with William Stromberg & John Morgan Great Film Music … · with William Stromberg & John Morgan...

Great Film Music on Marco Polowith William Stromberg & John MorganSIR MALCOLM ARNOLDDavid Copperfield • The Roots of Heaven8.225167

ADOLPH DEUTSCHThe Maltese Falcon • Northern PursuitThe Mask of Dimitrios • High SierraGeorge Washington Slept Here 8.225169

HUGO FRIEDHOFERThe Adventures of Marco Polo • The LodgerThe Rains of Ranchipur • Seven Cities of Gold8.223857

BERNARD HERRMANNGarden of Evil • Prince of Players 8.223841The Snows Of Kilimanjaro • 5 Fingers8.225168

BERNARD HERRMANN & ALFREDNEWMANThe Egyptian 8.225078

ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLDEscape Me Never • Another Dawn 8.223871Devotion 8.225038

ALFRED NEWMANThe Hunchback of Notre DameBeau Geste • All About Eve 8.223750

PHILIP SAINTONMoby Dick (Complete) 8.225050

HANS J. SALTER & PAUL DESSAU House of Frankenstein (Complete) 8.223748

HANS J. SALTER & FRANK SKINNER Son of Frankenstein • The Wolf Man

The Invisible Man Returns 8.223747The Ghost of Frankenstein • Son of DraculaSherlock Holmes and the Voice of TerrorBlack Friday • Man Made Monster 8.225124

MAX STEINERKing Kong 8.223763The Lost Patrol • Virginia CityThe Beast with Five Fingers 8.223870They Died With Their Boots On 8.225079The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 8.225149Son of Kong • The Most Dangerous Game8.225166All This, And Heaven Too • A Stolen Life8.225218

DIMITRI TIOMKINRed River 8.225217

FRANZ WAXMANMr Skeffington 8.225037Objective, Burma! 8.225148

ROY WEBBCat People • Bedlam • I Walked With A ZombieThe Body Snatcher • The 7th Victim 8.223857

VICTOR YOUNGThe Greatest Show On Earth • Bright LeafThe Uninvited • Gulliver’s Travels 8.223857

‘Murder & Mayhem – Great Horror Scoresfrom Hollywood’s Golden Age’: MAX STEINER: The Beast With 5 FingersVICTOR YOUNG: The UninvitedHUGO FRIEDHOFER: The Lodger 8.225132

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Special thanks to …Danny Gould, Keith Zajic Warner Bros. Music • Randi Hokett, Noelle CarterWarner Bros. Archive, USC • Ned Comstock Cinema-Television Library, USC • Stacey Behlmer Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Library • James V. D’ArcBrigham Young University • Ray Faiola • Anna Bonn • Rudy Behlmer • Peter Boyer • Scott MacQueen • Leith Adams Warner Bros. • Eric Stonerook Eric Stonerook Music • Valle Music

A native of Oceanside, California, who hails from afamily of filmmakers, William T. Strombergbalances his career as a composer of strikingly vividfilm scores with that of a busy conductor in MarcoPolo’s Classic Film Score Series. Besidesconducting his own scores – including his recentmusic for the thriller Other Voices, the monsterfilm, Bugs, and the documentary Trinity andBeyond – Stromberg serves as a conductor for otherfilm composers. He is especially noted for hispassion in reconstructing and conducting film

scores from Hollywood’s Golden Age, includingseveral works recorded for RCA with theBrandenburg Philharmonic. For Marco Polo, he hasconducted albums of music devoted to Max Steiner,Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Alfred Newman, PhilipSainton, Adolph Deutsch, Hans J. Salter, VictorYoung and Malcolm Arnold. He has also conductedseveral much-praised albums devoted to concertworks by American composers, including twoalbums of music by Ferde Grofé.

Widely regarded in film-music circles as a mastercolorist with a keen insight into orchestration andthe power of music, Los Angeles-based composerJohn Morgan began his career working alongsidesuch composers as Alex North and Fred Steinerbefore embarking on his own. Among otherprojects, he co-composed the richly dramatic scorefor the cult-documentary film Trinity and Beyond,described by one critic as “an atomic-age Fantasia,

thanks to its spectacular nuclear explosions andpowerhouse music.” In addition, Morgan has wonacclaim for efforts to rescue, restore and re-recordlost film scores from the past. Recently, Morgan,along with Stromberg, composed the score for theacclaimed documentary, Cinerama Adventure.Stromberg and Morgan are currently composingmusic for Sony’s Starship Troopers 2 feature film.

John Morgan

William Stromberg

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1 Main Title—Muted Fanfare 1:492 Sir Guy and Robin Hood 1:493 The Meeting 1:114 The Banquet 2:145 Robin Hood Outside—Robin Hood’s

Entrance—The Fight—The Chase of Robin Hood—The Victims 6:13

6 Robin Hood Meets Little John—Robin Hood Fights with Little John—Jolly Friendship 3:57

7 The Oath and The Black Arrow 1:588 The Fish—Robin Hood’s Fight with

Friar Tuck 3:299 A New Companion (Friar Tuck) 0:560 Robin Hood Attacks Sir Guy’s Party—

The Attack 5:12! Flirt—Feast—Poor People’s Feast—

Gold 5:59@ The Poor People 4:19# The Tournament—Robin Hood’s

Appearance at the Archery Field—Preparation for the Archery Contest—Robin Hood Starts to Shoot—Finale of the Archery Contest 6:38

$ Arrest of Robin Hood 0:47

% Tribunal—The Jail 2:27

^ The Gallows—The Flight of Robin Hood 4:40

& Love Scene 6:25

* Arrest of Lady Marian 0:45

( Much: The Knife Fight 1:10

) Richard Meets Robin Hood—Richard the Lion-Heart 4:03

¡ The Procession 3:09

™ Prince John 1:33

£ The Battle—The Duel—The Victory 5:36

¢ Epilogue 1:33

∞ End Cast 0:35

Erich Wolfgang KorngoldThe Adventures of

Robin Hood Film Score,1938Score restorations by John MorganMoscow Symphony Orchestra conducted by William Stromberg

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Few motion pictures have ever matched the 1938Warner Bros. production of The Adventures of RobinHood for sheer entertainment. Even today this filmranks high on any list of all-time favourites.

Warner Bros. first considered filming TheAdventures of Robin Hood in 1935 with contractstar James Cagney slated for the title role. But inNovember of that year Cagney, in a contractualdispute, walked off the lot and did not return for twoyears. One month later the studio presentednewcomer Errol Flynn in Captain Blood. After thatfilm’s extraordinary impact, The Adventures ofRobin Hood was tailored for Flynn and given abudget of $1,600,000 – the largest sum allotted to aWarner film up to that time. (The cost eventuallyreached $2,000,000.)

Although almost non-stop action was thekeynote of The Adventures of Robin Hood, therewas also above average dialogue, spiritedperformances, and impressive spectacle. Animportant element was the excellent casting,including the premier swashbuckler Errol Flynn,who at 29 was at his peak and perfect for the role,with just enough seasoning. He was “hero”personified. Olivia de Havilland was by now hisideal screen romantic interest, having been pairedeffectively with Flynn in Captain Blood (1935) andThe Charge of the Light Brigade (1936). Theirromantic scenes in Robin Hood were played withbelievable ardor, grace, and more than a touch ofhumour. The only other person Warners consideredfor the role of Maid Marian was contract playerAnita Louise.

In addition to all the other ingredients, WarnerBros. used the then-new three-strip Technicolorprocess. It was a wise decision, as the legendarysubject with its many lush forest scenes, costumes,and pageantry was ideal for full colour.

The studio shot most of the Sherwood Forestsequences in Bidwell Park, 475 miles northwest ofLos Angeles in the town of Chico. A natural parkfilled with giant oaks, sycamores, and a wide creek,it was a lovely and fresh setting for the film.

Some of the favourite incidents of the RobinHood legend were used on the screen for the firsttime: the bout with quarterstaves between Robinand Little John (Alan Hale) on a log spanning astream, Robin’s first meeting with Friar Tuck(Eugene Pallette) and his forcing the rotund cleric tocarry him piggyback across the stream, and theKing (Ian Hunter) coming to Sherwood disguised asa monk. Finally, all the various archery contestsdescribed in the many legendary versions wereamalgamated into one major archery tournament,wherein Robin splits his opponent’s arrow (actuallyaccomplished by archery champion Howard Hill)and wins the Golden Arrow prize.

The archery tournament was photographed atthe old Busch Gardens in Pasadena – long sincegone. It was during this period, after the companyhad returned from Chico, that director WilliamKeighley was replaced by Michael Curtiz, who shotmost of the interiors, back-lot, Warner Ranchfootage, and embellished a good deal of the materialmade earlier by Keighley.

Robin and Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Basil

Welcome to Sherwood!

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Home base for Marco Polo’s critically acclaimedClassic Film Score Series, the Moscow SymphonyOrchestra has won plaudits for its versatility,tackling everything from orchestrations of belovedrock classics to soundtracks for movies to suchintriguing projects as the first-ever cycle ofsymphonies by Malipiero. In addition, it has givennumerous performances of classic works byScriabin, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky andremains the busiest orchestra in Russian recordingstudios today, performing everything from Irish folktunes to a dynamic new re-recording of MaxSteiner’s score for King Kong. The first orchestra inRussia to be funded through private resources ratherthan state support, the Moscow Symphony Orchestrawas established in 1989, quickly gained a reputationfor excellence as well as adventurous repertoire, andwas further refined when famed Antonio de Almeidabecame conductor and music director in 1993.Praise has been plentiful for the orchestra’s many

recordings, particularly its continuing work withconductor William T. Stromberg in Marco Polo’sClassic Film Score Series. David Hurwitz ofClassics Today recently found much to treasure inthe orchestra’s re-recording of Max Steiner’s TheTreasure of the Sierra Madre, adding that“Stromberg and his Moscow forces play thesecolorful cues with their usual aplomb, and they’revividly recorded, too. If you’re into movie music,this latest issue recommends itself.” FranzWaxman’s titanic score for the film Mr. Skeffingtonalso won plaudits from Hurwitz, who described themusic as “a brilliant, magnificent piece of work,ideally presented by Stromberg and his Moscowplayers.” And in reviewing the much-awaitedpremière recording of Bernard Herrmann’s hypnoticscore for Garden of Evil, Mark Koldys of AmericanRecord Guide praised it as “a valuable document anda richly rewarding musical experience … easily acontender for the film-music release of the year.”

concurrently. However, Friedhofer did orchestratethe Duel, which was anything but slow, and wrote anote to Korngold on the last page of score: “FINE.LAUS DEO!” [End. Praise to God!].

This has been one of our most satisfying projectsin the entire Marco Polo Classic Film Music Series,which is entering its tenth year and nearing thirtyCDs. Listening to the music in sequence and incomplete renditions gives added context andperspective to even the familiar cues. Korngold had

an amazing ability of making his cues sound asnatural as through-composed music. Even when hemusically caught screen action, one feels a certain“rightness” and structure housed in the very natureof his music. It is our hope that this recording willnot only please the many fans of The Adventures ofRobin Hood and its music, but will also be asatisfying musical experience on its own.

John Morgan

Moscow Symphony Orchestra


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state of the art for its time, trying to hear the interiordetail and instrumental colour was difficult as thismusic was written as precisely as a Richard Strausstone poem. One example that particularly delightsme is the opening of the Love Scene where we putback in the magical flutes flutter-tonguing that hasbeen missing for all subsequent recordings of thismusic.

Even cues that were never previously recordedbut survived in full score were problematic. Missingpages of score had to be reconstructed for ourperformance. Many of the original parts were somarked-up by revisions Korngold made from thepodium on the scoring stage that they wereunreadable and had to be recopied. Where we felt itwas musically appropriate, bars of music wererestored here and there that were taken out of theoriginal when the composer felt the music neededaltering to match comfortably the screen action onthe scoring stage. An example of this is in RobinHood Fights with Little John where we restored adelightful four-bar syncopated phrase that has neverbeen heard before. Conductor BillStromberg reconstructed the missingsections of the Sir Guy forest battlewhile I orchestrated the Main Titlefrom a surviving violin part. Finally,after weeks of work, we felt themusic was in good enough shape tohead to Moscow for the recordingyou now hold in your hands.

The original Warner Bros.orchestra for The Adventures ofRobin Hood was a large one,especially by 1938 standards. The

woodwinds consisted of three flutes (one doublingpiccolo), two oboes (one doubling cor anglais), threeclarinets (third also playing bass clarinet), and twobassoons (with the second bassoon doubling oncontra bassoon), and occasionally two saxophones.The brass included four French horns, four trumpets,four trombones and tuba. Additionally, two harps,one piano and one celeste were utilized along withfive percussionists playing normal battery. Twoacoustic guitars peppered several cues and.thenormal (for film recording) complement of stringsmade up the Robin Hood orchestra. The Processionwas the largest orchestral complement, requiringseven trumpets, six trombones and eight percussionplayers, including two vibraphones. For thisrecording we have enlarged the string sectionconsiderably in order better to balance the sound.

Korngold preferred conducting from the fullscores rather than the conductor scores, which wascustomary. The composer went through the scoresand made his own short-hand notations for changingtempos, time signatures, and rhythmic complexities.

The extraordinarily fast-paced musicwould often necessitate turning apage every two seconds. HugoFriedhofer and Milan Roder sharedorchestration duties for most of thescore. On several of the longer cues,Friedhofer would start and when themusic moved to a very “notey” fastsection, Roder would then completethe cue. No doubt Friedhofer wasalso very busy servicing Max Steinerat Warners and would beorchestrating more than one scoreWilliam Stromberg

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Rathbone), chief conspirer under Prince John(Claude Rains), become rivals for Lady Marian(Olivia de Havilland), a Norman ward of KingRichard the Lion Heart. This triangle, not present inany of the old ballads, originated in the popular DeKoven-Smith light opera version of Robin Hood in1891 and was used again in the Douglas Fairbanks1922 silent Robin Hood.

Since there was a little something suggestedfrom all sources, Flynn (or occasionally a stuntdouble) was required to engage in some litheleaping, wall-scaling, vaulting, vine-swinging –and, of course, swordplay – to take into account theDouglas Fairbanks heritage.

Audiences then and now loved the movie, manypeople going back to see it time and again. In 1948,ten years after its first release, Warner reissued thefilm in theatres everywhere with new Technicolorprints, treating it in the manner of one of their big,fresh attractions. The public flocked once again; thepicture performing better than most new films at thebox office and certainly better than the usual revivalof an old movie. It was reissued another time – butin black and white only and on a more limited basis– just before being sold to television in the late1950s, where it has been a perennial favourite. In apoll taken in 1977 for TV Guide magazine,programme directors of television stationsthroughout the country were asked to name the tenmost popular, most often shown movies in theirmarkets. Robin Hood was number five, preceded by– in order of popularity – Casablanca, King Kong,The Magnificent Seven, and The Maltese Falcon.

The Adventures of Robin Hood avoids thepitfalls that plague so many other films in the

historical romance genre. The subject had beenextraordinarily popular for over 600 years andWarner Bros. had the good sense not to alter thematerial drastically or to make it seem considerablymore than it was. All the elements are handled in arelatively straightforward manner. The dialogue isnot too flowery or archaic in an attempt to befaithful to the period; vigor and pace always offsetthe pomp and ceremony, and nothing tedious marsthe proceedings. Rather than lasting two hours orlonger, as so many costume adventure films do,Robin Hood runs its course in a brisk one hour andforty-two minutes. During that time, the film iscrammed with incident and action – all of it pointedand imaginatively staged. There is a prevailinghumour, not forced or awkward, but light-hearted,impudent, and indigenous.

Many other film productions of the Robin Hoodlegend followed. But MGM’s adaptation of the DeKoven-Smith 1891 operetta to star JeanetteMacDonald and Nelson Eddy, that had beenscheduled to follow in late 1939-early 1940, wasabandoned after the extraordinary success of theWarner version.

The definitive Robin Hood for most people isthe 1938 version, wherein many elements ofpopular entertainment are beautifully fused: fairy-tale romance, spectacle, colour, action, pageantry,humour, the triumph of right over might, theexultation of the Free Spirit, the lure of thegreenwood, and a vague nostalgia for a partlymythical age of chivalry.

Relatively little about the picture dates, exceptin a charming way. The characters, costumes,castle, and forest are idealized, but then the film is

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not a document of medieval life; rather, it is a fairytale illustrated by Technicolor. The “love interest,”often perfunctory and arbitrary in costumeadventure films, is here properly motivated andnicely woven into the plot fabric. And the rich ErichWolfgang Korngold Academy Award-winningscore serves as marvellous connective tissue,sweeping the film along and providing a splendidadded dimension.

When this writer was a boy, one of the firstoriginal dramatic film scores I remember hummingafter leaving the theatre was Korngold’s music forThe Prince and the Pauper in 1937. Then came thecomposer’s score for The Adventures of RobinHood and I was humming that a lot. The troublewas, in those days one was limited to humming,whistling, or singing portions of the music (in mycase, I’m sure I was frequently off-key with aslightly variant melodic line) because, of course,there were virtually no recordings of film scores, novideos, not even TV to catch the film once it left thefirst run, then the neighborhood theatres, and finallywhat we used to call in San Francisco “the fleahouses.”

Incredibly, it was not until August, 1961, thatany music from Robin Hood was commerciallyproduced for records. Selections (total time, 9:20)were recorded by conductor Lionel Newman andproducer George Korngold in Munich, Germany,based on the original orchestrations, for an excellentWarner Bros. compilation album, Music by ErichWolfgang Korngold. Actually Kurt Graunkeconducted the unidentified sixty-piece Munichorchestra for two of the three Robin Hoodselections, “Robin and Maid Marian” and

“Epilogue,” Newman being exhausted fromconducting the remainder of the forty-minute albumin a day and a half (including rehearsals)!

On New Year’s Eve, 1961, George Korngoldpresented me with an advance copy of the WarnerBros. LP. I remember going home after the NewYear’s party and staying up until dawn playing therecord over and over again while I listened and shedsome tears. Unless you were around in the 1930sand ’40s, and a film music buff, I’m sure it isdifficult to imagine what it was like not to be able,for the most part, to hear favorite scores except in amovie theatre.

In 1972 Charles Gerhardt conducted fourminutes of a Robin Hood excerpt with the NationalPhilharmonic Orchestra (in England) for the initialrecord in RCA’s Classic Film Score series, The SeaHawk: The Classic Film Scores of Erich WolfgangKorngold. In 1975, for a follow-up RCA album,Captain Blood: Classic Film Scores for ErrolFlynn, Gerhardt and producer George Korngoldincluded a total of 12:20 of music from Robin Hood.

Excerpts from the original optical music trackswere edited by George Korngold into a fifteen-minute suite for a portion of Warner Bros.’ 50 Yearsof Film Music LP album, released in 1973; a gooddeal of material being presented for the first time oncommercially available records. Other recordingsof selections – or of the official Robin Hoodpublished suite (approximately fifteen minutes) puttogether by Erich Korngold for concertperformances – followed over the years.

The 1983 Varese Sarabande recording withVarujan Kojian conducting the Utah SymphonyOrchestra gave us the most generous amount of the

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Growing up in the fifties was a great time for abudding film buff. Most of the classic films of thethirties and forties played constantly on localtelevision. Not realizing it at the time, both my filmand music tastes were being shaped by thesewonderful films and their scores. Warner Bros. wasmy favorite studio for a number of reasons; not theleast, the music. I remember the first time I saw TheAdventures of Robin Hood and what an impact itmade on me. The music became a part of my reel-to-reel library of scores I taped directly from thetelevision set with my little Webcor tape recorder.Never in my dreams did that twelve-year-old kidrealize he would be preparing this music for acomplete recording many years later.

Gathering the physical materials for this first-ever complete re-recording of Erich WolfgangKorngold’s The Adventures of Robin Hood was bothexhilarating and frustrating. After getting WarnerBros’ blessing to record this music, I had every pageof surviving scores, instrumentalparts, and conductor booksphotocopied to begin the restorationprocess. To my initialdisappointment, I discovered manyof the key sequences were missing —both in full score and individualparts. I then located the official RobinHood Suite, which contained some ofthe missing music.

My excitement was then a bitmuted when I discovered that themusic in the Suite was edited both for

time considerations, with bars of music taken out,and somewhat reorchestrated for a standardorchestra by eliminating extra woodwind and brassparts, reducing the percussion from five to threeplayers, combining the piano and celeste parts intoone, and integrating two harp parts to one.Apparently Korngold “borrowed” the scores andparts for these key sequences shortly after the filmwas released for use in live performances. He madecuts in the music and combined cues to present themusic in a concise fifteen-minute length. All theorchestrations were revised to accommodate this“standard” orchestra and new score and parts wereprepared. The original film orchestrations for thesesections are now lost. Despite this, I was determinedto present this music as heard in the film, with all theconnecting cues intact as well as the much-recordedsections restored to their original orchestration andlength. Evidently we are the first to do this, as astudy of every re-recording – beginning with the

famous Lionel Newman 1961version – makes it obvious that theSuite versions were used for theserecordings.

Fortunately, Korngold’soriginal recording of the entire scoresurvived on audio tape, made fromthe optical nitrate stems. This wasinvaluable as it afforded us the musicwithout dialog and sound effects andmade the restoration more reliableand authentic. Although the originalrecording of this score in 1938 was

Restoring Robin Hood’s Music

John Morgan


23 23

Left:On the Sound Stage.

A break during an actual scoring session. Erich

Wolfgang Korngold on the podium, his

parents seated to the right. (Photo Brendan Carroll)

Right:Erich WolfgangKorngold and BasilRathbone at aspecial Robin Hoodradio networkbroadcast on 11th May 1938.(Photo RudyBehlmer)

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Robin Hood score up to that time. But because thatrecording was designed originally for LP (later puton CD), 43 minutes are all that could be properlyaccommodated on one disc, so it was thirty minutesshort of the entire score. But now in this new MarcoPolo performance of the original score andorchestrations we are able to hear all 73 minutescomposed for the film in glorious sound!

Indeed, here is an ideal complement to the

newly restored Adventures of Robin Hood that isbeing released in a special edition two-disc WarnerBros. DVD package on this occasion of thepicture’s 65th anniversary.

Rudy Behlmerauthor of Behind the Scenes: The Making Of . . . ,Inside Warner Bros. (1935-1951), co-author ofThe Films of Errol Flynn, etc.

Erich Wolfgang Korngold receiving hisAcademy Award for Robin Hood fromesteemed composer Jerome Kern.(Photo © Copyright Academy of MotionPicture Arts and Sciences)

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Of the eighteen films scored by Erich WolfgangKorngold, three are regarded today as outstandingmasterpieces of the genre: Kings Row, The SeaHawk and The Adventures of Robin Hood. Themusical form established by Korngold in the mid1930s – the symphonic film score – saw its greatestexamples in these films, and Robin Hood inparticular, the earliest of the three, remains one ofthe most inspired of all this composer’s works,either for the screen or the concert hall.

The film itself remains as fresh and populartoday as in the year it was made, and in spite ofnumerous later films and television series on thesubject, it is still widely regarded as the definitiveversion of the legendary story. With the coming ofcable, satellite TV, video and DVD, countlessmillions throughout the world now know thisclassic motion picture. Indeed there can scarcely bea time of day when this film is not being shownsomewhere on the planet. For Korngold, who onceremarked that a ‘film composer’s immortality lastsall the way from the soundstage to the dubbingroom’ this would be a revelation. He could not haveenvisaged that the music he composed under suchduress in 1938 would become one of his mostfrequently performed and beloved works.

By the time he came to write Robin Hood hewas already esteemed as one of the leadingcomposers in Hollywood, following hisgroundbreaking work on such films as AMidsummer Night’s Dream, Captain Blood and

Anthony Adverse – the latter winning him anAcademy Award in 1936. He was not yet underlong-term contract to Warner Brothers but workedas a freelance, on a picture-by-picture basis.Following his introduction to motion pictures bylegendary producer Max Reinhardt, who hadinsisted on him being assigned for A MidsummerNight’s Dream in 1934, Korngold was alsotenuously attached to Reinhardt’s future screenassignments. Reinhardt had a three-picture dealwith Warners, and Korngold returned to Hollywoodin October 1936 ostensibly to work on Danton, alarge-scale historical epic being planned asReinhardt’s follow up to Dream. In any event, thefilm was postponed (it was never made) andKorngold scored Another Dawn and The Prince andthe Pauper instead.

At the beginning of May 1937, after completingthe score for The Prince and the Pauper, ErichWolfgang Korngold left Hollywood to return toVienna to spend the summer finishing theorchestration of his fifth opera Die Kathrin, whichwas scheduled for its world première at the StateOpera that autumn. From surviving correspondence,it seems that he already knew that his next filmassignment would be the lavish, Technicolorspectacular The Adventures of Robin Hood – bythen already in the advanced pre-production stage.Letters from the period between Korngold, hisfather (esteemed music critic Dr Julius Korngold)and his publisher Schott, confirm that he spent

Korngold and The Adventures of Robin HoodA Masterpiece of Film Scoring

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Photos taken during theactual scoring sessions for

The Adventures of RobinHood (April 1938). Erich

Wolfgang Korngoldconducting the Warner

Brothers Orchestra. (Photos Brendan Carroll)

Left:During the Banquet

Scene (Basil Rathboneclearly on screen).

Right:Robin andLittle John onthe Log (AlanHale andErrol Flynnjust visibleon screen).


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Brendan G Carroll March 2003Brendan G Carroll is President of the InternationalKorngold Society and author of The Last Prodigy,the definitive biography of the composer.

and Krise took photos of the occasion, which arenow also preserved in my collection. In the closingannouncements, special thanks from Korngold toFriedhofer and Milan Roder were read at hisinsistence by Ken Niles, the radio announcer.Korngold was a generous artist.

Miraculously, this historic radio performance ispreserved on records for, originally, it was Warners’intention to issue it commercially. However, onlyeight shellac sets were ever made (for Korngold andthe chief executives at the studio) of which onlythree are known to have survived. The release wassubsequently abandoned as being too ‘uncommer-cial’, and it was not until 1942 and Miklos Rozsa’sThe Jungle Book that a film score was to besubstantially issued on gramophone records.

The Adventures of Robin Hood achievedexemplary critical notices on release, and severalmajor articles were devoted to the music. The musiccritic Bruno David Ussher writing in the HollywoodSpectator said:

“Korngold’s music is ideal foreground music.An orchestral score for an opera isn’t called‘background music’ even if the orchestral writingwere entirely apart, thematically…. from the vocalline … Fortunately, there was no viva voce in RobinHood. All the ‘singing’ occurs in the eminentlysongful music of Korngold … One love scenecontains pages of music that could well live on as

concert music …”Prophetic words. In June, Korngold was invited

to conduct concerts of his own music in Oakland andSan Francisco featuring the Bay Region SymphonyOrchestra and he decided to include a short suitefrom Robin Hood, which he assembled especially.

The Suite is still performed in concerts todayand comprises four movements: The Banquet:March of the Merry Men: Love Scene: Fight, Victoryand Epilogue. It was always Korngold’s intentionthat the music he composed for the cinema would, ashe put it, “still be music, away from the screen”.

On 23rd February, 1939, to the surprise ofabsolutely no one, Korngold won his second Oscarfor Robin Hood at the glittering Academy Awardsceremony at the Biltmore Hotel when Jerome Kernpresented him with the award. The film also won forits superb art direction and editing. Hal Wallis, whowith Henry Blanke produced Robin Hood, was giventhe Irving G. Thalberg Award for ‘consistently highquality of production’.

Both the film and its marvellous score haveendured. Over sixty years later, the music Korngoldcomposed for The Adventures of Robin Hood stillrepresents a benchmark of the genre that has rarelybeen equaled. Its influence on style has beenprofound and its popularity has remained constant.As a work of art, it may well be his masterpieceamong the scores he created for the screen.

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considerable time researching the Robin Hoodlegend in the main libraries in Vienna, in order tounderstand the narrative and the characters, noscript being yet available.

Preparation was essential because Korngoldknew that once he returned to America, time wouldbe of the essence in scoring the film and the more hecould achieve before scoring began in earnest, thebetter. Normally, he would have to wait until he sawa finished script before any composing could begin.With Robin Hood, the characters and storyincidentals were already well-established folkloreand he seized the advantage.

We can assume therefore that some of thememorable themes contained in this most belovedscore were conceived months before filming began.In addition, Korngold’s father advised his son thatone of his earlier concert works could provide idealmaterial for the score. This was Sursum Corda – alarge-scale symphonic overture with a wonderfullyheroic trumpet theme. It was composed in 1919,much in the manner of a tone poem by Korngold’smentor Richard Strauss (to whom, incidentally, thescore was dedicated) yet had never been successful.It provides the core thematic material in RobinHood and undoubtedly contributed to its uniqueflavour.

The events surrounding Korngold’s return toHollywood for Robin Hood are the stuff of legend,yet there are still unanswered questions. Unusually,no return date seems to have been agreed withKorngold, and no written agreement had beenreached. In previous years, he had usually returnedin October to spend the winter months in California(to benefit his younger son George, who had

suffered a tubercular infection) but the impendingpremière of Die Kathrin clearly ruled this out.Korngold had written the lead tenor role in the operafor Jan Kiepura and was disappointed when thehandsome singer eventually declined the part,owing to his having signed a contract with theMetropolitan Opera in New York.

Korngold’s intensely romantic opera needed astar tenor to partner soprano Jarmila Novotna(singing the role of the eponymous heroine) andafter various options were pursued, Richard Tauberwas finally chosen. Tauber was a close friend ofKorngold, and had scored a triumph in the role ofPaul in Korngold’s most famous opera Die toteStadt in the 1920s. He had recently married anEnglish actress, Diana Napier, and was living muchof the time in London. He had agreed in principle tostar in Korngold’s opera and Bruno Walter hadagreed to conduct. Production plans for the operamoved slowly. Tauber was on his way back fromAmerica, following a successful series of concertsat Carnegie Hall.

Meanwhile, shooting had already begun onRobin Hood in September of 1937 but followingpoor weather hampering the location photography, asubsequent change of director, script revisions andthe decision to enhance the film into a super-production, it was not to be completed until 22ndJanuary, 1938.

Back in Vienna, Christmas 1937 passed quietly.Tauber was scheduled to make a film in England(Land Without Music, with Jimmy Durante), buthad agreed to look at the score of Korngold’s opera.The première date was the only question, and thisdepended on Tauber finishing his film by March.

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Then, fate stepped in.On 22nd January, a young Austrian pianist,

Robert Kohner, was participating in a concert inVienna and had decided to perform Korngold’sPiano Sonata No.3. Korngold and his wife Luziwere invited guests and decided to attend. Luzirecalled the dramatic day in her memoirs:

“I was alone in the house when a telegramarrived: ‘Can you be in Hollywood in ten days timeto write the music for Robin Hood?’

“I took the telegram with me to the concert.Erich was late; finally I saw him enter the room andtake a seat at the back. I raised the telegram in myhand to show him but he didn’t understand – we hadto wait for the end of the concert when, in myagitated state, I could share the news. He looked atme, astounded and said ‘This is an omen’. Then herang the Director of the Staatsoper right there fromthe Concert Hall and told him of the WarnerBrothers contract … Dr Eckmann said word forword on the telephone ‘Professor Korngold, takethis as an omen and go! I promise you a first classpremière in October with Bruno Walter conductingand starring Jarmila Novotna and Richard Tauber(who will be free then). I’ll make sure we write toyou and confirm it’. It was late in the evening. Erichlooked at me with uncertainty and suggested we goto the Imperial Hotel to find out what ships weresailing in the next five days. If it were not one of thebig liners, he would not travel in winter. The shipdue to sail was the Normandie (then the largestpassenger ship afloat). On the spot, Erich reservedtwo cabins, because we would at least have to takeSchurli [son George] with us. We had only a day topack our things, make arrangements for the house

and say our goodbyes to family and friends. We hadto leave our older son Ernst with my mother andsister so as not to interrupt his schooling …”

A letter from producer Henry Blanke arrived thenext day announcing that he had already ordered thescript to be available for their arrival in New York,and outlined the main characters. Blanke comparedthe love story between Robin Hood and MaidMarian to that in Captain Blood. On 23rd JanuaryKorngold sent the following reply to Blanke:

“Accept in principle hoping that one furtherpicture possible. Take Normandie 29th toHollywood February 7th. Cable if picture alreadycut and how many weeks available for scoring.Confirm contract”

Hal Wallis, Warners’ production chief, repliedin an overnight wire on the 23rd:

“Satisfactory arrive Hollywood February 7th.Terms OK as wired Friday. Should score pictureabout four weeks as release date April. Wilk hasscript for you. Picture cut by 7th. Regards, Wallis.”

The die was cast. The dates of the wires indicatethe speed with which the decision was taken. TheKorngolds left by car, for Le Havre, on 25thJanuary. The journey was a tortuous one. Icy roadsand a blinding snowstorm made driving through thebitterly cold weather extremely hazardous. At everyborder, they were stopped and questioned or evensent back for some trivial documentation to be re-stamped.

Korngold spent the journey contemplating thefilm. At Le Havre, just before finally boarding theship, a postcard from Julius Korngold arrivedcontaining the telling phrase “Don’t forget my ideato use Sursum Corda for the chief theme of the

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Korngold finished the lengthy recording sessionsand post-production work in early April. In the late1970s and early 1980s, I was fortunate enough tomeet and interview several of the surviving membersof the Warner orchestra, most especially TeddyKrise, chief clarinettist, who had vivid memories ofthe sessions:

“Robin Hood was one of the toughest jobs Ithink we ever did back then, on account of howdifficult the music was. The time was so shortbecause of the release date, that there was hardly anyrehearsal and we had to mostly play the stuff ‘atsight’. But even so there were very few retakes as Irecall. Some of the boys were allowed to take stuffhome with them, which was unusual. I rememberLarry Sullivan, our principal trumpet doing thatbecause he had these really tricky solos. Ourconcertmaster Dan Lube had some really juicy stufftoo. I did all the wind solos, even the saxophone inthe big love scene, which was an unusual colour. Iremember that Korngold wanted that to be played‘straight’, with no vibrato at all….. but, it was all justglorious music – nothing of that quality had beendone before in Hollywood and the guys reallyappreciated it.”

Teddy Krise was also an amateur photographerand took photographs of Korngold actually workingon the sound stage. He subsequently gave them tome and they are among my most treasuredpossessions.

On 25th April, a gala preview of the film tookplace at Warner’s Hollywood Theatre. Specialvellum scrolls with elaborate lettering in full colour

were produced as invitations for the star-studdedaudience, which of course included Korngold. Thefilm had already been sneak-previewed in theatres inPomona and downtown Los Angeles and thereaction and responses from audiences had beenremarkable.

The Adventures of Robin Hood was to beofficially released on 14th May. Normally, filmswere ‘trailed’ on radio but Warner Brothers,recognizing that Korngold’s score wasextraordinary, took the unusual step of mounting aspecial radio broadcast of virtually all the majorsequences of the score with Korngold conducting theWarner Brothers Studio Orchestra and BasilRathbone narrating the story. This took place at thestudios of KFWB on 11th May, and was broadcastlive, coast-to-coast across the NBC Blue Network.

Teddy Krise vividly remembered this occasionalso:

“We got paid extra for the broadcast which wasvery popular with the fellahs but, boy, it was a toughjob. I recall we rehearsed for most of the afternoon.The live broadcast was at 7.30 in the evening.Rathbone only came at the end of rehearsal becausethe studio wouldn’t release him from filming. Theactual performance was much harder than thescoring sessions because we only had to performindividual cues for the picture, whereas on the radio,we really played whole sequences like a concert andyou know, Korngold wouldn’t compromise ontempos at all.”

Albert Glasser was in attendance to make anynecessary changes to the orchestral parts. Both he

Postscript


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(Melville Cooper) says ‘We are ready for theceremony – your Majesty!’ and the music swells. Anew grandiose treatment of ‘Old England’ is heard,as the Great Hall of Nottingham Castle is finallyrevealed, bedecked in coloured flags and tapers asthe camera pulls back on the resplendent scene.

Brilliant fanfares ring out – and the music theyplay is an extraordinary transformation of theMarch of the Merry Men into a thrilling ‘Pomp andCircumstance’. The music becomes ever moreelaborate, with harps, tolling bells and extrafanfares building to the emphatic climax. For thisextended sequence, Korngold added extra brass, forantiphonal fanfares, which were recorded separatelyand then mixed over the main orchestral part. Thiswas necessary because of the limited monauralrecording process then available. Yet Korngold wasalready clearly thinking in stereo long before it waspossible.

A fanfare announces Prince John ™. Then, asthe monks file in, the Norman Fanfare ofSupremacy is heard, but now in sinister muted form.The ceremony is interrupted by Richard and Robinrevealing themselves, and once again, SursumCorda rings out, adapted and restructured. We nowmove swiftly into The Battle £. The last section ofSursum Corda fits the action perfectly, but soon,Robin and Sir Guy break away for The Duel.Korngold here unites the themes for both charactersin contrapuntal interplay. As they duel on screen,

their themes duel in the orchestra. Korngold reusedsome of this music later in a similar duel in The SeaHawk.

Sir Guy’s dispatch and fall to his death aresuperbly captured in the music, before the Battlefinally reaches its climax with The Victory, and asRobin rescues Marian from her prison cell, a grandrendition of the Love theme is heard, richly scoredfor additional brass, answered by the second half ofthe Lion Heart theme; the clear message from thecomposer is that Love has triumphed and therightful King restored.

As King Richard knights Robin Hood with theinstruction: ‘My first command to you my Lord Earlis to take in marriage the hand of the Lady Marian’.The Epilogue ¢ sees Robin’s trumpet themeundergo its final transformation, into a yearning,romantic, completely lyrical melody for dividedstrings.

The music fairly glows, as it sweeps up to awistfully nostalgic descending phrase, as Robin –making a discreet exit with Marian – delivers thefinal line of the film: ‘May I obey all yourcommands with equal pleasure, Sire’ and the greatdoors of the castle close behind them. Robin’stheme thunders out, with the Lion Heart themebuilding to a huge crescendo. A brisk reprise of theMarch of the Merry Men accompanies the End Cast∞ bringing this masterpiece of film scoring to itsconclusion.

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Captain of the Brigands!” In fact, Korngold hadalready decided to take his father’s advice and hadwritten to his publisher Schott before he left Viennaasking permission to use portions of the earlierscore. A telegram from Willy Strecker, the seniorpartner at Schott, was waiting at Le Havre grantingKorngold permission.

The Normandie sailed for New York on 29thJanuary. According to his son George, Korngoldconstantly paced the decks humming to himselfthroughout the difficult voyage, composing in hishead and making notes, then improvising on thepiano in his stateroom as the ship was beset withmountainous seas – apparently the worst evercrossing for this great liner. He thus was able to addto the sketches he had already made in Vienna forthe principal themes of the main characters. Theship arrived in New York on 3rd February and theKorngolds left immediately for the West Coast onthe Santa Fe Chief. Even then, their adventureswere far from over. The train collided with anautomobile just before arriving in Pasadena on 7thFebruary, where, much shaken but in reasonablespirits they were met by Max Reinhardt’s wife, theactress Helene Thimig. They arranged to rent ahouse near to Warner Brothers in the picturesqueToluca Lake district, which was ten minutes walkfrom the studio. The next day, they were driven tothe screening of Robin Hood. Korngold watchedwith great attention, and became increasinglyworried as the fast-paced, action-filled adventurefilm unfolded.

He looked continually at Luzi, shaking his headwith concern. Later, his desperation exploded. “Ican’t … I can’t do it” he shouted. Luzi, trying to

calm him, said “Then don’t!” Finally, he left to seeHal Wallis, with a carefully constructed letter ofrejection, which survives in the Warner files:

“Dear Mr Wallis,“I am sincerely sorry to have to bother you once

more. I do appreciate deeply your kindness andcourtesy toward me, and I am aware of the fact thatyou have made all concessions possible to facilitatemy work.

“But please believe a desperate man who has tobe true to himself and to you, a man who knowswhat he can do and what he cannot do. Robin Hoodis no picture for me. I have no relation to it andtherefore, cannot produce any music for it. I am amusician of the heart, of passions and psychology; Iam not a musical illustrator for a 90% actionpicture. Being a conscientious person, I cannot takethe responsibility for a job which, as I already know,would leave me artistically completely dissatisfiedand which, therefore, I would have to drop evenafter several weeks of work on it, and after severalweeks of salary.

“Therefore let me say ‘no’ definitely, and let mesay it today when no time has been lost for you asyet, since the work print will not be ready untiltomorrow.

“And please do not try to make me change mymind; my resolve is unshakeable. I implore you notto be angry with me and not to deprive me of yourfriendship. For it is I who suffers mentally andfinancially. I ask you to weigh the pictures forwhich I composed the music, such as MidsummerNight’s Dream, Captain Blood, Anthony Adverse,Prince and the Pauper, against the one I could notmake Robin Hood. And if during the next few

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weeks you should have a job for me to do, you neednot cable all the way to Vienna.

“With best regards,“Erich Wolfgang Korngold”Wallis had little option but to accept, and

Korngold, delighted at this painless outcome,returned home. The events of the days that followedare worthy of a film script in themselves. As Luzirecalled:

“… it was the 12th of February – I got a callfrom Helene Thimig. I picked up the phone upstairswhile Erich, curious as ever, lifted the receiverdown below. ‘Luzi’ said Helene with uncertainty,‘it’s all over. Schuschnigg (the Austrian Chancellor)is in Berchtesgaden (meeting with Hitler)’. At thatvery moment, the doorbell rang and Mr Forbstein,head of music at Warner Brothers, entered the housewith the words ‘Korngold, you have to do it!’ Erichtried to explain that he had already officiallydeclined, and in writing. ‘That doesn’t matter’, saidForbstein with a dismissive gesture. Under thecrucifying influence of the news we had justreceived on the telephone, Erich began to reflect onthe matter. Finally he promised Forbstein that hewould at least try to write the music for RobinHood. He didn’t want a contract. His conditionswere ‘work from week to week, paid from week toweek’. ‘If I find that it’s not working out, I can giveup with a clear conscience; the music I have writtenup until then will belong to you’ he explained …The following evening, he was already at work inthe rehearsal room …”

Whatever Korngold privately felt about hisobligations, an inter-office memo from WalterMacEwen, Hal Wallis’ executive assistant, to the

contracts department, dated 14th February, wasunequivocal about the result of these discussions:

“Korngold is now definitely set to do the musicon ROBIN HOOD”

Korngold, feeling he was under no obligation,worked fluently and at speed. Luzi, writing yearslater, was at a loss to explain why they took no stepsto rescue their other son and family from thedangerous situation in Vienna. Naive, trusting, theyclearly presumed that things would calm down. Asshe wryly remarked:

“And of course we had a high opinion of ourcountrymen and would never have thought thatwhat had happened in Germany could ever happenin ‘our country’ …”

Then, it was announced that elections were tobe held in Austria on 10th March. Luzi wasinnocently convinced that Austria would resist thegrip of Hitler. But Korngold finally woke up to thereality of the crisis. He knew with terrible certaintywhat lay ahead. ‘He must invade! Don’t you see?Hitler could never risk an election in Austria …’

Indeed, there was no election and on 13thMarch, Hitler marched into Austria. The Korngoldsimmediately cabled Luzi’s sister asking that theireldest son Ernst be included on her passport. Theyreceived no reply. Transatlantic telephone calls hadto be booked in advance in those days, and severalanxious hours passed until they could speak toVienna direct. Julius Korngold who had alreadyincluded the boy on his passport, had in factcunningly procured a holiday visa to America somemonths earlier (having realized the danger longbefore the rest of his family) and indeed, was aboutto leave within a few hours. The whole family

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music begins with a gently undulating misteriosobased on Robin’s trumpet call but here in the minorkey, supported by harp and piano arpeggios.

Inside, Lady Marian talks to her maid Bess (awonderful performance by Una O’Connor) of herlove for Robin and we hear again ‘Lady Marian’sHeartsong’ – now, no longer shy or teasing but alyrical outpouring, exquisitely orchestrated, withceleste and vibraphone providing the mostluxurious, erotic colouring. Robin arrives and thestructure of the sequence, which follows, is purelyoperatic. Once the two have declared their love andas they kiss for the first time, Korngold provides asweeping climax with a full, rich statement of theravishing love theme first heard in the forest earlier.

When Robin speaks, a cello intones theLionheart theme. When Marian responds, it is theviolins which answer for her. The musical sequenceends with its usual coda – the Old England theme.Korngold’s description of his film scores as ‘operaswithout singing’ is especially apt here.

At this point in the film, Korngold’s musicstops. Scenes depicting Richard the Lionheartarriving incognito at an Inn and a subsequentmeeting between Prince John, Sir Guy and theBishop of the Black Canons (Montagu Love) wherethey plot Richard’s murder and the coronation ofJohn as King, are played without underscoring.Korngold instinctively knew where to place musicin his films and these scenes required none.However, as Lady Marian has overheard the plot,Korngold’s score resumes with her Arrest * – areprise of the oppression theme, for Marian isherself now one of the oppressed.

A long, held chord maintains the suspense of

the Court of Execution when she is condemned todeath, before one of the most unusual musicalsequences in the score; Much: The Knife Fight (.Much the Miller, warned by Bess, goes to overtakeSir Guy’s assassin, Dickon (Harry Cording) to saveKing Richard. In the music, after a sinister preludeof biting, dissonant minor seconds, we hear Muchdrop from the tree onto Dickon and as the fightensues, to match the brutality and sharp blows,Korngold liberally spices the score with sharpintervals, and a strange, discordant treatment ofRobin’s theme.

As the fight reaches its climax, the scene (andthe music) dissolves into the radiant major key andonto Richard himself (Ian Hunter) [Richard MeetsRobin Hood] ) and his lovely theme, playedrapidly. He encounters Robin and the Merry Menand as they walk to the camp, Will Scarlet (havingdiscovered the injured Much) arrives with him. Thisscene was edited and shortened before release butfor this recording, the full musical sequence hasbeen restored. A lovely pastoral statement of theLion Heart theme [Richard the Lion Heart] as hereveals his identity to Robin and his men, closes thescene.

The Procession ¡ marks the beginning of thegrand finale to this wonderful film. The March ofthe Merry Men is now sinister and stately,embellished with tolling bells and muted trumpetflourishes, as the outlaws disguised as monks maketheir way to Nottingham Castle, where Prince John,assuming his brother has been killed, is about toproclaim himself King. The scene changes to therobing room where he is dressing. As he admireshimself in a pier glass, the Sheriff of Nottingham


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appearance of the Love Music, as Marian starts torealise her true feelings for Robin. This new theme,which appears almost bashfully here, is also fromSursum Corda and with some ravishing keychanges, it leads to a lovely solo cello statement ofthe Lionheart theme, as Robin tries to explain toMarian the reasons for his campaign against theNormans.

As they walk back to the camp and her lovebegins to dawn for him, the lilting strains of OldEngland follow them. After an altercation with SirGuy and some slapstick between Little John andFriar Tuck (a rare example of Korngold using the‘Mickey Mouse’ technique to match on-screenaction) the Flirt reappears, as Marian wavesgoodbye from her horse to Robin – one of the mosttouching moments in the film.

Next – The Tournament # – anothermarvelous set piece, rather like the curtain up onAct 2, with rich heraldic fanfares based onKorngold’s beloved motto theme of rising fourths(The Motif of the Cheerful Heart), which he hadused in all of his major works since his childhood,most especially in his early Sinfonietta.

The archery tournament has been arranged bySir Guy to trap Robin, and with Robin’s appearanceon the field (accompanied by his men in disguise)we naturally hear a muted version of the March ofthe Merry Men. The orchestration is superb. WhenRobin’s arrow leaves his bow, we don’t need to seeit – we can hear its ‘whoosh’ in Korngold’s music,as the trumpet theme sings out. When the cameracuts away to Sir Guy, as he plots with Prince John, astrange discordant motif based on Robin’s march-like theme heard earlier when he entered the

Banquet, is continued by a new, threatening versionof the oppression theme effectively building thetension. Robin Hood Starts to Shoot accompaniesthe final contest between Robin and the masterarcher Phillip of Arras. Naturally, Robin wins thetournament as the fanfares ring out, over and overagain. The Arrest of Robin Hood $ is a partialreworking of material from Sursum Corda while theTribunal and Jail % scenes, which immediatelyfollow, depend on still further development of theNorman Oppression Theme. Korngold’sintermeshing of individual motifs is a perfectcounterpoint to the action on screen and is donewith exceptional skill. As Robin is manacled in hiscell, the scene dissolves to Maid Marian (OldEngland now heard in the minor key) as she fretsover Robin’s fate. (A brief scene follows this, whereshe meets the Merry Men to offer a rescue plan butit is not scored).

The Gallows ^ is another striking musicalcanvas, borrowing (as noted) a motif fromKorngold’s earlier score for Anthony Adverse(1936) but now re-orchestrated and embellished.Swirling rising arpeggios are crowned by Robin’strumpet theme, as he is brought to the scaffold. TheFlight of Robin Hood, as he escapes the noose justin the nick of time, is a thrilling adaptation of thelast section of Sursum Corda – in particular,matching the Fairbanks-like stunt of Robinswinging up Nottingham Gate by rope. Bar for bar,it is fitted to the film like a hand in a glove.

Finally, we come to the big Love Scene & – theemotional heart of the score, wherein Robin climbs,like Romeo, to Lady Marian’s balcony. Given thesize of Nottingham Castle, this is no mean feat. The

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actually left Vienna on the last unrestricted train andmanaged to cross the border into Switzerland on thevery last day that this was possible. Once he wasassured that his family was safe, Korngold threwhimself into completing the complex score forRobin Hood.

The release date was moved to 12th May, buteven so, Korngold had only seven weeks to write it,supervise the orchestration (by Hugo Friedhofer,Milan Roder and – for two short sequences – an

assistant, Reginald Basset) and then record thefinished score to the film. His son George laterrecalled the agony of those weeks:

“… My father was on the verge of stoppingseveral times. I shall never forget his anguishedprotestations of ‘I just can’t do it’ which I overheardin the middle of the night through my bedroom wall.He was suffering, and at the same time producingone of his finest scores …”

The structure of Korngold’s score is helpedconsiderably by the dramatic construction of thefilm, where the intimacy of the human story wasoffset by a series of tremendous set-pieces – theBanquet, the Attack on the Sir Guy’s Party, theArchery Tournament, Robin’s Execution andEscape and the climactic Coronation Procession,Battle and Finale. These sequences underpinned thefilm and required exceptionally vivid musicalaccompaniment. Korngold rose magnificently to theoccasion with a score that, even today, is regardedas one of the finest examples of marrying musicwith the moving image.

As previously, Korngold applied operatictechnique to his composition. Each character isclothed in a wonderfully apt theme, from the harshtones of Sir Guy of Gisbourne to the yearningromance of Lady Marian’s ‘heartsong’ as Korngolddescribed it in his score.

There is no vocal music of any kind (unlikeother historical film subjects which Korngold

composed) and this was owing to a contractualobligation between Warners and MGM, whoplanned a film version of an operetta based on theRobin Hood legend for Jeanette MacDonald andNelson Eddy in 1939 (it was never made). But forthat, I am fairly certain Korngold would havecomposed an ‘old English ballad’ for the film. Nomatter – his music sings eloquently throughout.

Viewed as a whole, the score contains fifteenprimary themes:

I. The March of the Merry MenII. Richard the Lionheart

III. Prince John and the Normans’ Supremacy (Fanfare)

IV. The Oppression of the SaxonsV. Sir Guy of Gisbourne

VI. Robin HoodVII. Lady Marian’s Heartsong

VIII. Old EnglandIX. The Norman Banquet (Processional)X. The Chase of Robin Hood

The Score

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XI. Friar Tuck (The Fish)XII. The Flirt

XIII. The Archery TournamentXIV. The GallowsXV. The Love Music

There are at least another six secondary motifs,and Korngold constantly derives subsidiaryvariations on all of his material, often combiningthemes as and when characters appear on screen. Healso adopts his usual practice of assigning different,appropriate solo instruments to individualcharacters in underscoring dialogue.

Before I turn to the score in sequence, as itappears on this recording, a word about Korngold’ssources and method.

As noted, the brilliant trumpet motif fromSursum Corda became Robin Hood’s theme andKorngold treats it to an astonishing degree ofvariation, development and embellishment, findingendless possibilities within its complex rhythm. Asecondary theme from Sursum Corda forms thebasis for the love music between Robin and Marian,while large portions of the central developmentsection and the climax of this earlier score werelifted entirely for key scenes.

The rapid fanfare that concludes the Main Titleand which appears throughout the film to mark thesupremacy of the Normans and more specifically,Prince John, originally appeared (slightly varied) inAct One of Korngold’s opera Die Kathrin(composed almost contemporaneously) while thefamous March of the Merry Men which opens thefilm and later accompanies the celebrated ‘Attackon the Treasure Wagon’ is actually based on a waltztheme Korngold composed for an operetta

adaptation from 1928 – Rosen aus Florida (Rosesfrom Florida) – which is a partial completion of awork by Leo Fall! We shall never know just whyKorngold identified Robin Hood’s merry men withthis little waltz, but it proved to be enormouslyeffective and one of his most popular themes.

One further sequence utilised music he hadcomposed earlier – The Gallows, where Robin istaken to be executed. This is a much elaboratedrescoring of a sequence from Anthony Adverse of atortuous journey by coach through the Swiss Alps.The swirling, rising arpeggios are here combinedwith Robin’s trumpet theme to great effect.

As was his practice, Korngold composed thescore at the piano, in a method unique to him. Priorto starting work, I am certain he already knew theoverall shape and structure of his score. Only finitedetails, matters of timing and pacing needed to befixed. His anxiety at the initial screening wasdoubtless caused by so much spectacular action hehad not envisaged when he was back at home inVienna.

Nevertheless, he worked quickly as reels of thefilm were run for him, over and over again in aprojection room equipped with an upright piano,while he improvised his music in time to the film,occasionally stopping to make notes. Later, hewould prepare a detailed piano sketch for eachsequence and gradually the entire score took shape.Because he composed the music as a whole ratherthan in individual chunks, the separate cues flowone from the other, with key relationships observed,even when scenes without music are placedbetween. In this way, much of the score can beperformed sequentially, end to end, with little

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trumpet theme ring out as they strike.The music effortlessly bridges, one might

almost say dissolves, to the wonderfully luminoustheme for Friar Tuck (Eugene Pallette) [entitledThe Fish 8 on the score] as he sits dozing by thestream, waiting for a catch. The scene opens on thewriggling fish, which has been caught on his rod,and the music, with its flute and vibraphoneflourishes, has a translucent, magical sound,complete with bell-like, monastic effects.

Robin’s Fight with Friar Tuck whichimmediately follows is yet another delightfulvariation on Robin’s theme, as he duels with Tuckin the stream. All ends happily and once again,Korngold makes humorous use of the bassoon [ANew Companion] 9 to mimic Tuck’s rumblingtummy at the promise of ‘a venison pastie and thebiggest you ever ate… boar’s head, beef, casks ofale…’. We hear the gentle strain of the March of theMerry Men once more, as another key member joinsthe band.

Robin Hood Attacks Sir Guy’s Party 0 isone of the best-remembered scenes in the film andthanks to the brilliant direction of Michael Curtizand William Keighley, one of the most exciting. Agradual build up is matched by Korngold’s effectiveand carefully structured scoring. The March of theMerry Men is now transformed into an orchestraltour-de-force.

As the camera cuts away from the outlawspreparing to attack Sir Guy’s party, Korngoldtransforms Sir Guy’s aggressive theme into analmost lyrical accompaniment, befitting his attemptto befriend Lady Marian riding alongside. When theattack comes [The Attack], it is simply marvellous

how the music mirrors the action on screen, as theMerry Men swoop down from the trees onto theunsuspecting Norman soldiers. Robin’s trumpettheme dominates, as Sir Guy’s troop is routed andthe treasure seized.

The Flirt !, as the captives are led away toRobin’s camp, is deliciously Viennese to match thedelightful banter between Robin and Marian. Itcaused one member of the Warner Orchestra to dubKorngold’s score “Robin Hood in the ViennaWoods”. Arriving at Robin’s camp, the Feastbegins, wherein the March of the Merry Men isrecast in a boisterous 2/2 time.

As Robin sits with Lady Marian, Korngold nowintroduces a new theme that he called ‘LadyMarian’s Heartsong’ on the original sketch, whichwill become increasingly important as the romancedevelops in the story. Here it is given a jaunty swingand provided with a syncopated bass that perfectlycomplements the teasing dialogue. When Robinreveals the tax money that has been seized – a chestbrimful of gold coins and precious jewels – themusic fairly glistens accordingly [Gold] and, onbeing accused by Marian of planning to keep his ill-gotten gains, he leaps up to ask his men what heshould do with it. Their passionate declaration tosave it for King Richard, allows the Lionhearttheme to burst forth – a memorable moment.

Immediately following, Robin shows Marianthe Poor People @ – peasants who have beenmistreated or injured by Sir Guy’s brutal forces.Appropriately, it is the theme of NormanOppression that we hear, but here transformed into asombre elegy. This highly effective pateticotreatment then softly bridges to the first, tentative


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The Normans’ Fanfare sounds as the assemblednobles toast Prince John, and Korngold underscoresthe flirtatious dialogue between the Prince and MaidMarian (Olivia de Havilland) by transforming theBanquet Processional into a minuet! Then we hearthe melting strains of a theme Korngold called ‘OldEngland’ and the sequence ends.

Suddenly, a commotion is heard as we seeRobin Hood Outside 5; this is a subtle, robustvariation on Robin’s trumpet tune, which becomes aswaggering march as he struts into the hall [RobinHood’s Entrance] carrying a deer over hisshoulders, before flinging it onto the Banquet tablein front of an astonished Prince John. After a tenseexchange, a spear pierces Robin’s chair and aspectacular battle scene commences [The Fight]which is lifted almost entirely from the expositionsection of Sursum Corda and is one of the mostdifficult sequences in this score, largely because ofthe tempo Korngold demands.

Considering the music was actually written in1919, it is remarkable how well it fits the images onscreen and one wonders if Korngold influenced thecutting of this scene to fit the film, as he had inprevious films.

Robin escapes from the castle and The Chaseof Robin Hood begins with Sir Guy’s brutal theme,as he commands his troops to pursue Robin. Amarvelous night ride through the forest follows,with every detail caught in the music, Robin’strumpet tune punctuating the melodic line as thearrows fly.

A typical Michael Curtiz shot – a silhouette ofthe corpses of dead Norman soldiers, while priestsintone Latin prayers – is underscored by a sombre,

held chord. [The Victims].Next, [Robin Hood Meets Little John] 6 it is

a spring day in Sherwood Forest as Robin and Willtake a morning stroll. A bucolic pastorale based onRobin’s trumpet tune makes it almost sound like anew theme, so lyrical and romantic has it become.They encounter Little John, who is whistling an oldEnglish song (Sumer is Icumen In). The whistle wasdubbed separately later and there were many takesduring the sessions as can be heard on the survivingoptical tracks. Korngold was a perfectionist andworked with the un-named ‘whistler’ until it wasjust right.

The encounter between Little John and Robin[Robin Hood Fights with Little John] withquarterstaves on the log is a humorous, goodnatured variation on Robin’s theme with a solobassoon embellished with pizzicato strings tosuggest Will Scarlet playing his lute nearby ( LittleJohn to Will: ‘Hey there pretty fellow…play me atune I can make this puny rascal dance to …!’) Thesequence entitled Jolly Friendship whichconcludes the scene is the first time we hear theMarch of the Merry Men since the main titles – for,with Little John being invited to join Robin, theMerry Men are finally coming together.

The Oath and The Black Arrow 7 is anextended scene where, following the oath ofallegiance (poignantly underscored by the Lionhearttheme) as the Saxons who have formed Robin’sMerry Men swear to fight for the King, we hearagain the Oppression theme; there is a gradual buildup of tension through a montage of further cruel actsperpetrated by the Normans. As each Black Arrowis fired by Robin to avenge them, we hear his

editing required. Among his contemporaries,Korngold was unique in this respect.

The time pressure was immense and to ensurethat the lengthy score could be orchestrated and theorchestral materials produced, Korngold worked toa punishing schedule with his preferred orchestratorHugo Friedhofer who (given the scope of the score)was assisted by Milan Roder. Meeting in the earlyevening, he would play each sequence toFriedhofer, on the piano, calling out instructions,indicating instrumental colours and any special

requirements, while Friedhofer scribbled copiousnotes. Following these meetings, Friedhofer wouldreturn home to begin the orchestration, whichwould then be turned over to copyists led by ArtGrier and Albert Glasser whose job it was toprepare the instrumental parts for the scoringsessions the next day, often working through thenight. In this way, the huge job of producingconductor scores and instrumental parts for over 75minutes of complex music for a 65-piece orchestrawas accomplished within the tight deadline.

Korngold’s sweeping Main Title 1 opens with thefamous March of the Merry Men, which deftlybridges to the noble, heroic theme for Richard theLionheart before concluding with the brisk fanfarethat symbolises Norman Supremacy. It isinteresting that Robin’s heroic trumpet theme is notheard as yet.

After the proclamation in Nottingham that KingRichard has been captured and held for ransom, thescene dissolves to Nottingham Castle where,accompanied by a muted version of the fanfare,Prince John (Claude Rains) and Sir Guy ofGisbourne (Basil Rathbone) are plotting to bleed thehapless Saxons of every penny in extra taxes.

Pouring red wine to drink a toast to their evilplans, Prince John upsets his goblet and as the redwine spills like blood onto the floor, [Sir Guy andRobin Hood] 2 we hear a sinuous clarinet figure(matching the dripping wine) as it dissolves into the

music of the Saxon Oppression. A montage unfoldsof various acts of cruelty, before the scene changesto Sherwood Forest where Sir Guy of Gisbourne(note his brutal, warlike theme) is preparing toarrest Much the Miller’s Son (Herbert Mundin) forpoaching. As the brilliant trumpet theme fromSursum Corda rings out [The Meeting] 3, we getour first glimpse of Robin Hood (Errol Flynn), orrather Sir Robin of Locksley – he has not taken hisnew name as yet. Riding with his friend Will Scarlet(Patric Knowles) Robin confronts Sir Guy. Mutedwinds accompany the tense exchange as Robinneedles Sir Guy, who rides away in a fury; Robinagrees to take Much as his servant.

A title card proclaims The Banquet 4 andKorngold creates a stately processional with a puretrumpet solo supported by elegant and elaboratestring accompaniment and archaic cadences tosuggest the pomp and grace of a medieval court.

A Listening Guide to the Score

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The Normans’ Fanfare sounds as the assemblednobles toast Prince John, and Korngold underscoresthe flirtatious dialogue between the Prince and MaidMarian (Olivia de Havilland) by transforming theBanquet Processional into a minuet! Then we hearthe melting strains of a theme Korngold called ‘OldEngland’ and the sequence ends.

Suddenly, a commotion is heard as we seeRobin Hood Outside 5; this is a subtle, robustvariation on Robin’s trumpet tune, which becomes aswaggering march as he struts into the hall [RobinHood’s Entrance] carrying a deer over hisshoulders, before flinging it onto the Banquet tablein front of an astonished Prince John. After a tenseexchange, a spear pierces Robin’s chair and aspectacular battle scene commences [The Fight]which is lifted almost entirely from the expositionsection of Sursum Corda and is one of the mostdifficult sequences in this score, largely because ofthe tempo Korngold demands.

Considering the music was actually written in1919, it is remarkable how well it fits the images onscreen and one wonders if Korngold influenced thecutting of this scene to fit the film, as he had inprevious films.

Robin escapes from the castle and The Chaseof Robin Hood begins with Sir Guy’s brutal theme,as he commands his troops to pursue Robin. Amarvelous night ride through the forest follows,with every detail caught in the music, Robin’strumpet tune punctuating the melodic line as thearrows fly.

A typical Michael Curtiz shot – a silhouette ofthe corpses of dead Norman soldiers, while priestsintone Latin prayers – is underscored by a sombre,

held chord. [The Victims].Next, [Robin Hood Meets Little John] 6 it is

a spring day in Sherwood Forest as Robin and Willtake a morning stroll. A bucolic pastorale based onRobin’s trumpet tune makes it almost sound like anew theme, so lyrical and romantic has it become.They encounter Little John, who is whistling an oldEnglish song (Sumer is Icumen In). The whistle wasdubbed separately later and there were many takesduring the sessions as can be heard on the survivingoptical tracks. Korngold was a perfectionist andworked with the un-named ‘whistler’ until it wasjust right.

The encounter between Little John and Robin[Robin Hood Fights with Little John] withquarterstaves on the log is a humorous, goodnatured variation on Robin’s theme with a solobassoon embellished with pizzicato strings tosuggest Will Scarlet playing his lute nearby ( LittleJohn to Will: ‘Hey there pretty fellow…play me atune I can make this puny rascal dance to …!’) Thesequence entitled Jolly Friendship whichconcludes the scene is the first time we hear theMarch of the Merry Men since the main titles – for,with Little John being invited to join Robin, theMerry Men are finally coming together.

The Oath and The Black Arrow 7 is anextended scene where, following the oath ofallegiance (poignantly underscored by the Lionhearttheme) as the Saxons who have formed Robin’sMerry Men swear to fight for the King, we hearagain the Oppression theme; there is a gradual buildup of tension through a montage of further cruel actsperpetrated by the Normans. As each Black Arrowis fired by Robin to avenge them, we hear his

editing required. Among his contemporaries,Korngold was unique in this respect.

The time pressure was immense and to ensurethat the lengthy score could be orchestrated and theorchestral materials produced, Korngold worked toa punishing schedule with his preferred orchestratorHugo Friedhofer who (given the scope of the score)was assisted by Milan Roder. Meeting in the earlyevening, he would play each sequence toFriedhofer, on the piano, calling out instructions,indicating instrumental colours and any special

requirements, while Friedhofer scribbled copiousnotes. Following these meetings, Friedhofer wouldreturn home to begin the orchestration, whichwould then be turned over to copyists led by ArtGrier and Albert Glasser whose job it was toprepare the instrumental parts for the scoringsessions the next day, often working through thenight. In this way, the huge job of producingconductor scores and instrumental parts for over 75minutes of complex music for a 65-piece orchestrawas accomplished within the tight deadline.

Korngold’s sweeping Main Title 1 opens with thefamous March of the Merry Men, which deftlybridges to the noble, heroic theme for Richard theLionheart before concluding with the brisk fanfarethat symbolises Norman Supremacy. It isinteresting that Robin’s heroic trumpet theme is notheard as yet.

After the proclamation in Nottingham that KingRichard has been captured and held for ransom, thescene dissolves to Nottingham Castle where,accompanied by a muted version of the fanfare,Prince John (Claude Rains) and Sir Guy ofGisbourne (Basil Rathbone) are plotting to bleed thehapless Saxons of every penny in extra taxes.

Pouring red wine to drink a toast to their evilplans, Prince John upsets his goblet and as the redwine spills like blood onto the floor, [Sir Guy andRobin Hood] 2 we hear a sinuous clarinet figure(matching the dripping wine) as it dissolves into the

music of the Saxon Oppression. A montage unfoldsof various acts of cruelty, before the scene changesto Sherwood Forest where Sir Guy of Gisbourne(note his brutal, warlike theme) is preparing toarrest Much the Miller’s Son (Herbert Mundin) forpoaching. As the brilliant trumpet theme fromSursum Corda rings out [The Meeting] 3, we getour first glimpse of Robin Hood (Errol Flynn), orrather Sir Robin of Locksley – he has not taken hisnew name as yet. Riding with his friend Will Scarlet(Patric Knowles) Robin confronts Sir Guy. Mutedwinds accompany the tense exchange as Robinneedles Sir Guy, who rides away in a fury; Robinagrees to take Much as his servant.

A title card proclaims The Banquet 4 andKorngold creates a stately processional with a puretrumpet solo supported by elegant and elaboratestring accompaniment and archaic cadences tosuggest the pomp and grace of a medieval court.

A Listening Guide to the Score


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XI. Friar Tuck (The Fish)XII. The Flirt

XIII. The Archery TournamentXIV. The GallowsXV. The Love Music

There are at least another six secondary motifs,and Korngold constantly derives subsidiaryvariations on all of his material, often combiningthemes as and when characters appear on screen. Healso adopts his usual practice of assigning different,appropriate solo instruments to individualcharacters in underscoring dialogue.

Before I turn to the score in sequence, as itappears on this recording, a word about Korngold’ssources and method.

As noted, the brilliant trumpet motif fromSursum Corda became Robin Hood’s theme andKorngold treats it to an astonishing degree ofvariation, development and embellishment, findingendless possibilities within its complex rhythm. Asecondary theme from Sursum Corda forms thebasis for the love music between Robin and Marian,while large portions of the central developmentsection and the climax of this earlier score werelifted entirely for key scenes.

The rapid fanfare that concludes the Main Titleand which appears throughout the film to mark thesupremacy of the Normans and more specifically,Prince John, originally appeared (slightly varied) inAct One of Korngold’s opera Die Kathrin(composed almost contemporaneously) while thefamous March of the Merry Men which opens thefilm and later accompanies the celebrated ‘Attackon the Treasure Wagon’ is actually based on a waltztheme Korngold composed for an operetta

adaptation from 1928 – Rosen aus Florida (Rosesfrom Florida) – which is a partial completion of awork by Leo Fall! We shall never know just whyKorngold identified Robin Hood’s merry men withthis little waltz, but it proved to be enormouslyeffective and one of his most popular themes.

One further sequence utilised music he hadcomposed earlier – The Gallows, where Robin istaken to be executed. This is a much elaboratedrescoring of a sequence from Anthony Adverse of atortuous journey by coach through the Swiss Alps.The swirling, rising arpeggios are here combinedwith Robin’s trumpet theme to great effect.

As was his practice, Korngold composed thescore at the piano, in a method unique to him. Priorto starting work, I am certain he already knew theoverall shape and structure of his score. Only finitedetails, matters of timing and pacing needed to befixed. His anxiety at the initial screening wasdoubtless caused by so much spectacular action hehad not envisaged when he was back at home inVienna.

Nevertheless, he worked quickly as reels of thefilm were run for him, over and over again in aprojection room equipped with an upright piano,while he improvised his music in time to the film,occasionally stopping to make notes. Later, hewould prepare a detailed piano sketch for eachsequence and gradually the entire score took shape.Because he composed the music as a whole ratherthan in individual chunks, the separate cues flowone from the other, with key relationships observed,even when scenes without music are placedbetween. In this way, much of the score can beperformed sequentially, end to end, with little

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trumpet theme ring out as they strike.The music effortlessly bridges, one might

almost say dissolves, to the wonderfully luminoustheme for Friar Tuck (Eugene Pallette) [entitledThe Fish 8 on the score] as he sits dozing by thestream, waiting for a catch. The scene opens on thewriggling fish, which has been caught on his rod,and the music, with its flute and vibraphoneflourishes, has a translucent, magical sound,complete with bell-like, monastic effects.

Robin’s Fight with Friar Tuck whichimmediately follows is yet another delightfulvariation on Robin’s theme, as he duels with Tuckin the stream. All ends happily and once again,Korngold makes humorous use of the bassoon [ANew Companion] 9 to mimic Tuck’s rumblingtummy at the promise of ‘a venison pastie and thebiggest you ever ate… boar’s head, beef, casks ofale…’. We hear the gentle strain of the March of theMerry Men once more, as another key member joinsthe band.

Robin Hood Attacks Sir Guy’s Party 0 isone of the best-remembered scenes in the film andthanks to the brilliant direction of Michael Curtizand William Keighley, one of the most exciting. Agradual build up is matched by Korngold’s effectiveand carefully structured scoring. The March of theMerry Men is now transformed into an orchestraltour-de-force.

As the camera cuts away from the outlawspreparing to attack Sir Guy’s party, Korngoldtransforms Sir Guy’s aggressive theme into analmost lyrical accompaniment, befitting his attemptto befriend Lady Marian riding alongside. When theattack comes [The Attack], it is simply marvellous

how the music mirrors the action on screen, as theMerry Men swoop down from the trees onto theunsuspecting Norman soldiers. Robin’s trumpettheme dominates, as Sir Guy’s troop is routed andthe treasure seized.

The Flirt !, as the captives are led away toRobin’s camp, is deliciously Viennese to match thedelightful banter between Robin and Marian. Itcaused one member of the Warner Orchestra to dubKorngold’s score “Robin Hood in the ViennaWoods”. Arriving at Robin’s camp, the Feastbegins, wherein the March of the Merry Men isrecast in a boisterous 2/2 time.

As Robin sits with Lady Marian, Korngold nowintroduces a new theme that he called ‘LadyMarian’s Heartsong’ on the original sketch, whichwill become increasingly important as the romancedevelops in the story. Here it is given a jaunty swingand provided with a syncopated bass that perfectlycomplements the teasing dialogue. When Robinreveals the tax money that has been seized – a chestbrimful of gold coins and precious jewels – themusic fairly glistens accordingly [Gold] and, onbeing accused by Marian of planning to keep his ill-gotten gains, he leaps up to ask his men what heshould do with it. Their passionate declaration tosave it for King Richard, allows the Lionhearttheme to burst forth – a memorable moment.

Immediately following, Robin shows Marianthe Poor People @ – peasants who have beenmistreated or injured by Sir Guy’s brutal forces.Appropriately, it is the theme of NormanOppression that we hear, but here transformed into asombre elegy. This highly effective pateticotreatment then softly bridges to the first, tentative

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appearance of the Love Music, as Marian starts torealise her true feelings for Robin. This new theme,which appears almost bashfully here, is also fromSursum Corda and with some ravishing keychanges, it leads to a lovely solo cello statement ofthe Lionheart theme, as Robin tries to explain toMarian the reasons for his campaign against theNormans.

As they walk back to the camp and her lovebegins to dawn for him, the lilting strains of OldEngland follow them. After an altercation with SirGuy and some slapstick between Little John andFriar Tuck (a rare example of Korngold using the‘Mickey Mouse’ technique to match on-screenaction) the Flirt reappears, as Marian wavesgoodbye from her horse to Robin – one of the mosttouching moments in the film.

Next – The Tournament # – anothermarvelous set piece, rather like the curtain up onAct 2, with rich heraldic fanfares based onKorngold’s beloved motto theme of rising fourths(The Motif of the Cheerful Heart), which he hadused in all of his major works since his childhood,most especially in his early Sinfonietta.

The archery tournament has been arranged bySir Guy to trap Robin, and with Robin’s appearanceon the field (accompanied by his men in disguise)we naturally hear a muted version of the March ofthe Merry Men. The orchestration is superb. WhenRobin’s arrow leaves his bow, we don’t need to seeit – we can hear its ‘whoosh’ in Korngold’s music,as the trumpet theme sings out. When the cameracuts away to Sir Guy, as he plots with Prince John, astrange discordant motif based on Robin’s march-like theme heard earlier when he entered the

Banquet, is continued by a new, threatening versionof the oppression theme effectively building thetension. Robin Hood Starts to Shoot accompaniesthe final contest between Robin and the masterarcher Phillip of Arras. Naturally, Robin wins thetournament as the fanfares ring out, over and overagain. The Arrest of Robin Hood $ is a partialreworking of material from Sursum Corda while theTribunal and Jail % scenes, which immediatelyfollow, depend on still further development of theNorman Oppression Theme. Korngold’sintermeshing of individual motifs is a perfectcounterpoint to the action on screen and is donewith exceptional skill. As Robin is manacled in hiscell, the scene dissolves to Maid Marian (OldEngland now heard in the minor key) as she fretsover Robin’s fate. (A brief scene follows this, whereshe meets the Merry Men to offer a rescue plan butit is not scored).

The Gallows ^ is another striking musicalcanvas, borrowing (as noted) a motif fromKorngold’s earlier score for Anthony Adverse(1936) but now re-orchestrated and embellished.Swirling rising arpeggios are crowned by Robin’strumpet theme, as he is brought to the scaffold. TheFlight of Robin Hood, as he escapes the noose justin the nick of time, is a thrilling adaptation of thelast section of Sursum Corda – in particular,matching the Fairbanks-like stunt of Robinswinging up Nottingham Gate by rope. Bar for bar,it is fitted to the film like a hand in a glove.

Finally, we come to the big Love Scene & – theemotional heart of the score, wherein Robin climbs,like Romeo, to Lady Marian’s balcony. Given thesize of Nottingham Castle, this is no mean feat. The

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actually left Vienna on the last unrestricted train andmanaged to cross the border into Switzerland on thevery last day that this was possible. Once he wasassured that his family was safe, Korngold threwhimself into completing the complex score forRobin Hood.

The release date was moved to 12th May, buteven so, Korngold had only seven weeks to write it,supervise the orchestration (by Hugo Friedhofer,Milan Roder and – for two short sequences – an

assistant, Reginald Basset) and then record thefinished score to the film. His son George laterrecalled the agony of those weeks:

“… My father was on the verge of stoppingseveral times. I shall never forget his anguishedprotestations of ‘I just can’t do it’ which I overheardin the middle of the night through my bedroom wall.He was suffering, and at the same time producingone of his finest scores …”

The structure of Korngold’s score is helpedconsiderably by the dramatic construction of thefilm, where the intimacy of the human story wasoffset by a series of tremendous set-pieces – theBanquet, the Attack on the Sir Guy’s Party, theArchery Tournament, Robin’s Execution andEscape and the climactic Coronation Procession,Battle and Finale. These sequences underpinned thefilm and required exceptionally vivid musicalaccompaniment. Korngold rose magnificently to theoccasion with a score that, even today, is regardedas one of the finest examples of marrying musicwith the moving image.

As previously, Korngold applied operatictechnique to his composition. Each character isclothed in a wonderfully apt theme, from the harshtones of Sir Guy of Gisbourne to the yearningromance of Lady Marian’s ‘heartsong’ as Korngolddescribed it in his score.

There is no vocal music of any kind (unlikeother historical film subjects which Korngold

composed) and this was owing to a contractualobligation between Warners and MGM, whoplanned a film version of an operetta based on theRobin Hood legend for Jeanette MacDonald andNelson Eddy in 1939 (it was never made). But forthat, I am fairly certain Korngold would havecomposed an ‘old English ballad’ for the film. Nomatter – his music sings eloquently throughout.

Viewed as a whole, the score contains fifteenprimary themes:

I. The March of the Merry MenII. Richard the Lionheart

III. Prince John and the Normans’ Supremacy (Fanfare)

IV. The Oppression of the SaxonsV. Sir Guy of Gisbourne

VI. Robin HoodVII. Lady Marian’s Heartsong

VIII. Old EnglandIX. The Norman Banquet (Processional)X. The Chase of Robin Hood

The Score


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weeks you should have a job for me to do, you neednot cable all the way to Vienna.

“With best regards,“Erich Wolfgang Korngold”Wallis had little option but to accept, and

Korngold, delighted at this painless outcome,returned home. The events of the days that followedare worthy of a film script in themselves. As Luzirecalled:

“… it was the 12th of February – I got a callfrom Helene Thimig. I picked up the phone upstairswhile Erich, curious as ever, lifted the receiverdown below. ‘Luzi’ said Helene with uncertainty,‘it’s all over. Schuschnigg (the Austrian Chancellor)is in Berchtesgaden (meeting with Hitler)’. At thatvery moment, the doorbell rang and Mr Forbstein,head of music at Warner Brothers, entered the housewith the words ‘Korngold, you have to do it!’ Erichtried to explain that he had already officiallydeclined, and in writing. ‘That doesn’t matter’, saidForbstein with a dismissive gesture. Under thecrucifying influence of the news we had justreceived on the telephone, Erich began to reflect onthe matter. Finally he promised Forbstein that hewould at least try to write the music for RobinHood. He didn’t want a contract. His conditionswere ‘work from week to week, paid from week toweek’. ‘If I find that it’s not working out, I can giveup with a clear conscience; the music I have writtenup until then will belong to you’ he explained …The following evening, he was already at work inthe rehearsal room …”

Whatever Korngold privately felt about hisobligations, an inter-office memo from WalterMacEwen, Hal Wallis’ executive assistant, to the

contracts department, dated 14th February, wasunequivocal about the result of these discussions:

“Korngold is now definitely set to do the musicon ROBIN HOOD”

Korngold, feeling he was under no obligation,worked fluently and at speed. Luzi, writing yearslater, was at a loss to explain why they took no stepsto rescue their other son and family from thedangerous situation in Vienna. Naive, trusting, theyclearly presumed that things would calm down. Asshe wryly remarked:

“And of course we had a high opinion of ourcountrymen and would never have thought thatwhat had happened in Germany could ever happenin ‘our country’ …”

Then, it was announced that elections were tobe held in Austria on 10th March. Luzi wasinnocently convinced that Austria would resist thegrip of Hitler. But Korngold finally woke up to thereality of the crisis. He knew with terrible certaintywhat lay ahead. ‘He must invade! Don’t you see?Hitler could never risk an election in Austria …’

Indeed, there was no election and on 13thMarch, Hitler marched into Austria. The Korngoldsimmediately cabled Luzi’s sister asking that theireldest son Ernst be included on her passport. Theyreceived no reply. Transatlantic telephone calls hadto be booked in advance in those days, and severalanxious hours passed until they could speak toVienna direct. Julius Korngold who had alreadyincluded the boy on his passport, had in factcunningly procured a holiday visa to America somemonths earlier (having realized the danger longbefore the rest of his family) and indeed, was aboutto leave within a few hours. The whole family

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music begins with a gently undulating misteriosobased on Robin’s trumpet call but here in the minorkey, supported by harp and piano arpeggios.

Inside, Lady Marian talks to her maid Bess (awonderful performance by Una O’Connor) of herlove for Robin and we hear again ‘Lady Marian’sHeartsong’ – now, no longer shy or teasing but alyrical outpouring, exquisitely orchestrated, withceleste and vibraphone providing the mostluxurious, erotic colouring. Robin arrives and thestructure of the sequence, which follows, is purelyoperatic. Once the two have declared their love andas they kiss for the first time, Korngold provides asweeping climax with a full, rich statement of theravishing love theme first heard in the forest earlier.

When Robin speaks, a cello intones theLionheart theme. When Marian responds, it is theviolins which answer for her. The musical sequenceends with its usual coda – the Old England theme.Korngold’s description of his film scores as ‘operaswithout singing’ is especially apt here.

At this point in the film, Korngold’s musicstops. Scenes depicting Richard the Lionheartarriving incognito at an Inn and a subsequentmeeting between Prince John, Sir Guy and theBishop of the Black Canons (Montagu Love) wherethey plot Richard’s murder and the coronation ofJohn as King, are played without underscoring.Korngold instinctively knew where to place musicin his films and these scenes required none.However, as Lady Marian has overheard the plot,Korngold’s score resumes with her Arrest * – areprise of the oppression theme, for Marian isherself now one of the oppressed.

A long, held chord maintains the suspense of

the Court of Execution when she is condemned todeath, before one of the most unusual musicalsequences in the score; Much: The Knife Fight (.Much the Miller, warned by Bess, goes to overtakeSir Guy’s assassin, Dickon (Harry Cording) to saveKing Richard. In the music, after a sinister preludeof biting, dissonant minor seconds, we hear Muchdrop from the tree onto Dickon and as the fightensues, to match the brutality and sharp blows,Korngold liberally spices the score with sharpintervals, and a strange, discordant treatment ofRobin’s theme.

As the fight reaches its climax, the scene (andthe music) dissolves into the radiant major key andonto Richard himself (Ian Hunter) [Richard MeetsRobin Hood] ) and his lovely theme, playedrapidly. He encounters Robin and the Merry Menand as they walk to the camp, Will Scarlet (havingdiscovered the injured Much) arrives with him. Thisscene was edited and shortened before release butfor this recording, the full musical sequence hasbeen restored. A lovely pastoral statement of theLion Heart theme [Richard the Lion Heart] as hereveals his identity to Robin and his men, closes thescene.

The Procession ¡ marks the beginning of thegrand finale to this wonderful film. The March ofthe Merry Men is now sinister and stately,embellished with tolling bells and muted trumpetflourishes, as the outlaws disguised as monks maketheir way to Nottingham Castle, where Prince John,assuming his brother has been killed, is about toproclaim himself King. The scene changes to therobing room where he is dressing. As he admireshimself in a pier glass, the Sheriff of Nottingham

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(Melville Cooper) says ‘We are ready for theceremony – your Majesty!’ and the music swells. Anew grandiose treatment of ‘Old England’ is heard,as the Great Hall of Nottingham Castle is finallyrevealed, bedecked in coloured flags and tapers asthe camera pulls back on the resplendent scene.

Brilliant fanfares ring out – and the music theyplay is an extraordinary transformation of theMarch of the Merry Men into a thrilling ‘Pomp andCircumstance’. The music becomes ever moreelaborate, with harps, tolling bells and extrafanfares building to the emphatic climax. For thisextended sequence, Korngold added extra brass, forantiphonal fanfares, which were recorded separatelyand then mixed over the main orchestral part. Thiswas necessary because of the limited monauralrecording process then available. Yet Korngold wasalready clearly thinking in stereo long before it waspossible.

A fanfare announces Prince John ™. Then, asthe monks file in, the Norman Fanfare ofSupremacy is heard, but now in sinister muted form.The ceremony is interrupted by Richard and Robinrevealing themselves, and once again, SursumCorda rings out, adapted and restructured. We nowmove swiftly into The Battle £. The last section ofSursum Corda fits the action perfectly, but soon,Robin and Sir Guy break away for The Duel.Korngold here unites the themes for both charactersin contrapuntal interplay. As they duel on screen,

their themes duel in the orchestra. Korngold reusedsome of this music later in a similar duel in The SeaHawk.

Sir Guy’s dispatch and fall to his death aresuperbly captured in the music, before the Battlefinally reaches its climax with The Victory, and asRobin rescues Marian from her prison cell, a grandrendition of the Love theme is heard, richly scoredfor additional brass, answered by the second half ofthe Lion Heart theme; the clear message from thecomposer is that Love has triumphed and therightful King restored.

As King Richard knights Robin Hood with theinstruction: ‘My first command to you my Lord Earlis to take in marriage the hand of the Lady Marian’.The Epilogue ¢ sees Robin’s trumpet themeundergo its final transformation, into a yearning,romantic, completely lyrical melody for dividedstrings.

The music fairly glows, as it sweeps up to awistfully nostalgic descending phrase, as Robin –making a discreet exit with Marian – delivers thefinal line of the film: ‘May I obey all yourcommands with equal pleasure, Sire’ and the greatdoors of the castle close behind them. Robin’stheme thunders out, with the Lion Heart themebuilding to a huge crescendo. A brisk reprise of theMarch of the Merry Men accompanies the End Cast∞ bringing this masterpiece of film scoring to itsconclusion.

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Captain of the Brigands!” In fact, Korngold hadalready decided to take his father’s advice and hadwritten to his publisher Schott before he left Viennaasking permission to use portions of the earlierscore. A telegram from Willy Strecker, the seniorpartner at Schott, was waiting at Le Havre grantingKorngold permission.

The Normandie sailed for New York on 29thJanuary. According to his son George, Korngoldconstantly paced the decks humming to himselfthroughout the difficult voyage, composing in hishead and making notes, then improvising on thepiano in his stateroom as the ship was beset withmountainous seas – apparently the worst evercrossing for this great liner. He thus was able to addto the sketches he had already made in Vienna forthe principal themes of the main characters. Theship arrived in New York on 3rd February and theKorngolds left immediately for the West Coast onthe Santa Fe Chief. Even then, their adventureswere far from over. The train collided with anautomobile just before arriving in Pasadena on 7thFebruary, where, much shaken but in reasonablespirits they were met by Max Reinhardt’s wife, theactress Helene Thimig. They arranged to rent ahouse near to Warner Brothers in the picturesqueToluca Lake district, which was ten minutes walkfrom the studio. The next day, they were driven tothe screening of Robin Hood. Korngold watchedwith great attention, and became increasinglyworried as the fast-paced, action-filled adventurefilm unfolded.

He looked continually at Luzi, shaking his headwith concern. Later, his desperation exploded. “Ican’t … I can’t do it” he shouted. Luzi, trying to

calm him, said “Then don’t!” Finally, he left to seeHal Wallis, with a carefully constructed letter ofrejection, which survives in the Warner files:

“Dear Mr Wallis,“I am sincerely sorry to have to bother you once

more. I do appreciate deeply your kindness andcourtesy toward me, and I am aware of the fact thatyou have made all concessions possible to facilitatemy work.

“But please believe a desperate man who has tobe true to himself and to you, a man who knowswhat he can do and what he cannot do. Robin Hoodis no picture for me. I have no relation to it andtherefore, cannot produce any music for it. I am amusician of the heart, of passions and psychology; Iam not a musical illustrator for a 90% actionpicture. Being a conscientious person, I cannot takethe responsibility for a job which, as I already know,would leave me artistically completely dissatisfiedand which, therefore, I would have to drop evenafter several weeks of work on it, and after severalweeks of salary.

“Therefore let me say ‘no’ definitely, and let mesay it today when no time has been lost for you asyet, since the work print will not be ready untiltomorrow.

“And please do not try to make me change mymind; my resolve is unshakeable. I implore you notto be angry with me and not to deprive me of yourfriendship. For it is I who suffers mentally andfinancially. I ask you to weigh the pictures forwhich I composed the music, such as MidsummerNight’s Dream, Captain Blood, Anthony Adverse,Prince and the Pauper, against the one I could notmake Robin Hood. And if during the next few


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Then, fate stepped in.On 22nd January, a young Austrian pianist,

Robert Kohner, was participating in a concert inVienna and had decided to perform Korngold’sPiano Sonata No.3. Korngold and his wife Luziwere invited guests and decided to attend. Luzirecalled the dramatic day in her memoirs:

“I was alone in the house when a telegramarrived: ‘Can you be in Hollywood in ten days timeto write the music for Robin Hood?’

“I took the telegram with me to the concert.Erich was late; finally I saw him enter the room andtake a seat at the back. I raised the telegram in myhand to show him but he didn’t understand – we hadto wait for the end of the concert when, in myagitated state, I could share the news. He looked atme, astounded and said ‘This is an omen’. Then herang the Director of the Staatsoper right there fromthe Concert Hall and told him of the WarnerBrothers contract … Dr Eckmann said word forword on the telephone ‘Professor Korngold, takethis as an omen and go! I promise you a first classpremière in October with Bruno Walter conductingand starring Jarmila Novotna and Richard Tauber(who will be free then). I’ll make sure we write toyou and confirm it’. It was late in the evening. Erichlooked at me with uncertainty and suggested we goto the Imperial Hotel to find out what ships weresailing in the next five days. If it were not one of thebig liners, he would not travel in winter. The shipdue to sail was the Normandie (then the largestpassenger ship afloat). On the spot, Erich reservedtwo cabins, because we would at least have to takeSchurli [son George] with us. We had only a day topack our things, make arrangements for the house

and say our goodbyes to family and friends. We hadto leave our older son Ernst with my mother andsister so as not to interrupt his schooling …”

A letter from producer Henry Blanke arrived thenext day announcing that he had already ordered thescript to be available for their arrival in New York,and outlined the main characters. Blanke comparedthe love story between Robin Hood and MaidMarian to that in Captain Blood. On 23rd JanuaryKorngold sent the following reply to Blanke:

“Accept in principle hoping that one furtherpicture possible. Take Normandie 29th toHollywood February 7th. Cable if picture alreadycut and how many weeks available for scoring.Confirm contract”

Hal Wallis, Warners’ production chief, repliedin an overnight wire on the 23rd:

“Satisfactory arrive Hollywood February 7th.Terms OK as wired Friday. Should score pictureabout four weeks as release date April. Wilk hasscript for you. Picture cut by 7th. Regards, Wallis.”

The die was cast. The dates of the wires indicatethe speed with which the decision was taken. TheKorngolds left by car, for Le Havre, on 25thJanuary. The journey was a tortuous one. Icy roadsand a blinding snowstorm made driving through thebitterly cold weather extremely hazardous. At everyborder, they were stopped and questioned or evensent back for some trivial documentation to be re-stamped.

Korngold spent the journey contemplating thefilm. At Le Havre, just before finally boarding theship, a postcard from Julius Korngold arrivedcontaining the telling phrase “Don’t forget my ideato use Sursum Corda for the chief theme of the

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Korngold finished the lengthy recording sessionsand post-production work in early April. In the late1970s and early 1980s, I was fortunate enough tomeet and interview several of the surviving membersof the Warner orchestra, most especially TeddyKrise, chief clarinettist, who had vivid memories ofthe sessions:

“Robin Hood was one of the toughest jobs Ithink we ever did back then, on account of howdifficult the music was. The time was so shortbecause of the release date, that there was hardly anyrehearsal and we had to mostly play the stuff ‘atsight’. But even so there were very few retakes as Irecall. Some of the boys were allowed to take stuffhome with them, which was unusual. I rememberLarry Sullivan, our principal trumpet doing thatbecause he had these really tricky solos. Ourconcertmaster Dan Lube had some really juicy stufftoo. I did all the wind solos, even the saxophone inthe big love scene, which was an unusual colour. Iremember that Korngold wanted that to be played‘straight’, with no vibrato at all….. but, it was all justglorious music – nothing of that quality had beendone before in Hollywood and the guys reallyappreciated it.”

Teddy Krise was also an amateur photographerand took photographs of Korngold actually workingon the sound stage. He subsequently gave them tome and they are among my most treasuredpossessions.

On 25th April, a gala preview of the film tookplace at Warner’s Hollywood Theatre. Specialvellum scrolls with elaborate lettering in full colour

were produced as invitations for the star-studdedaudience, which of course included Korngold. Thefilm had already been sneak-previewed in theatres inPomona and downtown Los Angeles and thereaction and responses from audiences had beenremarkable.

The Adventures of Robin Hood was to beofficially released on 14th May. Normally, filmswere ‘trailed’ on radio but Warner Brothers,recognizing that Korngold’s score wasextraordinary, took the unusual step of mounting aspecial radio broadcast of virtually all the majorsequences of the score with Korngold conducting theWarner Brothers Studio Orchestra and BasilRathbone narrating the story. This took place at thestudios of KFWB on 11th May, and was broadcastlive, coast-to-coast across the NBC Blue Network.

Teddy Krise vividly remembered this occasionalso:

“We got paid extra for the broadcast which wasvery popular with the fellahs but, boy, it was a toughjob. I recall we rehearsed for most of the afternoon.The live broadcast was at 7.30 in the evening.Rathbone only came at the end of rehearsal becausethe studio wouldn’t release him from filming. Theactual performance was much harder than thescoring sessions because we only had to performindividual cues for the picture, whereas on the radio,we really played whole sequences like a concert andyou know, Korngold wouldn’t compromise ontempos at all.”

Albert Glasser was in attendance to make anynecessary changes to the orchestral parts. Both he

Postscript

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Brendan G Carroll March 2003Brendan G Carroll is President of the InternationalKorngold Society and author of The Last Prodigy,the definitive biography of the composer.

and Krise took photos of the occasion, which arenow also preserved in my collection. In the closingannouncements, special thanks from Korngold toFriedhofer and Milan Roder were read at hisinsistence by Ken Niles, the radio announcer.Korngold was a generous artist.

Miraculously, this historic radio performance ispreserved on records for, originally, it was Warners’intention to issue it commercially. However, onlyeight shellac sets were ever made (for Korngold andthe chief executives at the studio) of which onlythree are known to have survived. The release wassubsequently abandoned as being too ‘uncommer-cial’, and it was not until 1942 and Miklos Rozsa’sThe Jungle Book that a film score was to besubstantially issued on gramophone records.

The Adventures of Robin Hood achievedexemplary critical notices on release, and severalmajor articles were devoted to the music. The musiccritic Bruno David Ussher writing in the HollywoodSpectator said:

“Korngold’s music is ideal foreground music.An orchestral score for an opera isn’t called‘background music’ even if the orchestral writingwere entirely apart, thematically…. from the vocalline … Fortunately, there was no viva voce in RobinHood. All the ‘singing’ occurs in the eminentlysongful music of Korngold … One love scenecontains pages of music that could well live on as

concert music …”Prophetic words. In June, Korngold was invited

to conduct concerts of his own music in Oakland andSan Francisco featuring the Bay Region SymphonyOrchestra and he decided to include a short suitefrom Robin Hood, which he assembled especially.

The Suite is still performed in concerts todayand comprises four movements: The Banquet:March of the Merry Men: Love Scene: Fight, Victoryand Epilogue. It was always Korngold’s intentionthat the music he composed for the cinema would, ashe put it, “still be music, away from the screen”.

On 23rd February, 1939, to the surprise ofabsolutely no one, Korngold won his second Oscarfor Robin Hood at the glittering Academy Awardsceremony at the Biltmore Hotel when Jerome Kernpresented him with the award. The film also won forits superb art direction and editing. Hal Wallis, whowith Henry Blanke produced Robin Hood, was giventhe Irving G. Thalberg Award for ‘consistently highquality of production’.

Both the film and its marvellous score haveendured. Over sixty years later, the music Korngoldcomposed for The Adventures of Robin Hood stillrepresents a benchmark of the genre that has rarelybeen equaled. Its influence on style has beenprofound and its popularity has remained constant.As a work of art, it may well be his masterpieceamong the scores he created for the screen.

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considerable time researching the Robin Hoodlegend in the main libraries in Vienna, in order tounderstand the narrative and the characters, noscript being yet available.

Preparation was essential because Korngoldknew that once he returned to America, time wouldbe of the essence in scoring the film and the more hecould achieve before scoring began in earnest, thebetter. Normally, he would have to wait until he sawa finished script before any composing could begin.With Robin Hood, the characters and storyincidentals were already well-established folkloreand he seized the advantage.

We can assume therefore that some of thememorable themes contained in this most belovedscore were conceived months before filming began.In addition, Korngold’s father advised his son thatone of his earlier concert works could provide idealmaterial for the score. This was Sursum Corda – alarge-scale symphonic overture with a wonderfullyheroic trumpet theme. It was composed in 1919,much in the manner of a tone poem by Korngold’smentor Richard Strauss (to whom, incidentally, thescore was dedicated) yet had never been successful.It provides the core thematic material in RobinHood and undoubtedly contributed to its uniqueflavour.

The events surrounding Korngold’s return toHollywood for Robin Hood are the stuff of legend,yet there are still unanswered questions. Unusually,no return date seems to have been agreed withKorngold, and no written agreement had beenreached. In previous years, he had usually returnedin October to spend the winter months in California(to benefit his younger son George, who had

suffered a tubercular infection) but the impendingpremière of Die Kathrin clearly ruled this out.Korngold had written the lead tenor role in the operafor Jan Kiepura and was disappointed when thehandsome singer eventually declined the part,owing to his having signed a contract with theMetropolitan Opera in New York.

Korngold’s intensely romantic opera needed astar tenor to partner soprano Jarmila Novotna(singing the role of the eponymous heroine) andafter various options were pursued, Richard Tauberwas finally chosen. Tauber was a close friend ofKorngold, and had scored a triumph in the role ofPaul in Korngold’s most famous opera Die toteStadt in the 1920s. He had recently married anEnglish actress, Diana Napier, and was living muchof the time in London. He had agreed in principle tostar in Korngold’s opera and Bruno Walter hadagreed to conduct. Production plans for the operamoved slowly. Tauber was on his way back fromAmerica, following a successful series of concertsat Carnegie Hall.

Meanwhile, shooting had already begun onRobin Hood in September of 1937 but followingpoor weather hampering the location photography, asubsequent change of director, script revisions andthe decision to enhance the film into a super-production, it was not to be completed until 22ndJanuary, 1938.

Back in Vienna, Christmas 1937 passed quietly.Tauber was scheduled to make a film in England(Land Without Music, with Jimmy Durante), buthad agreed to look at the score of Korngold’s opera.The première date was the only question, and thisdepended on Tauber finishing his film by March.


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Of the eighteen films scored by Erich WolfgangKorngold, three are regarded today as outstandingmasterpieces of the genre: Kings Row, The SeaHawk and The Adventures of Robin Hood. Themusical form established by Korngold in the mid1930s – the symphonic film score – saw its greatestexamples in these films, and Robin Hood inparticular, the earliest of the three, remains one ofthe most inspired of all this composer’s works,either for the screen or the concert hall.

The film itself remains as fresh and populartoday as in the year it was made, and in spite ofnumerous later films and television series on thesubject, it is still widely regarded as the definitiveversion of the legendary story. With the coming ofcable, satellite TV, video and DVD, countlessmillions throughout the world now know thisclassic motion picture. Indeed there can scarcely bea time of day when this film is not being shownsomewhere on the planet. For Korngold, who onceremarked that a ‘film composer’s immortality lastsall the way from the soundstage to the dubbingroom’ this would be a revelation. He could not haveenvisaged that the music he composed under suchduress in 1938 would become one of his mostfrequently performed and beloved works.

By the time he came to write Robin Hood hewas already esteemed as one of the leadingcomposers in Hollywood, following hisgroundbreaking work on such films as AMidsummer Night’s Dream, Captain Blood and

Anthony Adverse – the latter winning him anAcademy Award in 1936. He was not yet underlong-term contract to Warner Brothers but workedas a freelance, on a picture-by-picture basis.Following his introduction to motion pictures bylegendary producer Max Reinhardt, who hadinsisted on him being assigned for A MidsummerNight’s Dream in 1934, Korngold was alsotenuously attached to Reinhardt’s future screenassignments. Reinhardt had a three-picture dealwith Warners, and Korngold returned to Hollywoodin October 1936 ostensibly to work on Danton, alarge-scale historical epic being planned asReinhardt’s follow up to Dream. In any event, thefilm was postponed (it was never made) andKorngold scored Another Dawn and The Prince andthe Pauper instead.

At the beginning of May 1937, after completingthe score for The Prince and the Pauper, ErichWolfgang Korngold left Hollywood to return toVienna to spend the summer finishing theorchestration of his fifth opera Die Kathrin, whichwas scheduled for its world première at the StateOpera that autumn. From surviving correspondence,it seems that he already knew that his next filmassignment would be the lavish, Technicolorspectacular The Adventures of Robin Hood – bythen already in the advanced pre-production stage.Letters from the period between Korngold, hisfather (esteemed music critic Dr Julius Korngold)and his publisher Schott, confirm that he spent

Korngold and The Adventures of Robin HoodA Masterpiece of Film Scoring

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Photos taken during theactual scoring sessions for

The Adventures of RobinHood (April 1938). Erich

Wolfgang Korngoldconducting the Warner

Brothers Orchestra. (Photos Brendan Carroll)

Left:During the Banquet

Scene (Basil Rathboneclearly on screen).

Right:Robin andLittle John onthe Log (AlanHale andErrol Flynnjust visibleon screen).

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23 23

Left:On the Sound Stage.

A break during an actual scoring session. Erich

Wolfgang Korngold on the podium, his

parents seated to the right. (Photo Brendan Carroll)

Right:Erich WolfgangKorngold and BasilRathbone at aspecial Robin Hoodradio networkbroadcast on 11th May 1938.(Photo RudyBehlmer)

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Robin Hood score up to that time. But because thatrecording was designed originally for LP (later puton CD), 43 minutes are all that could be properlyaccommodated on one disc, so it was thirty minutesshort of the entire score. But now in this new MarcoPolo performance of the original score andorchestrations we are able to hear all 73 minutescomposed for the film in glorious sound!

Indeed, here is an ideal complement to the

newly restored Adventures of Robin Hood that isbeing released in a special edition two-disc WarnerBros. DVD package on this occasion of thepicture’s 65th anniversary.

Rudy Behlmerauthor of Behind the Scenes: The Making Of . . . ,Inside Warner Bros. (1935-1951), co-author ofThe Films of Errol Flynn, etc.

Erich Wolfgang Korngold receiving hisAcademy Award for Robin Hood fromesteemed composer Jerome Kern.(Photo © Copyright Academy of MotionPicture Arts and Sciences)


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not a document of medieval life; rather, it is a fairytale illustrated by Technicolor. The “love interest,”often perfunctory and arbitrary in costumeadventure films, is here properly motivated andnicely woven into the plot fabric. And the rich ErichWolfgang Korngold Academy Award-winningscore serves as marvellous connective tissue,sweeping the film along and providing a splendidadded dimension.

When this writer was a boy, one of the firstoriginal dramatic film scores I remember hummingafter leaving the theatre was Korngold’s music forThe Prince and the Pauper in 1937. Then came thecomposer’s score for The Adventures of RobinHood and I was humming that a lot. The troublewas, in those days one was limited to humming,whistling, or singing portions of the music (in mycase, I’m sure I was frequently off-key with aslightly variant melodic line) because, of course,there were virtually no recordings of film scores, novideos, not even TV to catch the film once it left thefirst run, then the neighborhood theatres, and finallywhat we used to call in San Francisco “the fleahouses.”

Incredibly, it was not until August, 1961, thatany music from Robin Hood was commerciallyproduced for records. Selections (total time, 9:20)were recorded by conductor Lionel Newman andproducer George Korngold in Munich, Germany,based on the original orchestrations, for an excellentWarner Bros. compilation album, Music by ErichWolfgang Korngold. Actually Kurt Graunkeconducted the unidentified sixty-piece Munichorchestra for two of the three Robin Hoodselections, “Robin and Maid Marian” and

“Epilogue,” Newman being exhausted fromconducting the remainder of the forty-minute albumin a day and a half (including rehearsals)!

On New Year’s Eve, 1961, George Korngoldpresented me with an advance copy of the WarnerBros. LP. I remember going home after the NewYear’s party and staying up until dawn playing therecord over and over again while I listened and shedsome tears. Unless you were around in the 1930sand ’40s, and a film music buff, I’m sure it isdifficult to imagine what it was like not to be able,for the most part, to hear favorite scores except in amovie theatre.

In 1972 Charles Gerhardt conducted fourminutes of a Robin Hood excerpt with the NationalPhilharmonic Orchestra (in England) for the initialrecord in RCA’s Classic Film Score series, The SeaHawk: The Classic Film Scores of Erich WolfgangKorngold. In 1975, for a follow-up RCA album,Captain Blood: Classic Film Scores for ErrolFlynn, Gerhardt and producer George Korngoldincluded a total of 12:20 of music from Robin Hood.

Excerpts from the original optical music trackswere edited by George Korngold into a fifteen-minute suite for a portion of Warner Bros.’ 50 Yearsof Film Music LP album, released in 1973; a gooddeal of material being presented for the first time oncommercially available records. Other recordingsof selections – or of the official Robin Hoodpublished suite (approximately fifteen minutes) puttogether by Erich Korngold for concertperformances – followed over the years.

The 1983 Varese Sarabande recording withVarujan Kojian conducting the Utah SymphonyOrchestra gave us the most generous amount of the

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Growing up in the fifties was a great time for abudding film buff. Most of the classic films of thethirties and forties played constantly on localtelevision. Not realizing it at the time, both my filmand music tastes were being shaped by thesewonderful films and their scores. Warner Bros. wasmy favorite studio for a number of reasons; not theleast, the music. I remember the first time I saw TheAdventures of Robin Hood and what an impact itmade on me. The music became a part of my reel-to-reel library of scores I taped directly from thetelevision set with my little Webcor tape recorder.Never in my dreams did that twelve-year-old kidrealize he would be preparing this music for acomplete recording many years later.

Gathering the physical materials for this first-ever complete re-recording of Erich WolfgangKorngold’s The Adventures of Robin Hood was bothexhilarating and frustrating. After getting WarnerBros’ blessing to record this music, I had every pageof surviving scores, instrumentalparts, and conductor booksphotocopied to begin the restorationprocess. To my initialdisappointment, I discovered manyof the key sequences were missing —both in full score and individualparts. I then located the official RobinHood Suite, which contained some ofthe missing music.

My excitement was then a bitmuted when I discovered that themusic in the Suite was edited both for

time considerations, with bars of music taken out,and somewhat reorchestrated for a standardorchestra by eliminating extra woodwind and brassparts, reducing the percussion from five to threeplayers, combining the piano and celeste parts intoone, and integrating two harp parts to one.Apparently Korngold “borrowed” the scores andparts for these key sequences shortly after the filmwas released for use in live performances. He madecuts in the music and combined cues to present themusic in a concise fifteen-minute length. All theorchestrations were revised to accommodate this“standard” orchestra and new score and parts wereprepared. The original film orchestrations for thesesections are now lost. Despite this, I was determinedto present this music as heard in the film, with all theconnecting cues intact as well as the much-recordedsections restored to their original orchestration andlength. Evidently we are the first to do this, as astudy of every re-recording – beginning with the

famous Lionel Newman 1961version – makes it obvious that theSuite versions were used for theserecordings.

Fortunately, Korngold’soriginal recording of the entire scoresurvived on audio tape, made fromthe optical nitrate stems. This wasinvaluable as it afforded us the musicwithout dialog and sound effects andmade the restoration more reliableand authentic. Although the originalrecording of this score in 1938 was

Restoring Robin Hood’s Music

John Morgan

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state of the art for its time, trying to hear the interiordetail and instrumental colour was difficult as thismusic was written as precisely as a Richard Strausstone poem. One example that particularly delightsme is the opening of the Love Scene where we putback in the magical flutes flutter-tonguing that hasbeen missing for all subsequent recordings of thismusic.

Even cues that were never previously recordedbut survived in full score were problematic. Missingpages of score had to be reconstructed for ourperformance. Many of the original parts were somarked-up by revisions Korngold made from thepodium on the scoring stage that they wereunreadable and had to be recopied. Where we felt itwas musically appropriate, bars of music wererestored here and there that were taken out of theoriginal when the composer felt the music neededaltering to match comfortably the screen action onthe scoring stage. An example of this is in RobinHood Fights with Little John where we restored adelightful four-bar syncopated phrase that has neverbeen heard before. Conductor BillStromberg reconstructed the missingsections of the Sir Guy forest battlewhile I orchestrated the Main Titlefrom a surviving violin part. Finally,after weeks of work, we felt themusic was in good enough shape tohead to Moscow for the recordingyou now hold in your hands.

The original Warner Bros.orchestra for The Adventures ofRobin Hood was a large one,especially by 1938 standards. The

woodwinds consisted of three flutes (one doublingpiccolo), two oboes (one doubling cor anglais), threeclarinets (third also playing bass clarinet), and twobassoons (with the second bassoon doubling oncontra bassoon), and occasionally two saxophones.The brass included four French horns, four trumpets,four trombones and tuba. Additionally, two harps,one piano and one celeste were utilized along withfive percussionists playing normal battery. Twoacoustic guitars peppered several cues and.thenormal (for film recording) complement of stringsmade up the Robin Hood orchestra. The Processionwas the largest orchestral complement, requiringseven trumpets, six trombones and eight percussionplayers, including two vibraphones. For thisrecording we have enlarged the string sectionconsiderably in order better to balance the sound.

Korngold preferred conducting from the fullscores rather than the conductor scores, which wascustomary. The composer went through the scoresand made his own short-hand notations for changingtempos, time signatures, and rhythmic complexities.

The extraordinarily fast-paced musicwould often necessitate turning apage every two seconds. HugoFriedhofer and Milan Roder sharedorchestration duties for most of thescore. On several of the longer cues,Friedhofer would start and when themusic moved to a very “notey” fastsection, Roder would then completethe cue. No doubt Friedhofer wasalso very busy servicing Max Steinerat Warners and would beorchestrating more than one scoreWilliam Stromberg

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Rathbone), chief conspirer under Prince John(Claude Rains), become rivals for Lady Marian(Olivia de Havilland), a Norman ward of KingRichard the Lion Heart. This triangle, not present inany of the old ballads, originated in the popular DeKoven-Smith light opera version of Robin Hood in1891 and was used again in the Douglas Fairbanks1922 silent Robin Hood.

Since there was a little something suggestedfrom all sources, Flynn (or occasionally a stuntdouble) was required to engage in some litheleaping, wall-scaling, vaulting, vine-swinging –and, of course, swordplay – to take into account theDouglas Fairbanks heritage.

Audiences then and now loved the movie, manypeople going back to see it time and again. In 1948,ten years after its first release, Warner reissued thefilm in theatres everywhere with new Technicolorprints, treating it in the manner of one of their big,fresh attractions. The public flocked once again; thepicture performing better than most new films at thebox office and certainly better than the usual revivalof an old movie. It was reissued another time – butin black and white only and on a more limited basis– just before being sold to television in the late1950s, where it has been a perennial favourite. In apoll taken in 1977 for TV Guide magazine,programme directors of television stationsthroughout the country were asked to name the tenmost popular, most often shown movies in theirmarkets. Robin Hood was number five, preceded by– in order of popularity – Casablanca, King Kong,The Magnificent Seven, and The Maltese Falcon.

The Adventures of Robin Hood avoids thepitfalls that plague so many other films in the

historical romance genre. The subject had beenextraordinarily popular for over 600 years andWarner Bros. had the good sense not to alter thematerial drastically or to make it seem considerablymore than it was. All the elements are handled in arelatively straightforward manner. The dialogue isnot too flowery or archaic in an attempt to befaithful to the period; vigor and pace always offsetthe pomp and ceremony, and nothing tedious marsthe proceedings. Rather than lasting two hours orlonger, as so many costume adventure films do,Robin Hood runs its course in a brisk one hour andforty-two minutes. During that time, the film iscrammed with incident and action – all of it pointedand imaginatively staged. There is a prevailinghumour, not forced or awkward, but light-hearted,impudent, and indigenous.

Many other film productions of the Robin Hoodlegend followed. But MGM’s adaptation of the DeKoven-Smith 1891 operetta to star JeanetteMacDonald and Nelson Eddy, that had beenscheduled to follow in late 1939-early 1940, wasabandoned after the extraordinary success of theWarner version.

The definitive Robin Hood for most people isthe 1938 version, wherein many elements ofpopular entertainment are beautifully fused: fairy-tale romance, spectacle, colour, action, pageantry,humour, the triumph of right over might, theexultation of the Free Spirit, the lure of thegreenwood, and a vague nostalgia for a partlymythical age of chivalry.

Relatively little about the picture dates, exceptin a charming way. The characters, costumes,castle, and forest are idealized, but then the film is


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Few motion pictures have ever matched the 1938Warner Bros. production of The Adventures of RobinHood for sheer entertainment. Even today this filmranks high on any list of all-time favourites.

Warner Bros. first considered filming TheAdventures of Robin Hood in 1935 with contractstar James Cagney slated for the title role. But inNovember of that year Cagney, in a contractualdispute, walked off the lot and did not return for twoyears. One month later the studio presentednewcomer Errol Flynn in Captain Blood. After thatfilm’s extraordinary impact, The Adventures ofRobin Hood was tailored for Flynn and given abudget of $1,600,000 – the largest sum allotted to aWarner film up to that time. (The cost eventuallyreached $2,000,000.)

Although almost non-stop action was thekeynote of The Adventures of Robin Hood, therewas also above average dialogue, spiritedperformances, and impressive spectacle. Animportant element was the excellent casting,including the premier swashbuckler Errol Flynn,who at 29 was at his peak and perfect for the role,with just enough seasoning. He was “hero”personified. Olivia de Havilland was by now hisideal screen romantic interest, having been pairedeffectively with Flynn in Captain Blood (1935) andThe Charge of the Light Brigade (1936). Theirromantic scenes in Robin Hood were played withbelievable ardor, grace, and more than a touch ofhumour. The only other person Warners consideredfor the role of Maid Marian was contract playerAnita Louise.

In addition to all the other ingredients, WarnerBros. used the then-new three-strip Technicolorprocess. It was a wise decision, as the legendarysubject with its many lush forest scenes, costumes,and pageantry was ideal for full colour.

The studio shot most of the Sherwood Forestsequences in Bidwell Park, 475 miles northwest ofLos Angeles in the town of Chico. A natural parkfilled with giant oaks, sycamores, and a wide creek,it was a lovely and fresh setting for the film.

Some of the favourite incidents of the RobinHood legend were used on the screen for the firsttime: the bout with quarterstaves between Robinand Little John (Alan Hale) on a log spanning astream, Robin’s first meeting with Friar Tuck(Eugene Pallette) and his forcing the rotund cleric tocarry him piggyback across the stream, and theKing (Ian Hunter) coming to Sherwood disguised asa monk. Finally, all the various archery contestsdescribed in the many legendary versions wereamalgamated into one major archery tournament,wherein Robin splits his opponent’s arrow (actuallyaccomplished by archery champion Howard Hill)and wins the Golden Arrow prize.

The archery tournament was photographed atthe old Busch Gardens in Pasadena – long sincegone. It was during this period, after the companyhad returned from Chico, that director WilliamKeighley was replaced by Michael Curtiz, who shotmost of the interiors, back-lot, Warner Ranchfootage, and embellished a good deal of the materialmade earlier by Keighley.

Robin and Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Basil

Welcome to Sherwood!

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Home base for Marco Polo’s critically acclaimedClassic Film Score Series, the Moscow SymphonyOrchestra has won plaudits for its versatility,tackling everything from orchestrations of belovedrock classics to soundtracks for movies to suchintriguing projects as the first-ever cycle ofsymphonies by Malipiero. In addition, it has givennumerous performances of classic works byScriabin, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky andremains the busiest orchestra in Russian recordingstudios today, performing everything from Irish folktunes to a dynamic new re-recording of MaxSteiner’s score for King Kong. The first orchestra inRussia to be funded through private resources ratherthan state support, the Moscow Symphony Orchestrawas established in 1989, quickly gained a reputationfor excellence as well as adventurous repertoire, andwas further refined when famed Antonio de Almeidabecame conductor and music director in 1993.Praise has been plentiful for the orchestra’s many

recordings, particularly its continuing work withconductor William T. Stromberg in Marco Polo’sClassic Film Score Series. David Hurwitz ofClassics Today recently found much to treasure inthe orchestra’s re-recording of Max Steiner’s TheTreasure of the Sierra Madre, adding that“Stromberg and his Moscow forces play thesecolorful cues with their usual aplomb, and they’revividly recorded, too. If you’re into movie music,this latest issue recommends itself.” FranzWaxman’s titanic score for the film Mr. Skeffingtonalso won plaudits from Hurwitz, who described themusic as “a brilliant, magnificent piece of work,ideally presented by Stromberg and his Moscowplayers.” And in reviewing the much-awaitedpremière recording of Bernard Herrmann’s hypnoticscore for Garden of Evil, Mark Koldys of AmericanRecord Guide praised it as “a valuable document anda richly rewarding musical experience … easily acontender for the film-music release of the year.”

concurrently. However, Friedhofer did orchestratethe Duel, which was anything but slow, and wrote anote to Korngold on the last page of score: “FINE.LAUS DEO!” [End. Praise to God!].

This has been one of our most satisfying projectsin the entire Marco Polo Classic Film Music Series,which is entering its tenth year and nearing thirtyCDs. Listening to the music in sequence and incomplete renditions gives added context andperspective to even the familiar cues. Korngold had

an amazing ability of making his cues sound asnatural as through-composed music. Even when hemusically caught screen action, one feels a certain“rightness” and structure housed in the very natureof his music. It is our hope that this recording willnot only please the many fans of The Adventures ofRobin Hood and its music, but will also be asatisfying musical experience on its own.

John Morgan

Moscow Symphony Orchestra

225268bk Robin Hood 21/7/03 9:44 pm

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Special thanks to …Danny Gould, Keith Zajic Warner Bros. Music • Randi Hokett, Noelle CarterWarner Bros. Archive, USC • Ned Comstock Cinema-Television Library, USC • Stacey Behlmer Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Library • James V. D’ArcBrigham Young University • Ray Faiola • Anna Bonn • Rudy Behlmer • Peter Boyer • Scott MacQueen • Leith Adams Warner Bros. • Eric Stonerook Eric Stonerook Music • Valle Music

A native of Oceanside, California, who hails from afamily of filmmakers, William T. Strombergbalances his career as a composer of strikingly vividfilm scores with that of a busy conductor in MarcoPolo’s Classic Film Score Series. Besidesconducting his own scores – including his recentmusic for the thriller Other Voices, the monsterfilm, Bugs, and the documentary Trinity andBeyond – Stromberg serves as a conductor for otherfilm composers. He is especially noted for hispassion in reconstructing and conducting film

scores from Hollywood’s Golden Age, includingseveral works recorded for RCA with theBrandenburg Philharmonic. For Marco Polo, he hasconducted albums of music devoted to Max Steiner,Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Alfred Newman, PhilipSainton, Adolph Deutsch, Hans J. Salter, VictorYoung and Malcolm Arnold. He has also conductedseveral much-praised albums devoted to concertworks by American composers, including twoalbums of music by Ferde Grofé.

Widely regarded in film-music circles as a mastercolorist with a keen insight into orchestration andthe power of music, Los Angeles-based composerJohn Morgan began his career working alongsidesuch composers as Alex North and Fred Steinerbefore embarking on his own. Among otherprojects, he co-composed the richly dramatic scorefor the cult-documentary film Trinity and Beyond,described by one critic as “an atomic-age Fantasia,

thanks to its spectacular nuclear explosions andpowerhouse music.” In addition, Morgan has wonacclaim for efforts to rescue, restore and re-recordlost film scores from the past. Recently, Morgan,along with Stromberg, composed the score for theacclaimed documentary, Cinerama Adventure.Stromberg and Morgan are currently composingmusic for Sony’s Starship Troopers 2 feature film.

John Morgan

William Stromberg

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Gold 5:59@ The Poor People 4:19# The Tournament—Robin Hood’s

Appearance at the Archery Field—Preparation for the Archery Contest—Robin Hood Starts to Shoot—Finale of the Archery Contest 6:38

$ Arrest of Robin Hood 0:47

% Tribunal—The Jail 2:27

^ The Gallows—The Flight of Robin Hood 4:40

& Love Scene 6:25

* Arrest of Lady Marian 0:45

( Much: The Knife Fight 1:10

) Richard Meets Robin Hood—Richard the Lion-Heart 4:03

¡ The Procession 3:09

™ Prince John 1:33

£ The Battle—The Duel—The Victory 5:36

¢ Epilogue 1:33

∞ End Cast 0:35

Erich Wolfgang KorngoldThe Adventures of

Robin Hood Film Score,1938Score restorations by John MorganMoscow Symphony Orchestra conducted by William Stromberg


Great Film Music on Marco Polowith William Stromberg & John MorganSIR MALCOLM ARNOLDDavid Copperfield • The Roots of Heaven8.225167

ADOLPH DEUTSCHThe Maltese Falcon • Northern PursuitThe Mask of Dimitrios • High SierraGeorge Washington Slept Here 8.225169

HUGO FRIEDHOFERThe Adventures of Marco Polo • The LodgerThe Rains of Ranchipur • Seven Cities of Gold8.223857

BERNARD HERRMANNGarden of Evil • Prince of Players 8.223841The Snows Of Kilimanjaro • 5 Fingers8.225168

BERNARD HERRMANN & ALFREDNEWMANThe Egyptian 8.225078

ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLDEscape Me Never • Another Dawn 8.223871Devotion 8.225038

ALFRED NEWMANThe Hunchback of Notre DameBeau Geste • All About Eve 8.223750

PHILIP SAINTONMoby Dick (Complete) 8.225050

HANS J. SALTER & PAUL DESSAU House of Frankenstein (Complete) 8.223748

HANS J. SALTER & FRANK SKINNER Son of Frankenstein • The Wolf Man

The Invisible Man Returns 8.223747The Ghost of Frankenstein • Son of DraculaSherlock Holmes and the Voice of TerrorBlack Friday • Man Made Monster 8.225124

MAX STEINERKing Kong 8.223763The Lost Patrol • Virginia CityThe Beast with Five Fingers 8.223870They Died With Their Boots On 8.225079The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 8.225149Son of Kong • The Most Dangerous Game8.225166All This, And Heaven Too • A Stolen Life8.225218

DIMITRI TIOMKINRed River 8.225217

FRANZ WAXMANMr Skeffington 8.225037Objective, Burma! 8.225148

ROY WEBBCat People • Bedlam • I Walked With A ZombieThe Body Snatcher • The 7th Victim 8.223857

VICTOR YOUNGThe Greatest Show On Earth • Bright LeafThe Uninvited • Gulliver’s Travels 8.223857

‘Murder & Mayhem – Great Horror Scoresfrom Hollywood’s Golden Age’: MAX STEINER: The Beast With 5 FingersVICTOR YOUNG: The UninvitedHUGO FRIEDHOFER: The Lodger 8.225132

225268bk Robin Hood 21/7/03 9:44 pm

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MADE IN CANADA

Recorded at Mosfilm Studio, Moscow, Russia in February 2003Recording Engineer & Editor: Genadiy PapinProducer: Betta InternationalNotes: Brendan Carroll & Rudy BehlmerBooklet Design: Ron Hoares

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Gold 5:59@ The Poor People 4:19

# The Tournament—Robin Hood’s Appearance at the Archery Field—Preparation for the Archery Contest—Robin Hood Starts to Shoot—Finale of the Archery Contest 6:38

$ Arrest of Robin Hood 0:47% Tribunal—The Jail 2:27^ The Gallows—The Flight of Robin

Hood 4:40& Love Scene 6:25* Arrest of Lady Marian 0:45( Much: The Knife Fight 1:10) Richard Meets Robin Hood—Richard

the Lion Heart 4:03¡ The Procession 3:09™ Prince John 1:33£ The Battle—The Duel—The Victory 5:36¢ Epilogue 1:33∞ End Cast 0:35

with William Stromberg & John Morgan Great Film Music … · with William Stromberg & John Morgan...

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Transcript of with William Stromberg & John Morgan Great Film Music … · with William Stromberg & John Morgan...