Strange Sounds from the Movies 1931-1972

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.