StravinskyandMGM

WilliamH. Rosar

Therearc a numberof anc.dotesaboul Slravinsky'sflirtations witr

writing music for films and his nobriously unproductivencgoltalions
with movieproducers, bu! 1odateno systcmatic attemptbasbcenmade
ro documenttheir faclual basis wiih evidcnce from sourccsolher lhan
Siravinskyhimseli Allhough having circulaledin vmious vcrsionsfor
decadcslhrough the vast communicalions network of Hollywood
gossip,most of theseanecdotescan ullimately bc tracedback to
Slravinskyhimselfandhavebeenchronicledin the bookshe wrotein
collabontion wifi Robcrt Craft. Aflcr Stravinsky'sdealh in 1971,
addilionatmalerialabout his interacdonswiih rhc movie industry
appeajedwilh thc publicadonof his lcttors,andailcr the deathof his
wife, publishcdcxcerptsfrom her djarics.l
What follows is a historical account of lho beginning of
Smvinsky'sencounters wi!\ theAmericanfilm industry,occasioned by
his fi.st visit 10 Hollywood in 1935. What follows has been
rcconslructedas much as possible from sourcesin addition to
Slravinsky's own published accounls.
On January3, 1935, Slravinskyand violinist SamuelDushkin
anived in New York from Franceaboardthe Adanlic liner S.t. Rd-t,lo
embarkon a 6ree-monthconcenlouracross$e UnilcdSlatesin which
lhcy were lo mako some thirty concert appcarancesfeaturing
SEavinsky's musiccxclusively.2 In additionto conducting his worksin
New Yo*, Boston.Chicago, Delroit,
and Minncapolis, Slravinsky was
in
also !o conduc!then San Francisco and Los Angeles, his first visi!
ro Califomia.3His coming1oLos Angclcswasa! thcinvitationof Otto
Photographof Shavinsky arroSraPhed!o Herben Sbrhdt (.o!4?r) o/
th. Hetbe Stothan estate).
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lt2 William tl. Rosar
Klemperer,thcn conductorof the Los AngelesPhilharmonic,and was
sponsoredby Morle Armitage, who was a publishe. and Los Angeles
music patron.4During his two-week visit to Los Angeles' Stravinsky
was to be the guestof Dr. Alexis Kall, who latr becamehis personal
socretary.5Stravinskyarrived in Los Angeleson February 17.6"As he
sleppedfrom the lJain, he was geetcd by a delegationof musicians
from the orchestraltho l,os AngelesPhilharmonic]and a goup of local
musiclovers.',
On Fcbruary 21 and 22, Stravinsky was !o conduct fie Los
Angeles Philharmonic in a program featuring suites from his ballets
The Firebird $d Peiouchka at the Philhamonic Audilorium in
downtown Los Angeles.sAl[hough it was announcedthat on February
28 Slravinsky would conductthe orchesEa,rvithDushkin as soloist in
his violin concerio (then new), apparentlyit was not performed,but
instead,Stravinsky accompaniedDushkin at de keyboard in a recital
featuringhis Suite i talienne, Di|ertimento , D uo coicer tant' ald
excerptsfrom Z" Ro.'Ji8taLPetouch*a, a dThe Firebirde
During his slay in $e Movie Capital of ihe world' anangemcnts
were madefor Stravinskyto tour someof dle movie studios;with one
exception,it is not known which studioshe aclually visited The sludio
he is known to havevisiied was Metro-Goldwyn-lvlayerin Culver City,
on Fehuary 25.
Stravinsky's arrival a! the studio musl havebecn an occasionmet
with mixed sendments.Although it seemsreasonableto :lssumethat
anybodyworking in the music world would know of Stravinskyas an
arant-garde composFj,who can say how a studlo music depilrtment
populated largely by Broadway song writers would recoive him? A
photogaph commemorating Strsvinsky's visir to the studio shows
Stravinskyin the companyof the MGM musicdepartmentstaff of song
wntors, llricists, and composers:ud orchesEalors.If one can judge
ftom the expressionson their faces,reaciionsto his presenceappearcal
to rangeftom reverenceto indifference
Stravinsky was givcn a tour of lie music deparEnentfaciliiies by
MGM'S seniorcomposer,HerbeftSlothart,andarrangemen6weremadc
(o rocord Stravinsky making a brief speechfor posterity. (Presumably
dris look place while he was being shown ono of the rccording slags'
where the recordingequipmentwould mosl likely have been located)
AlexanalcrMerovich, a well-known anisfs manager,l0waspresenlwith
S'avinslcJondMGM 113
Stsavinskyand acted as his inEpreter d ring a on-minute speech
which ihe composerdetivercdin German.mnscribedbolow:
STOTHART:I had fte plesue fte other nighr of listenine lo
Pitrcrchkz td rtq f\tsr tn+I hedd it, I meu I herd i! condu.ted
for the fis! 1ine, lhe way I felt it, *a ed to hed i1. I had ihe
privilege of hearing it from thc comloser hinself lt was the
;reatesi drill l've ever had in mv life, Mr' Merovich ud I wdt
iou ro expre.so Mr. SrroriNk] lhe SraLitude thar all of we here
in SouLl'; Calilontit had,lo him tor com'ns to us dd giving u"
this opportunity to hed his music lhe Pay we love !o h.d it. I
wst yon to 4k one or two qucstiom regdding his impressio of
Southem C.lifomia.
MEROVICH: I thank yox, Mt. Slothan Je veux demddd a maitre
Sti.vinsky olment il a aim6 ia C.liforni e! qlelle im?ression
STRAVINSKY: Jerepondres rrmsais, oder im Deutsch?
STOTHART:In Deutsch.
MERO\rICH: Im Deutsch.
STRAVINSKY: Es ist sehr schwer in zwei worter ein grossen
Ein<lrock zu dusprechen. Doch k:me ihnm saget dds ich ein
setu eross Freude haite, nich nu in Amo.ika diese huaus zu
reisd und zu musizieren abd lDch in Califomia diesesLsd ds
ich n@h nich komte, hd! nl ein sehr gro$et Eindrek 8emactu
Ebenso,wie ilie Natur, die Musik utd dd K$terlebd md ich bin
se}ll Froh hid bei lhld-wie sagtmd in Deubch irle ragl?
MEROYICH: Erfdgen a wqdcn.
STRAYINSKY: Erfdsen a werdd, ja" ud ich bin seltr ddftbr
fi'r alle di4e irtersmten S&he tintldiblel eichen.
[EnEI;sh tronslationt h is very difficull to expressa great
impression in merely rwo words. Y! I cd say to vou that nor
only was it a great ple6ue to traaEl and periom music just in
Arndica. but in Catifomit s Pell, a slale of *hich I had not vet
hoM, ed which made a Sreat imPrssion on me, d mprseon
of nanre md of the anisdc life style. I m very Pleaed to be here
sd !o have be$ rcceived by you. I M rery graleful for tI the
intsesting ihings which you {e showing ne l
STOTHART: Thtnk you, sn.
STRAVINSKY: Da*e Yiclmals [Mev fianks].
UNIDENTIFIED: Mr.-Elt Mr. Stavisky *!at in lwo davs we'I
give lim a rsold of ftat so he ce play it on his own Phonograph.
After Stsavinsky relumed to Europe in April, the press thcre was most
curious about his impressions of Hollywood, and in an ltalian
rcwspaper, Stravinsky gave a colorful account of his attempt to meet
L.B. Mayer:
114 Wi iam H. Rosar
This lst seasonI wd in Holypood, a very i desting place. I
visired several film ltudios, each of which is a kind of
principalily, wilh its own bordeF, lrenches, Police, c.mons,
nachine gN, as well 6 i$ ministers for fte vdiols lecbnical ed
dtistic opdado6. At Met o'Goldwyn'Mayq, I sa* foriy s6ldied
composds, rI workiflg from mming io niShi lo produce mDsic.
This way the directds avoid rc ms of nusic ltat already exists
ud do nor luve lo pay royalties to ihe composeG.. . . I wdted
to meet dre head of the compmy, SiSaorMayer, and an inldiee
was drmged. I wd led tltrough a giey conidor lo a grey ioom
crowded wift orhds, waitinS like mysell I remained ihere a long
tine, duing which everyoe talked about Mr. Mdyer, ihough no
one had sef,him ed he Disht have b@ a myih. But at long lat
a door openedad a tittte flu wiih a 1d8e beak appeded,followd
by two liotenets. He approachedme, no<tded.said, "I m a md
like oL\ers, wiih a lot to do," md with rhis, shook my htnd dd
left. At ledt I cd r4tify ihal Mr. Mayd is not a nyih.rz
In rclospecL the way Stravinsky characterized MGM and the other
studios would almost sem to have been intended io appeal to the
fascist, militans[c alrnosphere of Mussolini's Iraly!
Th6re is another story of Stmvinsky visiting Mayor, which
Stravinsll rclared to Mikl6s R6zsa, which must have occured after he
moved to Hollywood in 1940:
In his tusr yeds in Hollywoo4 Sliavinsky badly neded
The early works, registeredin Tsdist RDssia,were nol
prolect d by copyight @d eeaed hin no incone; his i erwd
6mpositio6 were not gready perfomed. Eventueily, huis B.
Mayr {s peAuaded ro oftq hjm Fmploymenr.
'lI hed you de the gieatest @mpos6r in the world," said
Mayd. StiaviNky bowed.
''Well, thir is the grearestrnovie strdio in rhe podd."
Sravi ky bowed again.
To prove his point, Mayer demostraled the battery of
leclnological won<le6he had imtaled in his aomous desk.
"Ho* nuch will you chdge fd a nusic score?" he finally
"How lmg is it?" dked Shavinsky.
"Sdy 45 ninules."
Sn&vicky did a motal catcularioa of the @owt of work
tha! had gone inro Petrushka sid The Rite of Spriry,
conpositioff of the desned ld8th, md said, "$25.000."
"Thafs a lor of money, Mr. stiavisky," said Mayq, "much
more thd we normally pay. BDr since you're the 8i&te!t
StrcvinshtandMGM 115
composer in fte world, you shall iave iL Now, when cd I have
"In about one yed," said StravitrLf.
Mayer slded aI him in disbeliet 'Good day, Mr. Stavisky,"
he said. j
Ir is not unlikely thai Stravinskyprobablyalso felt a certain
amountof animositytowardlbe Americanfilm induslry during his visit
in February 1935,becauscthe previousyear, wamer Bros. release.da
filn using exccrptsfrom his Firebild, and also beanng lho sametide,
for which he suedandrc.eived little compensation.lIn any case,a year
after Stravinsky visiled MGM, Herben Sbthari was quoted as saying
lhat all Stravinsky noededwas "but a spark" lo start him on a film
composingcarecr.As Stothartpui it, "An impressionislicballet,
perhapsa 'Pehouchka'would do it,"t5 as thooghit wasthe geffe of ihe
musicahatwould havebeenStravinsky'sprimary incentive,mther than
financial gain as l}te following quip allibuled to Stravinsky attests:
"Film Music?ThaCsmonkeybusiness, and for monkeybusinessmy
priccis loo hi8h."r6
But perhapseven more imponantthan linancialconcernswere
martersof acslhclics.Only threeyearsbeforehis first visit to Los
Angeles,Stravinskyhad enunciatedviews in Europe which were
complelelyat oddswilh the prevailingFeceplsof film scoringas it
was beingpracticed,wherethe role of musicwas consruedas bcing
subordinaleto llle film asa whole:
Norbeinga pdtisd of Expresionisn" in nusic,I &ink fiat d1e
role of the lat1er is not to cxprc$ th ncding of a piece d lhe
meming of its text, ,or to cre c h "amoslhere" of the
lroduction. One might dk, then, according to wha! Finciple docs
a .ollaboration between the llaying of music od fte acrio! of fie
scene operale? Accoldins to the principlc of irdependence from
e@h olher, this is my iesponse. Each t@e ar1 is necessarily
doclrinaire, losse$ing its own laws that mle md soved n. This
principte applying to all &card, I do nol find a single logical
reson nor Io apply it equally to all cinema.rT
This position,which SEavinskycxpressed in 1932,wasreiteratedand
elaboratedby him h an article fourleen ycars laler, indicating lhat his
acslhclicconvictions did not change in this regard.rsFurthermorc,
SEavinsky's rcjection of the "expression theory of music," alludc'd!o in
his remarksabove,was voice.din 1936 with lhe publicationof his
Chronicle of My Life, where he wrorc: "I considerthat music, by ils
 StavinslqandMGM lt7

very nature,is essentialy powerlessto erprdrr anythingat all, whether

a feeling,an atiitudeof mind,apsychological mood.aphenomenon of
nall]re,etc,, . . Exprcssionhas neverbeen an inhcrcnlpropcrtyof
,f*z--1 5z:#*, / music."lgNo stalemenlcould be morc diamctricallyopposedto the
ez 2<z'/Zj/*-21;z-z'z' philosophyof filn musicl
In any event,if we acceptR6zsa'saccountas being lhe final
rDl i(uuDftl\J\ /r- outcomeof Stravinsky'snegotiations with MGM, lhe composcrand
-
in tou,
A Burfesque {'Qf?'rp the studiowere unableto cometo termswith eachother'srequircmenls,
"c.ntE d..r.r,t_ a situation that was to repeatitself more than once in the future, when
/// Stravinskysubsequently madehis home in the Hollywood hills in
1940.20

NOTES

1Strcrinsk): SelectedCotrespondence , Vols. I-II , editeddnd wi*r

Pase froD fte Kalnus miniatue scde edidm of Pltda.n*d inscribed bv
sr;vinsty 10 Hcrbe s!o!htt,25 Feb(ty 1935 (cowte, oJ the lIelbeft
Stothart estote). IL 1s likely !ha! ihis is lhe volme on ihe desk le.earh
StraviNky's hads in the grolp phoLographrepioducedon Pagc 110
commentaries by Robe$ Craft (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1982,
1984.1985)tDearestRubushkin: Selected LettersandDiariesoJVera
and Igor Strarinslq'. cdilcd by Roberl Crafl (London: Thames and
Hudson,1985).
1'StravinskyHere With New Mnsic," Neb, yorkTima, January4,
1935,p. 26; Vera Stravinskyand Robe( Cmft, Srarinsky in Pidures
and Dacuments(Ne\\ y ork Simonand Schuster,1918),pp. 324-325.
3"SEavinskyHcrc With New Music." lrd. .ir.: "Sravinsky Will
Conductat Philharmonic,"Las AnqelesDaily Nelrr. Fcbruary 19,
1935,p. 13.
aLosAnBelesExaminer,August4, 1934,PartI, p. 9; "Stravinsky
lo Appcar Hcrc: Own ComposilionsProgran Fe nrrc," Its Angeles
Examiner, September 2, 1934,Part V, p. 6. Armitagesubsequently
cdited a volume of essays,-Igor Strdlri,lrb (New York: G. Schirner,
1936).
sstravinsb:Selected Coftespondence, Vol.I, p. 44O.
6lsabclMorse Jones,"ContemporaryComposersFlocking to Los
Angeles," ,or Anqeles Tines. Fobruary 10, 1935,Part II, p. 6;
"Stravinsky WiI ConducLat Philharmonic,"la.. .r7.
7"Igor StravinskyAnives." Los AngelesEraminel,February18,
1935,PartI, p. 4.
8tn additionto the suilcs from the lwo ballels menlioned,the
programincludedmusicfrom Lbcb^lleLAppolon masasAk(Apalla,
11 8
Leader of the MusesJ ar,d the Liule Sl]te (Eight Lilde Pieces for
orchestra).This information is from the l,os Angeles Philharmonic
concen Fograrn; the latter work is now known as Suites I and 2 for
smallorchesEa.
elsabelMorseJones,lr.. .it.; "Russianand ScottishMusic Feao-re
Weeks' hograms," lrr,{ ngeles Tines, Feh'ruy 17. 1935,Pa II, p.
6; "CondensationEssenceof StravinskyCompositions,"Los Angeles
Tines, Fabnary 24,1935, Pan II, p. 6.
r0 Il is unclearwhclheror not MerovichmanagedStravinsky's
American tour. According ro Robert Crafr, Richard Copley was
Stravinsky'sAmerican concertagent after January 1935, having
repiacedMerovich. However, if this was the case,why was Merovich
wilh Stravinsky ar MGM? See Struvinsk]J:SelectedCorrcspondence,
Vol. II, p9. 304-307.For addilionalinformationon Merovich,seo
"Merovitch, 71, Dies; luanagedMusicians,"New york Times, Angnst
9,1965,p.25.
11Atranscriptiondisc of this speechis the sourccof the texl The
disc is idenlifiod with a printcd label: "SampleRecordPressedby RCA
Victor Company,Inc., Hollywood,Califomia."Thcn, as today,fte
cosl of all studiotechnicalsovices hadio be chargedto a prcduction.In
this case,it,ras rccordedas a "techlnica! lest" for the film Plrlic
Enemy#2 (releasediD 1935asBaby Fat:eHarringtor). On the label arc
markedin pencil the words "Saavinsky Spech"in Herben Storharr's
handwriting.Tho disc is in lhe possession of the Helbcrt Slotharr
estate,althougha lape copy of it is in rhe Herben Sbrhart Collection,
Special Collections, Doheny Library, Universiry of Southem
Califomia. The translalionfrcm the Germanwasmadeby Ed Noclrer.
l2vera Stravinskyand Robcn Craft, lr.. cr. (the original sourcc
wasLa Gazela del Popolo,Iw],e ll?1, 1935).Accordingto Crafr,
Stravinskymay havebeensomewhatsympalheticto tho politics of
Italy at that time: "[StraviNky] was a frcquenrand welcomevisiror of
blackshit Italy during fie Efiiopian and Spanishwars,afier all, and he
conducted a[ theMaggioFiorondnoaslaleas 1939,by whichtimethat
festival hadbecomea loudly pro-Axis celebration.He eveninscribeda
copy of his Cboniques de ma yie lchronicle af My Life) fot
Mussolini." (Roberl CraIt. Strcyinsky:Chronicle of a Frieidship
1918-1971 ll.Iew yo*: Allrcd A. Knopf, 19721,p. 63.)
r3NormanLebrecht,?ir Baok af Musical Anecdater(New York:
The FrcePress,1985),p. 309.Anothertellingby R6zsaof llle samc
u9
Siarinsky and MGM
anecdote may be found it MarkE\ar.s, Soundiack: The Music of the
Mryr?r (llew York Hopkinson and Blake, 1975), pp. 252 253:
tslravinskyl was tceiving no rovtllies on his most
frequently perforned vo!k!, lhe ftre edly balleB. Fiends
supeesl"oL\at he could m.ke a Io! of monev bv wiritg 6 fiLn
sciie. so wtren L,uis B. Mayer. lhen rhe &ll Powdtul head of
MGM. idiled him lo his office for d interview, the @mPoser
d@idedto a@pt.
SFavisky. lshered inlo lhe office, fomd the execltive seared
at d enomos desk.For fte aexr half hou, Mavd t.lked abourail
fte relephmeson his desk, abourhow he could call every dt4ld
or prodtrd dn@tty fron it. Stravinsky ws puzzled; h had @ne
to islk atout fllsic, not desks Then Mavq said, "I havebem lold
rhar you de lhe Srearest composer in the wdid." Stravhskv
bowed."How duch money would you 3k a a fee fd con?osing a
filn sore?" Slravhsky nmed a htge sM, equiv.le io abotrr
$100,000 today. Mayet retottcd wirhout th slighlest surPlise "If
vou de rhe sreatestcompoler in Lhe $orld you re wonh lhe
i"onev. St$iirty againU"ced. 'Now. how ldB would it Lale
foi vou !o compose u hour of muic?" Stavinsky Pausedfor a
rno-"tt, rtr." ;e!lied, One yed." Mayer slood uP ud said,
"Cood'bye, Mr. StraviEky."
MGM arranger Leo funaud recalled being present at a luncheon (or
dinner) for Stravinsky held al MGM, which would have ben some time
after 1936, when Amaud first came io America ftom Franco. Ama d
seemed to think that Slravinsky had been invired to the studio more
than once (telephore interview by lhe author with lo Amaud, Augusl
23, 1985). Stravinskf did subsequendy bcome acquaintd with Mayer,
and even visited Mayor's home in 1942, to help in planning a benefit
for Russian War Reliof (Vera Slravinsky ard Robe( Craft, la. ct.).
tastrurinskJ: Selected Correspon.Ience,Vol II, pp. 250 252.
Ironically, Bemhard Kaun, the composr whose job it was [o ailapt ?ft
Firdrrid for this purpose, once said thal he had heard thar SEavinsky
rhought him the most original of all the film composen! (Personal
interview by the aulhor with Bemhard Kaun, March23,1917 ) Kafi
(1899-1980), whose careel as a film composel, aranger, and
orcheslrator spanned the years from 1925 to 195?, was the son of ihe
distinguishedGermancomposer,Hugo Kaun (1863-1932).
15'"TheFuture of Film Music as Seenby Mr. Stothan," Milwa kee
Joumat, Api'il26, 1936,p. 3. Intcrostingly, ooly a few years earlier,
ballet sequencesfeatu.ing the Albertina Rasch Dance$ were
incomonled into sevenl of MGM'S films as novellis The music for
120 Wi iam . Rosar
these\',,ascomposedby anotherRussian-Dimitri Tiomkin, Rasch's
husband.By 1935 the novelty of (he baller sequencesapparon(lyhad
wom off, at Ieasrat MGM.
r6Alfred Frankcnstein, "Stravinsky in Be]J$ly Hi11s,"Moder
Mrri.. lq, No. I (March.Apnll9a2r. pp. 178fi
rTvera Stravinslryand Roberr &aft, p. 358. The original source
wastheFrenchEview, Cardtde:
N'6tantpd pdlism de i expressionisme en musiqueje po$e $
le r6le de cenedmidre n'estpB d'exprimerle seN d'ue pia@ou
le sensde son texlerni de cr6ernn "armosphiire"du sleracle. Oi
demddera. alors, selon q&l principe s'opdre une collatbrarion
mFe le je! de la Nsique et l'action du sp@t cle. Selonie princi!
de I ind6pendenced'ue de l'aufe, voici frd r6ponse.Claque vrai
et esr n6cessaircnent caoniqle, poss6ddr ss loix i tli qui le
r6gissenret le gouvernent.Ce princjpe s appliqndr n tour
spetaclc de scine (theatre)je ne lroule alcune raison logiqne<tt ne
p4 I aplliqud egalefrenr n lour spect cle d'dm (cindma).
r3"Stravinsky on Film Music as Told 10 Ingolf Dahl," ,\1!.rlcal
Digst,28, No. 1 (Seplcmber1946),4ft
lelgor Sfavinsky, Crlodck oJ MJ Life
1-ondon yictor collancz,
1936) ,p. 91.
2ostravinsky's encounteN wi[h filmmakers actually began in
Europe. In 1919 he was approachedto compose music for a film of
Don Quixote (Veft SE^vinskl and Robert Craft, p. 358). For accounls
of Stravinsky's subsequentexploils with film producers and Hollywood
celebrities, his abo(ed filn music, and his opinions on film music. see
Igor Stravinsky and Robert Craft, Expasitions and Derelopments
(Berkeley:Universityof CalifomiaPress,1959,pp. 77 :79, 113,129,
14546\; Memories Md Comnentafies (carden City: Doubleday &
Co., 1960,pp. I00-IM); Thenesand Epirader (New Yo*: Alfred A.
Knopf, 1966,pp. 15, 302-303);Vera SEavinskyand Robet Craft (pp.
357-58, &5)i StravinslcJ:Selected Coftespondence,Volr[rf'es l-lll
(passim\tDearestRubushkin: SeleckdLetterca d Diatu: of Veraand
lgar Strafinslq @assim');and "Stravinsky on Film Music as Told to
Ingolf Dahl" (1o.. cir.). When fte larter a-rticlewas reprintedin
Cinema:fhe Magarinefor DiscriminatingMoie-Goers (l, No. 1
Uune19471, 7f0, film composer
DavidRaksio,who hadmaderhefirst
arrangement(for band) of Stravinsky's "Circus Polka," wrore a reply
entitled "Hollywood Strikes Back-Film Composer Attacks
and MGM
Stra.tinslcJ 121
Srnvinsky's 'Culi of Inexpressivencss"' (M/rlcal Dt8?$, 30, No. 1
uanuary 19481,5ff.)
By an interestingirony, ahhoughMGM was not successfulin
obtainingStravinsky'sservicesto composemusic for ils films, the
sludio derivedlho benefitof his music or at leasl ils influence-
indirocdy.No! threeyeitrslater, an aspiring21-year_oldcomposer
namedRoben Wilson SEinger,who was a protegdof Stothrt and, il
happens, a devoieeof Sravinsky'smLrsic, paltemedpart of a piecehc
wroto on the "Dance of the Nuns" from the fourth sccneC'TheGrand
Faii') of Pdtrouchkafot sfquanceh Th. wizard
Camival---Shrovctide
^
af O, (1939). Enritled "'lhs Spell," this impressionistic whnl in the
orchesl]a prcvides a pcrfoc! musical setting to the action set in fie
pastel landscapewhcre Doro[hy (Judy Garland), tho Scarecrow(Ray
Bolger), the Tin Woodman(JackHaley), and the Cowardly Lion (Bc(
Lahr) are sccn scuffying througha field of poppiestowardslhe
gleaming Emerald City in searchof the myslcrious Wizard of Oz.
Stringer was officially employcdin the sounddcparlmentas ils muslc
ealircr,ahhoughoccasionallyStodrart,who was Stringer'smusical
mentor,would Sive him the oppo{unity io composemusicfor a scone.
This was thc casewith ?r Wizard of Oz. Stringel's cues were
orchesEatedby Murray Cultcr and conducledby Stothan. Ironically,
Stringer was composingmoro music fol the concen hall in his spare
aime than were most of the composo{sworking in the music
department! (Telephonc interview by thc author wilh Robe{ W.
Stringcr,February9, 1983.)
ln aflotJrcrc& in wizad.lhis one pennedby Stoftaft and enlitlcd
"DeliriousEscapo,"can be heardtho rombone glissandifrom Tre
Filerrid (suire)during lhe phanhsrnagoricmontagedepictingDorothy's
retum to Kansas.As Sloliarl affestsin lhe recordedspeech,ho loo was
an avid admirer of Stsavinsky'snusic. Indeed,he owned many scores
andrecordingsof Smvinsky's works. In fact, in Stofiart's scorefor ahc
slle film The End af St.Petenburg,his first film scorewbich he
wrore while still in New York in 1928,he interpolated pfil of ?ie
Firebird (e\idenceof this is to be found in the bound volume of
Stothafl's sketchesfor lhis fitm, in the possession of the Herbert
Sblhart eslate).Leo Amaud,who occasionally olchcsEated partsof
StotharCsscoresat MGM, recalledSlolharlrequesting that a cerbin
passagein one of his sketchesbc orchestrated,tith a srident lrumpet Al
la P'trouchka (lelepione interview by lhe authorwilh Leo Amaud, loc
122

.il.) In ong of Slothalt'sarlicleson the aesthelics

and techniquesof
composingibr films, hc wrote:"We do not stressmelodicthemcsas
much as w0 seekmusicaleffccls |hat geneniecertainimFessions,
Stsavinskydoesit on the conce( stage,and he has the ideal pictwc
lcchnique"(IlerbertSlothafi,"Film Music,"in,erind.the Scrcen:Ho\9
Filnx Are Mad.e,edited by StephcnWalts [Ncw York: Dodge
PublishingCo., 19381.p. 144).Thesewordswcrepublishedin 1938,
again only thrcc ycarsafter SEavinsky'svisit 1oMGM. Pe.hapsfurrber
study of Stotharts musical ou[put may revea] the influence of
Stravinskyin odrerscores-
Apparently P4trauchkd wai so wcll known by Hollywood
composers by lhc lale 1930s,rhat oscarl-vanlwrolc in his book A
Snattering of Ignaru ce Alew York: Doubleday,Doran, 1940)rlut'lhe
orchcstralpattern of all carousels,incidentally,is de.ived from
Sravinsky's 'Pclrouchka"'(p. 139).Thosewho would sumnarily
dismissall film musicof thisperiodasbeing"latc Romanric"in sryle
should thus be apprisedof such interesdngexceptions,whcle modem
works wercan influence.

Acknowledgments

Tho auftor exp.esseshis gratitudeio Herbcn SoorharrII for making

available to him malerialsfrom tbe Herben Stolhar! eslate.and to rhe
following individualswho helpedin idenrifyingrhe personsin rhe
group pholograph:GeorgeBassman,Don Chrisllieb, Bronislau Kaper,
Arthur Morton, La,rrenceMorton, David Raksin, and Roberl W.
Stringer.Tho aulhor would also like to thaik Robert Crafr for reading
fte manuscriptandmakingseveralhelpful suggestionsandconecrions.