Sir Herrmann !




We saw Cosi Fan Tutte last night (yeah, a night at the opera I know) , and guess what, I’ve found something better…much better…my hero, Bernard Herrmann !

So Brothers and Sisters, kneel now.

The man behind the low woodwinds that open Citizen Kane (1941), the shrieking violins of Psycho (1960), and the plaintive saxophone of Taxi Driver (1976) was one of the most original and distinctive composers ever to work in film.
Bernard Herrmann started early, winning a composition prize at the age of 13 and founding his own orchestra at the age of 20.
After writing scores for Orson Welles's radio shows in the 1930s (including the notorious 1938 "The War of the Worlds" broadcast), he was the obvious choice to score Welles's film debut. Herrmann was a prolific film composer, producing some of his most memorable work for Alfred Hitchcock, for whom he wrote nine scores. A notorious perfectionist and demanding (he once said that most directors didn't have a clue about music, and he blithely ignored their instructions--like Hitchcock's suggestion that Psycho (1960) have a jazz score and no music in the shower scene).
His last score was for Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976) and died just hours after recording it. He also wrote an opera, "Wuthering Heights," and a cantata, "Moby Dick."

Bernard Herrmann - Prelude (Psycho)

Bernard Herrmann - Prelude (Mysterious Island)

Bernard Herrmann - Prelude-Outerspace (The Day The Earth Stood Still)




By the way, enjoy the last week of STGW, I’ll be on vacation for at least three weeks. Woohoo !

Comments

Tuwa said…
Not your last week, I hope, just the last until you return. Right?

Take care, in any case.
Reverend Frost said…
I'm not gonna let you down like that !!! Holidays are calling me, that's all :)
guapo said…
I love the theremin!
Reverend Frost said…
ooh yeah me too. Strange & nice !

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