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Vampire, whole no. 7, September 1946
31858063101335_017
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"King Kong". Steiner has twice won academy awards with his musical scores. The music from "She" and "King Kong" is fantastic; the pictures themselves were pure fantasy and the music was written to underscore various episodes of the two productions. Like all movie music, however, it has one fault. After listening to the theme music from a number of pictures you will find that it is all similar, that only in a few cases is it really outstanding. Next time you witness a movie, preferably a dramatic one, take time out to listen to the music and notice how it follows the action taking place on the screen. But the fact still remains that a good 80% of fandom does not especially care to, or just plain won't believe that there is such a thing as fantasy music. I used to figure the easiest way to persuade these stubborn ones would be to bottle them up in a room and then put on the records. This doesn't work, however, for the uninterested fan takes a peculiar pleasure in attempting to talk above the music, just about ignoring it altogether. This is one type of anti-fantasy-music fan. Another is the one who says "I don't know anything about music" and keeps this up with slight variations all the time you are playing a record for him. That answer is the ultimate in ignorance, for even should a person know nothing of music, it is inconceivable that he could not listen and discern what compositions he likes or dislikes -- you don't have to be an expert to do that. This second type, then, is just plain stubborn. Now for a few examples of what I call fantasy music. Gustav Holst composed, from 1914 to 1920, a series of seven tone poems which he called "The Planets". The most effective of these is Mars, the Bringer of War. The rhythm of "Mars" is strong, ever-insistent, and relentless. It would, I believe, be easily adaptable as movie theme music for an inter-planetary picture, should Hollywood ever reach that stage. The other compositions are Venus, the Bringer of Peace; Mercury, the Winged Messenger; Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity; Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age; Uranus, the Magician; and Neptune, the Mystic. (Columbia 359; Victor 929.) Howard Hansen, a contemporary, is one of my favorite composers. He has come up with a number of fantasy items and paramount among these is "The Merry Mount Suite", which is derived from his opera, "Merry Mount", a tale of witchcraft. Hansen's second symphony (Romantic) and "The Lament for Beowulf" also have some excellent parts. ("Merry Mount", Victor 781; Second Symphony, Victor 648; "Beowulf", Victor 889.) -17-
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"King Kong". Steiner has twice won academy awards with his musical scores. The music from "She" and "King Kong" is fantastic; the pictures themselves were pure fantasy and the music was written to underscore various episodes of the two productions. Like all movie music, however, it has one fault. After listening to the theme music from a number of pictures you will find that it is all similar, that only in a few cases is it really outstanding. Next time you witness a movie, preferably a dramatic one, take time out to listen to the music and notice how it follows the action taking place on the screen. But the fact still remains that a good 80% of fandom does not especially care to, or just plain won't believe that there is such a thing as fantasy music. I used to figure the easiest way to persuade these stubborn ones would be to bottle them up in a room and then put on the records. This doesn't work, however, for the uninterested fan takes a peculiar pleasure in attempting to talk above the music, just about ignoring it altogether. This is one type of anti-fantasy-music fan. Another is the one who says "I don't know anything about music" and keeps this up with slight variations all the time you are playing a record for him. That answer is the ultimate in ignorance, for even should a person know nothing of music, it is inconceivable that he could not listen and discern what compositions he likes or dislikes -- you don't have to be an expert to do that. This second type, then, is just plain stubborn. Now for a few examples of what I call fantasy music. Gustav Holst composed, from 1914 to 1920, a series of seven tone poems which he called "The Planets". The most effective of these is Mars, the Bringer of War. The rhythm of "Mars" is strong, ever-insistent, and relentless. It would, I believe, be easily adaptable as movie theme music for an inter-planetary picture, should Hollywood ever reach that stage. The other compositions are Venus, the Bringer of Peace; Mercury, the Winged Messenger; Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity; Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age; Uranus, the Magician; and Neptune, the Mystic. (Columbia 359; Victor 929.) Howard Hansen, a contemporary, is one of my favorite composers. He has come up with a number of fantasy items and paramount among these is "The Merry Mount Suite", which is derived from his opera, "Merry Mount", a tale of witchcraft. Hansen's second symphony (Romantic) and "The Lament for Beowulf" also have some excellent parts. ("Merry Mount", Victor 781; Second Symphony, Victor 648; "Beowulf", Victor 889.) -17-
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