Howard Goodall's Twentieth Century Greats - Bernard Herrmann

Amazing documentary, made for musicians and non-musicians.
Howard Goodall analyses the most important works of Bernard Herrmann were conceived.
Credits for this video go to Howard Goodall and its creators! I do not own any copyrights or credits for it.

[@whittakerparkin2983]

Bernard Herrmann was a towering genius. Certainly the greatest composer of film music in history.

[@jslasher1]

This is an excellent doco. Having worked with "Benny" between 1973 and 1975 [5 recordings produced] I can attest that he was ever the best composer working in the film industry.

[@boneeatingsilicate580]

John - did you ever receive the infamous temper he had?

[@jslasher1]

@Pierre Magnan I sincerely appreciate your heartfelt comment. Usually, I receive churlish, hateful emails from jealous rivals, so yours is most welcome.

[@jslasher1]

@@boneeatingsilicate580 I most certainly did, and I am proud of it.

[@boneeatingsilicate580]

@@jslasher1 I've been always of the thought that Benny was like this to 'get a rise out of people' and to passionately offer up debate instead of a meanness..but..who knows.

[@jslasher1]

@@boneeatingsilicate580 "Benny" didn't have one mean bone in his body; his prickly behaviour hid a kind heart.

[@thseamon]

Wonderful musical appreciation of Herrmann's work

[@waynealexander1615]

Thank you to John Goodall and his great insight in exploring the great genius of Bernard Herrman, my favourite 20th century film composer.

[@jslasher1]

waynealexander1 It's Herrmann with 2-nn's.

[@AlfredsVisions]

My interest in Bernard Herrmann started with Harryhausen's 7th Voyage of Sinbad and then other Harryhausen greats like Jason and the Argonauts. As I searched for an album, (vinyl LP at the time) in a music story, I leafed through and found Taxi Driver. I remember being freaked out at seeing stills on the back cover of De Niro in a mohawk and blood. The film seemed so adult. I was 13. Years later I would come to appreciate Taxi Driver and its soundtrack.

[@PeterLunowPL]

excellent! Goodall explains with great knowledge and without academic dryness (thank god...)

[@ameyghule]

Thank you so much for sharing not just a video but knowledge.

[@MrKeithterrett]

Great insight into the life and music of Bernard Herrmann.

[@davidsimpson911]

bernard hermann's music made me appreciate hitchcock more than hitch ever did,he was and is the greatest film composer of all time,and should be regarded by the stuffy classical elite more,then again having him as an outcast rebel makes him more appealing,so who knows?....love you bernie

[@jslasher1]

First off, please observe proper spelling [Herrmann] and punctuation. By the way, it's 'Benny', not 'Bernie'.

[@darthnegrus9255]

Most of the greatest composers died without recognition in their lifetimes, Bernard Herrman is no different, and hopefully they've since updated that Classical Encyclopedia.

[@jslasher1]

Negrus Finus Take the time to spell his name correctly.

[@jslasher1]

Negrus Finus Grow up!

[@TheStockwell]

Good for you. KZbin: where you're a tyrannical monster and subject to abuse when you commit the loathsome act of - spelling someone's name correctly. Gosh, can you imagine how many people smash their monitors when spellcheck tries to help out? I envy you for being able to talk about "Benny." For most us, it's Bernard Herrmann. Me, unless I actually know I have permission to talk familiarly, I stick with last names.

[@HotPocketsBoy]

the greatest

[@jayphilby795]

Herrmann not only knew the absolute structure of music and that music is the emotional underpinning of a film. He understood music far more than even the directors of the movies he composed for. If they had just trusted him and his knowledge, abilities and skills everyone including Herrmann would have benefited from a stronger collaboration for the productions they were involved in. With a more positive light in his life maybe his physical and mental outlook would have allowed Herrmann to be with us longer and only heaven knows what music he would have created. It would have been glorious.

[@JixYT02]

00:12 he killed that man!

[@jdr4020]

Very good documentary but I'd like to make 2 comments: 1. The first composer to use minimalism is actually Beethoven in his 5th 2. If you like Herrmann then check out Mahler's 5th : in many respects Mahler's en Herrmann's music are similar: Mahler often does not use vibrato in his violins and he also makes unusual instrumental choices , such as using the woodsection for dramatic moments.

[@TheSpookychick]

This video is so fucking good.

[@jslasher1]

Your crude language does not endear us/

[@buzz1234ism]

where is this talent today ?

[@TheStockwell]

Gone for good, probably. When Herrmann was alive, a film composer was someone who could read and score his own music. If you had assistants taking your music or melodies and creating the orchestrations, well, you weren't a REAL composer. Herrmann's music has his because he set every note on the paper, himself. He'd fly off the handle at what were the younger film composers, youngsters like Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams, who would occasionally rely on assistants to get their score ready by set deadlines. Herrmann felt you had to write every note yourself - every time you did a score. No shortcuts were allowed. The current generation of film composers are musical but are, for the most part, completely dependent on others to get their music ready for an orchestra. Hans Zimmer's ability to read or write music are slim but he has staff to get him from point A to B. It has to be that way. Someone like Zimmer will crank out five or more scores a year (in 2011, he turned out ten). In Herrmann's day, film composers had gone to music school, studied music theory, could read Bach and "the greats." Now, they listen to film scores and pop music. No criticism - that's just how it is. Still, Herrmann wrote a symphony, orchestral works, chamber music, and an opera. Every note was his. Jerry Goldsmith wrote orchestral works including an oratorio with a text by Ray Bradbury. And don't get me started on the man who invented the massive Hollywood epic sound, Erich Wolfgang Korngold. He's no slouch, but I can't imagine Danny Elfman writing a piano concerto all by himself.

[@ErikWoodsCinSoundRadio]

@@TheStockwell Elfman hasn’t written a piano concerto but has written numerous concert works including a piano quartet “all by himself.”

[@TheStockwell]

@@ErikWoodsCinSoundRadio He's definitely a late bloomer. He didn't produce his first concert work until he was in his early fifties and, at age 68 has produced only nine concert works in all. I don't think the ghost of Bach is going to lose any sleep over this. ;) Have a safe and interesting year!

[@ErikWoodsCinSoundRadio]

@@TheStockwell I don’t think anyone is trying to compete with Bach or anyone else when writing a personal concert work. And who really cares when said composer writes their first concert work. All I’m trying to point out here is that each and every composer is different and is gifted in their own unique way. Also, there is no right way to write a piece of music or a film score. Herrmann wrote buy himself with pencil and paper… Zimmer writes with a team much like a band wound. As long as the final product is good who care how anyone got to the finish line. Enjoy the rest of your year as well. Stay safe!

[@TheStockwell]

@@ErikWoodsCinSoundRadio I can't argue with anything you said. Well, I *could* - but only if I wanted to be a jerk who needs to turn a simple discussion into an argument. Thumbs up and keep music in your life - it's all good. 👍

[@TeamFlamingStones]

I like the combination of historic facts and practical demonstration, as I was primarily watching thisfor inspiration to writing some Herrmann-style stuff. However, the part about serialism was a bit over-simplified. Initially, Schönberg only made use of the 12-tone technique, as mentioned meaning no notes (or intervals, strictly speaking) can be used before the whole scale is used. Later, when the term serialism arose, it also contained rules for dynamics, pauses, and timbre. Seeing as Herrmann didn't use any of the latter, it would be more correct to just say 12-tone technique. I must sound like a jerk.

[@SykoLiu]

I realize that this comment is months old, but I can't help myself. What you describe as serialism is actually "Integral Serialism" or "Total Serialism", akin to Stockhausen's Gesang der Junglinge. The video makes quite a few mistakes in regard to music theory (none terribly important to your average viewer, mind you) but it was correct in calling this serialism. You are entirely correct in saying that 12-tone technique is different than serialism, but simply not in the way you describe. Things CAN in fact be both serial and 12-tone, and many, many, many works are. However, things can be serial and not be 12 tone. Brahms used what could be easily described as serialism in some of his late works. So, in short, should it have called it 12-tone? Perhaps. But only because it is a more descriptive word for this, and not because serialism is incorrect.

[@TeamFlamingStones]

SykoLiu Ok, so you're saying that while "Integral Serialism" and "Total Serialism" contains elements like specific pause lengths, the general term applies to something like all music following some specific rules in modern music?

[@SykoLiu]

TeamFlamingStones Well, yes and no. Serialism is just the idea that there is a series of pitches (or other things) that keeps returning and functions as a basis for the work's formal design. This could be a series of 12 pitches, like in Schoenberg, or it could be a series of modal cells like in Brahms. It could also then extend to series of pitches, and a series of rhythms and a series of densities, etc... And when serialism (itself just a relatively simply technique at its core) is applied to all elements of a composition, it is then referred to as Integral serialism.

[@TeamFlamingStones]

SykoLiu Thank you, simple and clear answer!

[@jslasher1]

TeamFlamingStones A boring, self-serving treatise on Herrmann's music. What is it with this 'Herrmann-style stuff'? Get a life, preferably in G#-major.

[@marksadventures3889]

Was it anti-Semitism? It was quite prevalent in the 40's & 50's in Hollywood, especially during the Hoover years of paranoia. Sad really as the man surely paved the way in scores for movies. Why was he shunned? His private life? the thing about the music "giving the game away" is disappointing to me, I want the thrill the shock in full of the violence having been lulled into a false sense of security. By a soft score then sudden violence with a happy or positive score - is jarring and dangerous to the mind, if you want to shock, scare the living sh*t out of the viewer, then you need to make sounds that are lulling like a child's lullaby that turns nasty as the dissonance of notes put the twist on.

[@jslasher1]

I knew [and worked with] "Benny" for several years, producing 5 albums featuring his music. I doubt if there was any anti-Semitism involved [Herrmann never embraced his Jewishness]. Rather, I believe it was his abrasive personality, which he doled out to friend and foe alike. The late composer, Rudolph G Kopp [whose music for the DeMille films, "Sign of the Cross", "Cleopatra" [1935], and "The Crusades" is highly regarded] told me that Herrmann was the most unpleasant man he ever met [the two crossed paths a M-G-M].

[@jslasher1]

I doubt if it was anti-Semitism, as 'Benny' did not embrace his Jewish roots. He once told Dr Rozsa, his esteemed colleague, that he was Jewish in name only. I think Herrmann's abrasive personality was the reason he was generally disliked by his colleagues.