The Society for American Music has awarded its 2016 Sight and Sound Subvention to SFSMA director Kendra Leonard for the project “Scoring the Silver Screen from ‘Fairy Flirtations’ to The Sea Beast: Recordings of Repertoire from the Silent Film Sound and Music Archive.”

The subvention will fund the collaboration between SFSMA, Leonard, and professional silent film accompanist Ethan Uslan in creating twenty-five recordings of representative samples of the music archived by SFSMA. These recordings will accompany the sheet music for each selected piece on the SFSMA website and will be licensed as Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial for anyone to use for free. SFSMA anticipates that the recordings will be posted to the Archive in September 2016.

All of the recordings will be made by Ethan Uslan. Uslan, the three-time winner of the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest, is a frequent accompanist for silent film projections and has performed as such across the United States as well as in Europe. In accompanying silent films, Uslan, who also holds a degree in music librarianship, frequently plays period music and has created a number of compiled scores for films that use music available at the time of and even recommended for individual motion pictures by leading accompanists of the 1910s and 1920s. Uslan’s deep understanding of the repertoire and performance practices of this era will ensure outstanding recordings.

The recordings will include the following:

Score Selections

1. Colburn, George. Antony and Cleopatra, Nos. 7-10, “7. Cleopatra, ‘Behold Noble Antony;” “8. Having gained Antony’s consent;” “9. Cleopatra prepares for Antony’s visit;” and “10. The Eternal Feminine” (Chicago: George Kleine Productions, 1914).
2. Hinrichs, George, and Max (Moe) Winkler. The Phantom of the Opera, Nos. 13-14, “Meanwhile in Christine’s Dressing Room” and “I Shall Sing for You” (New York: Belwin, 1925).
3. Hoffman, Michael. The Sea Beast, Nos. 9 and 12, “Down Rope” and “A Hundred Leagues.” (New York: Descriptive Film Music Co., 1926).

Individual pieces

1. Allen, Thomas S. “Dance of the Lunatics,” Jacobs’ Piano Folio of Schottisches and Caprices, No. 2 (Boston: Walter Jacobs, Inc., 1921).
2. Boehnlein, Victor G. “Fairy Flirtations,” Jacobs’ Piano Folio of Schottisches and Caprices, No. 1 (Boston: Walter Jacobs, Inc., 1921).
3. Borch, Gaston. “Misterioso Infernale,” Schirmer’s Photoplay Series Vol. 4 (New York: G. Schirmer, 1918).
4. Breil, Joseph Carl. “Molto Agitato (for storms, battles fires, explosions, and consequent mob excitement, followed by victory or rescue),” Joseph Carl Breil’s Original Collection of Dramatic Music for Motion Picture Plays (New York: Chappell, 1917).
5. Cobb, George L. “Sing ling ting,” Jacobs’ Piano Folio of Oriental, Spanish, and Indian Music, No. 1 (Boston: Walter Jacobs, Inc., 1921).
6. Dutton, Theodora. “Valzer Appassionato,” Motion Picture Moods, ed. Erno Rapée (G. Schirmer, New York, 1924).
7. Kempinski, Leo A. “Descriptive Agitato,” Photo Play Incidental Symphonies No. 7 (New York: Photo Play, 1922-24).
8. Lake, M. L. and Lester Brockton. “Hurry (for general use),” Carl Fischer’s Loose Leaf Motion Picture Collection (New York: Carl Fischer, 1915).
9. ———. “Agitato (sudden or impending danger).” Carl Fischer’s Loose Leaf Motion Picture Collection (New York: Carl Fischer, 1915).
10. ———. “Lamento (Scenes of grief and sadness).” Carl Fischer’s Loose Leaf Motion Picture Collection (New York: Carl Fischer, 1915).
11. Leigh, Norman. “Woodland Dance,” Jacobs’ Piano Folio of Novelettes, No. 6 (Boston: Walter Jacobs, Inc., 1921).
12. Luz, Ernst. “Storm Scene,” A.B.C. Dramatic Set No.9 (New York: Photoplay Music Co., 1915).
13. ———. “Western Scene,” A.B.C. Dramatic Set No.11 (New York: Photoplay Music Co., 1915).
14. ———. “Hungarian or mythical foreign scene,” A.B.C. Dramatic Set No.18 (New York: Photoplay Music Co., 1916).
15. Rapée, Erno. “Three Grotesque Themes,” PianOrgaN Film Books of Incidental Music, Vol. 1: Grotesque and Comedy Music (New York: Belwin, 1925).
16. ———. “Animal Cartoonix,” PianOrgaN Film Books of Incidental Music, Vol. 1: Animal Cartoonix (New York: Belwin, 1925).
17. Strickland, Lily. “Dance of the Young Maidens,” Motion Picture Moods, ed. Erno Rapée (G. Schirmer, New York, 1924).
18. Winkler, Max (Moe.) “Dramatic Suspense,” PianOrgaN Film Books of Incidental Music, Vol. 1: Book of Dramatic Tensions (New York: Belwin, 1925).
19. Wright, N. Louise. “Lullaby,” Motion Picture Moods, ed. Erno Rapée (G. Schirmer, New York, 1924).
20. Zamecnik, J. S. “Misterioso (stealth, horror, dark scenes),” Sam Fox Photoplay Edition, Vol. 1 (Cleveland: Sam Fox Pub. Co., 1919).
21. ———. “Varsity Cadets,” Sam Fox March Folio, Vol. 2 (Cleveland: Sam Fox Pub. Co., 1923).
22. ———. “Love Came Calling,” Sam Fox Loose Leaf Collection of Select Song Themes for Orchestra, Vol. 1 (Cleveland: Sam Fox Pub. Co., 1924).

We’ve just posted new music by and about Charlie Chaplin! Many thanks to Terry L. Baldridge for donating scans of this great music.