This is the second part of my 3 part
blog series about Bernard Herrmann's score for 'Walking Distance'
(1959), an episode from the CBS Television series The Twilight Zone.
It is highly recommended that you go through the first part (Bernard Herrmann - Walking Distance (Twilight Zone) - Part 1) before
commencing on to this entry, as you will then be able to understand
the whole score in its entirety.
7. The Parents:
The cue begins after Martin stumbles over his old baseball glove upon returning to his childhood home. No surprise that Herrmann used the 'memory motif' for this scene in order to play the character. The interplay between visuals, audio and music is impressive as the music is played under the narration explaining the current state of Martin Sloan, picking up his glove and thinking about past times that are long gone.
A different section (B) is introduced at bar 9 to underscore the dialogue between Martin and his father. This section is keeping the nostalgic mood mostly with the use of 7th chords in A minor.
Bars 24-27 are along the same lines (leaning towards a G major tonality), acting as a sort of bridge between this and the following section starting at bar 28.
This section (C) begins with a descending 4 note motif, which is a development of the 'yearning motif' from the 'Intro' cue. This time however, it sounds more aggressive without the rise up a semitone. The fortissimo dynamic and dissonant harmonies convey a rather anxious mood, which fits with the action on screen as Martin is now almost begging his mother to understand that he is her son. This whole pattern intensifies in dynamic and tempo with the use of tremolo chords (a favourite of Herrmann for intensification as in 'Scene D'amour' from 'Vertigo') until the end in bar 41.
8. The Merry-go-round:
An almost seamless continuation of the previous cue, this cue starts with the more anxious 'yearning motif', this time even more intense and isolated as it is played at the higher end of the violin range. The underlying implied harmony is going down in semitones, as the motif is working its way down too. The scene shows a close up of Martin's face after his mother wouldn't listen and slapped him. This cue makes a very good example of scoring the characters feelings: the music depicts Martin's confusion, rejection, loneliness, isolation and yearning all at once with simple devices.
The cue follows the basic structure of 'The Parents' and indeed it is little more than a copy. However, it should be noted how well Herrmann synchronises Martin running off to the merry-go-round, with the use of pizzicato bass (similar to the synchronisation of the wind shield wipers in 'Psycho').
Overall, this is possibly my favourite cue of the whole score and a good lesson in itself for effective film scoring.
9. Martin's summer:
The cue begins after Martin stumbles over his old baseball glove upon returning to his childhood home. No surprise that Herrmann used the 'memory motif' for this scene in order to play the character. The interplay between visuals, audio and music is impressive as the music is played under the narration explaining the current state of Martin Sloan, picking up his glove and thinking about past times that are long gone.
A different section (B) is introduced at bar 9 to underscore the dialogue between Martin and his father. This section is keeping the nostalgic mood mostly with the use of 7th chords in A minor.
Bars 24-27 are along the same lines (leaning towards a G major tonality), acting as a sort of bridge between this and the following section starting at bar 28.
This section (C) begins with a descending 4 note motif, which is a development of the 'yearning motif' from the 'Intro' cue. This time however, it sounds more aggressive without the rise up a semitone. The fortissimo dynamic and dissonant harmonies convey a rather anxious mood, which fits with the action on screen as Martin is now almost begging his mother to understand that he is her son. This whole pattern intensifies in dynamic and tempo with the use of tremolo chords (a favourite of Herrmann for intensification as in 'Scene D'amour' from 'Vertigo') until the end in bar 41.
8. The Merry-go-round:
An almost seamless continuation of the previous cue, this cue starts with the more anxious 'yearning motif', this time even more intense and isolated as it is played at the higher end of the violin range. The underlying implied harmony is going down in semitones, as the motif is working its way down too. The scene shows a close up of Martin's face after his mother wouldn't listen and slapped him. This cue makes a very good example of scoring the characters feelings: the music depicts Martin's confusion, rejection, loneliness, isolation and yearning all at once with simple devices.
The cue follows the basic structure of 'The Parents' and indeed it is little more than a copy. However, it should be noted how well Herrmann synchronises Martin running off to the merry-go-round, with the use of pizzicato bass (similar to the synchronisation of the wind shield wipers in 'Psycho').
Overall, this is possibly my favourite cue of the whole score and a good lesson in itself for effective film scoring.
9. Martin's summer:
The next cue starts on a sforzando E in the basses and cellos after Martin tried to speak to the young Martin at the merry-go-round, which results in him (young Martin) falling off and hurting his leg. The cue continues with a series of 7th chords over pedal tones, to heighten the drama on screen.
A new section (B) starts at bar 5, which on the first glance might look like an ordinary melodic fragment, however I believe this to be a continuation of the development of the 'yearning motif' (note the harp arpeggios), this time with obvious rhythmic alterations. This new motif gets repeated in true Herrmann-style until bar 15. The scene it underscores shows Martin, disillusioned with the world, slowly walking off the merry-go-round to speak to the young Martin (probably the most memorable moment from the whole episode: he is spotlighted while all the other children get off the merry-go-round in the background, leaving him completely exposed).
As he explains his motives for coming into this world to his younger self, a choral like chord progression is heard (C). In my view, this is yet another development in the score, this time from the chord progression heard in the 'The Parents' cue. The harmonic progression is rather unspectacular with a circle of fifths movement starting on a D minor triad. In bar 21 Herrmann used a Neapolitan 6th chord as part of the concluding cadence.
From bar 23 onwards until the end in bar 28, this section gets repeated with a development in part-writing and a change in metre.
10. Elegy:
The longest cue incorporates many musical devices and ideas up until this point in the score.
The first 11 bars are basically a repeat of the final section of the previous cue as Martin is confronted by his father.
The section that follows it (B) is build on the dorian mode (starting in D), with melodies divided into four voices and ending with chord movements (bars 35-40). The music here simply underscores the dialogue between Martin and his father.
The second to last section (C) starting at bar 42, is the last time we hear the 'memory motif' from the 'Memories' cue. Sure enough, Martin starts to recollect moments from his childhood at exactly this moment.
The final section (D) is a reprise of the bi-tonality section from 'Memories', however this time it is slightly modified with another chord in between. Unsurprisingly, this chord is a semitone up from the chord that precedes it – the semitone movement of melodies and chords being a common feature of the score.
Tremolo strings to intensify (common for Herrmann) and a pizzicato bass line down to A bring the cue to an end at bar 57.
11.Finale:
The longest cue incorporates many musical devices and ideas up until this point in the score.
The first 11 bars are basically a repeat of the final section of the previous cue as Martin is confronted by his father.
The section that follows it (B) is build on the dorian mode (starting in D), with melodies divided into four voices and ending with chord movements (bars 35-40). The music here simply underscores the dialogue between Martin and his father.
The second to last section (C) starting at bar 42, is the last time we hear the 'memory motif' from the 'Memories' cue. Sure enough, Martin starts to recollect moments from his childhood at exactly this moment.
The final section (D) is a reprise of the bi-tonality section from 'Memories', however this time it is slightly modified with another chord in between. Unsurprisingly, this chord is a semitone up from the chord that precedes it – the semitone movement of melodies and chords being a common feature of the score.
Tremolo strings to intensify (common for Herrmann) and a pizzicato bass line down to A bring the cue to an end at bar 57.
11.Finale:
%2B-%2BTZ%2B-%2BWalking%2BDistance.png)
The final cue is an exact copy of the 'Intro' cue with the added bi-tonality section at the end. This time however, this section comes to rest on an E major triad as Martin drives off and leaves his home-town behind. I believe that the sense of closure is achieved because Herrmann introduces the E major triad (E7) as the final chord of the first cue in the score.
This
marks the end of my cue by cue analysis of Bernard Herrmann's score
to 'Walking Distance'. I hope it was informative and showed how an
effective score can be achieved with only a small amount of musical
devices, provided that it is well executed.
Part 3 will focus on Herrmann's orchestration for this score, as it was a vital component to fully express his musical ideas and also because it will show how he was able to use a small ensemble (strings and harp) to the best effect.
-PW
These transcriptions are entirely my own and only intended for educational purposes.
Part 3 will focus on Herrmann's orchestration for this score, as it was a vital component to fully express his musical ideas and also because it will show how he was able to use a small ensemble (strings and harp) to the best effect.
-PW
These transcriptions are entirely my own and only intended for educational purposes.
No comments:
Post a Comment