Status, Standards, and Stereotypes: J. S. Bach's Presence in the Silent Era
Beschreibung
Personen und Körperschaften: | |
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Titel: | Status, Standards, and Stereotypes: J. S. Bach's Presence in the Silent Era |
Medientyp: | Buch, Text |
veröffentlicht: |
Riemenschneider Bach Institute
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Umfang: | 5-31 |
Schlagworte: | |
Zusammenfassung: | <p>To date, J. S. Bach's role in silent cinema has not received much attention, in part because so few sources seem to point in his direction. Bach is barely mentioned in film music's major encyclopedic sources of the period. Likewise, his music is absent from silent-era mood music compilations, accompaniment manuals, and photoplay collections. But a close reading of the American film trade press, particularly from 1915 to 1925, suggests a more complex story. Bach did have a presence in silent film music, although perceptions of the composer varied widely. For some, his name and music represented the pinnacle of excellence and a standard for raising the quality of film music overall. Others openly disparaged his music, calling it too obtuse and complex for film accompaniment. These contradictory views are further complicated by the confusing cue sheet references to Bach, some of which most certainly refer not to Johann Sebastian but to other composers named Bach. The greatest saturation of Bach references in cue sheets occurs in the years 1916—1920, during which time Bach, or at least the name Bach, appears as suggested music for scenes in over 200 films, ranging from Westerns (e.g., <italic>Hair Trigger Burke)</italic> to dramas (e.g., <italic>A Wife's Suspicion)</italic> to war movies (e.g., <italic>The Zeppelin's Last Raid).</italic> Many of these suggested pieces are likely not by J. S. Bach, but rather by a collection of other Bachs (Christopher, Leonhard Emil, Karl). However, no effort was made at the time by the cue sheet compilers or the trade journal editors to clarify this distinction; all of the suggested pieces were simply by “Bach.” The work titles, moreover, offer only marginal guidance: some point directly to Johann Sebastian (“Air on a G String”), but others are too vague (“Fantasia”) or implausible (“Christmas Dreams—A Waltz”) to provide much insight.</p> <p>For all these reasons, tracing Bach's role in American silent-era accompaniment requires careful sifting. The trade press was a noisy marketplace, full of partisan voices, each hawking its view. For some in that space, Bach was a lofty ideal, a composer whose status meant as much as, or perhaps more than, his compositions. His music also had the integrity to set standards for the newest trends in the field, most notably the emerging profession of theater organists. Yet, others looked at Bach in much less idealistic terms. Their motivating question was practicality: was Bach's music appropriate for the screen? These two overarching (and sometimes competing) objectives, quality versus practicality, co-existed throughout the teens in the trade press commentary. Yet the sources also show that the varying perspectives on Bach eventually constricted. By the 1920s, fewer Bach pieces (whether authentic or suspect) were mentioned in the journals. What began to take shape was a much more limited application of Bach in film: the beginnings of a musical stereotype that followed Johann Sebastian into the sound era.</p> |
ISSN: |
0005-3600
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