
music which blends on TIE screen
never dreams how the pianist is work
ing in order that the correct im7
pdession may be conveyed.
Many people believe that a pianist
Just tumbles into good luck when she
gets Job in a movie and that all
she has to do is to bang off me-
chanically the music required while
she enjoys the thrilling new screen
productions day by day says a
woman who has played in New YORK
and Brooklyn movie orcheStraS LOT
several wears But they don't stop
TO think or they would see how far
from right they are.
ain the first place a pianist at n
movie tries to avoid looking at the
pictures because from her close up
view they are ludicfous. Every actor
and all the scenery is out of pro-
portion and it makes you dizzy To
look at them.
Must BE Alert
And in the second place movie
pianist is far from mechanical. size
must he alert. versatile, able 10 play
Jazz and classical music and must DE
keenly sensitive in her portrayal ana
Interpretation in order to hold hcr
Job in the least important of New
York's hundreds of moving picture
theaters.
THE producer has come to believe
nF no Inn nnT.tDnt fac
tors in the success or failure OF new
production is the music and he de-
pends on il to convey the authors
ideas more accurately than the actors
or the written words which ac-
company the picture. Not only does
il establish the mood, but it pro-
vides the atmosphere for the screen
play and underlines details. bringing
out color and contrast. 1t is never
the accompaniment, but part of the
picture"
A cue sheet, which tells just what
music to play and how long TO play
il. usually is prepared and sent 10
the movie musicians n week IN ad-
vance. But If the operator chances
10 he a poor one and is careless about
the length of time he shows each
picture, the orchestra will be blamed
for the lack Of harmony which prob
ably will result If no cue sheet IS
sent. the director of the orchestr'
must follow the pictures and indicate
when to change the music. When the
musicians are unable to get the music
required in the cue sheet. they sub
stitute music of the same charactcr.
Playing new music every daN IL
the busiest movies and changing
quickly from popular TO classical.
both of which must be played with
skill is not an easy feat, says the
pianist. And making ones mood aC-
cord with the varying music re-
uuircs an unusual mixture of tenn
peram ent and versatility. for the real
musician must feel his music before
he can interpret it for his audience.
When ] finish playing at night the
strain on my nerves, the mental
weariness and the physical fatigue
i'm my arms and fingers is so great
that I feel ] can never go back for
another night" says the pianist.
unlike any other kind of playing.
the music in n movie must go on
continuously for two and three hour
periods. often. with no ission
and with music that one has seen
only once or twice before perhaps
for we have not time nor energy to
do pruCh practiCing outside.
Contrary to the popular belief. n
movie pianist would rather p'aV
classical than popular music, usually
for il one is enough of musician
to be able to play 10th we'll. he is
enough of a musician to appreciate
most the music written by the best
com posers. We always have to buy
our own music, and while we sell
dom keep the popular pieces nearly
every movie player has u large
library of classical music
Society Dramas and WaltzcS
Society dramas are easy to play
for because, as rule, slow, beauti-
ful waltZes are played with them
Comedies are not hard either, be-
cause simple music is generally used