Motion Picture Mood Music
- Theater Organists had amassed large repertoires of music ranging from pop tunes of the period to the classics
- Several men decided to collect and publish bound volumes of mood music to be used by other musicians in the "pit" orchestra
- Many of these musical compositions were not yet in the Public Domain so it became very lucrative for the composers
- Published in 1924 was Motion Picture Moods for Pianists and Organists-Compiled by Erno Rapee.
- 678 page volume with a collection of over two hundred themes representing fifty-two moods
- Films during this time had one-third depicting action, one-third depicting emotional or psychological situations and one-third dealing with scenery or atmosphere.
- The compositions selected for the volume were based on how the films were divided according to emotion
- Sam Fox Moving Pictures Volumes (4 of them) published in the years 1913-1914 with last volume appearing in 1923 Compiled by J.S. Zamecnik
- Kinobibliothek (known as Kinothek) published in 1919 compiled by Giuseppe Becce-was best known collection of the period.
- Some movie directors would hire musicians to be present on the set to inspire the actors or actresses into the needed moods required by the script**
The Birth of a Nation
- Originally released as the Clansman in 1915 The Birth of a Nation had one of the earliest specially composed scores written for films made in the United States
- Composer Joseph Carl Breil (1870-1926) wrote some original themes and used arrangements of well-known music for this 3 hour epic about the American Civil War
- Because many Americans had never heard or experienced live symphony orchestra concerts, the classical music of composers such as Beethoven and Wagner used in the score helped to expose many people to classical music.
- In addition to borrowing from classical music, Breil also used material and music from American folk songs
- The film itself was very controversial and banned in several American cities due to its glorification of the Ku Klux Klan
- Directed by D.W. Griffith became the most successful silent film ever made-grossed over $10,000000 in its first run
- Launched the age of the full-length motion picture-Earlier films were only minutes long
- Became the first blockbuster in film history
- Still remains as one of America's most controversial cinema landmarks
Birth of a Nation synced to Dvorak's New World Symphony No. 9 in E minor...