New-York tribune., 1920-01-11
Music for Movies
Must Not Obscure
The Picture Plav

1nere are some musicians who feel
tnat their results are not what they
want them to be when the audience in
moving picture house is more keenly
alive to the orchestral accompaniment
than to the story being unfolded on
the screen. This is the attitude of
Edward Falck, Frederick Stahlberg,
Lion Vanderheim, Victor Wagner,
hugo Riesenfeld and Emanuel Baer,
VINO coilaborste on the music provided
at the Rivoli and Rialto theaters.
There are millions of ways Of select
for picture, but there are only two
ways that u good musician would
choose" says Mr.. Riesenield on this
subject. "One is to select beautiful
music that is appropriate for the
scenes OF the picture--sad music for
sad scenes, sprightly music for
sPrlgntly scenes, and so on. The good
musician, inexperienced in motion pic
ture presentation, would undoubtedly
follow this first course.
The second course, and the one that
requires the hardest work, is to select
music much as is chosen in the first
mentioned way, but with an ear to it's
subJugation. There may be half a
hundred waltzes that would hit pret-
perlenced scorer of motion pictures
Will, after listening to the piece, know
whether it is too striking or even too
beautiful for the scene. He will take
care that the music does not outshine
the picture, just as the good accom-
panist will see that his playing does
not drown out the star"
Few pictures have presented a bigger
problem in orchestration than Every
woman because of the variety of
phase. In huge room, ith a seven
teen-foot screen at one end, table big
enough for twelve at the other, piano
at the side, and shooting through two
peep holes in the rear projection ma
chine, a group Of men spent, many
hours working out the suitable accom-
paniment. Josiah EURO, former con-
ductor of the Manhattan Opera, and Joe
La Rose were there, along with the
others already mentioned. On the
table lay huge volumes Of classified
music-waltzes,. Strauss waltzes, old
waltzes, popular waltzes, concert
waltzes and slow waltzes.
There were huge volumes labeled
laneous Andantes, Love Themes, Neu-
tra, Battle Music and so on, covering
about $500 complete orch hestrations and
thousands of other pieces of music.
Somebody's Counting Somebody, >
said the title, showing in beautiful
grove a boy and girl seated on bench.
The lighting was stunning-the whole
thing, occupying only few seconds,
looked real. Emanuel Baer, at the
piano, struck up a tune.
It, was love song, rich and beauti-
the impresario. Things can be too
beautiful" He turned to Victor Wag-
ner. "Massenet's 'Werther.' think
you know the part l mean" Wagner
brought it, marked. Baer played it
while the projection man ran the scene
over. ut will do" said Riesenfeld.
Came the. scene where Wealth ap-
pears and has his inning, A debate
ensued. Concert marches galore were
considered. Riesenfeld, Falck and Wag-
ner, all storehouses of musical litera-
ture, suggested and suggested. Baer
played them, but nothing won a unan-
imous verdict. Other dignified and i'm
posing numbers were brought on.
Everything sounded too rich, even for
Wealth. A maestoso from "Tales Of
Hoffman" at last won, because, while
it indicated vastness and power, two
qualities of wealth, it also suggested
ponpousness and vanity, Wealth's fos-
ter brothers. And so the Scoring" Of
the picture went on