Dear Jeffrey,
Thank you very much for sending me the two Juan Carlos Cobian selections: they are very lovely compositions! I can understand your having used them with THE COSSACKS in that there almost appears a taste of something "Slavic." But, I must admit that both selections do strike me as inherently Latin. I think that because "Visiones de La Pampa" is in a minor key, does provide something relevant to a Russian tableau: it is rather romantic and almost hints at Slavic style waltzes I have heard.
I think it is very good that you have taken the time to assemble music of your own choosing to accompany some of the silent films that you enjoy. These days, we have the benefit of looking at either DVDs or video tape, and then also having recorded music in large quantities to help us do this task. During the peak of the 1920s, musicians relied upon the printed page and 35mm projection to help them through the process of synchronizing scores.
To use a modern terminology (often misused), it was a "labor intensive" project in the largest theatres in that, you had a very large work force to accomplish the musical scoring of a program. The musical director (and possibly an assistant) would take notes on the film program. He and the projection staff would agree upon film speed, technical cues and so forth. The librarian would be given the notes of the musical director (at the Capitol Theatre, William Axt and David Mendoza worked in tandem) and would pull the selections that had been determined: this being done after the individual cues (a two hour feature could have more than 150 cues!) had been synchronized. The selections would then be turned over to the orchestra copyists so that parts could be prepared for live performance. And then finally, the orchestra (anywhere from 50 to 75 musicians) might get a chance to rehearse one time with the film before the public presentation. Of course, during the run of a film, the music director could make further changes and improvements to their score. These days, I have to be responsible for all facets of a live or recorded presentation. Thank goodness for Espresso!
This does not take into account the severe limits of time to prepare such musical programs. Do not forget that in the 1920s, in the best theatres, you could expect a stage show to go along with the feature presentation. And in this case, the music director was responsible for preparing that part of the program as well as the film! I think that the general public today is missing out on something truly magnificent. However, I also think that people made more time for entertainment in those days: life was possibly less frenetic in its pace than it is today.
It is true that the demands of composing, arranging and conducting are difficult to imagine, but work is work. There are very long hours of struggle and frustration associated with composing, but there are also times where the excitement and joy is a reward in itself. In the case of the Abel Gance films, J'ACCUSE and LA ROUE (I know that LA ROUE is not one of your favorite scores of mine, but I regard it as the best work I have done to date), I spent almost eleven months working on both features: composing, orchestrating, producing the recordings, and supervising the audio mastering of the scores. Sometimes artistic representations are enigmatic and can be easily misunderstood. In such cases, it is more likely to be dismissive or "turned-off" to something because the meaning is unclear. There is nothing wrong with this, but then accepting this as a possible challenge can yield surprising results.
The challenge being this: to discover what thing or things provoke you. In my personal experience, I have discovered that when I feel that I understand a work more clearly (whether it be literature, music, sculpture, dance, painting, or any number of cultural things), I feel much more interested in that artwork, and that it is possible to develop a more personal connection with the work of which I have questions and reservations. This is never an easy process and thus the term "art appreciation" is something more than perfunctory. I am sending you a few selections from LA ROUE. Attached are the "Title Music," "Love Theme," "The Anniversary of Elie's Death," "The Rose of the Rail" and "Norma's Name Day." The last four compositions are derived from motives stated in the "Title Music." (Granted, this style of writing may not be your usual cup of tea, but the first taste of beer is hardly the miracle many of us come to feel about beer!). So, in other words, all these pieces are intimately related with one another. In fact, the construction of this score was something that I planned very carefully, and as I wrote this music (in a classical style) I was very cognizant of every moment and every detail within the film. It is not an easy film to experience, nor is it meant to be fun entertainment, but rather a moving emotional experience.
I will admit to you that I did not like this film very much when I saw the long version for the first time. But, as I spent more and more time with it, even at times disliking the film intensely, I began to discover something extraordinary: that this long version (despite that it is still missing many sequences) was very carefully crafted and constructed, and that I began to see the depth of its remarkable beauty and that I finally was connecting with something very special. This sometimes is an artist's goal and dream. What a gift! The pacing of the film is very deliberate and one truly needs to exercise great patience, but in the end, it is possible to develop an affinity with LA ROUE.
Yes, please do send me more music and I would be very happy to receive some of your video representations. Thank you, again, for your thoughtful letter and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours most truly,
Robert
Woo-hoo! Still More from Robert Israel! Take a gander! He actually sent me several musical tracks which He composed for LA ROUE too! What a great guy He is, and a phenomenal talant! 