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Le Vent, Le Cri – Ennio Morricone (Guitar arrangement) with sheet music
Category: Film & TV Music
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The Godfather Waltz – Nino Rota (with sheet music)
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Nino Rota
Giovanni Rota Rinaldi (3 December 1911 – 10 April 1979), better known as Nino Rota), was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor and academic who is best known for his film scores, notably for the films of Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti.
He also composed the music for two of Franco Zeffirelli‘s Shakespeare films, and for the first two films of Francis Ford Coppola‘s Godfather trilogy, earning the Academy Award for Best Original Score for The Godfather Part II (1974).
During his long career, Rota was an extraordinarily prolific composer, especially of music for the cinema. He wrote more than 150 scores for Italian and international productions from the 1930s until his death in 1979 — an average of three scores each year over a 46-year period, and in his most productive period from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s he wrote as many as ten scores every year, and sometimes more, with a remarkable thirteen film scores to his credit in 1954.
Alongside this great body of film work, he composed ten operas, five ballets and dozens of other orchestral, choral and chamber works, the best known being his string concerto. He also composed the music for many theatre productions by Visconti, Zeffirelli and Eduardo De Filippo as well as maintaining a long teaching career at the Liceo Musicale in Bari, Italy, where he was the director for almost 30 years.
Film scores
Nino Rota wrote the score for the film The Glass Mountain in 1949. Notable was the singing of Tito Gobbi, one of the world’s greatest baritones. The film won a number of awards.
In his entry on Rota in the 1988 edition of The Concise Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Composers and Musicians, music scholar Nicolas Slonimsky described him as “brilliant” and stated that his musical style:
… demonstrates a great facility and even felicity, with occasional daring excursions into dodecaphony. However his most durable compositions are related to his music for the cinema; he composed the sound tracks of a great number of films of the Italian director Federico Fellini covering the period from 1950 to 1979.
Furthermore, one of his compositional habits in particular came up for disapproving remarks: his penchant for pastiche of various past styles, which quite often turned into outright quotation of his own earlier music or even others’ music. One of the most noticed examples of such incorporation is his use of the Larghetto from Dvorák‘s Serenade for Strings in E major as a theme for a character in Fellini’s La Strada.
During the 1940s, Rota composed scores for more than 32 films, including Renato Castellani‘s Zaza (1944). His association with Fellini began with Lo sceicco bianco (The White Sheik) (1952), followed by I vitelloni (1953) and La strada (The Road) (1954). They continued to work together for decades, and Fellini recalled:
The most precious collaborator I have ever had, I say it straightaway and don’t even have to hesitate, was Nino Rota — between us, immediately, a complete, total, harmony … He had a geometric imagination, a musical approach worthy of celestial spheres. He thus had no need to see images from my movies. When I asked him about the melodies he had in mind to comment one sequence or another, I clearly realized he was not concerned with images at all. His world was inner, inside himself, and reality had no way to enter it.
The relationship between Fellini and Rota was so strong that even at Fellini’s funeral Giulietta Masina, Fellini’s wife, asked trumpeter Mauro Maur to play Rota’s Improvviso dell’Angelo in the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Rome.
Rota’s score for Fellini’s 8½ (1963) is often cited as one of the factors which makes the film cohesive. His score for Fellini’s Juliet of the Spirits (1965) included a collaboration with Eugene Walter on the song, “Go Milk the Moon” (cut from the final version of the film), and they teamed again for the song “What Is a Youth?“, part of Rota’s score for Franco Zeffirelli‘s Romeo and Juliet.
The American Film Institute ranked Rota’s score for The Godfather #5 on their list of the greatest film scores. After being nominated for an Academy Award for this score, the nomination was later revoked when it was discovered that Rota recycled a theme from a previous score, one he wrote two decades prior for the film Fortunella and thus no longer considered original despite being played differently.
The nomination was then given to the film Sleuth , while Charlie Chaplin and two co-authors for their score featured in Limelight, a 21-year-old film that had just become eligible because it had not been screened in Los Angeles until 1972, went on to win the award. He went on to win an Oscar for his score for The Godfather Part II. His score for War and Peace was also nominated for the list. In all, Rota wrote scores to more than 150 films.
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La La Land – Main Theme (piano solo) with sheet music
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Hans Zimmer – Time (Inception) Piano solo arr. (with sheet music)
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Inception: Music from the Motion Picture
is the soundtrack to the 2010 film of the same name directed by Christopher Nolan, released under Reprise Records on July 13, 2010. Hans Zimmer scored the film, marking his third collaboration with Nolan following Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.
Production
According to Zimmer, the soundtrack for Inception is “a very electronic score”. Nolan asked Zimmer to compose and finish the score as he was shooting the film. The composer said, “He wanted to unleash my imagination in the best possible way”. At one point, while composing the score, Zimmer incorporated a guitar sound reminiscent of Ennio Morricone and was interested in having Johnny Marr, former guitarist in the influential 80s rock band The Smiths, play these parts. Zimmer’s reported inspiration was finding a synthesizer track that he had written similar to Marr’s guitar style. Nolan agreed with Zimmer’s suggestion, and then Zimmer approached Marr, who accepted his offer. Marr spent four 12-hour days working on the score, playing notes written by Zimmer with a 12-string guitar.
For inspiration, Zimmer read Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter because it combined “the idea of playfulness in mathematics and playfulness in music”. Zimmer did not assemble a temp score but “every now and then they would call and say ‘we need a little something here.’ But that was OK because much of the music pieces aren’t that scene-specific. They fall into little categories”. While writing the screenplay, Nolan wrote in Édith Piaf‘s “Non, je ne regrette rien” but almost took it out when he cast Marion Cotillard, who had just completed an Oscar-winning turn as Piaf in the 2007 film La Vie en rose. Zimmer convinced Nolan to keep it in the film and also integrated elements of the song into his score; in particular, the film’s iconic brass instrument fanfare resembles a slowed-down version of the song’s instrumentation.
The trailers for the film feature specially composed music by Zack Hemsey, which does not appear on the official soundtrack. The soundtrack was nominated for several awards, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a Grammy and a BAFTA.
James Southall of Movie Wave awarded the score five stars, calling it “Zimmer’s finest work in a number of years”, and Jim Lochner of Film Score Click Track, who said “Inception is one thrilling and trippy […] musical ride”, awarding the score four and a half stars out of five.
Track listing
All music is composed by Hans Zimmer.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Half Remembered Dream” | 1:12 |
| 2. | “We Built Our Own World” | 1:55 |
| 3. | “Dream Is Collapsing” | 2:28 |
| 4. | “Radical Notion” | 3:43 |
| 5. | “Old Souls” | 7:44 |
| 6. | “528491” | 2:23 |
| 7. | “Mombasa” | 4:54 |
| 8. | “One Simple Idea” | 2:28 |
| 9. | “Dream Within a Dream” | 5:04 |
| 10. | “Waiting for a Train” | 9:30 |
| 11. | “Paradox” | 3:25 |
| 12. | “Time” | 4:35 |
| Total length: | 49:13 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | “Projections” | 7:04 |
| 14. | “Don’t Think About Elephants” | 5:35 |
| Total length: | 12:39 |
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The Godfather: Here are some facts about the award-winning movies centered around the fictional Corleone crime family.
It’s one of the most popular and critically acclaimed movie series in Hollywood history. But when The Godfather was in production, it was anything but a surefire hit. From casting squabbles to the producers’ real-life battle with organized crime bosses, here’s the story you may not know about The Godfather films.
Both Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola came to the project due to money woes
Mario Puzo was a New York-born writer who had published several earlier books to little acclaim, even fewer sales, and had even worked under a pen name as a writer for pulp magazines. By the mid-1960s, he had a large family — and growing gambling debts. Eager to find a subject that he thought would appeal to the masses, he turned his attention to organized crime, which had become a hot-button topic thanks to a series of televised hearings in the U.S. Congress in the 1950s and ’60s. In 1968, he sold the rights for his yet-to-be-published book to Paramount Pictures, who were shocked when it became a runaway bestseller in 1969.
That same year, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola had co-founded his own independent movie studio, American Zoetrope, with friend and fellow director George Lucas. The new company was struggling, and although Coppola initially turned down Paramount when they approached him to direct the film (he couldn’t even finish the book the first time he tried to read it), Lucas and others convinced him to take the job to secure much-needed funds for Zoetrope.
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The first film almost looked very different
One of Coppola’s first battles with Paramount was over the film’s setting and budget. Eager to save money, the studio had pushed Puzo to write a draft that updated the action to the 1970s. When Coppola came onboard, he insisted that it remain true to the 1940s world Puzo had originally envisioned. He also refused their suggestion that they save money by shooting outside of New York City (Kansas City was one suggestion), but Coppola once again held firm.
Coppola later said that he was nearly fired several times during the shoot and was convinced that he was saved by winning an Oscar during filming (a Best Original Screenplay Award for Patton). Exasperated with several crew members who he believed were unsupportive of his vision for the film, Coppola fired them, including an editor who was angling for Coppola’s job. One person that Coppola protected? Cinematographer Gordon Willis, whose iconic use of shadows and darkness infuriated Paramount bosses but gave the film its iconic look and feel.
The studio balked at Coppola’s casting choice for Vito Corleone
Although Marlon Brando is considered one of the most respected actors of the 20th century, by the early 1970s he’d earned a reputation for being difficult and unprofessional. So, it was perhaps no surprise that nobody at Paramount wanted to cast him as Vito Corleone. The studio wanted Coppola to consider actors Danny Thomas, Burt Lancaster, Ernest Borgnine, Anthony Quinn or others, but Coppola insisted that Brando was his only choice.
The studio made several stipulations that they believed Brando would refuse, including a low salary, putting up a bond to cover any financial costs due to delays and submitting to a screen test. Coppola tricked the mercurial actor by telling him he wanted to privately film him to work out some ideas for the film. Brando’s stunning on-camera physical transformation into Corleone (including shoving tissues in his lower cheeks) finally convinced Paramount to cast him.
Paramount was also unenthusiastic about casting Al Pacino as Michael Corleone
At the time of casting, Al Pacino was a young actor with New York stage experience but just one film credit. Early in the process, the studio had offered the role of Michael Corleone to Warren Beatty, Robert Redford and Jack Nicholson, who all passed. Others who auditioned for the role included Martin Sheen and Robert De Niro. De Niro also auditioned for the role of Sonny Corleone but was later cast as a young Vito in The Godfather II.
James Caan, who would eventually play hotheaded older son Sonny, was initially cast as Michael, with another actor cast as Sonny. Producers eventually convinced Coppola to fire the other actor and give Caan the role, with Pacino as youngest son Michael.
Thanks to the real-life mob, the word ‘mafia’ never appears in the first film
In 1970, a group (led in part by crime family boss Joe Colombo Sr.) formed the Italian American Civil Rights League, aimed at eliminating offensive stereotypes and depictions in business and media. The group quickly set their sights on The Godfather, protesting the film from the moment it was announced. But Colombo allegedly took things even further. The shoot was threatened with costly labor shutdowns aimed at derailing production, engineered by the organized crime groups that controlled the unions. Producer Albert Ruddy’s car windows were blown out, and Paramount chief exec Robert Evans claimed to have received phone calls threatening him and his family, including then-wife Ali MacGraw.
In February 1971, just before filming began, Ruddy sat down with Anthony Colombo, one of Joe Sr’s sons, and hashed out a compromise. The League agreed to give its approval if the producers allowed the League to review the script (and remove the words “mafia” or “La Cosa Nostra”) and donate the proceeds of the New York premiere to the League. Ruddy’s public deal infuriated Paramount, who threatened to fire him, but it ended the boycotts and threats.
The Godfather Soundtrack
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Comptine D’Un Autre Été L’Aprés Midi – Yann Tiersen avec partition (sheet music)
Comptine d’un autre été : L’Après-midi est une célèbre composition de musique classique–musique de film pour piano solo, de l’auteur-compositeur-interprète Yann Tiersen. Musique du film Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain, de Jean-Pierre Jeunet en 2001, elle fait partie de l’album Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain (bande originale), César de la meilleure musique originale 2002, vendu avec succès à plus d’un million d’exemplaires dans le monde.
“A Clockwork Orange (Beethoviana)” with sheet music
The soundtrack to Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange was released to accompany the 1971 film of the same name. The music is a thematic extension of Alex’s (and the viewer’s) psychological conditioning. The soundtrack of A Clockwork Orange comprises classical music and electronic synthetic music composed by Wendy Carlos. Some of the music is heard only as excerpts, e.g. Edward Elgar‘s Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 (a.k.a. Land of Hope and Glory) heralding a politician’s appearance at the prison. The main theme is an electronic transcription of Henry Purcell‘s Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary, composed in 1695, for the procession of Queen Mary‘s cortège through London en route to Westminster Abbey. “March from ‘A Clockwork Orange'” (based on the choral movement of the Ninth Symphony by Beethoven) was the first recorded song featuring a vocoder for the singing; synthpop bands often cite it as their inspiration.
Neither the end credits nor the soundtrack album identify the orchestra playing the Ninth Symphony excerpts; however, in Alex’s bedroom, there is a close-up of a microcassette tape, labeled: Deutsche Grammophon – Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphonie Nr. 9 d-moll, op. 125 – Berliner Philharmoniker – Chor der St. Hedwigskathedrale – Ferenc Fricsay – Irmgard Seefried, Maureen Forrester, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Ernst Haefliger.
In the novel, Alex is accidentally conditioned against all classical music, but in the film, only against Ludwig van Beethoven‘s Ninth Symphony, the soundtrack of a violent Ludovico Technique film that Alex is exposed to. The audience does not see every violent film Alex is forced to view during his Ludovico conditioning, yet the symphony’s fourth movement is heard. Later, using the symphony’s second movement, Mr Alexander, and fellow plotters, impel Alex to attempt suicide.
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Les jours tranquilles (piano) André Gagnon avec partition
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André Gagnon
André Gagnon (2 August 1936 – 3 December 2020) was a Canadian composer, conductor, arranger, and actor, known for his fusion of classical and pop styles, including compositions Neiges, Smash, Chevauchée, Surprise, Donna, and Mouvements in the disco and pop fields. Gagnon also composed for television, including La Souris Verte, Vivre en ce Pays, Format 60, Format 30,Techno-Flash, and Les Forges de Saint-Maurice as well as for theatre with such productions as La Poudre aux Yeux, Doña Rosita, Terre d’Aube, La Dame de Chez Maxim’s, and Wouf-Wouf. Some of his most notable songs are “Pour les Amants”, “Turluteries”, and “Mes Quatre Saisons”.
Gagnon was born in Saint-Pacôme-de-Kamouraska, Quebec, Canada.[3][4] The youngest of nineteen children, Gagnon began composing at the age of six and according to the Canadian Encyclopedia, “He took theory lessons with Léon Destroismaisons in Ste. Anne-de-la-Pocatière from 1952-53 and studied at the Conservatoire de musique à Montréal with Germaine Malépart (piano), Clermont Pépin (composition), and Gilberte Martin (solfège) from 1957 to 1961.”[2]
Career
According to Gagnon’s official website, “In 1974, André Gagnon released Saga, his first album, composed solely of original instrumental pieces” .
In 1975, the album Neiges stayed on the American Billboard’s Top 10 for twenty-four weeks and sold 700,000 copies worldwide. In May 1976, Gagnon did four concerts in Mexico and in September of the same year, Neiges was released in New York under the title Driven Snow. In 1977, Neiges won a Juno award for the most purchased album in Canada while Gagnon’s album Le Saint-Laurent rapidly reached 100,000 sold copies. In 1978, André Gagnon was made an officer of the Order of Canada.
In the fall of 1979, Gagnon received his first Félix, an award created by the Quebecois music industry in the instrumental category for the album Le Saint-Laurent. He also began to add film scores to his repertoire, among them the soundtracks to Running (1979), the John Huston film Phobia (1980), and The Hot Touch (1981), directed by Roger Vadim. Gagnon went on world tour in 1981 to the United States, Venezuela, Mexico, Greece, and Romania. During this year, he also composed original music for the film Tell Me That You Love Me, a production of Astral Films. In October, he recorded Impressions in the famous Abbey Road studio.
In February 1990, the opera Nelligan was released, for which Gagnon wrote the music. The opera was presented first at the Grand Theatre of Quebec and then the Place of the Arts of Montreal and finally at the National Centre of the Arts of Ottawa. Following the opera’s Canadian release was the release of the studio-recorded double album, Nelligan.
In January 1992, Gagnon composed the music for the film The Pianist. In 1999, the album Juliette Pomerleau was released. In 2011, the album Les chemins ombragés was certified a gold album having sold 40,000 copies.
Gagnon also composed music for many artists, such as Diane Dufresne (Le 304), Renée Claude (Je suis une femme d’aujourd’hui, Ballade pour mes vieux jours) and Nicole Martin (Mannequin).
Awards and recognition
Juno awards
He has received Juno nominations in several other years.
Government honours
Gagnon was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1978 and an Officer of the National Order of Quebec in 2018.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1964 | André Gagnon – Piano et orchestre |
| 1965 | Léveillée-Gagnon |
| 1966 | Une voix, deux pianos |
| 1968 | Pour les amants |
| 1969 | Notre amour |
| 1969 | Mes quatre saisons |
| 1971 | Let It Be Me |
| 1972 | Les Turluteries |
| 1972 | Encore |
| 1973 | Projection / Les forges de St-Maurice |
| 1973 | Les grands succes d’André Gagnon |
| 1974 | Saga |
| 1975 | Neiges |
| 1977 | Le Saint-Laurent |
| 1978 | Movements |
| 1981 | Left Turn |
| 1982 | Les grands succès/Greatest Hits |
| 1983 | Impressions |
| 1986 | Comme dans un film |
| 1986 | Des dames de coeur |
| 1990 | Nelligan (with Michel Tremblay) |
| 1992 | Noël |
| 1993 | Les jours tranquilles |
| 1993 | Presque blue |
| 1994 | Romantique |
| 1995 | Piano |
| 1996 | Twilight Time |
| 1996 | Musique (Coffret de collection) |
| 1997 | André Gagnon au Centre Molson |
| 1997 | Éden |
| 1997 | La collection émergence |
| 1999 | Juliette Pomerleau |
| 1999 | Printemps |
| 1999 | Été |
| 1999 | Automne |
| 1999 | Hiver |
| 2001 | Histoires rêvées |
| 2003 | Piano solitude |
| 2010 | Les chemins ombragés |
| 2011 | Dans le silence de la nuit (Christmas album) |
| 2016 | Les voix intérieures |
Singles
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1968 | “Pour les amants” |
| 1969 | “Chanson pour Petula” b/w “La fête” |
| 1971 | “Rainbow” |
| 1975 | “Wow” b/w “Ta samba” (#4 CAN) |
| 1976 | “Surprise” b/w “Douce image” |
| 1977 | “Donna” b/w “Holiday Feeling” |
| 1978 | “Smash” b/w “Rendez-vous” |
| 1977 | “Weekend” (#16 CAN AC) |
| 1980 | “A Ride to Ville Émard” b/w “Beautiful Days” |
| 1981 | “Left Turn” b/w “Two Days in the Country” |
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As time goes by – Herman Hupfeld (piano solo) with sheet music
“As Time Goes By“
is a song written by Herman Hupfeld in 1931. It became famous when it was featured in the 1942 Warner Bros. film Casablanca performed by Dooley Wilson as Sam. The song was voted No. 2 on the AFI’s 100 Years…100 Songs special, commemorating the best songs in film (only surpassed by “Over the Rainbow” by Judy Garland). The song has since become the signature tune of Warner Bros. and used as such in the production logos at the beginning of many Warner Bros. films since 1999, as well as the closing logos to most Warner Bros. Television Studios shows since 2003. It was also the title and theme song of the 1990s British romantic comedy series As Time Goes By.
“As Time Goes By” is most famous from the film Casablanca (1942). It was originally written for the Broadway show Everybody’s Welcome (1931), which ran for 139 performances. In 1931, the song was a modest hit, with versions issued on Victor, Columbia, Brunswick and the dime store labels. The song was featured in the unproduced play Everybody Comes To Rick’s, which was the basis for the Casablanca story and script. Against Max Steiner‘s wishes (he wrote the music for the film), it was decided to feature the 1931 song in the 1942 film. It has been well documented that the producers considered dropping the song in post-production, but since Ingrid Bergman had been given the part of Maria in Paramount’s For Whom the Bell Tolls and had cut her hair for the part, it would not have been possible to reshoot any of her scenes with the song being performed, or to have her request that Sam play a different song.
The AFI listed it among its “top 100” movie songs. National Public Radio included it in its “NPR 100”, a 1999 list of the most important American musical works of the 20th century as compiled by NPR’s music editors.[2] The song is a popular reflection of nostalgia and often used in films and series reflecting this feeling.
Lyrics
You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss
A sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As time goes byAnd when two lovers woo
They still say “I love you”
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As time goes byMoonlight and love songs
Never out of date
Hearts full of passion
Jealousy and hate
Woman needs man, and man must have his mate
That no one can denyIt’s still the same old story
A fight for love and glory
A case of do or die
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes byMoonlight and love songs
Never out of date
Hearts full of passion
Jealousy and hate
Woman needs man, and man must have his mate
That no one can denyIt’s still the same old story
A fight for love and glory
A case of do or die
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by
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Herman Hupfeld
Herman Hupfeld (February 1, 1894 – June 8, 1951) was an American songwriter whose most notable composition was “As Time Goes By“. He wrote both the lyrics and music.
Hupfeld was born in Montclair, New Jersey, the son of Fredericka (Rader), a church organist, and Charles Ludwig Hupfeld. He was sent to study violin in Germany at age 9. Returning to the United States he served in the military during World War I, and he entertained camps and hospitals during World War II. He never wrote a whole Broadway score, but he became known as a composer who could write a song to fit a specific scene within a Broadway show.
His best-known songs include “As Time Goes By”, “Sing Something Simple”, “Let’s Put Out the Lights (And Go to Sleep)”, “When Yuba Plays the Rumba on the Tuba”, “I’ve Gotta Get Up and Go to Work”, “Are You Making Any Money?”, “Savage Serenade”, “Down the Old Back Road”, “A Hut in Hoboken”, “Night Owl”, “Honey Ma Love”, “Baby’s Blue”, “Untitled” and “The Calinda”.
While not known as a public performer, Hupfeld was featured on a Victor Young & His Orchestra 78 recorded on January 22, 1932, singing and playing piano on two of his compositions, “Goopy Geer (he plays piano and he plays by ear)” and “Down the Old Back Road”.
Hupfeld never married and, with rare exceptions, he remained living in the family home with his mother in his hometown of Montclair, New Jersey, only traveling as far as New York City in his entire life. He died in 1951 of a stroke at the age of 57 and was buried at Mount Hebron Cemetery in Montclair. His mother died 6 years later aged 90.
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The Piano – Big my Secret (Michael Nyman) with sheet music
Michael Nyman: The Composer
Michael Laurence Nyman, CBE (born 23 March 1944) is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, known for numerous film scores (many written during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway), and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion‘s The Piano. He has written a number of operas, including The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat; Letters, Riddles and Writs; Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs; Facing Goya; Man and Boy: Dada; Love Counts; and Sparkie: Cage and Beyond. He has written six concerti, five string quartets, and many other chamber works, many for his Michael Nyman Band. He is also a performing pianist. Nyman prefers to write opera over other forms of music.
Nyman was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours.
Nyman was awarded an honorary doctorate (DLitt) from The University of Warwick on 30 January 2007. At the degree ceremony, The University of Warwick Brass Society and Chamber Choir, conducted by Paul McGrath, premiered a specially composed procession and recession fanfare by Nyman.
In 2015, he was awarded the Golden Duke for Lifetime Achievement, the special award of the 6th Odessa International Film Festival.
Michael Nyman: The Piano
The Piano is the original soundtrack, on the Virgin Records label, of the 1993 Academy Award-winning film The Piano. The original score was composed by Michael Nyman and is his twentieth album release. Despite being called a “soundtrack”, this is a partial score re-recording, as Nyman himself also performs the piano on the album (whereas the film version is performed by lead actress Holly Hunter). The music is performed by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Nyman with Michael Nyman Band members John Harle, David Roach and Andrew Findon performing the prominent saxophone work.
The album was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score (but lost to the score of Heaven & Earth) and the BAFTA Award for Best Score (lost to the score of Schindler’s List).
The album design and illustration are by Dave McKean.
The main theme is based on a traditional Scottish melody titled “Gloomy Winter’s Noo Awa”.
“The purpose of the Composer’s Cut series is to present music from my soundtracks in a state of continuous evolution. As I transferred particular cues from film to concert hall both musical structures changed and performance styles developed, enabling the music, perhaps, to realise its true potential. So these recordings represent the Michael Nyman Band’s state-of-performance as of spring 2005.” – MN August 2005
Michael Nyman’s score for Jane Campion’s 1993 film The Piano is one of the most successful film soundtracks of all time. The film itself won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival in 1993 and went on to win several Oscars at the 1994 Academy Awards. Holly Hunter’s role as Ada the film’s central role was that of an elective mute who chose to communicate via her playing. If having the music feature so prominently in a film was unusual, for the music to additionally convey the dialogue of the main character is unique. The soundtrack of the film went on to become a multi million seller. Perhaps surprisingly for music with such strong ties to its original source many of the pieces from The Piano were subsequently used in a variety of other settings in film, television and advertising making it some of the most performed/frequently heard orchestral music of the last twenty years.
The concert suite for The Piano as performed by The Michael Nyman Band also became a staple of the band’s concert repertoire and has been performed all over the world with the composer taking the roles of pianist and conductor. It is this expanded form of the soundtrack that Nyman chose to record as his own definitive edition in Abbey Road studios in April 2005. The piano pieces again form a dialogue, though here the dialogue is purely musical between pianist and orchestra rather having the piano pieces act as speech substitute as they did in the film. The resulting album is a wonderful example of film music transformed to a distinctive stand alone concert work.
Track Listing:
1. The Heart Asks Pleasure First
2 To the Edge of the Earth
3. A Wild and Distant Shore
4. The Promise
5. Here to There
6. Big My Secret
7. Silver-Fingered Fling
8. Lost and Found
9. The Embrace
10. The Mood That Passes Through You
11. All Imperfect Things
12. The Wounded
13. Dreams of a Journey
14. The Heart Asks Pleasure First/The Promise
Personnel
Music composed, arranged, conducted and produced by Michael Nyman
Music published by Michael Nyman Ltd./Chester Music Ltd.
- Members of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra
with
- John Harle, soprano, alto saxophone
- David Roach, soprano, alto saxophone
- Andrew Findon, tenor, baritone saxophone, flute, alto flute
- Michael Nyman, piano
- Conducted by Michael Nyman
- Produced by Michael Nyman
- Engineer: Michael J. Dutton
- Executive Engineer: Malcolm Luker
- Assistant Engineer: Jamie Luker
- Recorded at Arco Studios, Munich
- Mixed and edited at Kitsch Studios, Brussels
- Post-production at Abbey Road
- Design and illustration by Dave McKean
- Photography by Grant Matthews and Polly Walker
- Artist representative for Michael Nyman: Nigel Barr
The main theme in The Piano is based entirely on a traditional Scottish melody titled “Gloomy Winter’s Noo Awa”.
Download Michael the complete Nyman’s sheet music from our Library.
