Bach - THX 1138

[Héctor]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RTRKQkoQHg"]Bach - THX 1138[/ame]

[DJ Fatuus]

Very effective!

[Héctor]

Originally Posted by DJ Fatuus

Very effective!

Genial, Lucas!!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgurNJLivG0"]Bach - "Kommt, ihr Töchter"[/ame]

[Philidor]

1. 0:00-0:22. Check out that low E in the bass. It goes on uninterrupted, drone-like, for 22 seconds! It's like an engine revving up. The takeoff at 0:23 climbs up the scale of G. Hold that thought. I'll return to it. The piece is in Em but performed one tone lower, presumably to accommodate the boys' vocal range.

2. The two orchestras play together until the chorus kicks in at 1:11 with a radiant ascending arpeggio (E, G, B, E). Such a powerful vocal entry is also something you'll hear nowhere else.

3. At 1:39, we have the melodic culmination of the chorus with a very simple, descending line. I'll write it one note per beat:


GGGG F#EF#F# F#F#ED# | EEEE EEEE EEEE

A pop musician would slap Em, D7, and C chords and be done with it. Not Bach. What he does, instead, is run up the scale of G starting at E -- remember that thought you've been holding -- ie, he goes up the scale of the relative major of Em, one note at a time over 13 beats...

A Tiny Revolution

[Héctor]

THX 1138 review

Known only for the fact that it was director George Lucas' first large scale film, the 1971 science fiction thriller THX 1138 is a reasonably interesting proposition about future oppression in 25th Century human culture. Because of Lucas' employment of stark dialogue and sets, as well as the juxtaposed elements of emotional and mechanical operation, it is a production once hailed as being from the future rather than about the future. The film was received with mixed greetings by viewers and critics (perhaps due in part to an anti-drug message that flew in the face of popular norms at the time), but was elevated to cult status immediately upon the popularity of Lucas' Star Wars in 1977. As genre fans will be quick to point out, there are several aspects of THX 1138, ranging from costumes and sound effects to the humanization of machines, that would be addressed to a much greater extent in the Star Wars franchise, though the director often referred to those popular films as his personal antidote to menacing visions of the future like THX 1138. Ultimately, the film has become an object to study rather than enjoy, and the same could be said of [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalo_Schifrin"]Lalo Schifrin[/ame]'s music for the project, too. Schifrin had been known mostly at the time (and still is) for his well received jazz scores, but the late 1960's and early 1970's had become a time of musical experimentation for the composer. In fact, in the early 1970's movement of Silver Age avant garde tendencies in soundtracks, he had been labeled as one of those "weird" composers who could provide any kind of bizarre music that a film may require. Lucas was looking for exactly that "weird" variety of score, combining a distinctive collection of sound effects with an organic and electronic underscore of minimalistic and alienating personality. Schifrin also had the capability to write material that was affectionately known as "be happy" music, which would be necessary to accentuate the confusing difference between reality and government-sponsored, religious mind control. In the end, Schifrin produced a highly effective futuristic sound for the film.


Utilizing in parts an orchestral string section, a few woodwinds, harp, vibraphone, and several percussive elements, Schifrin produced the bulk of the score's horrific atmosphere with primitive synthesizers. Occasional vocal integration addresses the religious aspect of the oppression. The concept of alienation is well served by the droning, themeless performances of the ensemble in off-kilter, slightly dissonant constructs. The fascist government is scored with liturgical, baroque music, sometimes breaking out into Gregorian chants when big brother is striking fear into the titular THX drone. A love theme, very lightly performed by three instruments (highlighted by alto flute), laments the doomed love between THX and LUH and is largely lost in the equation. Finally, the avant garde elements of the score provide the true, worldly fascinating music for the timeless environment, incorporating rhythms and percussion instruments from Africa and East Asia into strangely uncomfortable situations. The unpleasant result is highly effective, but yields an understandably emotionally disturbing score both in and out of context. Schifrin's work was finally pressed onto album by Film Score Monthly in the sixth year of their Silver Age Classics series. The presentation contains absolutely everything you would and wouldn't hear in the film, pulled from strong master tapes and including several source cues and other material that did not make Lucas' final cut. The "Be Happy Again" jingle (definitely a piece to use for kicks and giggles at your workplace) offers a frightening contrast to the terrifying sound effects of the prison torture sequence, which also serves in contrast to the use of J.S. Bach's harmonic "St. Matthew Passion" over the end titles. THX 1138 is a score deserving of study by film music historians and enthusiasts, but it's hardly palatable for casual listeners. On album, the variety of elements in Schifrin's work are too diverse and troubling to provide for a good listening experience, and to that end, perhaps the film itself would be a better recommendation for most score fans. Hardcore collectors, however, will likely find THX 1138 to be a very enticing entry for appreciation in the Silver Age Classics series from FSM, though the album did not sell out within the first five years of its existence.


Track Listings:

• 1. Logo (0:08)
• 2. Main Title/What's Wrong? (3:13)
• 3. Room Tone/Primitive Dance (1:45)
• 4. Be Happy/LUH/Society Montage (5:05)
• 5. Be Happy Again (Jingle of the Future) (0:56)
• 6. Source #1 (5:17)
• 7. Loneliness Sequence (1:27)
• 8. SEN/Monks/LUH Reprise (2:43)
• 9. You Have Nowhere to Go (1:10)
• 10. Torture Sequence/Prison Talk Sequence (3:41)
• 11. Love Dream/The Awakening (1:46)
• 12. First Escape (3:01)
• 13. Source #3 (3:33)
• 14. Second Escape (1:14)
• 15. Source #4/Third Escape/Morgue Sequence/The Temple/Disruption/LUH's Death (8:29)
• 16. Source #2 (3:16)
• 17. The Hologram (0:54)
• 18. First Chase/Foot Chase/St. Matthew Passion (End Credits)* (7:40)

[Héctor]