Bill Wrobel's DVD - Film Score Rundowns

http://www.amazon.com/Return-Vampire-Bela-
Lugosi/dp/B0000694WM/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1292902173&sr=1-1
The written score by M.C. Tedesco is located in Box 13 at Sony/Columbia
Studios. I worked very briefly on the full score, sketches, and piano-conductor score.
The full score was in ink. ! The movie looks atmospheric enough (dark and moody sets)
but this Columbia Pictures horror movie is poorly constructed, a pale (Dracula’s face!)
comparison to the Universal monster movies of that general period. For one thing it is too
short at 70 minutes to be able to give it adequate development or build-up. The dvd
transfer is fine, however. The music is okay (better than the movie) but again not in the
same league as the music in the Universal pictures (Skinner, etc)—although I was
impressed at times. He was definitely a capable composer. But I was curious and wanted
to hear the score since I worked very briefly on five of the cues. I’ll simply add the
written music’s brief rundown above in the appropriate cue titles.
#3873 “Main Title” Largamente in 4/4 time. The F.S. is 6 pages but page 7,
Bar 25 was missing, I believe. The 3-stave sketch was there, as well as the p-c score. Key
signature of Ab maj/F min (4 flats).
Initial Instrumentation: Flute, oboe, 2 clarinets, Novachord, 2 trumpets (maybe a
third later), 2 trombones (maybe a third later), timp, harp, piano, strings (I believe only 4
minimum to 6 violins). I only had time to work on the first four bars. The flute plays ff
Line 3 Eb rinforzando half note to Eb half note tied to (Bar 2 in 2/4 time) quarter note
and tied to 8 th note (followed by an 8 th rest). The oboe plays Line 2 Bb notes in this same
pattern. Clarinets play Line 1 E/G [written F#/A] notes in this pattern. The Novachord
(brass effect) plays small octave G/Bb/Line 1 E/Eb/G/B/Line 2 Eb [Note: either I wrote
the accidentals wrong or the composer wanted the mixed notes in terms of accidentals
canceling the key signature] to another such set of half notes tied to next bar as given.
Once again it appears on the second set that we have both the Line 1 Eb and E natural
notes. Trumpets play the aforementioned pattern on Line 1 Bb/Line 2 Eb notes. The Pos
play small octave C notes in this pattern, and the timp is rolled on small octave C notes.
The violas are bowed trem forte on small octave G/Line 1 E half notes to another such
sounding of half notes tied to quarter and 8 th notes next bar (followed by an 8 th rests). VC
play Great octave C/G notes in this pattern, and CB on small octave C. The top staff
piano plays Line 1 E/G/Bb/Line 2 Eb notes in this pattern (substantiating what I wrote for
the Novachord). The bottom staff plays a roll between Contra-octave C-Great octave C
half notes sounded twice. In Bar 2 in 2/4 time, violins I play Line 3 Eb 8 th to rapidly
descending 32 nd notes Eb-Db-C-Line 2 Bb to Ab-G-F-Eb to Db-C-Line 1 Bb-Ab to (Bar
3 in 4/4 time) Line 1 G 8 th (followed by an 8 th and quarter rest). Violins II play this an
octave lower register. After an 8 th rest in Bar 2, the harp is gliss from Lines 2 & 3 Eb
quarter notes gliss line down to (Bar 3) Lines 1 & 2 Eb 8ths (followed by an 8 th rest) to
Ab/Line 2 C/G 8ths (followed by an 8 th and quarter rest). The violas in Bar 3 are pont p
bowed trem on small octave F to E (natural glyph) half notes (repeated next bar).Celli are
pont on small octave Db to C half notes. The Novachord in Bar 3 (W.W. effect) play
small octave Db/F half notes to C/E 8ths (followed by an 8 th and quarter rest) and
repeated next bar. Clarinet I in Bar 3 is solo playing mp small octave G [written A]
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