Well then, this is new...
INTRODUCTION
So I am an insane fan of Bernard Herrmann. I will watch a crap film just to hear one of his scores, and I can be sucked into a brilliant film even deeper through his brilliant sense of "musical psychology," an odd term I'll use to describe how Herrmann suggested ideas and spun narratives solely through the power of the film score. And to celebrate the legend's birthday, I thought we would tackle the big score of Herrmann's iconic collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock, Vertigo. I call this one the biggie as, while Psycho definitely is a masterpiece in and of itself, Vertigo is one of the most complex and highly regarded film scores ever. And, it serves as just one of the great elements of the twisted tale of obsession woven in such a way as to create one of the most highly regarded films of all time.
The man of the hour, American composer Bernard Herrmann
BACKGROUND
First, I believe setting the stage might help a little regarding this score. First is the story. Vertigo is the 1958 mystery-romance film that tells the tale of the tormented Scottie Ferguson, a man who retired from detective work after the fateful death of an officer, and is asked to keep an eye on the wife of a college friend, who may be mentally unstable due to her belief that she is possessed by an old relative. This film was the fourth cinematic collaboration between Hitch and Herrmann, with the first being the 1955 black comedy The Trouble with Harry. So Herrmann and Hitch had a rather solid working relationship by this point. But this film was particularly apt for Herrmann to write for as this was one of Hitchcock's experiments in "pure cinema," the concept of allowing for the predominant means of storytelling to be visual rather than dialogue-based. This meant that the only way to sustain an audience would have to be through every visual element on screen, and the score that sits beneath the film. But on a side note, this score would be one of the most uncomfortable experiences anyone could be afforded. Due to an American musician strike, recording was moved to London with the magnificent conductor Muir Mathieson at podium. But then, a London musician strike forced the rest of recording into Vienna, where the recording equipment was all monaural, as opposed to the stereo recording equipment in London. And now, with that, let's talk music. And as a quick preface, I will be using the cue names of each piece off of Varese Sarabande's fantastic release of the original recording.
THE SCORE
The music for Vertigo is, as previously mentioned, complex. Herrmann practically tells the story through the score. This is first indicated with the opening, hypnotic figure at the outset of the "Prelude" that becomes the tumultuous string motif heard in "Rooftop" and forever becoming associated with the frantic, and often doomed, pursuits of James Stewart's character, Scottie Ferguson. Adding to that is the iconic love theme that is born out of a theme for Madeleine, Kim Novak's first heard in "Madeleine's First Appearance" and a tragic five-note figure introduced prominently in "The Nightmare." And the rest are small cells, a habanera rhythm for the Latin origins of "Carlotta," a dense chord and wild harp glissandis to depict Scottie's vertigo, alongside dozens of motifs that craft the tailing of Madeleine by Scottie.
The one thing that I love about the score is all of the layers to it. In terms of orchestration, Herrmann combines a traditional orchestral setup with instruments such as an organ and celesta. This all creates a rich orchestral environment most mystery films weren't usually afforded. Combined with the wide array of thematic material, it creates a large portrait that is grand yet introspective.
There is also a certain element to performance that helps the film. As discussed by Howard Goodall in Twentieth Century Greats, the vibrato present in the strings on cues like "Scene D'Amour" creates a sort of an iconic style of romance, yet the nature of vibrato brings a sort of false and rather forced sense of romance when typically employed by the likes of Max Steiner. So that technique would seem to be a perfect fit for a man trying to recreate that initial impression, essentially giving off the perception that all's well when it isn't.
Another fantastic element to Herrmann's work is its lack of resolution. With the depth of the mystery Hitchcock developed, the only direction anyone could go is down, deeper into the tale. And through the characteristic employment of the ostinato cell fragment, a small motif repeated ad nauseam, Herrmann creates a sort of vortex that keeps sucking you in. Adding to that is the nature of
Herrmann's harmonics, also lacking in resolution. A great deal of discomfort can be created by Herrmann in cues like "The Forest" that help to add to the action on screen, and the attempts to get to the bottom of Madeleine's troubles. This all aids in enhancing the depth of the mystery, but it also adds to the element of obsession. As Scottie progresses through the film, that five-note figure is present in essentially every cue after Scottie (SPOILER ALERT) loses Madeleine at the Mission. That loss and obsession over Madeleine is manifested in that figure right up to the climatic and gorgeous "Scene D'Amour" which combines that motif of loss with the theme of Madeleine, ultimately restoring that image Scottie had before he lost Madeleine. And this is all me scratching the surface. I really feel as though I am just rambling about all of the wonderful details of this work, so let me conclude with a bit of a big picture.
CONCLUSION
So, what is the bigger picture? Quite simply put, this is one of the great revolutionary works of film music, from a man who could keep reinventing the wheel for ages. Not just are repetition and harmonics used to help to develop the concepts of obsession and mystery, as does the orchestration helps to develop the landscape of the film's emotions and mentality, but in all honesty, there simply has never been a score quite like this. It is all such a unique experience that works with the film and elevates it like few composers could have. But with that, I'm going to just stop everything and ask you to just have a listen. My words will not do it justice, but I will say, it is just as effective as it was back in 1958. So do enjoy and Happy Birthday, Bernard Herrmann!
Vertigo Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spx0NthRoVc
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