Musical instruments used in horror films

[Caine]

I remember seeing something on TV donkeys years ago, it may have been something like Blue Peter where they showed strange instruments used to create eerie sounds.



I'm almost sure there was a weird looking thing with tubes & a violin bow & a drum of water may have been involved.



But then I was.... very.....very drunk!





Anyone have a clue?

[rbrooks2008]

That wasn't Fay Presto with a kitchen sink and garden hose was it? She/He was scary to me even as a child.



If not then the Theremin was used a lot in the older horror films but let's not forget The Beach Boys 'Good Vibrations'.



[ame=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cd4jvtAr8JM]YouTube - Theremin Lesson One[/ame]



For me the Ondes Martenot just beats it because it has can have an optional beater sound unit, like someone hitting spoons very fast mixed with the sliding whistle sound. That turns up in The Quiller Memorandum theme at the start when the guy is walking along the street and is introduced at 1:00 in the video below.



[ame=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LZSEGZ66_O8]YouTube - The Quiller Memorandum (1966)[/ame]

[Steve Crook]

name='rbrooks2008']That wasn't Fay Presto with a kitchen sink and garden hose was it? She/He was scary to me even as a child.

Fay's a great magician, she does some great close up work - if you let her get close to you

If not then the Theremin was used a lot in the older horror films but let's not forget The Beach Boys 'Good Vibrations'.



For me the Ondes Martenot just beats it because it has can have an optional beater sound unit, like someone hitting spoons very fast mixed with the sliding whistle sound. That turns up in The Quiller Memorandum theme at the start when the guy is walking along the street and is introduced at 1:00 in the video below.

I saw an Ondes Martenot in use when they did Great British Film Music at the Proms last year and that included the first public performance of the ballet music from The Red Shoes with full orchestra. See Brian Easdale at the Proms



It was only at the beginning of June that the BBC realised that they didn't have the score so, with the help of the Easdale family, especially Will, we were able to get that to them. But they also managed to get all the parts sorted out and the orchestra rehearsed, and to find an Ondes Martenot - and someone to play it!



The Ondes Martenot was played by Cynthia Millar who has studied it for some time. She has also composed quite a bit of film music herself. She has nothing to do for the first part as the girl jumps into the shoes, through the fairground and the first trip down the long corridor. Then, as she realises it's all going wrong the Ondes Martenot comes in with some almost sub-sonic bass notes that add a very worrying air to the piece and then, as she imagines that the shoemaker is Lermontov and then Julian, there's a lovely electronic glissando as the player runs her hand up the keyboard. But I was surprised to see that she then does quite a lot of work for the rest of the piece as well. I always wondered exactly what part it played in the music. I just knew it had to be in there. It's got a great range, much wider than a piano. The range and various other things are controlled with the left hand, the right hand playing on the keyboard.



As they then got to the part where the girl is back in the ballroom and splits into three to be lifted and become a bird and a flower, they showed a short clip of that part of the film, and they synchronised it just about perfectly. It was wonderful to witness, and to be there with the composer's widow and family made it even more special. By the end, thinking about how long it was since it had been played as it was meant to be, I was getting a bit choked up



Steve

[Dame Starry]

name='rbrooks2008']That wasn't Fay Presto with a kitchen sink and garden hose was it? She/He was scary to me even as a child.

No - that was an older lady (possibly another transexual); I can't seem to find her on the Internet at the moment.

She was very well known for her talent - except nobody seems to be able to remember her name!



Fay Presto is a transexual magician and IIRC, she had great difficulty getting into The Magic Circle after her 'op'.

Sadly, for me, all the 'close-ups' are ruined by her big hands and she still talks like a man.



DS x.

[Caine]

name='rbrooks2008']That wasn't Fay Presto with a kitchen sink and garden hose was it? She/He was scary to me even as a child.



If not then the Theremin was used a lot in the older horror films but let's not forget The Beach Boys 'Good Vibrations'.



YouTube - Theremin Lesson One



For me the Ondes Martenot just beats it because it has can have an optional beater sound unit, like someone hitting spoons very fast mixed with the sliding whistle sound. That turns up in The Quiller Memorandum theme at the start when the guy is walking along the street and is introduced at 1:00 in the video below.



YouTube - The Quiller Memorandum (1966)

I've GOT to get one of those!

[smudge]

IIRC there will be an Ondes Martenot at the Barry Gray tribute concert this weekend at the South Bank (RFH??)....



Barry G was quite a pioneer in electronic scoring for films and TV.



Smudge

[Steve Crook]

name='Dame Starry']No - that was an older lady (possibly another transexual); I can't seem to find her on the Internet at the moment.

She was very well known for her talent - except nobody seems to be able to remember her name!



Fay Presto is a transexual magician and IIRC, she had great difficulty getting into The Magic Circle after her 'op'.

Sadly, for me, all the 'close-ups' are ruined by her big hands and she still talks like a man.



DS x.

Big hands can be useful for palming coins and cards

She wasn't treated very well by the Magic Circle but she still makes a living at it.



Check her web site



Steve

[rbrooks2008]

ROFL! I love the cartoon at the bottom of this link. They've got it about right what with all the add-ons you can get for it.



Thomas Bloch - Ondes Martenot



I love this Khachaturian piece (Piano Concerto Mov.II) with the Ondes Martenot doing its thing from 2.34 [ame=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tRG5gEGgGJE]YouTube - Khachaturian's Piano Concerto Mov.II (3/4)[/ame]



All you need now is to back it up with a quicka! Just kidding. Just think Baretta or Angels, the early hospital drama and the weird sound like someone rubbing their fingers over a balloon.

[Caine]

name='rbrooks2008']ROFL! I love the cartoon at the bottom of this link. They've got it about right what with all the add-ons you can get for it.



Thomas Bloch - Ondes Martenot



I love this Khachaturian piece (Piano Concerto Mov.II) with the Ondes Martenot doing its thing from 2.34 YouTube - Khachaturian's Piano Concerto Mov.II (3/4)



All you need now is to back it up with a quicka! Just kidding. Just think Baretta or Angels, the early hospital drama and the weird sound like someone rubbing their fingers over a balloon.

Britmovie has got to be the most informative site on the web & brilliant knowledgeable members, fantastic!



Rbrooks that's a great link I love the glass harmonica & the cristal baschet nice foxy French presenter too!



Cheers guys

Caine

[Bernardo]

Delia Derbyshire, producer of Doctor Who theme music, has legacy restored - Times Online



The above link is worth a visit if you are interested in this genre of music.

[rbrooks2008]

name='Bernardo']Delia Derbyshire, producer of Doctor Who theme music, has legacy restored - Times Online



The above link is worth a visit if you are interested in this genre of music.

Great! Thanks for that.



I stopped short of Musique Concrete and just visited the 'BRITISH!' EMS shop on Putney Bridge Road where the AKS and VCS3 were demonstrated. The VCS3 got me onto that slippery slope. Heard initially at 0.26 and 2.03 and seen at 0.34 then throughout in places [ame="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=U2c2nvdQewM"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=U2c2nvdQewM[/ame]





For some reason the Synthi 100 video clip in YouTube does not work here even though embedding has not been disabled. Just do a search in YouTube on "Synthi 100"

[ollie]

A cool thing used in horror films sometimes is the edge of a cymbal played with a violin bow,recorded then reversed, many soft synths and vst instruments have this sound file now , very eiree sound, not so much horror films but a lot of the spy films,especially john barry scored ones used the instrument called the cybalum,sounds like a piano strings hit with a hammer which it obstensively is