A saw – at the cutting edge of musical performance
Edward Johnson writes… I have another suggestion for the Column!
How about a selection of movie clips from YouTube where there is no dialogue but just some first-class music on the soundtrack. Here are a couple of examples.
In Hobson’s Choice (1954) Charles Laughton plays a boozy Victorian boot-maker who staggers out of the local pub late one night, suitably inebriated, and spies a reflection of the moon in the puddles of the Salford street outside. His attempts to stamp it out are accompanied by a delightful score by Malcolm Arnold which incorporates a musical saw to great effect …
In Taras Bulba (1962) Yul Brynner summons hordes of Cossacks in what is called ‘The Ride to Dubno’ where hundreds of galloping horsemen are accompanied by a terrific Franz Waxman score …
This music was also performed at a John Wilson Prom in 2013 and a first-class performance it was too, with the lady piccolo players having their work cut out! …