Steve Crook

I thought that Austria only gave us the cuckoo clock, or was that Switzerland?
(actually that came from Germany in the Black Forest)

The walking tour sounds like fun, especially if it's after dark and the steam is coming up from the sewers (you could do it again in daylight)

Steve

Ljelja

Actually, zither is originally played in and around the Alps, mainly German speaking corners, not so Italian or French. Of course, Mediterranean countries have its string instruments which could be called a version of zither. But then again, it could be applied vice versa as well. But no, zither is originally an Alpine specificity.

Regarding the melody itself, except that it was composed by the indigenous Viennese busker, I cannot tell much. But, there is one curiosity. Karas stayed in London with Reed while composing the score. It was quite strenuous for him, working a fast paced tempo. Plus feeling a bit homesick. The final film was packed with music, but the theme that eventually became best seller (The Harry Lime theme) was written by Karas some 15 or 20 years prior to the rest of "The Third Man" score. It was a simple piece he used to play very often while busking. So he slipped it into the score. Obviously, the most simple melodies easily catch our ears.

Ljelja

Gee, for all of ye sewer fetishists, I have to disclose some bad news. The official Third Man Tour web site announces in flashing, red letters: Our Tour is no Sewer Tour! There is NO sewer tour in Vienna!

And there you have the counter-measure for Mr. Reed's reducing Arian merits to a mere cuckoo clock. Phew...

:

Steve Crook

I didn't necessarily want to go down into the sewers, that was mainly all in the studio anyway. But I'd like to see the atmospheric steam rising from them

Steve

Steve Crook

Wikipedia says that Karas wrote the theme based on a melody in a practice book.

All together now "Da-dinka, dinka ding, da-ding"

Steve

ChristineCB

SO wonderful, Steve! Thanks. I try to play it but I end up wishing for two more hands.

John Llewellyn Moxey

I do believe that Oswald Haferichter ( spelling?) the editor of thr Third Man, and a friend of mine; heard him play at a cafe..Took carol Reed to hear him, and that's how it all started.

John Llwewllyn

ChristineCB

John, this is my understanding as well. I believe this story even achieved "Sweater-Girl at Schwabbs Pharmacy" status in the composer community.

My hubby thinks his days of pink mohair v-necks and loudly slurping ice-cream sodas over his zither are a thing of the past. I kept telling him, "Don't wear the purple pumps! Try the pink ones - just once!"

At least it got him out of the French upstairs-maid uniform... darn...

John Llewellyn Moxey

I am told you can never go wrong in pink. However I find it hard to believe!
MAIDS UNIFORM!! ( Thump)

John Llewellyn

Ljelja

Yep! That's what they say at Wikipedia as well.

ChristineCB

I sometimes wonder if this music would have been so memorably distinctive if the film had been terrible. But I can think of unfavorite films with memorable music, but I suspect everyone remembers the sound of a dental drill, too.

Still, Karas' zither is such an integral part to this film.

Marky B

Berneard Herrman's music for Psycho was the best thing about the film.
Ta Ta
Marky B

I am special. The heavens always open for me.

ChristineCB

Marky, I disagree because I like PSYCHO.

To me, the only memorable, scene-recalling music is the Shower Scene nails-on-blackboard music. But when I hear this without any video, I can't recall if it's the PSYCHO Shower Scene bit, James Stewart's "struggling-up-staircase in VERTIGO" music, or if it's Raymond Burr's final charge against poor crippled Jimmy in REAR WINDOW (poor Jimmy - stuck the whole film with a girlfriend like Grace Kelly - poooor Jimmy).

When I hear other Herrmann music from Hitchcock films, I recall it but it's not linked to its films the way Karas' music is to THIRD MAN.

The use of "Waltzing Matilda" in ON THE BEACH matches THIRD MAN, however. In both of these films - unlike the Hitchcock/Herrmann works - there is essentially only one tune being played - sometimes at different tempos or different segment, but it's basically a single tune.

Herrmann's scores have a variety of music - which fit well into different scenes, but I think this is why I don't relate any one bit of Herrmann music to any one film - not immediately, that is.

At the same time, HAROLD AND MAUDE uses different music on different scenes, but those are songs, not exactly 'mood music only' so the words can tie themselves into my peabrain memory.

Marky B

We'll have to agree to disagree on Psycho,but I do like the rest of what you have written.
Ta Ta
Marky B

I am special. The heavens always open for me.

ChristineCB

The other question I have - about my noticing music, or whether music becomes "memorable" or the concept of "associated to a single movie" - does this have to do with the number of times I've seen the film?

I don't know. HAROLD AND MAUDE, ON THE BEACH, THIRD MAN. Those are oft-watched films.

But they also don't entice me to watch another film 'of their kind'. Because, frankly, there's few films like them. HAROLD & MAUDE has Bud Cort's other fun "Brewster McCloud". ON THE BEACH has a lot of other End-Of-World types, but nothing quite compares to it - maybe DR STRANGELOVE but on a whole different level. And THIRD MAN? There's nothing like it.

But when it comes to Hitchcock films, when the mood hits, I can run thru Psycho, Frenzy, and several others. Maybe so much of that is Herrmann music that I don't bother separating it or studying it.

And maybe it's also because Herrmann isn't scoring "songs".

What's the only Hitchcock film with a "song" in it?

Doris Day's QUE SERA SERA from MAN WHO KNEW? I think so.

Maybe that's why I don't associate any specific Herrmann piece except for the Shower Scene music, and even then, my first reactions are "Warning! Warning!"