Korngold Film scores

[Alan Howe]

I have some questions on this topic which I'd like those who are expert in this area to explain, please:

1. Which are Korngold's top 5 film scores?
2. How long is each one in its original form, as used in the film for which it was written?
3. Are they ever performed or recorded complete?
4. I assume that there are 'suites' from these scores (rather than mere excerpts) - but did Korngold arrange them,   
    or did someone else?
5. Is there a film score suite arranged by Korngold that compares, say, to the best of Strauss' tone poems?

Thanks in advance!

[adriano]

It's always a matter of taste, Alan :-)

In my personal opinion (not in order of preference)
1) The Sea Hawk
2) Robin Hood
3) Captain Blood
4) Elizabeth and Essex
5) Another Dawn

Your second question needs a couple of hours of work to respond, sorry. Consider the fact that at that time, films used a lot of music in their soundtracks.

An important aspect: Korngold was not allowed to orchestrate his film scores; that was a special clause included in his contract, so people like Hugo Friedhofer and others were doing this (using his style). He had just to deliver a piano particell - and was eventually allowed to supervise, or to just approve.
Incidentally, also the earlier operettas Korgold was commissioned to orchestrate, were never done completely by him; he was assisted by Julius Bittner, Franz Kopriva and Franz Granichsteadten.

Korngold's film score suites were performed in concert in the 1970s already - and many were recorded/published either in the form of suites or completely (new recordings or original soundtracks).

Thre are splendid compliations of suites, the most famous - and best conducted - of which are the two LPs/CDs anthologies done in the 1970s by Charles Gerhard for RCA. Later on, Bill Stromberg did 3 CDs and a complete Robin Hood for Marc Polo (the first one was on Varese Sarabande, conducted by Varujan Kojian).

In 2002 Andre Previn recorded 4 film music suites for DGG - splendid!

On Varese we have new complete recordings of Kings Row, The Sea Hawk, Elizabeth and Essex and Anthony Adverse. On cpo there is a complete recording of Korngold's arrangement of Mendessohn's A Midsummer's Night Dream film score, as conducted by Gerd Albrecht.
Ther is also a complete recording (OST) of Korngold's Wagner biography film score Magic Fire on Varese.
One can also find more complete original soundtracks on doubtful or private labels: Juarez, the Prince and the Pauper and Anthony Adverse.

I don't think Korngold extracted suites himself. My knowledges are not as deep as that.

Your 5th question: I refuse to compare film score (incidental music) suites to symphonic poems of Strauss.

Korngold's Violin Concerto is based on themes from 4 different film scores.

All the recordings I am speaking of are in my collection.

[Alan Howe]

Thanks, Adriano. Good of you to reply so fully. My questions were prompted (a) out of ignorance and (b) because what I'm really looking for are suites made by Korngold himself. I think my problem overall is knowing how much of this music is actually by Korngold and how much is by other hands, whether as regards orchestration or re-composition/arrangement.

I know this is film music, but it does seem very odd to talk about the quality of music which might not actually have written by Korngold himself...

[adriano]

The film music was certainly written by Korngold, but not orchestrated by him - but, still, orchestrated by Korngold experts. This, just to clarify, refers already to the original soundtracks, not to the eventual suites. Most of classic Hollwood scores were not orchestrated by its composers. Bernard Herrmann insisted in doing his own orchestrations, but for that reason he was getting less opportunities, since he needed a longer time for his work. Very rarely composers were given rushes or finished epiodes to work on while a film was still in production. Music always came at the very last minute, once the film was finished - a soundtrack had to be delivered within about 2 weeks, even "Gone with the Wind", whose 4 hour's lenght was the work of over a dozen orchestrators/arrangers.
A pity that many original film score manuscripts have been destroyed after use. Only particell scores were kepk for copyright reasons. For various mentioned recordings, these scores had to be reconstructed by specialists. Honegger's "Les Misérables" has also an important missing sequence which I had to reconstruct by ear - there was not even a particell around.
A recommendation: Last year Dutton has re-issued the famous (and splendid) CD "Citizen Kane, the Classic Film Scores by Bernard Herrmann" - in a super re-mastering by Michael J. Dutton. Those Gerhardt RCA recordings of the 1970s were already famous LPs for their super sound balance and the splendid National Philharmonic. Other LPs of this series were dedicated to scores by Max Steiner, Franz Waxman, Dimitri Tiomkin and David Raksin (I have a copy with Raksin's personal dedication to me, since he admired my Marco Polo recordings).

Korngold's Cello Concerto is a similar "arrangement" of a film score (from"Deception") as Bernard Herrmann's "Concerto Macabre" for Piano and Orchestra (from "Hangover Square") - or Arthur Benjamin's "Warszaw Concerto" (from "Dangerous Moonlight") - or Bliss's "Baraza" (from "Men of Two Worlds") and others... They are works which appear as original compositions in the films, in which the soloists are protagonists; they were not arranged as such later.

Here a link to some videos etc.:
http://thompsonian.info/korngold.html

[Alan Howe]

Very kind of you to answer so fully. Thank you so much.

[TerraEpon]

On Varese we have new complete recordings of Kings Row, The Sea Hawk, Elizabeth and Essex and Anthony Adverse. On cpo there is a complete recording of Korngold's arrangement of Mendessohn's A Midsummer's Night Dream film score, as conducted by Gerd Albrecht.
Ther is also a complete recording (OST) of Korngold's Wagner biography film score Magic Fire on Varese.
One can also find more complete original soundtracks on doubtful or private labels: Juarez, the Prince and the Pauper and Anthony Adverse.

There's also the complete re-recording of The Prince and the Pauper on Tribute.

Incidentally as far as orchestrating goes, as said it's the standard practice (this is true in Broadway too). The best composers give enough info that really the orchestrators are more like copyists, simply fleshing out the already orchestrated short score into a full score. Obviously Korngold was a fine orchestrator as judging by his non-film work. He didn't 'need' one, but it was required to do the job. And one would notice his film scores still sound basically like his non-film music -- his orchestrational voice is still there.

[brendangcarroll]

There are a number of slight errors in the various reponses here - please allow me to set the record straight.

Korngold was not "forbidden" to orchestrate his film scores. he had to use orchestrators due to the sheer time constraints of producing music for an 80 piece symphony orchestration lasting over an hour within a matter of 7 weeks or less! However, he used his preferred orchestrator Hugo Friedhofer who spoke fluent German and with whom Korngold felt musically 'simpatico'....

The process was not as simple as Korngold producing a piano score and handing it over. Each sequence was a collaboration. Friedhofer would visit Korngold at his home in the evening, and sit by the composer as he played through (on the piano) the music to be orchestrated, with Korngold calling out what instruments should be used, given solos etc while Friedhofer scribbled notes as he played.
Then Friedhofer would go home and write the full orchestration, a copyist (or copyists) would pick up his score at about midnight and then spend the next 6-7 hours writing out all the parts before delivering them to the scoring stage at 9.00am before recording began! This procedure was told to me by those involved in the 1930s.

Later, on the scoring stage, Korngold woul make many emendations as he saw fit, following the initial read-through of each cue. The original scores preserved at the University of Southern California are full of his pencilled corrections and changes.

In this way, though he did not orchestrate his scores personally, they always came out sounding like Korngold.

As for suites, Korngold prepsred his own short suites for the following an performed/conducted them:-

The Adventures of Robin Hood
Juarez
The Private Lives of Elisabeth & Essex
The Constant Nymph

These woud not compare to a Strauss tone poem as they were not intended as such. That for Robin Hood is performed and recorded often.

The Cello concerto was not an arrangment of the score to DECEPTION but an original composition that featured within that film and which Korngold expanded for concert use published as his Opus 37 in 1950.

The Top 5? I suspect most would agree the following:

The Adventures of Robin Hood
The Sea Hawk
Kings Row
The Private Lives of Elisabeth & Essex
Anthony Adverse

The length of each score varies but (from memory) the longest are Sea Hawk (106 minutes) and Adverse (121 minuutes -- out of a running time of 140).

There are plans for a critical edition of these scores because they were composed in such a way that they coould be performed complete rather than as a suite. The best recorded example is KINGS ROW (conducted by Charles Gerhardt from the original scores and released on Varese Sarabande) which one critic reviewed as a "20th century Heldenleben...". Gerhardt did no arranging - he just conducted the music in sequence.

I hope this answers all your questions.

[ewk]

Slightly off-topic, but one thing that always intrigued me about the question of Korngold's film music orchestration and the kind of short/particlell scores that I assume he made for this:

I once read somewhere that the sketches of Korngold's 2d symphony are near to unreadable (and all the more uncompleteable) because of Korngold using some kind of "shorthand", i.e. abreviated writing that no one besides him was able to read. I always wondered whether his sort of particell scores for the film music have anything in common with this reported "shorthand" Korngold used in these sketches? After all, if he had developed this kind of "shorthand" during his Hollywood years, it would sound logical to me that he would have used it afterwards as well.

Does anyone know anything about this?

As for the film scores, I like »Robin Hood« the best as well. Exceptionally complex music for a film score, I think (if of course not the only film music of that complexity). There is a elongated version of the suite, called »symphonic portrait«, available from Schott, arranged by John Mauceri. It seems to simply include an additional number »IV Poor People Feast. The Gallows«. There is a perusal score for those interested: https://de.schott-music.com/shop/pdfviewer/index/readfile/?idx=MTM1NjU0&idy=135654
I like this idea to create longer suites from the film music, as I think that there is more to the film scores than what is represented in the suites. I enjoy the recording of the entire music from Robin Hood a lot.

I, personally, do not think that it is reasonable to compare suites of any kind to symphonic poems (How much would I love Robin Hood reworked into a symphonic poem!)

Best wishes
ewk

[brendangcarroll]

To answer EWk about Korngold's sketches:

I have examined the sketches for Korngold's 2nd symphony and indeed have a lasercopy of the extant material in my archive.

The problems with the material are numerous for anyone hoping to create an orchestral performing edition and include:

1. No indication of instrumentation is indicated anywhere.
2. Korngold often does not complete sections and writes a squiggly line or the term 'etc' whch presumably only he would know the meaning.
3. Key signatures are sometimes not given
4. The score is arranged on 3 staves and sometimes only the first bar of each group of 4 contains the fully indicated harmony.
5. The pages are not numbered
6. Some sections are missing

When I worked on the 2001 TV documentary about Korngold for ARTE entitled "Between Two Worlds - The Advetures of a Wunderkind" I prepared a legible and performable piano score from the opening of the 1st movement which is the most complete, and it is this that you can hear in part during that programme if you at least wish to hear Korngold's striking musical ideas for this work.

The FILM SCORE manuscripts (now in the Library of Congress) are a different matter entirely and do not qualify as "sketches" but as piano short scores intended as the primary source for the orchestrator.

These short scores are much more legible and detailed, and frequently have instrumental indications (eg harp gliss, violin solo, forte piano chord, celeste, etc).

Even today, a good orchestrator could work from these scores to create a fully realised orchestration in the Korngold manner.

So the answer is that Korngold did not use his private musical shorthand when creating his film scores.

I hope this answers your question. 

[ewk]

Thank you very much, this indeed answers my question!
I'll have look for that Arte documentary then...
Best wishes! Ewk

[adriano]

Sorry for not having been able to response more professionally with my postings... Next time I better remain silent.

[Mark Thomas]

That's the very last thing any of us want, Adriano.

[Alan Howe]

Just remember this, Adriano: your expertise is an essential component of this website! So: keep posting!

[Gareth Vaughan]

Hear, hear! Your expertise is invaluable, Adriano.

[Ebubu]

"Sorry for not having been able to response more professionally with my postings... Next time I better remain silent."

Why do you say that ? Your response was as interesting and valuable as that of Brendan Carroll or others.  I learned so many things about Korngold (whom I love !) in this thread !!!
Of course, your knowledge about "rare music" and forgotten composers, as attested by your many recordings (many of them I own !) is so valuable, even indispensable to this forum !