From the very beginning of the silent film era, around 1894, the trade press was a powerful tool for the film industry. Through it, the authorities of the film industry were trying to control the development of the sonic practices on the field. Using advertisements, criticising and suggesting ideas, the film industry was trying to standardise the sound of the silent film. Important to note that before this attempt there was no such thing as “silent film music” as a genre or specific kind of music. In the following essay, I am presenting examples between January 1910 and June 1910, and between January 1911 and June 1911, mainly from the film music advice columns of Moving Picture World, a dominant trade journal of the American silent film industry. Furthermore, I am introducing topics from Rick Altman’s Silent Film Sound that are also related to the effort of the industry to manage silent film’s music practices.
First of all, the silent film industry was criticising the use of unsuitable music to the picture and emphasising the need for a change to this problem. Specifically, a theatre in Brooklyn is presented an example where a Biblical subject on the screen is accompanied by an extremely unsuitable song called I Dreamt That I Dwelt in Marble Halls. Also, the writer John W. Raymond, complains about a small theatre with unfit musical accompaniment. His observations were that, the pianists are usually the ones responsible for the unfit music and thus everyone must make sure they work is more carefully. On the contrary, another column informs us about the Orpheum Theatre in Chicago and its orchestra leader William E. King whom suited the music to the scenes together with the characters. This caused superlative productions to turn out more admiring; a good example is the film, ‘A Penitent of Florence’. Additionally, on the 7th of May 1910 a whole music program, arranged by William E.King, is presented in Moving Picture World. This musical program is for the film A Penitent of Florence, with indications for every scene of the film including the songs and the style of the instrumental parts. Furthermore, Paul Evert Denton stresses the interest and tension that music gives to the picture and suggests that musicians need to be skilled for the possible scenario of changing music quickly and be synchronised. He also points out how bad it would be deathbed scene accompanied by a happy song because of a musicians inability to find or play music that suits the picture. Moreover, the columnist Clarence E.Sinn responses to a question about the absence of the old west music and clarifies that these lively tunes shall be used only on wild west pictures. Because of that, he assume that a musician shall bear in mind the genre of the film before they choose the musical accompaniment. Under these circumstances, the industry was criticising musicians and expressing dissatisfaction about unsuitable music.
Conversely, when the music accompaniment was used effectively with the moving picture, the columnists were complimenting the musicians and managers of the theatre suggesting those involved to follow the same manner. In particular, a columnist refers to the Brooklyn Bijou theatre and characterises its musical accompaniment for some films as superior. The orchestra was well prepared and the music well chosen. For that reason, the column Lux Graphicus finally came to the consideration that good music would increase the value of the picture and the appreciation of the audience about it. As music plays a significant role to the picture, the musicians were then highly suggested, through the trade press, to use the proper music in order not to destroy the mood of a scene.
In the same way, Louis Harrison, who was another columnist in Moving Picture World, criticises the ineffective style of music that was being used by some theatres, and describes that kind of music as “jackass music”. “Jackass music” was a term given for the poor music repertoire that some theatres used to have. Specifically, Louis Harrison supports that moving picture is on its early stage till its creation but improves rapidly in contrast with musical accompaniment which is on a lower grade. Then, he says that people pay for quality and suggests that managers should take action, as suitable music is essential. Interestingly, another columnist describes his early experience in a cinema as “indescribable”, expressing his terrible annoyance for the lack of connection between the music and the picture. He also wonders how can managers expect the people to come and see such inefficient performances. To continue, something really characteristic is the quote borrowed from Moving Picture World by Tim Anderson where “better music means better patronage and more of it”. It is obviously suggested that patrons ought to deal better with the whole problem, in order to have eventually music that is harmonised and suited with the mood of the picture.
Another way that influenced the film music accompaniment practices was the musical suggestions provided by the trade press columnists at the beginning of 1910. Sometimes also known as “Music Cues” or “Musical Plots”, which differed a little from each other but all published with one common goal: to achieve appropriate standards for suiting musical accompaniment to the scenes and film genres in general. Edison Kinetogram published its first musical suggestion for the comic How the Landlord Collected His Rents. It provides scene-by-scene suggestions treating all the music equally with not only classical but also popular repertoire. Vitagraph Bulletin, which was another main trade journal, published its own musical suggestions at the start of 1912 for the film The Blind Miner.On this film mixed folk and popular songs with some classical pieces are suggested. Moreover, in 1912 Enrst Luz’s a columnist on Moving Picture News, suggested a classically oriented program on The Tragedies of the Crystal Globe expressing indirectly the classical music influence on him. As a result of the musical suggestions published on the trade press, the film repertory grown largely. The suggestions were mainly made by classical musicians, so new standards comprised repertoire from Beethoven, Handel, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Wagner etc.
Furthermore, the continued promotion and advertising of illustrated-song slides by the trade press, was an efficient approach to the development of the sonic practices. Trade journals of Moving Picture World were regularly publishing advertisements by many different companies around the United States that were exchanging, renting and selling song-slides to the musicians working for the film industry. For example, the north-American slide company in Philadelphia were selling a bunch of popular song-slides while the Chicago Song Slide Exchange Company were renting them. In New York City, Len Spencer’s Lyceum Company were renting anything from all the existing song slides from all the publishers. As a consequence of this promotion, the illustrated-song slides were really popular among the musicians working in the sector of silent film. Song-slides were value-for money, could fill the gaps between scenes and helped musicians having a varied program. It was also a very good promotion of the popular songs making people buy the sheet music for these songs. To add to the point, as people were singing along with the song, this situation even helped immigrants to speak english.
Furthermore, in the early 1910’s the use of sound effects became a trend among the silent film theatres. One of the main reason for that tendency was the introduction of the sound effects machines that were published by the film trade. Sound effects were firstly used by the American motion picture exhibitor Lyman H. Howe in 1899. After his successful show in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania companies started constructing sound making devices. An ideal example, is Excela’s Soundograph which was advertised regularly in Motion Picture World trade journal. It was a user-friendly effect-creating machine that could produce realistically almost any sound. It could be either part of the orchestra or at the back where no one could see it. Although, sometimes the misuse and overuse of sounds effects were criticised by the columnists. In 1910, Clarence E. Sinn, in his Music for the Picture column he replied to a drummers question emphasising the importance of the effective use of any sound effect on dramatic picture. Additionally he suggests that any sound effect produced in silent drama should be something that would be realistically be heard in real life situation. Also, in Moving Picture World, as musical bells are advertised by manufacturers, they are suggesting the usefulness of them on specific bits of the film. Sound effects could keep the interest of the audience till the very end of the film and consequently sounds-effect machines, and trap drummers were really on demand. In other words, the film industry encouraged the use of sound effects and at the end of the day sound making devices became standard theatrical equipment.
Furthermore, the film industry in an attempt to influence the sonic practices of silent film, published what was known as “special music”. It was known with this term as it was music composed or arranged for one particular reason: to be suited and synchronised with the picture. First in the late 1890s, the Edison Kinetogram offered a specially composed music for and The Astor Tramp. Then Méliès published special piano music borrowed from the opera of Faust and Marguerite. Cinemas that were borrowing scores from operas were automatically adding prestige to the cinema. Other publication included scores distributed by Vitagraph. Thus, in order to reinforce this effort of the industry, Film Index columnist, Clyde Martin, was hired by the motion picture company, Selig Polyscope, in order to do live demonstrations of proper film accompaniment practices. Publications from Film Index recorded the progress on Clyde Martin’s tour all over the country. Later, other companies and producers followed the example of Selig Polyscope using demonstrators to show the exhibitors how they should use scores, musical suggestions and instruments in an appropriate way. According to that, we can safely come to the consideration that the film industry not only published “special music” for silent film but also trained the musicians in order to effectively apply the music to the picture.
Clearly, the trade press was expressing the voice of the film industry. It was an ideal way of communication between people interested in the sector. Except the music related columns and comments, the advertising of products was an alternative way to influence the sound practices of the silent film. Major trade journals like Moving Picture World, were advertising frequently the new constructions of the companies suggesting the exhibitors to buy and use them for their films. For example, on January 1910, Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, advertised its new construction of what they call “Wurlitzer PianOrchestra”. It was basically a machine that were doing the job of a big orchestra. For that reason, only one operator was required so the theatre did not need to hire any musicians for the music accompaniment of the film. As the trade press was the fundamental source for ideas concerning film sound, the leading theatres bought the PianOrchestra in order to cut their expenses of paying the musicians. References from Moving Picture World mentioned how busy was the company constructing those machines for theatres all over the U.S.. Similarly, the “Regina Mandolin Orchestrion” was another product constructed by the Regina Company which was again a machine producing automatically piano, violin and mandolin effects. It gained wide popularity after being advertised on Motion Picture World’s issues. In others words, through this campaign the industry was trying to apply sound practices that would benefit the powerful of the industry such as producers and theatre owners.
Taking everything into consideration, trade press was the one and only mass information source during the silent film era. It could reach a large audience and all those involved in the industry such as musicians, theatre managers, exhibitors or the audience. For that reason, the film industry was trying to control the sonic practices of the silent film through advertisements, comments, criticising unsuitable music or compliment good and effective music. Construction companies were publishing their products like automated pianos or sound effect machines through the trade press. Illustrated-song slides were being sold, rented or exchanged all over the U.S. Music columnists were referring to their recent experiences in theatres with caustic comments about the use of inappropriate music or the inability of synchronisation with the picture. Also, “special music” which was music arranged or composed specifically to accompany the picture was suggested for the musicians to use in order to have an effective musical accompaniment. Furthermore, programmes for particular films were published on the journals with music carefully chosen for every single scene of the film. As a result, this effort of the trade press had great correspondence by the majority of the theatres. Finally, the silent film sonic practices had a homogenous and more standard sound. Thus, theatres adopted music accompaniment practices that kept the audience satisfied at the end of the show with music having a leading role to the feelings expressed on the picture.