"The Doomsday Machine" Music Revealed from Shem von Schroeck on Vimeo.
Last April I posted an article on how I discovered the world and film and television scoring. When one watches a lot of television, as kids are prone to do, one notices after constant rewatches of the same series episodes that part of the attracting might be the music — those repeated melodies, or stings, that slowly embed themselves in our dramatic unconscious. Steve Austin running to save someone, or battling an even-more-expensive man; Gilligan screwing something up again, or carrying that enhanced native girl; Will Robinson not listening to his robot companion's oft-repeated warnings; the IMF crew setting up and carrying out a covert setup while racing against the stopwatch; Marcia Brady taking one right in the nose for the Gipper... anything needing help from the studio scoring stage to help set the dramatic or comedic stage for the viewer to feel and believe in the, sometimes unbelievable, onscreen proceedings.
Last April I posted an article on how I discovered the world and film and television scoring. When one watches a lot of television, as kids are prone to do, one notices after constant rewatches of the same series episodes that part of the attracting might be the music — those repeated melodies, or stings, that slowly embed themselves in our dramatic unconscious. Steve Austin running to save someone, or battling an even-more-expensive man; Gilligan screwing something up again, or carrying that enhanced native girl; Will Robinson not listening to his robot companion's oft-repeated warnings; the IMF crew setting up and carrying out a covert setup while racing against the stopwatch; Marcia Brady taking one right in the nose for the Gipper... anything needing help from the studio scoring stage to help set the dramatic or comedic stage for the viewer to feel and believe in the, sometimes unbelievable, onscreen proceedings.
Very often the best scoring in television comes about when a given show's producers understand, appreciate, and, most importantly, support their show's musical track and its importance to the stories their writers have told. ("Don't mention 'Star Trek the Next Generation'.") The viewer is manipulated by the underscoring, whether it's subtle or over-the-top. Music is powerful on its own, but when melded with picture, even television picture, it becomes something more.
'Scoring', unfortunately, is one department in the production chain where the artist is one his or her own. Part of this curious phenomena is drawn and bound by the insanity of series television production. Producers have enough problems to deal with, besides, the discipline of music scoring is alien to many show runners. Unless something objectionable is revealed in the score in the final cut, it stays. Besides, that airdate is right around the corner. Technology helps any fixes that may be vital, and complete episode scores have been dumped over the years, but generally speaking, that last link in the production chain is left alone.
Sometimes: "The music was the best thing about the episode."
One book I would highly recommend to anyone interested in the art, craft, and history of television music scoring is Jon Burlingame's excellent bound document, Music for Prime Time: A History of American Television Themes and Scoring. He spends time on programs long forgotten, and the television documentary, a form from television's earliest days, those fondly remembered, like Peter Gunn and Route 66, popular series at one time of a special title, like Superman and The Lone Ranger, and on those that have become television legends, such as The Twilight Zone and....
(For me the most interesting chapters of Burlingame's book are those covering television scoring's earliest days: the use of library music, writing music for music libraries, and music for drama and documentaries. He loves his subject, which makes this book such a terrific read for those interested in his subject, and subjects. Stanley Wilson, Johnny Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Lud Gluskin, Henry Mancini, Pete Rugolo, Nelson Riddle... they're all there. I had not realized that Bernard Herrmann and Franz Waxman scored so much television. Two series with the highest level of episodic scoring: The Twilight Zone and Star Trek, the original incarnations. Author Burlingame rightfully gives them a few pages each.)
Which brings me to the subject of this piece....
As any Trekker can tell you, one big reason for Star Trek's success is due to the varied and outstanding music scores. That stellar program had so many big hitters in the various production departments: cinematographer Jerry Finnerman and associate producer Robert Justman, to name two. We fans know and love the cast of characters, of course, but the "Tech Credits", as the industry papers label them, impress also.
The music department scored big time.
Some episodes with standout scores:
"The Naked Time" (Alexandra Courage)
"The Conscience of the King" (Joseph Mullendore)
"Who Mourns for Adonais?" (Fred Steiner)
"Amok Time" (Gerald Fried)
"The Trouble With Tribbles" (Jerry Fielding)
"Metamorphosis" (George Duning)
"I, Mudd" (Samuel Matlovsky)
Sol Kaplan's "The Doomsday Machine" rocks, rolls, and blasts in brilliance. Its brass section blazes with 4 trombones, 3 trumpets, and 4 French horns. Those crackerjack session players ("West Coast musicians") plied their trade in Paramount Pictures' Stage M that day, with composer Kaplan conducting them through the charts.
American composer/musician Shem von Schroeck produced the above 60-minute video. He starts off by breaking down the score's essential parts — there are many — then runs "The Doomsday Machine" with onscreen text denoting what instruments and instrumental groups are playing at any given moment. His method is academic but easily understood by those folk who can't tell a kettle drum from a double bass, or a bassoon from a cello.
Schroeck's affection and admiration for Star Trek and its scores is evident, and infectious.
Outstanding. The instructive video reminds me why I got into the business.
The music department scored big time.
Some episodes with standout scores:
"The Naked Time" (Alexandra Courage)
"The Conscience of the King" (Joseph Mullendore)
"Who Mourns for Adonais?" (Fred Steiner)
"Amok Time" (Gerald Fried)
"The Trouble With Tribbles" (Jerry Fielding)
"Metamorphosis" (George Duning)
"I, Mudd" (Samuel Matlovsky)
Sol Kaplan's "The Doomsday Machine" rocks, rolls, and blasts in brilliance. Its brass section blazes with 4 trombones, 3 trumpets, and 4 French horns. Those crackerjack session players ("West Coast musicians") plied their trade in Paramount Pictures' Stage M that day, with composer Kaplan conducting them through the charts.
American composer/musician Shem von Schroeck produced the above 60-minute video. He starts off by breaking down the score's essential parts — there are many — then runs "The Doomsday Machine" with onscreen text denoting what instruments and instrumental groups are playing at any given moment. His method is academic but easily understood by those folk who can't tell a kettle drum from a double bass, or a bassoon from a cello.
Schroeck's affection and admiration for Star Trek and its scores is evident, and infectious.
Outstanding. The instructive video reminds me why I got into the business.
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