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

the clear chord he wrote in concert fashion in the sketch is the E# half-dim 7th(E#/G#/B/D#). The half-diminished seventh is Herrmann's favorite chord. The F note inthe transposed version makes it less clear, almost G# min 6 (G#/B/D#/F) but the 1stclarinet also is involved playing Ab (instead of enharmonic G#).The key is to look at the violins in bar 24 playing the Ab/Cb/Eb whole notes. If youinclude the F note of the clarinet (or enharmonic E# in the sketch) then we have the Fhalf-dim 7th chord (F/Ab/Cb/Eb) that is precisely the enharmonic equivalent to the E#half-dim 7th. Clever Herrmann. However, probably to keep the chord design consistentand clear, I think it would have been better if Herrmann had the flutes play Cb/Eb/Abhalf notes instead of B/D#/G#. I think he was still thinking in terms of the initial sketchchord structure (although he had the strings in the flat mode). Normally Herrmann isconsistent but here made it a mixed (enharmonic) picture. Interesting. I am not aninstrumentalist so perhaps it is conceivable that the flutes "sound" better in the sharpnotes as opposed to the enharmonic flat notes. I don't know. I heard from someone thatJohn Williams prefers to write the strings in the sharp mode than the flat mode/keybecause it "sounds" better. I wonder if that is true or simply matter of opinion or ????_______________________________________________talkingherrmann mailing list**************************************10-20-09:Talking Herrmann: UCSB Box 55 MaterialReply by: Bill Wrobel ()______________________________________________________________________Below in Box 55 in the initial George Herod sketchbook we find on pages 48-49Herrmann's sketch for an intriguing piece titled "A Night at the Black Mass--GrotesqueFantasy." Obviously it seems to hint in musical allusion (at least in the title of the piece inlogical association) to "Night at Bald Mountain."{Image http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/4830/r1160001.jpgIt's hard to read but I believe the tempo-marking is Andante mysterioso in C time in thekey signature of one flat. Both staves are in the bass clef. Undisclosed instruments areplaying (some tremolo I believe) on Contra-octave Bb/Great octave D/small octave C.The note figures are not correct in various bars, and those apparent quintuplets are notplaced correctly. I believe this sketch was composed when Herrmann was 16 in 1927 orno later than 1929 when he was 18. So it's a very youthful and not sophisticated, riddledwith various errors. But the creative imagination is quite high and strong. In Bar 9 is thetempo-marking of (I believe) Allegro furioso and furious it is with the rapid 16th notefigures in contrary motion and the separate line of descending and ascending figures. Idon't believe it is necessarily an atonal piece in leaning because I believe I see the Bbminor chord (Bb/Db/F) early on but the music is agitated and busy. I guess the BlackMass is well under way for a sacrifice or something!136