24-25 Program Book - Flipbook - Page 37
Psycho: A Narrative for String Orchestra (1960/1968/2000)
BERNARD HERRMANN
(June 29, 1911-December 24, 1975)
Born Maximillian Herman in New York City to a
Jewish middle-class family of Russian origin,
Bernard Herrmann was an American composer
and conductor. He is widely regarded as one of
the greatest film composers in history for his
significant forward-looking collaborations with
famous directors, most notably Alfred Hitchcock,
Orson Welles, François Truffault, Martin Scorcese,
and Brian De Palma.
Herrmann insisted on the artistic liberty to
compose what he wished without director
interference; this led to more selective choices
and resulted in occasional disagreements. He also
believed that the music composed for films should
be constructed and orchestrated according to the
needs of the film, and that the best film music
should be able to stand musically on its own.
Herrmann’s most recognizable music is from Hitchcock’s Psycho. It uses only
a string orchestra which is unusual for the time, especially because Hitchcock
originally requested a jazz score. The use of strings reflected the black-and-white
cinematography of the film, but the range of colors he created, from mutes to
repeated patterns to extreme dissonance to screeching effects, was a key element
to the film’s success. Despite some disagreements along the way, Hitchcock was
pleased with the score, later remarking “33% of the effect of Psycho was due to the
music” and that “Psycho depended heavily on Herrmann's music for its tension
and sense of pervading doom.”
In 1968, Herrmann was living in London and looking for more ways to have his
music heard. Psycho — A Narrative for String Orchestra is the result of taking the
original musical cues and reworking them into a unified concert work. The work
was not performed live, but Herrmann did record it at the time. For unknown
reasons, the score and parts for the concert work were not made available.
In 1999, in preparation for a centennial celebration for Hitchcock, the discrepancies
between the film score and Herrmann’s concert version were finally realized and
a score and parts of the concert work were created for general use. The world
concert premiere of Psycho — A Narrative for String Orchestra took place at the
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on February 9, 2000, with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
directed by John Mauceri.
CLASSICAL SERIES PSYCHO 37
