sonoblog - cine mudo

6 things I want to share about the music of Automóvil Gris (Part 1) at Pordenone

José Serralde — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 16:54:40 +0000

So tonight is our premiere. Paolo Tosini, the italian who leaded the restoration project at Cineteca Nacional for the longest version ever known of El Automóvil Gris is about to show it for the first time in public; a profit of the hard work of many hands at the Elena Sánchez Valenzuela Laboratory / Cineteca Naciona México.

I was pleased to setup music for the film, and will perform it this evening. I want to share some decisions I took:

Though it is original music, every theme comes from a musical source that sounded at Mexico City during the late 10s and 20s. I can't always stick to the style... I am sure the film needs absolutely developed film music resources I will do my best to attain :)
It includes fragments by mexican academic composers as Ricardo Castro; indeed, I took the harmonic links at Suite Op. 18, No.1 to build up a main theme. The original fragment sounds at the film too. (People robbed on-screen seem to be pretty educated and classy .)
Every single "tune" or classical piece appears at any or some of the materials known to me; concert programmes or newspaper ads at my previous research.
(Little spoiler alert) Other corridos include one for Zapata (more to come!, almost every Revolution event has one right? :) )
(Other spoiler) Just as in the orquesta típica repertoire, there are danzones, paso dobles paired with puccinian drama (lots of mexicans loved him by the time).
Have you heard "Ojos de juventud", "Sobre las olas", and "Carmen"? Waltzes. There was a mexican critic by the time, who complained those where sounding too much at cinemas. Let us keep the annoyance 100 years after!

Bottom line: yes, there is an historical corrido coming from traditional sources... though there is not one but many sources. Two scholars found at least three different lyrics with different metrics (one comes from the northern border). An arranged transcription and some recordings are known. Though, each speaks about different facts so, I use two of these versions; the less risky (historicaly speaking). I decided to leave that for the final episode. I will tell you why later.

Bottom of the bottom: As in Tren Fantasma, mexican high speed cars, locomotives etc. use the "sesquiáltero" :p

I hope you enjoy the premiere tonight, the following two episodes at Pordenone Silent Film Festival, or please come to any of the upcoming screenings. This is a beautiful moment for the history of film restoration in Mexico.

Thank you to the people that did this possible.

Temas:

Live performance for The Tailor of Torzhok .What we'll be listening today.

José Serralde — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 06:29:05 +0000

Everytime I write cuesheets for building guided-improvised-music for the silents, some last minute changes do happen, and it happened again while watching two previous screenings at this 33rd Pordenone Silent Film Festival.

I expected no copy of Protazanov's 1925 film THE TAILOR OF TORZHOK I will be performing today, but Mr. David Robinson did send a link around 20 days before. With half a month of preparation I was able to setup a cue sheet including references to the music of Shostakovich, Borodin, traditional russian music and some [anachronic] patterns coming from Aram Khacaturian's piano music, plus, (more in a second) little jazz-like tunes. Though, last minute changes happen...

First of all, I was able to confirm my speculation about the strong, quite strong influence of young Dimitri Shostakovich within the soviet creative scene, while watching Dimitri Zolotov's documentary Searching for Pochta last saturday here. The 2-part film follows the search for Pochta (Post) a lost masterpiece by russian animator Mikhail Tsekhanovskii with the music of Desehov, a pretty well known composer of his time. Though, Tsekhanovskii did also filmed an even more excentric piece called Badla after an opera by Dimitri Shostakovich. After watching and listening fragments at the screening and instantly refreshing 1920s cultural surroundings in my mind, I decided to extreme the use of Shostakovich's music material for the scene and dance-like music (right, jazzy 2-steps coming this way).
Tsekhanovskii filmed a live action film called Pacific 231 after the music of my beloved film composer Arthur Honegger, whose steady rhythm patterns and wind-instrument-like phrasing was somehow appearing in my own musical ideas... didn't know why... I recognise, just by chance? (UPDATE: I was following the obvious) I then redeemed to the infuence of some rhythmic patterns coming from Honegger's L'idee score prepared for the Berthold Bartosch 1932 film (which was by the way, shown to me some years ago by mexican animator Tania de Leon).
Third and last but not least, I will be less conservative with absurdity and mickey-mousing, specially after watching to the original vitaphone recoding of When a man loves this last Saturday at the Festival's opening evening. The music by Henry Kindall Handley for the 1927 Manon rendering by filmmaker Alan Crosland was written in five weeks, and is pleagued of beautiful precise modulations, articulation and thrills matching on-screen comic nuances.
Fourth and last minute: I will be happy to play again with the talented Freiburger-percussionist Frank Bockius, so we can listen to those Kachaturian-like (I know... that's Armenian!) dance and percussive textures.

Let's have fun together. It is time to get to the Verdi Theater.

Check the complete programme.

Temas:

Madero, a 100 años de su muerte, historias desconocidas y música en vivo

José Serralde — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 23:10:24 +0000

Madero, a 100 años de su muerte
Funciones de cine mudo musicalizado en vivo, y explicado por el Dr. Aurelio de los Reyes.

Música en vivo:
José María Serralde Ruiz, piano

20 de febrero 2013 – 18:00 hrs
Academia Mexicana de la Historia
Plaza Carlos Pacheco #21
18:00 hrs.

26 de febrero 2013 – 18:00 hrs
Instituto Nacional Estudios Históricos de la Revolución Mexicana
Francisco I. Madero #1, Col. San Ángel

ACTUALIZACIÓN:
20 de marzo 2013 – 18:30 hrs.
Sala Julio Bracho, Centro Cultural Universitario
CCU UNAM

Pasaron cien años y las películas en nitrato de plata que documentaron el pasar de Madero por la memoria colectiva mexicana, recibieron muchos manoseos. Al final, ~~muchos~~ algunos de esos pedazos, serán restaurados a través de un proyecto de la Filmoteca de la UNAM.

El Dr. Aurelio de los Reyes, investigador emérito e historiador de la UNAM ha mirado materiales sin más referencias ni intertítulos, para recobrar la brújula perdida, la memoria de rostros, lugares, sucesos; de personajes con nombre, de memorias recuperadas.

Así los gusanos del tiempo se tragan sus propias palabras y las películas renacerán como una clase inimaginable de historia. Con intertítulos explicativos y comentarios del Dr. De los Reyes.

He preparado la música para este proyecto, hurgando en las letras y grabaciones de corridos, y por supuesto del “Club Verde” de Rodolfo Campodońico. Un vals que a decir de María y Campos o Vicente T. Mendoza, musicalizó a menudo la saga maderista.

Están muy invitados. Yo, emocionado de encontrarles ahí.

ACTUALIZACIÓN: Visiten la entrevista de Karla Calviño a “Aurelio de los Reyes:“http://www.filmoteca.unam.mx/amiba/index.php/82-filmoteca-recomendacione...