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Bernard Herrmann

Bernard Herrmann and his dog
Born June 29, 1911(1911-06-29)
New York City, New York
Died December 24, 1975 (aged 64)
North Hollywood, California
Years active 1941 - 1975
Spouse(s) Lucille Fletcher (2 October 1939-1948)
Lucy Anderson (1949-1964)
Norma Shepherd (27 November 1967 24 December 1975) [1]

Bernard Herrmann (June 29, 1911 – December 24, 1975) was an American composer noted for his work in motion pictures. Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland. Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The City of New York Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Lucille Fletcher ( March 28, 1912 — August 31, 2000) was an American Screenwriter of Film, Radio Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1095 - Pope Urban II declares the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland. Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

An Academy Award-winner (for The Devil and Daniel Webster, 1941), Herrmann is particularly known for collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock's, most famously Psycho and Vertigo. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. " The Devil and Daniel Webster " is a short story by Stephen Vincent Benét. Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 Psycho is a suspense / Horror film directed by auteur Alfred Hitchcock, from the Screenplay by Joseph Vertigo ( is a Psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring James Stewart and Kim Novak and featuring Barbara He also composed notable scores for many other movies, including Citizen Kane, Cape Fear and Taxi Driver. Citizen Kane ( 1941) is an American Dramatic film, and the first Feature film directed by Orson Welles, who also co-authored Cape Fear is a 1962 film about an attorney whose family is stalked by a criminal whom he helped to send to jail Taxi Driver is a film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader. He worked extensively in radio drama (notably in Orson Welles' infamous 1938 The War of the Worlds broadcast), composed the scores for several fantasy films by Ray Harryhausen, and many TV programs. Radio drama is a form of audio storytelling broadcast on radio. George Orson Welles (May 6 1915 – October 10 1985 was an Academy Award -winning director, writer actor and producer for film stage radio and television Ray Harryhausen (born Raymond Frederick Harryhausen on June 29, 1920 in Los Angeles California) is an Academy Award -winning Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic

Contents

Early life and career

Herrmann was born in New York City. The City of New York His father encouraged musical activity, taking him to the opera, and encouraging him to learn the violin. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto The violin is a bowed String instrument with four strings usually tuned in Perfect fifths It is the smallest and highest-pitched member After winning a $100 composition prize at the age of thirteen, he decided to concentrate on music, and went to New York University where he studied with Percy Grainger and Philip James. New York University ( NYU) is a private, Nonsectarian, Coeducational Research University in New York City. George Percy Grainger (8 July 1882&ndash20 February 1961 was an Australian born Composer, Pianist and champion of the Saxophone and the Philip James (May 17 1890 &ndash November 1 1975 was an American composer conductor and music educator He also studied at the Juilliard School and, at the age of twenty, formed his own orchestra, The New Chamber Orchestra of New York. The Juilliard School, located in New York City, is a world renowned Performing arts conservatory.

In 1934, he joined the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) as a staff conductor. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Within nine years, he had become Chief Conductor to the CBS Symphony Orchestra. He was responsible for introducing more new works to American audiences than any other conductor — he was a particular champion of Charles Ives' music, which was virtually unknown at that time. Charles Edward Ives (October 20 1874 – May 19 1954 was an American Composer of modernist Classical music.

In 1934 Herrmann met a young CBS secretary and aspiring writer, Lucille Fletcher. Lucille Fletcher ( March 28, 1912 — August 31, 2000) was an American Screenwriter of Film, Radio Fletcher was impressed with Herrmann's work, and the two began a five year courtship. Marriage was delayed by the objections of Fletcher's parents, who disliked the fact that Herrmann was a Jew and were put off by what they viewed as his abrasive personality. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ The couple finally married on October 2, 1939. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Fletcher was to become a noted radio screenwriter, and she and Herrmann collaborated on several projects throughout their career. He contributed the score to the famed Campbell Playhouse adaptation of her story "The Hitch-Hiker" (starring Orson Welles), and Fletcher helped to write the libretto for his operatic adaptation of Wuthering Heights. The Campbell Playhouse (1938-40 was a CBS Radio drama series directed by and starring Orson Welles. George Orson Welles (May 6 1915 – October 10 1985 was an Academy Award -winning director, writer actor and producer for film stage radio and television Wuthering Heights is Emily Brontë 's only Novel. It was first published in 1847 under the Pseudonym Ellis Bell and a posthumous second The couple divorced in 1948.

While at CBS, Herrmann met Orson Welles, and wrote scores for his Mercury Theatre broadcasts including the famous adaptation of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds. Mercury Theatre was a Theatre company founded in New York City by Orson Welles and John Houseman. Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 &ndash 13 August 1946 He was an outspoken socialist and a pacifist, his later works becoming increasingly political The War of the Worlds (1898 by H G Wells, is an early Science fiction Novel which describes an invasion of England by When Welles moved to movies, Herrmann went with him, writing the scores for Citizen Kane (1941) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), although the score for the latter, like the film itself, was heavily edited by the studio. Citizen Kane ( 1941) is an American Dramatic film, and the first Feature film directed by Orson Welles, who also co-authored The Magnificent Ambersons is a American Drama film written and directed by Orson Welles. Between those two movies, he wrote the score for William Dieterle's The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941), for which he won his only Oscar. William Dieterle ( July 15[[ 893]] – December 9[[ 972]] was a German Actor and Film director " The Devil and Daniel Webster " is a short story by Stephen Vincent Benét. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. In 1947 Herrmann scored the atmospheric music for The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. The Ghost and Mrs Muir ( 1947) is a romantic Fantasy film starring Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison.

Collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock

Herrmann is most closely associated with the director Alfred Hitchcock. Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 He wrote the scores for every Hitchcock film from The Trouble with Harry (1955) to Marnie (1964), a period which included Vertigo, Psycho, and North by Northwest. The Trouble with Harry is an American Black comedy Film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on the novel by Jack Trevor Story Marnie is a 1964 Psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and based on the novel of the same name by Winston Graham Vertigo ( is a Psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring James Stewart and Kim Novak and featuring Barbara Psycho is a suspense / Horror film directed by auteur Alfred Hitchcock, from the Screenplay by Joseph North by Northwest ( 1959) is a suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and He oversaw the sound design in The Birds (1963), although there was no actual music in the film as such, just electronically created bird sounds. The Birds ( 1963) is a Horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on the Short story of the same name by

The music for the remake of The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) was only partly by Herrmann. The Man Who Knew Too Much ( 1956) is a suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring James Stewart and Doris Day. The two most significant pieces of music in the film—the song, "Que Sera, Sera", and the cantata played in the Royal Albert Hall—are not by Herrmann at all (although he did re-orchestrate the cantata used in the earlier Hitchcock film of The Man Who Knew Too Much of 1934, which was principally the work of the Australian-born composer Arthur Benjamin). " Que Sera Sera (Whatever Will Be Will Be " first published in 1956 is a popular Song which was written by the Jay Livingston and A cantata (derived from the Italian word 'cantare' meaning 'to sing' is a vocal composition with an instrumental Accompaniment and often The Royal Albert Hall is an Arts venue situated in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster, London, England, best known Orchestration is the study or practice of writing Music for Orchestra (or more loosely for any Musical ensemble) or of adapting for orchestra music composed For the mathematician see Arthur T Benjamin Arthur Leslie Benjamin (18 September 1893 Sydney &ndash 10 April 1960 London However, this film did give Herrmann an acting role: he is the orchestral conductor in the Albert Hall scene.

Herrmann's most recognizable music is from another Hitchcock film, Psycho, Unusual for a thriller, the score uses only the string section of the orchestra. Psycho is a suspense / Horror film directed by auteur Alfred Hitchcock, from the Screenplay by Joseph The screeching violin music heard during the famous shower scene (which Hitchcock originally suggested have no music at all) is one of the most famous moments from all film scores. The violin is a bowed String instrument with four strings usually tuned in Perfect fifths It is the smallest and highest-pitched member

His score for Vertigo is seen as just as masterful. The music score for Alfred Hitchcock 's 1958 film Vertigo was composed by Bernard Herrmann between 3 January and 19 February Vertigo ( is a Psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring James Stewart and Kim Novak and featuring Barbara In many of the key scenes Hitchcock let Herrmann's score take center stage, a score whose melodies, echoing Richard Wagner's Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde, dramatically convey the main character's obsessive love for the woman he tries to shape into a long-dead, past love. Tristan und Isolde ( Tristan and Isolde, or Tristan and Isolda) is an Opera, or Music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner

A notable feature of the Vertigo score is the ominous two-note falling motif that opens the suite — it is a direct musical imitation of the two notes sounded by the fog horns located at either side of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco (as heard from the San Francisco side of the bridge). The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension Bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay onto the Pacific Ocean The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city This motif has direct relevance to the film, since the horns can be clearly heard sounding in just this manner at Fort Point, the spot where the character played by Kim Novak jumps into the bay. Fort Point may refer to Fort Point Boston, Massachusetts USA Fort Point Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada Fort Kim Novak (born February 13, 1933) is an American actress, who was one of her nation's most popular movie stars in the late 1950s

Bernard Herrmann said in a Q&A session at the George Eastman Museum in October 1973, that unlike most film composers who did not have any creative input into the style and tone of the score, Herrmann insisted on creative control or he would not score the film at all,

"I have the final say, or I don’t do the music. The reason for insisting on this is simply, compared to Orson Welles, a man of great musical culture, most other directors are just babes in the woods. George Orson Welles (May 6 1915 – October 10 1985 was an Academy Award -winning director, writer actor and producer for film stage radio and television If you were to follow their taste, the music would be awful. There are exceptions. I once did a film The Devil and Daniel Webster with a wonderful director William Dieterle. William Dieterle ( July 15[[ 893]] – December 9[[ 972]] was a German Actor and Film director He was also a man of great musical culture. And Hitchcock, you know, is very sensitive; he leaves me alone. It depends on the person. But if I have to take what a director says, I’d rather not do the film. I find it’s impossible to work that way. "[2]

Herrmann stated that Hitchcock would invite him on to the production of a film and depending on his decision of the length of the music, would either expand or contract the scene. It was Hitchcock who asked Herrmann for the "recognition scene" near the end of Vertigo(the scene where Jimmy Stewart's character realizes in a sudden instant Kim Novak's identity) to be played with music. Vertigo ( is a Psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring James Stewart and Kim Novak and featuring Barbara

Herrmann's relationship with Hitchcock came to an abrupt end when they disagreed over the score for Torn Curtain. Torn Curtain ( 1966) is a political Thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, featuring his trademark characters and camera techniques Reportedly pressured by Universal's front office, Hitchcock wanted a score that was more jazz and pop influenced. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Hitchcock's biographer, Patrick McGilligan(Alfred Hitchcock : A Life in Darkness and Light) stated that Hitchcock was worried about becoming old fashioned and felt that Herrrmann's music had to change with the times as well. Herrmann initially agreed but then went ahead and scored the film as per his ideas in any case. (Pg 673-674, Wiley Press).

Hitchcock listened to only the prelude of the score before turning off a recording of the music and angrily confronting Herrmann about the pop score he promised. Herrmann equally incensed, bellowed that "Look, Hitch, you can't outjump your own shadow. And you don't make pop pictures. What do you want with me? I don't write pop music. " Hitchcock unrelentingly insisted that Herrmann change the score, violating Herrmann's general claim for creative control that he had always maintained in their previous films. Herrmann then said, "Hitch, what's the use of my doing more with you? I had a career before you, and I will afterwards. "[Source - Patrick McGilligan's biography, Reganbooks, Wiley Press, Pg, 674]

Herrmann, according to McGilligan later tried to patch up and repair the damage with Hitchcock but Hitchcock refused to see him. Herrmann's unused score was later commercially recorded, initially by Elmer Bernstein for his Film Music Collection subscription record label (reissued by Warner Bros. Elmer Bernstein ( April 4 1922 - 18 August 2004) was an Academy and two-time Golden Globe award winning American Records), and later, in a concert suite adapted by Christopher Palmer, by Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra for Sony. Esa-Pekka Salonen ( (born June 30 1958 is a prominent Finnish orchestral conductor and Composer. The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil LAP or LAPO is an American Orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest Media conglomerates with

Ironically, Herrmann had composed some jazz for the "picnic" scene in Citizen Kane and he later used some jazz elements (much in the vein of Maurice Ravel's two piano concertos) for The Wrong Man when he scored the nightclub scenes showing Henry Fonda as a double bass player in a jazz band, and for Taxi Driver. Citizen Kane ( 1941) is an American Dramatic film, and the first Feature film directed by Orson Welles, who also co-authored The Wrong Man is a 1956 Film by Alfred Hitchcock which stars Henry Fonda and Vera Miles. Henry Jaynes Fonda ( May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American Academy Award -winning Film and

Herrmann subsequently moved to England, where he was hired by François Truffaut to write the score for Fahrenheit 451 and later, for The Bride Wore Black. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland François Roland Truffaut ( February 6 1932 – October 21 1984) was one of the founders of the French New Wave in filmmaking Fahrenheit 451 is a Dystopian Soft science fiction Novel authored by Ray Bradbury and first published in 1953 The Bride Wore Black ( La Mariée était en noir) is a 1968 French film directed by François Truffaut and based on the novel His final work, the score for Taxi Driver received high acclaim. Taxi Driver is a film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader.

Some music and film critics note that Hitchcock's later films are less effective for lack of Herrmann's contribution.

Other works

From the late 1950s to the mid-1960s, Herrmann scored a series of notable mythically-themed fantasy films, including Journey to the Center of the Earth and The Three Worlds of Gulliver, and the Ray Harryhausen Dynamation epics Jason and the Argonauts, Mysterious Island, and The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad . Journey to the Center of the Earth is a 1959 Adventure film adapted by Charles Brackett from the novel by Jules Verne The Three Worlds of Gulliver ( 1960) is a Columbia Pictures fantasy Feature film loosely based upon the 18th-century English novel Ray Harryhausen (born Raymond Frederick Harryhausen on June 29, 1920 in Los Angeles California) is an Academy Award -winning Dynamation is the name of the technique conceived by Ray Harryhausen used to combine Stop-motion footage with live action by means of split-screen and Jason and the Argonauts ( 1963) is a Columbia Pictures fantasy Feature film starring Todd Armstrong as the titular The Mysterious Island (L'Île mystérieuse is a Novel by Jules Verne, published in 1874. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad is a 1958 Technicolor Fantasy film released by Columbia Pictures directed by Nathan H

During the same period, Herrmann turned his talents to writing scores for television shows. Perhaps most notably, he wrote the scores for several well-known episodes of the original Twilight Zone series, including the lesser known theme used during the series' first season, as well as the opening theme to Have Gun – Will Travel. The Twilight Zone is an American Television series created by Rod Serling. Have Gun &mdash Will Travel is an American Western Television series that aired on CBS from 1957 through 1963

In the mid-1960s he composed the highly-regarded music score for the François Truffaut film adaptation of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. François Roland Truffaut ( February 6 1932 – October 21 1984) was one of the founders of the French New Wave in filmmaking Ray Douglas Bradbury (born August 22 1920 is an American mainstream, Fantasy, horror, Science fiction and mystery Fahrenheit 451 is a 1966 Film of a Dystopian future based on the novel of the same name by Ray Bradbury. Scored for strings, two harps, vibraphone, xylophone and glockenspiel, Herrmann's score created a driving, neurotic mood that perfectly suited the film; it also had a direct influence on George Martin's staccato string arrangement for Paul McCartney's landmark 1966 smash Beatles hit single Eleanor Rigby. The harp is a Stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicular to the soundboard. The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a Musical instrument in the mallet subfamily of the percussion family The xylophone (from the Greek words ξύλον - xylon, "wood" + φωνή - phone, "voice" meaning "wooden The glockenspiel ( German, "set of bells quot or "play-bells" also known as orchestra bells and in its portable Sir George Henry Martin CBE (3 January 1926 is a British record producer arranger and Composer. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 " Eleanor Rigsby " is a song by The Beatles, originally released on the 1966 Album Revolver. Martin later expanded on this as an extended suite for McCartney's 1984 film Give My Regards to Broad Street, which features a much more recognizable hommage to Herrmann's Psycho. Give My Regards to Broad Street is the name of a film and soundtrack album masterminded by Paul McCartney.

In 1967 he married his third wife, Norma Shepherd.

Herrmann's last film scores included Sisters and Obsession for Brian De Palma. For the 2005 Argentine film see Hermanas. Sisters is a 1973 Independent film directed by Brian de Palma Obsession is a 1976 Psychological thriller / mystery directed by Brian De Palma, starring Cliff Robertson, Geneviève Brian De Palma (born Brian Russell DePalma on September 11 1940 in Newark New Jersey) is an American Film director. His final film soundtrack, and the last work he completed before his death, was his sombre score for the 1976 film Taxi Driver, directed by Martin Scorsese. Taxi Driver is a film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader. It was DePalma who had suggested to Scorsese to use the composer. Immediately after finishing the recording of the Taxi Driver soundtrack on December 23, 1975, Herrmann viewed the rough cut of what was to be his next film assignment, Larry Cohen's God Told Me To, and dined with Cohen, after which he returned to his hotel for the night. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For the bridge player see Larry Cohen (bridge player. Larry Cohen (born Lawrence G God Told Me To (released in some theatrical and video markets as Demon and God Told Me to Kill) is a 1976 sci-fi / Bernard Herrmann died from cardiovascular disease in his sleep at his hotel in Los Angeles, California, during the night. Cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular diseases refers to the class of diseases that involve the Heart or Blood vessels ( arteries and Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Scorsese and Cohen dedicated both Taxi Driver and God Told Me To to Herrmann's memory.

As well as his many film scores, Herrmann wrote several concert pieces, including a symphony (1941); an opera, Wuthering Heights; the cantata, Moby Dick (1938), dedicated to Charles Ives; and For the Fallen, a tribute to the soldiers who died in battle in World War II, among others. A symphony is a Musical composition, often extended and usually for Orchestra. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto A cantata (derived from the Italian word 'cantare' meaning 'to sing' is a vocal composition with an instrumental Accompaniment and often Charles Edward Ives (October 20 1874 – May 19 1954 was an American Composer of modernist Classical music. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

Use of electronic instruments

Herrmann's involvement with electronic musical instruments dates back to 1951, when he used the Theremin in one of his most interesting scores, The Day the Earth Stood Still. The Day the Earth Stood Still is a 1951 Black-and-white Science fiction film that tells the story of a humanoid alien visitor who comes Robert B. Sexton has noted that this score involved the use of treble and bass theremins (played by Dr. Samuel Hoffmann and Paul Shure), electric strings, bass and guitar together with various pianos and harps, electronic organs, brass and percussion, and that Herrmann treated the theremins as a truly orchestral section. An electric violin is a Violin equipped with an electronic output of its sound The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the An electric guitar is a type of Guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current which is made louder An electronic organ is an Electronic keyboard instrument originally designed to imitate the sound of a Pipe organ. Brass is any Alloy of Copper and Zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties

Compositional style and philosophy

Herrmann's music is typified by frequent use of ostinati (short repeating patterns), novel orchestration and, in his film scores, an ability to portray character traits not altogether obvious from other elements of the film. In Music, an Ostinato (derived from Italian: "stubborn" see also Oscillation) is a motif or phrase which is persistently Orchestration is the study or practice of writing Music for Orchestra (or more loosely for any Musical ensemble) or of adapting for orchestra music composed

In the last years of Herrmann's life he did much to create interest in film scores as a form of music worthy of appreciation and performance. He subscribed to the belief since held by many that the best film music should be able to stand on its own legs when detached from the film for which it was originally written. To this end he made several well-known recordings for Decca of arrangements of his own film music as well as music of other prominent composers.

Legacy and recording

Herrmann is still a prominent figure in the world of film music today, despite his passing over 30 years ago. As such, his career has been studied extensively by biographers and documentarians. In 1992 a documentary, Music for the Movies: Bernard Herrmann, was made about him. Also in 1992 a 2-1/2 hour long National Public Radio documentary was produced on his life —Bernard Herrmann: A Celebration of his Life and Music (Bruce A. Crawford). In 1991, Steven C. Smith wrote a Herrmann biography titled A Heart at Fire's Center, a quotation from a favorite Stephen Spender poem of Herrmann's. Sir Stephen Harold Spender CBE, ( 28 February 1909 – 16 July 1995) was an English Poet, Novelist

His music continues to be used in films and recordings after his death. The uniquely tense and haunting "Georgie's theme" from Herrmann's score for the 1968 film Twisted Nerve is re-used effectively by Quentin Tarantino in the hospital corridor scene in Kill Bill (2003), whistled by the hellish one-eyed nurse Elle Driver. Twisted Nerve is a 1968 British Psychological thriller film It is about a disturbed young man Martin who pretends under the name of Georgie Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is an Academy Award - BAFTA Award - and Palme d'Or -winning Emmy - and Kill Bill is the fourth film by Writer - director Quentin Tarantino. The following is a list of characters from the film Kill Bill. On their 1977 album Ra, American progressive rock group Utopia performed an electronic version of Herrmann's "Overture: Mountaintop And Sunrise" (from Journey to the Centre of the Earth) as the introduction to the album's opening song, "Communion With The Sun". Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved Utopia was an American Progressive rock band led by Todd Rundgren that toured and recorded from 1974 to 1986

Herrmann is well represented on disc. His friend, John Steven Lasher, has produced several albums featuring urtext recordings, including Battle of Neretva, Citizen Kane, The Kentuckian, The Magnificent Ambersons, Night Digger and Sisters, under various labels owned by Fifth Continent Australia Pty Ltd. For uses of the term not related to editions of music see Urtext. Citizen Kane ( 1941) is an American Dramatic film, and the first Feature film directed by Orson Welles, who also co-authored The Magnificent Ambersons is a American Drama film written and directed by Orson Welles. For the 2005 Argentine film see Hermanas. Sisters is a 1973 Independent film directed by Brian de Palma

Herrmann was also a champion of the romantic-era composer Joachim Raff, whose music had fallen into near-oblivion during the 1960s. Joseph Joachim Raff ( May 27, 1822 - June 24 or June 25, 1882) was a Swiss Composer, Teacher and In 1965, Herrmann conducted a recording of Raff's Fifth Symphony, 'Lenore'. The recording did not attract much notice in its time, but is now considered a major turning-point in the rehabilitation of Raff as a composer.

In 1996, Sony Classical released a recording of Herrmann's music, The Film Scores, performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of Esa-Pekka Salonen. Sony BMG Masterworks is a Record label. It is the result of a "restructuring" of Sony BMG Music Entertainment 's classical music division The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil LAP or LAPO is an American Orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States Esa-Pekka Salonen ( (born June 30 1958 is a prominent Finnish orchestral conductor and Composer. This disc received the 1998 Cannes Classical Music Award for "Best 20th-Century Orchestral Recording. " It was also nominated for the 1998 Grammy Award for "Best Engineered Album, Classical". The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences In 2004 Sony Classical re-released this superb recording at a budget price in its "Great Performances" series (SNYC 92767SK).

Decca has reissued on CD a series of Phase 4 Stereo recordings with Herrmann conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra mostly in excerpts from his various film scores, including one devoted to music from several of the Hitchcock films and one devoted to his fantasy film scores--a few of them being the films of the special effects animator Ray Harryhausen, including music from The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad and The Three Worlds of Gulliver. Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Phase 4 Stereo was a branch of London Records created in 1961. The London Philharmonic Orchestra ( LPO) based in London, is one of the major Orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal In the liner notes for the Hitchcock Phase 4 album, Herrmann said that the suite from The Trouble with Harry was a "portrait of Hitch. The Trouble with Harry is an American Black comedy Film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on the novel by Jack Trevor Story " Herrmann also recorded Gustav Holst's The Planets for the same label. Gustav Theodore Holst (21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934was an English Composer and was a music teacher for nearly 20 years The Planets Op 32 is a seven- movement Orchestral suite by the British composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 These recordings were made in the early 1970s.

Fellow composers Danny Elfman and Brian Tyler consider Herrmann to be a major inspiration; Elfman adapted Herrmann's music for Psycho for use in director Gus Van Sant's 1998 remake while Tyler's score for Bill Paxton's film Frailty was greatly influenced by Herrmann's film music. Daniel Robert Elfman (born May 29, 1953) is an American Musician, who is famous for composing scores and songs for Tim Burton Brian Tyler is a Composer who has written arranged and conducted musical scores for film Gus Green Van Sant Jr he has dealt unflinchingly with homosexual and other marginalized subcultures without being particularly concerned about providing positive role models Psycho is a 1998 film Remake of the Alfred Hitchcock 1960 version produced and directed by Gus Van Sant for Universal William "Bill" Paxton (born May 17, 1955) is an American Actor and Film director. Frailty is a 2001 Psychological thriller Film, directed by and starring Bill Paxton, and co-starring Matthew McConaughey

Sir George Martin, best known for producing and often adding orchestration to The Beatles music, cites Herrmann as an influence in his own work, particularly in Martin's score to The Beatles' song "Eleanor Rigby". Sir George Henry Martin CBE (3 January 1926 is a British record producer arranger and Composer. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 " Eleanor Rigsby " is a song by The Beatles, originally released on the 1966 Album Revolver.

Elmer Bernstein adapted and arranged Herrmann's original score from J. Lee Thompson's Cape Fear (1962), and used it for the 1991 Martin Scorsese remake. Elmer Bernstein ( April 4 1922 - 18 August 2004) was an Academy and two-time Golden Globe award winning American John Lee-Thompson ( 1 August, 1914 - 30 August, 2002) better known as J See also Geography of North Carolina After Bernstein realized there was not enough music in the score from the original film, he added sections from Herrmann's unused score for Hitchcock's Torn Curtain, including the music composed for the murder of the character "Gromek". The score for Cape Fear brilliantly evokes both the gathering clouds of the destructive hurricane and the murderous intent of killer Max Cady. Bernstein also recorded Herrmann's score for The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, which was released in 1975 on the Varese Sarabande label (later reissued on CD in the 1990s]. The Ghost and Mrs Muir ( 1947) is a romantic Fantasy film starring Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison.

Film scores

Note: Scores are dated by date of release, not by composition

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

Radio scores

Melodrams

Incidental music for radio shows and dramas

Concert works

Excluding Juvenilia

See also

Selected Bibliography

External links

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