The origins of electronic music in cinema go back to the first half of the 20th century. This mix is a homage to some of those moments.
It begins with a 1930s Pathé archive example of an early version of what would become a synthesizer, before moving into Dmitri Shostakovich’s first use of theremin on screen in the 1931’s Alone, directed by Grigori Kozintsev. Originally a silent film, Alone gained a soundtrack by Shostakovich just before release once film sound was made available in Russia.
Bernard Herrmann’s iconic use of the theremin in The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) has a wonderful moment in this mix wherein we hear the studio sketches of this score’s creation. Taken from the 2018 reissue of the score, this recording presents studio outtakes and rehearsal moments during the production. Herrmann can be heard in the background prompting different actions from his orchestra.
Franz Waxman’s fear-provoking The Bride of Frankenstein (1936) score was the first time the Ondes Martenot was featured in a Hollywood film. This instrument was created by the French inventor Maurice Martenot, working through radio tubes oscillating and creating electric pulses through two supersonic sound wave frequencies—Jonny Greenwood is a contemporary fan using it through Radiohead’s output into his scoring work. Four years later, Waxman’s beautiful score for Rebecca went on to feature three different variations of the Ondes Martenot.
On the same note of Hitchcock, Miklós Rózsa’s luscious score for Spellbound (1945) uses the theremin heavily and earned an Oscar for best score with a performance by Dr. Samuel Hoffman. Hoffman was one of the most regarded theremists after Clara Rockwell, the Lithuanian maestro musician widely considered as the greatest theremin player in history. Through sound design Hitchcock turned again to this electronic sonic palette with Oskar Sala’s incredible work for Hitchcock’s The Birds (1963). Those sinister bird sounds are forever etched into the minds of anyone who watches Tippi Hedren’s Melanie Daniels drive off to sunny Bodega Bay for a weekend retreat that takes a violent turn for the worst, electronic sound design amplifying the terror at every turn.
Across the pond in the UK, Delia Deryshire was transforming the future of music. Here we listen to her Dr. Who soundtrack, snippets from her ambient masterpieces, the score for The Legend of Hell House (1973) with Brain Hodgson, and various extracts of her discussing her work. The latter is the most recent piece of work featured in this mix, with most of the material featured coming from the earlier decades of cinema. Derbyshire’s influence on the decades that followed cannot be understated. The interviews come from a great documentary called Sisters with Transistors (2020) and the mix can be seen as a homage to the early years of electronic sound and music in film featured in that documentary.
Bebe Barron is also a strong figure throughout, and an incredible influence on the emergence of electronic sound both within Hollywood and the Greenwich Village avant-garde. Her work with her husband Louis for Forbidden Planet (1956) and experimental films Bridges Go Round (Shirley Clarke, 1958) and Ian Hugo’s Bells of Atlantis (1952), a collaboration with his then-wifeAnais Nin, are featured. Another interesting character from the early years of electronic music’s relationship to the screen is musician Raymond Scott; his work in TV and advertising transformed the use of electronic music in those early Mad Men years. A great Sprite jingle can be found within.
- Music from the Ether, (British Pathe Archive, 1934), 00:00
- Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, “Op. 26 - In Kuzmina's Hut,” Alone (Grigori Kozintsev, Leonid Trauberg, 1931) 3:13
- Franz Waxman, “Theme from Rebecca,” Rebecca (Alfred Hitchcock, 1940) 5:30
- Franz Waxman, “Rebecca’s Room,” Rebecca (Alfred Hitchcock, 1940) 7:00
- Excerpt, Sisters with Transistors (Lisa Rover, 2020) 14:00
- Bernard Herrmann, “Prelude, Radar,” Day The Earth Stood Still (Robert Wise, 1951) 16:30
- Daphne Oram, “Pulse Persephone,” Sisters with Transistors (Lisa Rover, 2020) 20:10
- Franz Waxman, “Main Title,” Bride of Frankenstein (James Whale, 1936) 24:00
- Raymond Scott, “The Tingling Tartness Of Sprite [Instrumental],” (Raymond Scott Featuring Dorothy Collins – The Jingle Workshop: Midcentury Musical Miniatures 1951–1965) 25:15
- Delia Deryshire, “Dr Who (Original Theme),” Dr. Who, (Douglas Camfield, 1963) 25:40
- Bernard Herrmann, “Gort, Visor, Telescope,” Day The Earth Stood Still (Robert Wise, 1951) 27:45
- Excerpt, Bebe Barron Interviewed in 1997 (edit), 30:00
- Excerpt, Sisters with Transistors, (Lisa Rover, 2020) 30:00
- Brian Hodgson and Delia Derybshire, “Drive To The House,” The Legend of Hell House (John Hougue, 1973) 32:15
- Bebe and Louis Barron, “Love At The Swimming Hole,” Forbidden Planet,(Fred M.Wilcox, 1956) 33:30
- Miklós Rózsa, “First Meeting,” Spellbound (Alfred Hitchcock, 1945)
- Bebe and Louis Barron, “The Monster Pursues - Morbius Is Overcome,” Forbidden Planet (Fred M.Wilcox, 1956) 35:30
- Bebe and Louis Barron, Bells Of Atlantis (Ian Hugo, 1952) 42:40
- Miklós Rózsa, “The Awakening - The Love Scene - The Dressing Gown,” Spellbound (Alfred Hitchcock, 1945) 51:15
- Excerpt, The Birds, (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963) 61:15
- Franz Waxman, “Fireplace Tableau,” Rebecca (Alfred Hitchcock, 1940) 64:00
- Bebe and Louis Barron, Bridges Go Round,(Shirley Clarke, 1958) 66:50
- Excerpt, Sisters with Transistors (Lisa Rover, 2020) 70:30
- Bebe and Louis Barron, “Nothing Like This Claw Found In Nature!,” Forbidden Planet (Fred M.Wilcox, 1956) 72:30
- Bernard Hermann, “Studio Rehearsals,” The Day The Earth Stood Still (Robert Wise, 1951) 73:40
- Excerpt, Sisters with Transistors (Lisa Rover, 2020) 78:40
- Miklós Rózsa, “Green Manors,” Spellbound (Alfred Hitchcock, 1945) 79:50
- Bebe and Louis Barron, “Flurry Of Dust - Robot Approaches - Forbidden Planet,” Forbidden Planet (Fred M.Wilcox, 1956) 80:40
- Miklós Rózsa, “The Burned Hand,” Spellbound (Alfred Hitchcock, 1945) 81:40
- Bebe and Louis Barron, “Overture - Reprise,” Forbidden Planet,(Fred M.Wilcox, 1956) 84:00