In the realm of music for films the score for the recent Walt Disney production of NATURE'S HALF ACRE is outstanding end it has been my pleasant duty to pry out of Paul Smith, the composer, the following notes on the score, I say "pry" advisedly because he is both modest and much inclined to talk of other things, t According to Mr, Smith, the picture itself is unusual and presented many opportunities for equally unusual music treatment as well as numerous challenges to musical ingemuity. As you may have read elsewhere, the film was made up of footage from many different sources. The feat of putting this together in comprehensible form is a secret known only to the producer and editors who worked on the picture. With scenes from here and there, however, a nice dramatic, cyclic story was plamed with emphasis through the re-iteration of the Spring-time Theme. The story being Mature's own, has both conflict and humor, and all these things are essentials for the composer.
I well realize that many of the things which will be pointed out here will be "old hat" to professional motion-picture musicians, but it occurs to me that they might he most interesting to students and begimmers in the field. Mr, Smith"s purpose was to keep the score as melodic as possible. The basic theme fex:1) pervaded most of the picture -a simple three-note theme adaptable, with various harmonic and/or orchestral treatments, to dramatic, action or mood music. Example 2 shows how these three notes acted as a as a bridge to the presentation of i same theme (0%x,3) in a mow dress, insect activity. Autumn employs the From here on I quote Mr, Smith: "In the spring ballet I had a gey springtime waltz, complete in itself, to which the picture was cut. A cedar-waxwing bouncing on a branch of blossoms set the scene and since the bird bounced in an increasing tempo, the music picked up with him,
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