ep. 38: scoring for scenes that suggest or specify a piece of music, and scoring a film from 1948

The Silent Film Music Podcast with Ben Model

On this episode Ben talks about meeting an audience's expectations of a score when a certain piece of music or style is indicated onscreen, and in a rare case of a non-narrative film made after the silent era. Also covered are silent era mood cues and cue sheets, Marion Davies in "When Knighthood Was in Flower", techniques in performance to match music to action, this episode's FAQ, and more. Live performance clips include Valentino's tango dance in "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse", Keaton's pantomime to "The Prisoner's Song", and Ben's new score for Helen Levitt's "In the Street" (1948). episode 38: Existing Music, Mood Cues and Cue Sheets Historically authentic accompaniment vs. modern scores for silent filmsTango, dancing on-screen and staying in synch with the dancersBen’s score for Four Horsemen as played at MOMA in November 2019Improvising so that it sounds like a piece that had already been writtenListener Erik Andersson talks about The Silent Comedy Watch Party from Salem, OregonAccompanying a non-narrative documentary, In the Street by Helen Levitt for the Metropolitan Museum of ArtArthur Kleiner, accompanist for MoMA, and his score for In The StreetBen’s score for In The StreetA documentary written and hosted by Arthur Kleiner, Hollywood’s Musical MoodsSponsorship announcement: When Knighthood Was in Flower from Undercrank ProductionsPre-existing music: Victor Herbert themes for When Knighthood Was in FlowerPerforming Steamboat Bill, Jr. exclusively for Cinema Arts Centre via live streamingAcknowledging “The Prisoner’s Song” without risking copyright violationStaying in synchronization with physical action -- the “pick up”How playing for live streaming differs from a theatrical performancePreparing applause moments in Buster Keaton filmsFrequently Asked Questions: Do you use published cue sheets and mood cues? What about music or songs referred to on-screen?Mood cues are often too long and have insufficient changesHow expectations of musical underscore changed in the sound eraAdapting mood cues as part of an improvised scoreIf the title of a piece of music is shown, you must use itRecommendations: Kerr: The Laurel and Hardy Definitive Restorations from Kit Parker FilmsBen: The Spiders by Fritz Lang with a score by Ben from Kino Lorber Links from the episode: The Silent Comedy Watch Party, Sundays on YouTubeThe Alloy Orchestra In The Street scored by Ben for the Metropolitan Museum of ArtIn The Street scored by Arthur KleinerHollywood’s Musical Moods documentary with Arthur KleinerWhen Knighthood Was in Flower on Blu Ray and DVD from Undercrank ProductionsVictor Herbert’s music for When Knighthood Was In Flower discussed at Ben’s blogSheet music for Victor Herbert’s When Knighthood Was In Flowertix for The Kid live-stream at Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, NYThe Paragon Ragtime OrchestraAfter the Silents by Michael SlowikThe Music of the Silent Films edited by Ben Model Send us a question here, whether or not it’s frequently asked!box set: Laurel and Hardy: The Definitive RestorationsThe Spiders by Fritz Lang with a score by Ben Model from Kino Lorber