Episode 7
Strange Sounds from the Movies 1931-1972
Title, Director, composer
Country
Year
Track
Instrument
Story
Alone (Odna), Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg, music by Dmitry Shostakovich
Russia
1931
“The Snowstorm”
Theremin
Perhaps the film sound film to incorporate a Theremin in its score. The audio for this part of the f...
Episode 7
Strange Sounds from the Movies 1931-1972
Title, Director, composer
Country
Year
Track
Instrument
Story
Alone (Odna), Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg, music by Dmitry Shostakovich
Russia
1931
“The Snowstorm”
Theremin
Perhaps the film sound film to incorporate a Theremin in its score. The audio for this part of the film has been lost but we have this reconstruction by Mark Fitz-Gerald based on Shostakovich’s score. The work was recorded in 2006 and features Barbara Buchholz playing both tracks of Theremin.
Le Roman D'un Tricheur (leh-ROH-mah deh TREE-shure)(The Story of a Cheater) by Sacha Guitry (GIE-tree), music by Adolphe Borchard
France
1936
Short sequence while traveling on a train.
Ondes Martenot
Played by Ginette Martenot, sister of Maurice Martenot.
Spellbound, Alfred Hitchcock, music by Miklós Rózsa (MICK-los ROSE-ah)
US
1945
The dream sequence from the Spellbound suite.
Theremin
This recording was by Al Goodman and his orchestra and featured Hoffman, who was in the original soundtrack a year earlier. Note that there is a vocalist doubling the Theremin but at a higher octave.
Spellbound, Alfred Hitchcock, Miklós Rózsa
US
1945
The dream sequence from the Spellbound suite.
Theremin
For comparison, a recording from 1958 by Raymond John Heindorf and his orchestra. The fidelity is a little better on this track and the theremin is played without the added vocalist.
The Day the Earth Stood Still, Robert Wise, music by Bernard Hermann
US
1951
Gort / The Visor / The Telescope
Theremin
Samuel Hoffman again, on Theremin and a wonderful orchestral score by Hermann.
The Day the Earth Stood Still, Robert Wise, music by Bernard Hermann
US
1951
The Captive, Terror
Theremin
Here is Hermann again, with Hoffman on Theremin and a Hammond Novachord in the ending part.
Forbidden Planet, Fred McLeod Wilcox, music by Louis and Bebe Barron
US
1956
Main Title
Handmade circuits
The Barrons had their own private studio for making electronic sounds and music for television, commercials, and motion pictures.
Forbidden Planet, Fred McLeod Wilcox, music by Louis and Bebe Barron
US
1956
Battle with the Invisible Monster
Handmade circuits
See above
Forbidden Planet, Fred McLeod Wilcox, music by Louis and Bebe Barron
US
1956
Ancient Krell Music
Handmade circuits
See above
Music from One Step Beyond, music by Harry Lubin
US
1960
Fear
Trautonium
The instrument had ribbon controllers to make the gliding notes entirely possible and measure against notes of the scale so that the musician could hit his notes accurately.
Raumpatrouille - Space Patrol – The Fantastic Adventures of the Spaceship Orion, Theo Mezger and
Michael Braun, music by Peter Thomas
Germany
1966
Outside Atmosphere
Siemens "ThoWiephon"
Thomas created a musical instrument called "ThoWiephon.” It was a small, upright device with 12 oscillators and a three-octave keyboard.
Girl on a Motorcycle, Jack Cardiff, music by Les Reed
UK
1968
Dream
Tape composition
Electronic music composition for this film starring Marianne Faithful was credited as being made at Shepperton and Putney.
Girl on a Motorcycle, Jack Cardiff, music by Les Reed
UK
1968
Surrender to a Stranger
Tape composition, oscillators
As above.
Sebastian, David Greene, music by Jerry Goldsmith and Tristram Cary.
UK
1968
Sputnick Code
Tape composition
The only contribution to this soundtrack not credited to Jerry Goldsmith was this number by Tristram Cary, a British composer with his own electronic music studio.
Lawrence of Arabia, David Lead, music by Maurice Jarre
UK
1962
That is the Desert
Ondes Martenot
Here we have two of Jarre’s uses of the Ondes Martenot, the first to provide atmosphere for a desert scene and the second a rendering of the title theme on the electronic instrument.
Lawrence of Arabia, David Lead, music by Maurice Jarre
UK
1962
Lawrence and the Bodyguard
Ondes Martenot
As above.
Billion Dollar Brain, Ken Russell, music by Richard Rodney Bennett
US
1967
Anya 2
Ondes Martenot
Richard Rodney Bennett composed the music that included passages played on the Ondes Martenot.
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Robert Ellis Miller, music by Dave Grusin
US
1968
Married People
Ondioline
Dave Grusin arranged this tune for the Ondioline, a monophonic electronic organ invented in 1948.
The Name of the Game is Kill, Gunnar Hellström, music by Stu Phillips
US
1968
Main Title
Moog Modular Synthesizer
Stu Phillips employed Paul Beaver to overdub tracks of the Moog Modular synthesizer onto music recorded with other instruments.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
US
1969
James Bond Theme
Moog Modular Synthesizer
Working with composer John Barry, Phil Ramone produced this part for the Moog and played the synthesizer in real-time with the orchestra.
Follow Me, Gene McCabe, music by Stu Phillips
US
1969
Hawaii—Waimea-Straight Down
Tape composition, multi-instrumental mix
Another track by Stu Phillips for this surfing movie.
Andromeda Strain, The, Robert Wise, music by Gil Melle.,
US
1971
The Piedmont Elegy
Percussotron and tape composition
Gil Melle and his Percussotron. There is a delightful promotional video of him demonstrating the Percussotron on YouTube.
Andromeda Strain, The, Robert Wise, music by Gil Melle.
US
1971
Strobe Crystal Green
Percussotron and tape composition
As above.
Sacco and Vanzetti, Giuliano Montaldo, music by Ennio Morricone
Italy
1971
La Sedia Elettrica
Synket
Music by Ennio Morricone using the Synket, a small tabletop synthesizer.
Solaris, Andrey Tarkovsky, music by Eduard Artemiev
US
1972
Movement 2
ANS photoelectronic synthesizer
Eduard Artemiev used the ANS synthesizer, a photoelectronic musical instrument created by Russian engineer Evgeny Murzin from 1937 to 1957.
Solaris, Andrey Tarkovsky, music by Eduard Artemiev
US
1972
Movement 14
ANS photoelectronic synthesizer
As above.
This episode’s Archive Mix in which I play two tracks at the same time to see what happens:
Track 1: Sim Gets Hit from The Name of the Game is Kill, by Stu Phillips.
Track 2: The Summer House from Girl on a Motorcycle, electronic sound effects created at the Putney studios in London.
