Editing Bernard Herrmann (section)

==Collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock==
[[File:Alfred Hitchcock The Man Who Know Too Much 1956 trailer.png|thumb|left|Herrmann conducting the orchestra in a scene from ''[[The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film)|The Man Who Knew Too Much]]'' (1956)]]
Herrmann is closely associated with the director [[Alfred Hitchcock]]. He wrote the scores for seven Hitchcock films, from ''[[The Trouble with Harry]]'' (1955) to ''[[Marnie (film)|Marnie]]'' (1964), a period that included ''[[Vertigo (film)|Vertigo]]'', ''[[North by Northwest]]'', and ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]''. He was also credited as sound consultant on ''[[The Birds (film)|The Birds]]'' (1963), as there was no actual music in the film as such, only electronically made bird sounds.

The film score for the remake of ''[[The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film)|The Man Who Knew Too Much]]'' (1956) was composed by Herrmann, but two of the more significant pieces of music in the film – the song "[[Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)]]" and the ''[[Storm Clouds Cantata]]'' played in the [[Royal Albert Hall]] – are not by Herrmann (although he did re-[[orchestration|orchestrate]] the [[cantata]] by Australian-born composer [[Arthur Benjamin]] written for the earlier Hitchcock [[The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film)|film of the same name]]). However, this film did give Herrmann the opportunity for an on-screen appearance: he is the conductor of the [[London Symphony Orchestra]] in the Albert Hall scene. Herrmann's score for Hitchcock's ''[[The Wrong Man]]'' (1956) is in a jazz style and makes heavy use of bass; Emmanuel Balestrero ([[Henry Fonda]]), the wrong man of the title, is a jazz bassist.

Herrmann's most recognizable music is from Hitchcock's ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]''. Unusual for a thriller at the time, the score uses only the string section of the orchestra. The screeching violin heard during the famous shower scene (which Hitchcock originally suggested have no music at all) is one of the most famous moments in film score history. Hitchcock admitted at the time that ''Psycho'' heavily depended on the music for its tension and sense of pervading doom.{{sfn|Smith|1991|page=236}} [[David Thomson (film critic)|David Thomson]] notes Herrmann's "sly borrowings from [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s [[Symphony No. 3 (Beethoven)|''Eroica'']]", a recording of which can be seen in the bedroom of Norman Bates ([[Anthony Perkins]]).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thomson |first=David |title=[[The New Biographical Dictionary of Film]] |year=2010 |edition=5th |pages=443}}</ref> Herrmann's score also had a direct influence on producer [[George Martin]]'s staccato string arrangement for [[the Beatles]]' 1966 single "[[Eleanor Rigby]]".<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Turner |first1=Steve |author-link=Steve Turner (writer) |title=A Hard Day's Write: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song |date=2005 |orig-year=1994 |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York, NY |page=164 |isbn=978-0-06-084409-7 |edition=New and Updated |url=https://archive.org/details/harddayswritesto0000turn_a2y5/|url-access=registration}}</ref>

His [[Vertigo (film score)|score]] for ''[[Vertigo (film)|Vertigo]]'' (1958) is seen as just as masterly. In many of the key scenes, Hitchcock let Herrmann's score take centre stage, a score whose melodies, echoing the "[[Liebestod]]" from [[Richard Wagner]]'s ''[[Tristan und Isolde]]'', dramatically convey the main character's obsessive love for the image of a woman and underscores that ''Vertigo'', like ''Tristan'', is a story of love and death. Ross writes that Herrmann's homage "is a matter of deliberation and subtlety. The main melodic contour is his own; the harmony is still his idiosyncratic construction. He is jogging the memory of those who know ''Tristan'' and the subconscious of those who don't. His veiled citations indicate in their own way the unstoppable recurrence of the past."<ref name=Ross />

A notable feature of the ''Vertigo'' score is the ominous two-note falling motif that opens the suite&nbsp;– it is a direct musical imitation of the two notes sounded by the fog horns located at either side of the [[Golden Gate Bridge]] in San Francisco (as heard from the San Francisco side of the bridge). This motif has direct relevance to the film because the horns can be clearly heard sounding in just this manner at [[Fort Point, San Francisco|Fort Point]], the spot where a key incident occurs involving the character played by [[Kim Novak]].

However, according to Dan Auiler, author of ''Vertigo: The Making of a Hitchcock Classic'', Herrmann deeply regretted being unable to conduct his composition for ''Vertigo''. A musicians' strike in America meant that it was actually conducted in England and in Austria by [[Muir Mathieson]]. Herrmann always personally conducted his own works and given that he considered the composition among his best works, he regarded it as a missed opportunity.

In a question-and-answer session at [[George Eastman House]] in October 1973, Herrmann stated that, unlike most film composers who did not have any creative input into the style and tone of the score, he insisted on creative control as a condition of accepting a scoring assignment:

{{Blockquote|I have the final say, or I don't do the music. The reason for insisting on this is simply, compared to [[Orson Welles]], a man of great musical culture, most other directors are just babes in the woods. If you were to follow their taste, the music would be awful. There are exceptions. I once did a film ''The Devil and Daniel Webster'' with a wonderful director [[William Dieterle]]. He was also a man of great musical culture. And Hitchcock, you know, is very sensitive; he leaves me alone. It depends on the person. But if I have to take what a director says, I'd rather not do the film. I find it's impossible to work that way.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wellesnet.com/?p=176 |title=Bernard Herrmann on working with Orson Welles and Citizen Kane |date=24 June 2007 |work=Wellesnet: The Orson Welles Web Resource |access-date=26 July 2010}}</ref>}}

Herrmann stated that Hitchcock would invite him on to the production of a film and, depending on his decision about the length of the music, either expand or contract the scene. It was Hitchcock who asked Herrmann for the "recognition scene" near the end of ''Vertigo'' (the scene in which James Stewart's character suddenly realizes Kim Novak's identity) to be played with music.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-02-10 |title=Excerpt: 'Hitchcock's Music' |url=https://www.vpm.org/npr-news/2007-02-10/excerpt-hitchcocks-music |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=VPM |language=en}}</ref>

In 1963, Herrmann began writing original music for the CBS-TV anthology series ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents|The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]'', which was in its eighth season. Hitchcock served only as advisor on the show, which he hosted, but Herrmann was again working with former [[Mercury Theatre]] actor [[Norman Lloyd]], co-producer (with [[Joan Harrison (screenwriter)|Joan Harrison]]) of the series. Herrmann scored 17 episodes (1963–1965), and like much of his work for CBS, the music frequently was reused for other programs.{{sfn|Smith|1991|pages=256–257, 373}}

Herrmann's relationship with Hitchcock came to an abrupt end when they disagreed over the score for ''[[Torn Curtain]]''. Reportedly pressured by [[Universal Pictures|Universal]] executives, Hitchcock wanted a score that was more jazz- and pop-influenced. Hitchcock's biographer [[Patrick McGilligan (biographer)|Patrick McGilligan]] stated that Hitchcock was worried about becoming old-fashioned and felt that Herrmann's music had to change with the times as well. Herrmann initially accepted the offer, but then decided to score the film according to his own ideas.{{sfn|McGilligan|2001|pages=673–674}} [[François Truffaut]] writes that "in 1966, In Hollywood and elsewhere, it was the practice of the film industry to favor scores that would sell as popular records—the kind of film music that could be danced to in discotheques. In this sort of game, Herrmann, a disciple of Wagner and Stravinsky, was bound to be a loser." Truffaut writes that "Herrmann's removal is a flagrant injustice, since it is a matter of record that his contributions to ''The Man Who Knew Too Much'', ''North by Northwest'', and ''Psycho'' had greatly enhanced the success of these films."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Truffaut |first=François |title=[[Hitchcock/Truffaut]] |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |year=1983 |edition=Revised |pages=328}}</ref>

Hitchcock listened to only the [[prelude (music)|prelude]] of the score, then confronted Herrmann about the pop score. Herrmann, equally incensed, bellowed "Look, Hitch, you can't outjump your own shadow. And you don't make pop pictures. What do you want with me? I don't write pop music." Hitchcock unrelentingly insisted that Herrmann change the score, violating Herrmann's general claim to the creative control he had always maintained in their previous works together. Herrmann then said "Hitch, what's the use of my doing more with you? I had a career before you, and I will afterwards."{{sfn|McGilligan|2001|page=674}} The score was rejected and replaced with one by [[John Addison]].

According to McGilligan, Herrmann later tried to reconcile with Hitchcock, but Hitchcock refused to see him. Herrmann's widow Norma Herrmann disputed this in a conversation with Günther Kögebehn for the Bernard Herrmann Society in 2004:

{{Blockquote|I met Hitchcock very briefly. Everybody says they never spoke again. I met him, it was cool, it was not a warm meeting. It was in Universal Studios, this must be 69, 70, 71ish. And we were in Universal for some other reason and Herrmann said: "See that tiny little office over there, that's Hitch. And that stupid little parking place. Hitch used to have an empire with big offices and a big staff. Then they made it down to half that size, then they made it to half that size… We are going over to say hello." Actually [Herrmann] got a record; he was always intending to give him a record he just made. But it wasn't a film thing. It was either ''Moby Dick'' or something of his concert pieces to take it and give to Hitch. Peggy, Hitchcock's secretary was there. Hitch came out, Benny said "I thought you'd like a copy of this." "How are you?" etc., and he introduced me. And Hitchcock was cool, but they did meet. They met, I was there. And when Herrmann came out again, he said "What a great reduction in Hitch's status."<ref>Kögebehn, Günther, [http://www.bernardherrmann.org/articles/interview-herrmann/ "Running with the Kids: A Conversation with Norma Herrmann"]. [http://www.thebernardherrmannestate.com/ The Bernard Herrmann Estate]. June 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2012.</ref>}}

In 2009, Norma Herrmann began to auction her husband's personal collection on Bonhams.com, adding more interesting details to the two men's relationship. While Herrmann had brought Hitchcock a copy of his classical work after the break-up, Hitchcock had given Herrmann a copy of his 1967 interview book with François Truffaut, which he inscribed "To Benny with my fondest wishes, Hitch."

"This is rather interesting because it comes a year after Hitchcock had abruptly fired Herrmann from his work scoring ''Torn Curtain'' and indicates Hitchcock may have hoped to mend fences with Herrmann and have him score his next film, ''[[Topaz (1969 film)|Topaz]]''," reported Wellesnet, the Orson Welles website, in April 2009:

{{Blockquote|Of course, once Herrmann felt he had been wronged, he was not going to say "yes" to Hitchcock unless he was courted and it seems unlikely that Hitchcock would be willing to do that, although apparently Hitchcock did ask Herrmann back to score his last film ''[[Family Plot]]'' right before Herrmann died. Herrmann, who had a full schedule of films planned for 1976, including [[Brian DePalma|DePalma]]'s ''[[Carrie (1976 film)|Carrie]]'', ''[[The Seven Per Cent Solution]]'' and [[Larry Cohen]]'s ''[[God Told Me To]]'', was reportedly happy to be in a position to ignore Hitchcock's reunion offer.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wellesnet.com/?p=497 |title=Orson Welles to Bernard Herrmann: "I love you truly and your heart is God's little garden" |date=12 April 2009 |work=Wellesnet: The Orson Welles Web Resource |access-date=30 December 2012}}</ref>}}

Herrmann's unused score for ''[[Torn Curtain]]'' was commercially recorded after his death, initially by [[Elmer Bernstein]] for his Film Music Collection subscription record label (reissued by Warner Bros. Records), then in a fuller realization of the original score by [[Joel McNeely]] and the [[Royal Scottish National Orchestra]] and later, in a concert suite adapted by [[Christopher Palmer]], by [[Esa-Pekka Salonen]] and the [[Los Angeles Philharmonic]] for [[Sony]]. Some of Herrmann's cues for ''Torn Curtain'' were post-synched to the final cut, where they showed how remarkably attuned the composer was to the action, and how, arguably, more effective his score could have been.