"There they are...THERE THEY ARE!!!" ------------------------
Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861)
O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel; That mourns in lonely exile here, Until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.
(and adapated somewhat from these later passages...)
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan's tyranny; From depths of hell Thy people save, And give them victory o'er the grave. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer, Our Spirits by Thine Advent here;; Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death's dark shadows put to flight. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O come, thou Lord of Might Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height, In ancient times didst give the law, In cloud, and majesty, and awe. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.
I thought it was the first score I had heard from Eidelman when he appeared on the film scoring scene back in the day and to me it was grand and wonderful. To this day it is my favorite of all of his work. His STAR TREK VI which actually came a year before COLUMBUS is probably my least favorite of all of the Original Cast STAR TREK Feature Scores.
I also remember his MAGDALENE score which actually dates back to 1989 and recall that a part of it sounded very much like music from a Elmer Bernstein Score. Perhaps THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. My memory fails me these days, but I seem to remember this.
I was lucky to meet Maestro Eidelman at a Film Music concert at the Music Center sometime in the 90's where he was there in the audience to also enjoy the concert. He was sitting very close to me either in the row ahead or behind. Can't remember who was performing (Bill Conti, or perhaps Goldsmith was even on the program) but I recognized him and told him I enjoyed his music very much. He was quite appreciative and nice. I also remember heading to Seattle on an Amtrak Train to visit cousins and I somehow started talking to nice man in the observation car. The man turned out to be Cliff Eidelman's Uncle. I believe his name was Joe making him Uncle Joe and he told me he was heading to Seattle to see Cliff record/conduct a project with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. I told him I was a big movie music fan and that I loved his nephew's score from COLUMBUS. I think Cliff had an ongoing relationship with the Seattle Symphony back in those days. His Uncle was very nice as well. You never know who you are going to meet. Now I want to find my CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS and MAGDALENE CD's and give them a listen.
Just listened to Eidelman's "Orchestral Suite" from THE LIZZIE MCGUIRE MOVIE on youtube and am amazed how really quite beautiful it is. Never would have thought to listen to that title. The final part of the suite starting at 4:58 is just superb! Check it out!
That's great news about the Second Symphony, Yavar...thanks for the heads up. I like his previous classical release*, with the LSO (and released on CD too!!). *Symphony for Orchestra & 2 pianos
Don't forget its companion piece on the disc (available in a separate "album" digitally I believe): Night at the Louvre! I think I might like it even more than the symphony! Alas, it appears the CD edition is OOP now but there's one affordable used copy at Amazon right now for anyone who missed it: https://www.amazon.com/Eidelman-Symphony-Orchestra-Pianos-Gallery/dp/B07M5HVYTW/
Hopefully this RSNO one will get a CD issue as well. I've been replaying a lot of my old Cliff Eidelman CD's this past week or so. Some lovely stuff in there (even some of those rom-com ones that could be mistaken for Rachel Portman).
Now and Then and A Simple Twist of Fate are my two favorites, I think. Neither is a rom-com though! I share your hope for a CD edition of his second symphony.
Glad more people can discover this great score now!
So the actual melody isn't wholly written by Eidelman, but is derived from an old hymn with those lyrics?
Yup.
Nope! Sorry but I've got to correct the record on this one. The title and lyrics are for the familiar pre-existing Christmas hymn, but the melody Eidelman gives them in the score is 100% original! I was pretty certain about this already but to be absolutely sure I inquired with the composer himself, and he replied to me: "You are correct. The melody is original and the text was pre existing. In fact the melody is a variation of the "The Great Sea" and also serves as a violin counter melody in the end credits suite. I fortunately had total freedom to write all original music for Columbus. Please feel free to set the record straight. I really appreciate you bringing this to my attention."
Additionally, he wrote: "I so much appreciate you thoughts on Columbus. That was a huge score and perhaps one day the entire score can be released. The orchestra was "The Seattle Symphony Orchestra" and they were an outstanding orchestra. Since there would be no re use fees it seems possible to me. I will look at the masters and see what has never been released. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate it. BTW I am putting the finishes on my Symphony II in 4 movements and I look forward to releasing it. It runs over 30 minutes."
I guess we should just cross our fingers Varese doesn't present an obstacle to a new complete release of the score...
My most played Eidelman music is his powerful 16-minute tone poem "THE TEMPEST", It's on the Varese album of Shakespeare film scores and concert works Eidelman conducted with the RSNO, featuring music by Rozsa, Walton, North, Rota, Doyle and others. Very good album of its type, released under the title "Romeo and Juliet". Amazon usually has copies listed for just seven or eight dollars.
Appreciate the 'clear-up' Yavar. I've always thought the COLUMBUS theme shared a similarity with his LEAP OF FAITH melody, so it's good to know it's 100% Cliff Eidelman in its origin. And yes, NIGHT IN THE GALLERY is a might fine piece too. As is that TEMPEST piece on the Varese/Shakespeare compilation.
I’d order an expanded CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS instantly. I don’t know if there is enough interest to make it a successful release but I’d sure love it. Considering it’s a Salkind production I wonder if that would present any additional challenges.
My most played Eidelman music is his powerful 16-minute tone poem "THE TEMPEST", It's on the Varese album of Shakespeare film scores and concert works Eidelman conducted with the RSNO, featuring music by Rozsa, Walton, North, Rota, Doyle and others. Very good album of its type, released under the title "Romeo and Juliet". Amazon usually has copies listed for just seven or eight dollars.
A great collection of scores written for film, theater, and ballet! And I agree with you that Eidelman's The Tempest concert work is some of his best stuff. I spoke with him about it several years ago, and he had a lot of interesting behind the scenes info to share about it: https://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/827526-odyssey-interviews-cliff-eidelman
You can add my recommendation to several that already exist for the Romeo and Juliet record. It's a pretty nifty and well-performed collection, including some Alex North stage pieces.
Since they were only mentioned in passing, I want to point out that his scores for Untamed Heart and A Simple Twist of Fate are both really beautiful, and well worth checking out for those who like the more melodic side of Eidelman.
There's no shame in quoting a old melody, everyone does it. 
