UCLA Librarian Restores Silent Film Score
Earlier this year, Music Librarian David Gilbert completed restoration of the original musical score John J. Braham wrote for the 1914 silent film In the Land of the Headhunters.
Gilbert began with the manuscript materials, which are in the Getty Research Institute in the Edward S. Curtis Collection. They consist of a manuscript draft score, which contained an earlier version of the score, and instrumental parts made by a copyist.
Gilbert's restoration consisted of building a score from the instrumental parts, which were used by the orchestra for the 1914 premiere. During rehearsals the musicians had scratched out sections of their parts and noted where sections were altered or shortened as they worked to fit the music to the film. They also occasionally wrote in cues, such as "man climbs hill," "fire dance," or "three bears in boat." Prior to its restoration, the film did not exist in a complete form, which meant that these cues provided clues to its continuity.
Gilbert first reconstructed the sequence of the score. Using a work print of the restored film, he then attempted to match the music to the action and tried to derive enough information on tempos, repeats, and silences so that a conductor could perform the music with the film.
This is one of the earliest original music scores for a silent film, and there is no standard procedure for keying music to a film. One of the references Gilbert used was the score for The Birth of a Nation by Joseph Carl Breil; one of only a few remaining copies is in the Library's Performing Arts Special Collections.
The film itself was restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive, and the restored film and score were given their world premiere on June 5 at the Getty Center, with the score performed live by the UCLA Philharmonia. The entire restoration project was a scholarly and ethnographic endeavor as well as a cultural one; the Getty Research Institute organized a related symposium and exhibition, then the film embarked on a national tour. Further information is available on the project Web site.
