Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-11-16
MUSIC FOR MOVIES
HAS GONE THROUGH
COMPLETE CHANGE

traHTormdtion Of morie mUSic--from
me h'Grg-f fStCd piano murderer Of
hickIc0dc0n days to the modern Synt-
phony orchestra ard Soloisfs?
Georg" ". l'CH has been musician
IN m0r'e houses since those days. He
mas been identified with erery step of
his deretopmcat lie has lately been
on inc STAFF Of the Loem enterprises, but
takIny short rdcntion in this city
and Is hrin0 at 1911 Arch street. This
IS me second Of a series Of articles he
has 'critteH for yop.
BY GEORGE W. VAIL
E'NElil effort in the direction OF Sc
- curing greater realism through re.
enforcing sight by sound served merely
10 emphasize the unrcality Of the whole
spectacle. Little by little, it became
evident tnat what people wanted was
not reproduction of the sounds sun.
p"SeoIF resulting from thc' doings on
the screen, but Il musical recreation
OF the drama depicted thereon.
IN" general realization of the value
o. music in augmcnting the emotional
appeal OF IN" unspokcn drama marks
sHe rrHl beginning Of photopluy music
aS fine art
INliH old order died hard and it was
= indeed an old enthusiast who dared
I" play good music in omen Defiance nj
a managerial preference for rartimn
! well remember the torrent of criti-
rl~m which descended on NV head whom
!"'S than twcIv" years ago, | had rho
hArllh""d to suggest. in Ia" columns Of
tn" Moving Picture World. that certain
classical! compositions NIGH. odvnn.
tageouSIy be utilized bY the photonIoy
pianist. One indignant CORRESPONDENT
sravely admonishcd me that if 7 rnuId
actually play the numbers mentioned IN
my modest list-which he seemed io
d@ubt--l was wasting my time by
Stlrking 20 moving pictures.
WaSting my time !" | often Won.lcr
VIVA; that correspondent would thinl,
! OF IN" cue sheet Of modern cinema
orchestra.
Operas, symphonies. ovcrturcs
! iugurS, quart CtS-SomCtimcS only a fuu,
, Dar>, sometimes entire movcmcnts--oII
7 '}nth"Sizcd for the cmotiona. cmbrIIi,h .
/ mcnt Of feature film. Orchestral. or
, nearly hundred skilled musicians
sol"lstS of international rpputati:n-it
seems incredible when Wa consider thr
! short pcriod required for this ,normouy
| revolution.
! 1t is no mere accident thar sym.
! phony orchcStraS are SDriuging nm
everywhere throughout the country
America has become, almost Ovcrnioht
a musical nation. And this sudden
| transformation is distinctly trarcabIC
to three factors-the phonograph, the
! Pay"r-piano and the pholupluy or.
! rhcstra.
DICTIRE-IIOUSE audiences Of 70.
J. day, while fully appreciatinc the
| maStcrly musical a"r0nLHnimcuts which
nave become almost tho commonplurc,
| Of modern film presentation, have little
! idea of tn" nerve racking effort re-.
qUir"d to produce the artistic unit,
which they admire.
First comes the preparation of lht
! rG"' sheet. Long before the public get,
a peep at new picture. the film /,
screened especially for the director. HC
sits in the silent and empty house
pencil and tablet in hand, with hi,
| watch on his knCc, making notes anC
! timing scenes.
From the data thus accumulated h,
! complies his cue -Shr"t. a list of the
! salient scenes or episodes Of the drama
! together with the spoken or acted cue,
| which mark the transition from ont
| episode to another.
Then comes the delicate task OI
choosing the actual music which viii
best represent to the auditor the under.
| lying mood of every part of the fca
turr as thus divided. This is the most
difficult part of the whole procedure
and lest not only Of the highest mu
steamship. but Of the profoundcst scust
Of dramatic values.
To one who has not given the mat
ter much thought, it may seem an Cn4.
tusk 20 select music which will fit anI
pictured Gene ~ situation, ioyfri
r&rccs for happy opi~odcs. scmhcl
!trnins for tragic moments, ctc.
But it doesn't work out so easiI,
as on" might think; the moods of IifI
arc seldom all Of a piece, but on tht
contrary are infinitely complex, per.
Ictualy varied.
! To be continued tomorrow