Valentine's Day, Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 10:20 am

Perhaps I would end it on a Herrmann staple--the half-diminished chord (Herrmann's alltimefavorite seventh chord!). So F half-dim 7th (F/Ab/Cb/Eb) or maybe even expand it abit (a bit logically too considering the G note used initially by Herrmann) and make thefermata-held chord the F min 9 b 5 (F/Ab/Cb/Eb/G). So if someone wanted to synth it,that's a idea to consider...So I think the cue's duration could easily be a minute and a half--maybe longer.The best cue is "Waltz (for a Skating Scene)"--alas, also an unfinished cue. Delightful,spritely 3/8 waltzy music! He had a key signature set up (not uncommon in the early tomid-Forties movies) of four sharps (E maj/C# min). The chords in the first several barsare E maj 7th (E/G#/B/D#) to F# min 7th (F#/A/C#/E). Herrmann went as far as 48 bars,went on a smoke break (or nap--or both!) apparently and never got back to it! I estimatethat's about a minute's worth of music--more or less depending on how fast youconductors prefer to wave that baton! Someone would need to conclude the piece with atleast several more bars, maybe longer. I'll have to look at it far more closely to see whatlogically can be dome to make it a perfect whole musically. But if you want toencompass the entire scene as given on the screen, then you'll need to get the precisetiming. I don't have the dvd, so I don't know. It can be completed but it depends on howfar you want to take it.Finally there is "Jennie's Song" at 16 bars. No key signature other than the sansaccidentals C maj/A min. The sheet of three staves I have has Bernard Herrmann listed asthe composer. Now: I have not seen that movie in many years so I cannot honestyremember if this 3/4 tune was used or adapted by Tiomkin in the final edit of the movie. Ithink so, but I can't personally verify it. Maybe someone else here can. The beginningtonality is the D min 9th (D/F/A/C/E) to C maj 9th (C/E/G/B/D). It ends on A min/9th(A/C/E/B). I probably wouldn't want it in a synth rendition, especially if Tiomkin didindeed use it.You're probably right: the Box 55 (and other Early Works boxes at UCSB) would notbe commercially viable per se as a cd. Too obscure to make it appealing to the public tomotivate most of them to part with their money for it! The material is probably moreconcert performance fare, a small part of a larger program (of more "famous" works!).At any rate, some of these may indeed be fleshed out in synth rendition at least in timefor the 2011 event. We shall see. A lot of the Box 55 material are simply sketches, two orthree stave compositions. However, several works there and in other research boxes areFULL scores and can be easily used. There would be no need for someone to pour overthem and reconstruct full orchestrations--although I would love to see HERODorchestrated, and especially "Tempest & Storm--Furies Skrieking!"So already full scores include "Two Songs for Medium Voice & Small Orchestra." Youcan see an example of it as "The Bells" in my Photo Tour of UCSB (see the Home Pageof the Herrmann Society site that hosts this Talking Herrmann). Also "Late Autumn"(also a photo there), and "Egypt (Tone Poem). There is "In the Forest," "The BodyBeautiful" (Box 53) and "Music for Chamber Orchestra & Soprano" (Box 53 also. That116