War Songs1990

Paul Schmidt sent me a set of five poems from a series titled “WAR SONGS.” Paul is both brilliant and sarcastic in his treatment of the seduction of war. Mark Bennett’s score is also provocative, dreamy and waltz-like. The composite is a set of songs cast as melodeclemation, i.e. music in tandem with a narrated text. My contribution is a superimposition of war scenes underlined with what I call a “Gabriel” image: a young and beautiful soldier, a personification of the good warrior, the protector of all. The image of his persona is felt throughout – sometimes active and aggressive, sometimes asleep, sometimes beckoning. The film employs images from the Vietnam War and the Second World War. The collected images of marching soldiers, rolling tanks, explosions, et al. reveal, in passing, our dear Gabriel.

Each film in this series was created for a music score, either pre-existing or composed specifically for this project. By way of explanation, music is usually applied to films after their completion, but in this case the filmic images and rhythms have been derived from the music and the poems, allowing the music to become a kind of script for the film. This project is envisioned as a lifelong endeavor in collaboration with contemporary composers.

FILMS FOR MUSIC FOR FILM was premiered on April 3, 1990 at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, where all the scores were performed live with the films. This event was part of the North American New Music Festival.

Lawrence F. Brose was responsible for all aspects of film production and post-production.

Poems: Paul Schmidt

Music by Mark Bennett

Performed by The Buffalo New Music Ensemble

Piano: Michael McCandless

Cello: Marsha Hassett

Clarinet: James Perone

Oboe: Paul Schlossman

Violin: Kunda Magenau

Model: Jon Stout

Narration: Paul Schmidt