A Heart at Fire's Center

The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann

By: Steven C. Smith

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Hardcover | 3 June 1991 | Edition Number 1

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Hardcover
400 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.47 x 16.69 x 3.39

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No composer contributed more to film than Bernard Herrmann, who in over 40 scores enriched the work of such directors as Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, François Truffaut, and Martin Scorsese. In this first major biography of the composer, Steven C. Smith explores the interrelationships between Herrmann's music and his turbulent personal life, using much previously unpublished information to illustrate Herrmann's often outrageous behavior, his working methods, and why his music has had such lasting impact.

From his first film (Citizen Kane) to his last (Taxi Driver), Herrmann was a master of evoking psychological nuance and dramatic tension through music, often using unheard-of instrumental combinations to suit the dramatic needs of a film. His scores are among the most distinguished ever written, ranging from the fantastic (Fahrenheit 451, The Day the Earth Stood Still) to the romantic (Obsession, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir) to the terrifying (Psycho).

Film was not the only medium in which Herrmann made a powerful mark. His radio broadcasts included Orson Welles's Mercury Theatre of the Air and The War of the Worlds. His concert music was commissioned and performed by the New York Philharmonic, and he was chief conductor of the CBS Symphony.

Almost as celebrated as these achievements are the enduring legends of Herrmann's combativeness and volatility. Smith separates myth from fact and draws upon heretofore unpublished material to illuminate Herrmann's life and influence. Herrmann remains as complex as any character in the films he scored-a creative genius, an indefatigable musicologist, an explosive bully, a generous and compassionate man who desperately sought friendship and love.

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Non-Fiction Biographies & True Stories Biographies Arts & Entertainment Biographies Arts & Entertainment Music Individual Composers & Musicians, Specific Bands & Groups Miscellaneous Items Dance & Other Performing Arts Film, TV & Radio Specific Films

Preface to the 2002 Edition	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Prelude	p. 1
New York, 1911-1951
One	p. 7
Two	p. 21
Three	p. 42
Four	p. 59
Five	p. 71
Six	p. 85
Seven	p. 110
Eight	p. 131
Hollywood, 1951-1971
Nine	p. 163
Ten	p. 191
Eleven	p. 219
Twelve	p. 236
Thirteen	p. 267
Fourteen	p. 292
London, 1971-1975
Fifteen	p. 311
Sixteen	p. 319
Seventeen	p. 336
Postlude	p. 357
The Music of Bernard Herrmann	p. 365
Notes	p. 377
Selected Bibliography	p. 401
Index	p. 405
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

A Heart at Fire's Center

The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann

At a Glance

Hardcover

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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