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Really? I only thought it was the rendition of Händel's "Hallelujah Chorus", which - by the way - is rather poor and skimpy.
Resequencing the score is more complicated than one might think. For example CD1, Track 2 opens with a simplified version of the Three Kings theme that appears in the film and replaces the original version heard on CD2, tracks 2 and 3. Director George Stevens, who disliked the more oriental sounding version that appears on CD2, demanded this substitution (among others) near the end of production, and Ken Darby was forced to oblige. Darby conducted CD1, as Newman had become physically very ill by this time.
The film opens with an Overture that consists of the final minute of “Come Unto Me” (Rykodisc CD1 track 4) followed by the Main Title (CD1 track 1), that Darby recorded specifically for the phonograph album, replacing Newman’s original version (CD2 Track 1). Since the soundtrack album was rushed into production in time for the film’s premiere, George Stevens must have made these substitutions soon after. The Main Title credits are so small that they require the use of a zoom feature on the DVD remote. They open with a “Program” of the movie highlights:
OVERTURE: "Meditation" [presumably the “Come Unto Me” excerpt], “Jesus of Nazareth”
ACT I: “A Prophecy,” “A Voice in the Wilderness,” “Come Unto Me,” “The Great Journey,” “A Time of Wonders” [presumably the Lazarus finale]
ACT II: “A New Commandment,” “The Hour Has Come,” “The Triumph of the Spirit”
These of course are the titles given (dictated would be more accurate) by Stevens to the selections that Darby had recorded for the United Artists album (all except “Jesus of Nazareth” and “The Great Journey,” which were Newman’s original titles).
The music that Stevens labeled "Come Unto Me" for the LP appeared in Newman's original score as the first 1:18 of "Who Do Men Say That I Am?" (CD2, track 12), with a different ending (actually a transition). Likewise "The Hour Has Come" (CD1, track 9) is actually "Jesus And His Mother" (CD2, track 13) in the original score. "A Prophecy" (CD1, track 2) contains the revised Three Kings theme that Darby jokingly named "We Three Kings from Orient are NOT"; the original more oriental sounding version to which Stevens objected appears in "The Three Kings" and again at the beginning of "The Nativity" (CD2 tracks 2c and 3a). The last half of "The Prophecy" can be found relatively intact in the original score in "The Nativity" (CD2 track 3b).
On the Rykodisc set, there is one substitution that actually went in the opposite direction! The first minute or so of "Triumphant Return to Capernaum" (CD2, track 11b) on Darby's original 1/4-inch two-track tape was hopelessly damaged (a beautiful variation of the "Christ the Lord [Adonai]" processional that can still be heard on the DVD). Whoever did the splendidly seamless editing of Darby's material on CD2 and CD3 (Lukas Kendall?) inserted a portion of "The Great Journey" (CD1 track 5, from 0:11 to 1:53) as a replacement for the damaged material (CD2 track 10 from 3:24 to 5:06). The ingenious insertion is absolutely natural and near-undetectable.
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Posted: |
Aug 18, 2004 - 1:02 PM
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By: |
Ray Faiola
(Member)
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Whoever did the splendidly seamless editing of Darby's material on CD2 and CD3 (Lukas Kendall?) inserted a portion of "The Great Journey" (CD1 track 5, from 0:11 to 1:53) as a replacement for the damaged material (CD2 track 10 from 3:24 to 5:06). The ingenious insertion is absolutely natural and near-undetectable.
Thank you, George. Though I had requested my name be removed from the project because of a dispute over audio processing, the assembly of discs 2 and 3 was, in fact, done by yours truly.
The folks at RYKO and MGM felt that I had done a bit too much noise reduction on the Darby tracks. I explained that everything that was extracted was extraneous noise picked up in subsequent generational dubs of the tracks. I felt that the excessive hiss hurt the quiet and serene tone of much of the music. I thus suggested that Ryko's technician do NR after I did my repairs and assembly. But the finished product was not what I envisioned. For the record, there were no ill feelings - it was merely a professional disagreement and it was a mistake on my part to refuse specific credit (Of course, I accepted the $$$!!). Also, in revisiting the CD's, I find the final audio more acceptable than was my original reaction. Lesson - take a step back, look and listen before you leap!
8/18 3:04pm I've amended the above message since, in reviewing correspondence, I was reminded that Ryko did NR on my assembled masters and not on the raw tracks.
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Folks, you've got all the expert gen on this release ... I'm sort of confused. I thought that the Rykodisc 1 was from the original LP material and the other two clearly the OST stuff that wasn't represented there. For example, the Palm Sunday sequence, 'There Shall Come a Time to Enter' isn't represented on discs 2 or 3, since it's on disc 1.
I don't have the DVD and I just can't find my video copy, but is it not that some segments were repeated ...? For example, there is no reference to any Last Supper music on Disc 3, which I'd have taken to be 'A New Commandment' or 'The Hour has Come'. That's the suggestion of the LP programme sequencing anyway. Was this a re-programming? The 'Time of Wonders' piece on the LP/Disc 1 is to my recollection the music that accompanies Christ's exposure to the crowd at Capernaum, after healing Sal Mineo in the synagogue. It appears in the Ryko trailer additional material.
I'd also love to know what happened to the wonderful Inbal Dance music from the Herodian court scenes and the eerie 'other worldly' choral chords that appear at key moments ... as well as the Lazarus' Tomb wailing cues?
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>>Looks as if George Komar needs to do a full analysis of this score, like the great program notes he did for KING OF KINGS in the Rozsa Society's "Pro Musica Sana."<<
I don't think a full analysis is possible at this late stage. The only person competent enough to do this would have been Mr. Darby, and he left behind his book "Hollywood Holyland" as a testament to Newman's vision of the score.
>>For example, the Palm Sunday sequence, 'There Shall Come a Time to Enter' isn't represented on discs 2 or 3, since it's on disc 1.<<
That’s a mystery I can’t answer. Perhaps Darby felt that what he rerecorded for the LP album was a better representation of Newman’s original intention, and decided not to include the film version on his archival tape. The Psalm 136 intro is a rerecorded abbreviation of what appears in the film.
>>For example, there is no reference to any Last Supper music on Disc 3, which I'd have taken to be 'A New Commandment' or 'The Hour has Come'. That's the suggestion of the LP programme sequencing anyway. Was this a re-programming?<<
George Stevens had a habit of taking music intended for one scene and transplanting it into another. Only Darby would know what originally went where.
>>The 'Time of Wonders' piece on the LP/Disc 1 is to my recollection the music that accompanies Christ's exposure to the crowd at Capernaum, after healing Sal Mineo in the synagogue. It appears in the Ryko trailer additional material.<<
Same answer, William. Since Stevens had complete control over the release of the LP album – including track titles -- and had replaced Newman’s Lazarus Hallelujah Chorus in the film, he probably intended to close Side 1 of the LP (paralleling the end of Act I in the film) with a track titled “A Time of Wonders” even though that music has nothing to do with the Lazarus sequence.
>>I'd also love to know what happened to the wonderful Inbal Dance music from the Herodian court scenes and the eerie 'other worldly' choral chords that appear at key moments ... as well as the Lazarus' Tomb wailing cues?<<
Darby discusses his recording of the wailing cues (with its unique echoing canyon effect) in his book. Why he chose not to preserve it on his archival tape, I don’t know, except that it wasn’t part of Newman’s work, and that the tape was originally made by Darby to present to Newman as a birthday gift. It was from this original tape (which, I suppose, the Newman estate still has) that Darby claims he made a personal copy for his own archives. Perhaps Ray can shed some light on this. Was the Rykodisc mastered from Newman’s original tape or Darby’s copy of it? I’ve always presumed it was the latter.
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Those recordings are, of course, long gone.
Those recordings are, of course, long gone.
[...canyon echo...]
...the saddest words ever told!
Ray, Darby in his book claims that "...with the time left over [from mastering the LP] on Sunday, I had them make a quarter-inch stereo two-track tape of the entire score, omitting only the music of Verdi and Handel. I planned to make a copy for myself and present the original to Pappy on his birthday, March 17th."" (p. 232)
We're the 15 ips tapes at Brigham Young quarter-inch tapes?
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Posted: |
Aug 18, 2004 - 4:55 PM
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By: |
Ray Faiola
(Member)
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In digging through my correspondence on this project, I also found my notes that I sent to Lukas so that he could publish the programming key:
********************
Here is a brief analysis of the prepared UA Records cues as well as a CD "programming key" for THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD.
Disc One (UA Records LP Reissue) - Original cue titles
1. "Main Title" - Adaptation, with introduction in different key.
2. Adaptation of "The Magi Reach Bethlehem" and "The Nativity"
3. "Ophal Quarters" and "John The Baptist - Revised" essentially the combined cues as they appear in the film. The original "John The Baptist" was the acapella Hosanna which appears on the first supplemental disc.
4. Adaptation of "Who Do Men Say That I Am?"
5. Adaptation of "Triumphant Return to Capernaum", featuring the first and third portions of the cue. The supplemental disc version features the first, third (though abridged) and fourth sections of the cue.
6. "Cure Me Master" essentially as written for the film, but longer than the dialed-in cue which appears in the final print.
7. Adaptation of "Psalm 136" (a chant which follows the entr'acte as the disciples pray and Judas begins to have doubts about Jesus) and "Palm Sunday Hosanna" (which accompanies Jesus as he rides astride a mule to the gates of the city).
8. "The Last Supper" essentially as it appears in the film, where Jesus passes the cup among the disciples.
9. An adaptation of "Jesus and His Mother", which, of course is from the first act of the picture.
10. This is an adaptation of "Via Dolorosa" and "The Crucifixion". While the cues are condensed, the first 1:46 was not part of the "Via Dolorosa" that survived in the Darby collection. Based on the original conductor part cue listings, and the nature of the music, it is possible it was composed and added after the preview.
11. Handel's "Messiah", which appears in the film in place of Newman's original Resurrection music.
The supplemental discs feature Newman's original music in proper sequence and with original cue titles.
While legal restrictions (as well as fidelity variables) prohibited Ryko from mixing album tracks with original tracks, The following CD programming key will aid the adventurous listener in hearing Newman's score in sequence, with only an occasional repeat of material due to composite cues prepared for the UA album.
ACT I
DISC/TRACK
2 / 1
2 / 2
2 / 3
2 / 4
1 / 3
2 / 7
2 / 8
2 / 9
2 / 10
2 / 11
1 / 6
2 / 12
2 / 13
2 / 14
2 / 15
2 / 16
ACT II
DISC/TRACK
3 / 1
1 / 7
3 / 2
1 / 8
3 / 3
3 / 4
3 / 5
1 / 10
3 / 6
3 / 7
Ray Faiola
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