The Fantasy Film Music of Hans J. Salter
Added on Saturday, March 16, 2019 Posted by Philippe Mouchon
After Wichita Town and The Private Life of Hitler, Disques Cinémusique brings you a digital version of the Fantasy Film Music, composed and conducted by Hans J. Salter in the 1950’s. These three scores were so far available only on an LP album produced by Tony Thomas and the composer.
After Wichita Town and The Private Life of Hitler, Disques Cinémusique brings you a digital version of the Fantasy Film Music, composed and conducted by Hans J. Salter in the 1950’s. These three scores were so far available only on an LP album produced by Tony Thomas and the composer.
Excerpts from the original liner notes by Tony Thomas:
It was mogul Jack L. Warner who stated the case for film music in the most simple manner. He said, ‘’Films are fantasy – and fantasy needs music.’’ In the case of films which are pure fantasy, we can only assume Mr. Warner would have added a few exclamation points to this statement. Indeed it is impossible to imagine films such as The Golden Horse, The Black Shield of Falworth and The Prince Who was a Thief without their scores. These are romantic, adventure romps straight from the page of story books – fanciful recreations of history painted in Technicolor and calling for music as much as they call for beautiful sets and costumes.
Both The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951) and The Black Shield of Falworth (1954) were vehicles for for Tony Curtiss in the early years of his stardom. The Brooklyn-born Curtis was a pleasing though improbable choice for movies dealing with medieval English history and Ancient Arabia but his charm and mock-heroism covered his accent, and since these films were pure flights of fantasy authenticity was not a vital issue. The Golden Horde (1951) is the story of Genghis Khan and his horses of warriors who swept west in the year 1220, ransacking Asia and in particular the ciry of Samarkand, the gateful city of Persia.
The man who supplied the essential connective tissue for all three films is Hans J. Salter, one of the most active composers during Hollywood’s Golden Age. Born and educated in Vienna, Salter brought with him to California in 1938 a musical background that allowed him to be a composer for all seasons and situations. He made a particular mark at Universal with scores for that studio’s beloved horror films, peopled by the like of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Wolf Man, but Slater was equally adept at scoring westerns, comedies, dramas and musicals. He welcomed the opportunity to provide music for the three films in this album because he fully understood the great need for music with these subjects. Says Salter: ‘’ Pictures of this kind need music as much as they need photography. It’s all invention – swashbuckling historical romance, epic heroism and villainy – colourful fantasy all the way. And, I must admit, a lot of fun to score.’’