Music in
In July 2008, my pal and Falls expert Eric Levy, wrote this piece about the music used in The Falls. Thanks Eric.
So I haven't watched THE FALLS in a single sitting in many years. What a pleasure it was to experience that again—especially on DVD. The detail and clarity of the images opens all sorts of new avenues into the film. It was also interesting to watch the film with the intention of paying specific attention to the music. Both factors contributed to my amazement at Greenaway’s vision. His attention to detail—in all of his work, but especially here—is unmatched in the cinema, even a perfectionist like Kubrick can’t compare.
Because the majority of the music is by Nyman I’m sending this to both the Greenaway and Nyman groups. Hopefully you’ll find this interesting. It’s gonna be long… (You're not the only one who likes lists Kyss!)
First
a word on what exactly constitutes “music.” John Cage deconstructed the
definition of music more than half a century ago. Cage was of course a hero to
both Greenaway and Nyman, and Nyman documented all of Cage’s (and his
followers’) contributions to that very deconstruction in his EXPIRIMENTAL
MUSIC book. That raises the question of what exactly I should include as
“music” in the film—especially a film about birds that features
considerable use of bird song and bird calls on the soundtrack. Rather than
bother with these subtleties, I have limited the discussion to music that was
clearly and deliberately composed.
In
the cases where the biography doesn’t extend past the image of the numeral and
the name, and for Glastled Fallusson, which is barely any longer, I have written
“No bio.” My warmest thanks to Wayne and Paul, without whose friendship and
enthusiasm—not to mention invaluable websites—the following list would have
been unthinkable.
I
should also mention to folks who may be new to these lists that I was fortunate
enough to be Greenaway’s driver for a few days in Chicago in November of 2004.
During this time I grilled him about many subjects, but THE FALLS most of all.
His answers were often enlightening, sometimes baffling, occasionally
frustrating, once or twice dead wrong, but always helpful in some way. I make
reference to those discussions in a few places below.
Much
as I have tried to make this list completely thorough and definitive, there are
a few pieces (including a handful by Nyman) that I am unfamiliar with. I mention
each instance of my own unfamiliarity. Any help with these would be most
appreciated.
So
without further ado, here is my nearly-definitive list of music heard in Peter
Greenaway’s THE FALLS:
The
music heard over the opening section of the film—shots of the Boulder Orchard
behind the list of 92 victims and Colin Cantlie’s introduction—is
accompanied by the closing two minutes of Michael Nyman’s piece M-WORK, the
19-plus minute side-long track from his eponymous second solo album (from 1982,
two years after the premeire of the film). This is a—perhaps the—key work in
Nyman’s catalog, and an essential adjunct to THE FALLS, as will be shown. (The
album’s continued non-appearance on CD or for legal download is
maddening—are you listening MN Records???) M-WORK is a shortened title for
Nyman’s piece THE MASTERWORK/AWARD-WINNING FISHKNIFE. This particular
music—like so much of the soundtrack music in THE FALLS—will be heard again.
The
music used for these consists of variations on a theme by Mozart composed by
Michael Nyman. Each time the theme is heard over each title it is slightly
longer than the previous time, culminating in the complete version over the
final four titles. These last four complete themes can be heard on the album
MINIATURES under the tile 89-90-91-92. The theme will be heard under separate
cover again beginning with
The
same theme that is used for each of the numbered titles is heard again in
various biographies throughout THE FALLS, though in a much slower rendition. And
we first hear it in the first biography—the only music heard during
Orchard’s bio. It’s based on 15 seconds of music from Mozart’s SINFONIA
CONCERTANTE FOR VIOLIN, VIOLA AND ORCHESTRA IN E FLAT MAJOR. The original
section occurs from 4:33 to 4:48 in the second movement (on my recording anyway:
DG 415 486-2). It’s a lovely little snippet of music and you can see how it
appealed to Nyman and hear how he brilliantly refashioned it. This same movement
would later be the basis for the entire soundtrack to DROWNING BY NUMBERS. It
will henceforth be known as the Mozart theme in the present list.
No Music.
The opening track on
Nyman’s self-titled album is called BIRD ANTHEM. The album version includes
vocals and full orchestration. The lyrics are my sign-off: “Capercaillie
Lammergeyer Cassowary” repeated several times. We will hear this theme in
various forms throughout the film (and in full at the very end). It first
appears here as an instrumental fragment, different sections of which are heard
four times.
Biography 4—Appis (Arris)
Fallabus
Appis’s biography features
the first of four times we hear a mysterious and beautiful ambient music that I
am unfamiliar with. The credits list additional music by Brian Eno, John Hyde,
and Keith Pendlebury. I am thoroughly familiar with Eno’s work, and while this
sounds somewhat similar to his style, if it is a piece by Eno, it’s an
unreleased one. Pendlebury is a jazz pianist who will appear later in THE FALLS
as Allia Fallanx (see below). So my bet is this music is by John Hyde, who also
appears later in the film. The only other music by Hyde that I’ve heard are
his contributions to the album LOVE CURIOSITY FRECKLES AND DOUBT by the Gadgets
(which features one song co-written by Greenaway). Some of Hyde’s pieces
on the album sound somewhat similar to the track heard in the
film—similar enough that it could be the same composer anyway (and there’s
further evidence that Hyde composed the piece—see below). I recall that
Wayne—with Hyde’s help—figured out that Hyde’s music that was used in
THE FALLS was once available on an LP. Any recollection about this Wayne?
Biography 5—Standard
Fallaby
A solo piano version of the
Mozart theme.
Biography 6—Tasida
Fallaby
No music.
Biography 7—Lacer
Fallacet
The Mozart theme.
Biography 8—Arris
Fallacie
Greenaway told me that the
film within the film in this biography (it will appear again later)—H.E.
Carter’s THE LAST WAVE—is in fact footage from Greenaway’s own unreleased
film EROSION. The music heard during the footage is a song called GOLDEN HOURS
by Brian Eno from his 1975 masterpiece ANOTEHR GREEN WORLD (I can’t recommend
this album highly enough—one of my all-time favorites). When I asked Greenaway
if the Eno music heard in THE FALLS is the same as in the original EROSION, he
said it was. In the 1979 interview with Nigel Andrews that begins the INTERVIEWS
book, Greenaway refers to some of his early films as “landscape features set
to music: from Bach to Brian Eno” (paraphrased, p. 5), which seems to support
the idea that the footage seen in this biography is actually EROSION.
But alas, things are never so simple. EROSION is always listed with the date
1971. The Eno song wasn’t released until 1975. My hunch is the date for
EROSION is wrong, and the music is there in the original. And of course Peter
Weir directed an overrated 1977 Australian film called THE LAST WAVE.
GOLDEN HOURS is actually a
vocal song. The part heard in THE FALLS is from an instrumental break between
verses. John Cale plays a lovely viola solo at the end of the song. Here are the
lyrics (from http://music.hyperreal.org/artists/brian_eno/):
The passage
of time is flicking dimly upon the screen;
I can't see the lines I used to think I could read between.
Perhaps my brains have turned to sand.
Oh me oh
my, I think it's been an eternity.
You'd be surprised at my degree of uncertainty.
How can moments go so slow?
Several times I've seen the evening
slide away.
Watching the signs taking over from the fading day.
Perhaps my brains are old and scrambled ...
Several times I've seen the evening
slide away.
Watching the signs taking over from the fading day.
Changing water into wine...
Several times I've seen the evening
slide away.
Watching the signs taking over from the fading day.
Putting grapes back on the vine...
[Sung simultaneously to last two
verses]
Who could believe what a poor set of eyes can show you?
Who would believe what an innocent voice could do?
Never a silence, always a face at the door
Who would believe what a poor set of
ears can tell you?
Who would believe what a weak pair of hands can do?
Never a silence, always a foot in the door.
Biography 9—Mashanter
Fallack
No music.
Biography 10—Squaline
Fallaize
No music.
Biography 11—Carlos
Fallantly
During the shots of the
turkey, an electric guitar is heard over an unknown ambient piece. Unlike most
of the music in THE FALLS, this is the only time this track is heard in the
entire film. Once again it is not a (released) composition by Brian Eno, so my
guess is it’s also by John Hyde. Further evidence for this—if it is
evidence—is, John Hyde’s wife Monica Hyde, who will appear again—this time
with her husband—in Biography 81 (see below), plays the woman on the phone in
this biography.
Biography 12—Musicus
Fallantly
No soundtrack music, but
Musicus Fallantly sings a song (in Welsh?).
Biography 13—Wrallis
Fallanway
The Mozart theme is heard
again.
Biography 14—Allia
Fallanx
Allia Fallanx is seen playing
piano during an instrumental jazz piece.
Biography 15—Starling
Fallanx
Husband and wife jazz
partners Allia and Starling Fallanx are the real-life husband and wife jazz
partners Keith and Marcia Pendlebury. I’m very curious to know how Greenaway
knew of them and got them to appear in his film. The couple continued to perform
until Keith’s death in 2002. You can see more recent pictures and read more
about them at Marcia’s website: http://www.marciapendleburyjazz.com/html/marcia_pendlebury.html
In Starling’s biography,
she is singing the old standard THE LADY IS A TRAMP. The song has been recorded
countless times, but first and most famously by Frank Sinatra. What’s most
interesting about the version heard in THE FALLS is how Starling/Marcia/Greenaway
alters the lyrics. It’s difficult to hear all of them, but there is a line
about reading Shakespeare and, more significantly, one about swimming in
Abersoch Bay—a location that will have further relevance in THE FALLS. These
lyrics will be revisited—though not sung—in Biography 91 (see below).
Biography 16—Ipson &
Pulat Fallari
Nyman’s short piece known
as SECONDARY TREAT from his self-titled album is heard in three different
fragments.
Biography 17—Stachia
Fallari
Another ambient/experimental
piece featuring electric guitar is heard no less than six separate times. It’s
different from the piece heard in Biography 11, and like that one is not heard
again in THE FALLS. Possibly another John Hyde piece.
Biography 18—Aptesia
Fallarme
Greenaway’s early film
WATER is shown during Aptesia’s biography—appropriate given the subject
matter of her life. The music heard is definitely the music from WATER judging
by the editing, and as confirmed by the film’s cameo in 26 BATHROOMS. We do
not as yet know who the music is by. It is not Max Eastley as has been suggested
in various Greenaway filmographies. Greenaway told me the piece was by John
Hyde, but Wayne contacted Hyde who said it was not his music. If I ever talk to
Greenaway again, I’ll try to get the true story out of him.
Biography 19—Corntopia
Fallas
The instrumental section of
Brian Eno’s GOLDEN HOURS is heard again. See Biography 8 above.
Biography 20—Anteo
Fallaspy
Greenaway told me that the
black and white film footage shown in Biographies 20, 22, and 23 is from his
rare (unreleased?) 1967 film FIVE POSTCARDS FROM CAPITAL CITIES, and that the
music heard in THE FALLS is from the original film. I have no idea what this
music is. In Anteo’s biography a strange whispering is heard followed by
mysterious experimental music reminiscent of some of Max Eastley’s work, then
more whispering, and finally a few strange stray notes can be heard at the end.
Biography 21—Pandist
Fallaspy
No bio.
Biography 22—Sashio
Fallaspy
This biography opens with a
snippet of the very beginning of a song called JUGBAND BLUES by Pink Floyd.
It’s from their second album, 1968’s A SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS and was the last
song by the group written and sung by founding member Syd Barrett (actually one
final song VEGETABLE MAN was recorded though never officially released—you can
find it on bootlegs though). After that some ‘50s style repetitive sci-fi type
music is heard, then the instrumental section of Eno’s GOLDEN HOURS and
finally the ending section of Nyman’s M-WORK—not heard since the opening of
the film—is reprised.
As with GOLDEN HOURS in what
we believe is EROSION, there is some confusion about the music here. Greenaway
told me specifically that the Pink Floyd song was included in the original
version of FIVE POSTCARDS (he was impressed that I recognized such a small
fragment of the song), but that film is listed as being from 1967, and the song
wasn’t released until 1968. If Greenaway would finally relent and release his
early missing films, we could probably clear all of this up.
Syd Barrett is another one of
my heroes. Here are the complete lyrics to JUGBAND BLUES (from http://www.pink-floyd-lyrics.com/):
It's awfully considerate of you to
think of me here
And I'm much obliged to you for making it clear that I'm not here.
And I never knew the moon could be so big
And I never knew the moon could be so blue
And I'm grateful that you threw away my old shoes
And brought me here instead dressed in red
And I'm wondering who could be writing this song.
I don't care if the sun don't shine
And I don't care if nothing is mine
And I don't care if I'm nervous with you
I'll do my loving in the winter.
And the sea isn't green
And I love the Queen
And what exactly is a dream
And what exactly is a joke.
Biography 23—Vyanine
Fallaspy
A jazzy opening is followed
by some bombastic classical music, then a clarinet, then a piano, and finally a
complete orchestra. If this is all a single piece of music it’s quite
ambitious, if not exactly enjoyable. No idea what the music is.
Biography 24—Casternarm
Fallast
Casternarm sings an a
cappella rendition of THE BIRD LIST SONG, another song that woudl later appear
on Nyman's self-titled album, and the first of many times we will hear it over
the course of the film. Soon he is accompanied by staccato piano chords, then a
single drumbeat, and finally horns in the background. This stripped-down version
of BLS is heard each time we visit the Goldhawk Road.
Biography 25—Ardenaur
Fallatter
The mysterious ambient music
first heard in Biography 4 (see above) is heard again here, though it appears to
be a different section of the same piece.
Biography 26—Agropio
Fallaver
No bio.
Biography 27—Propine
Fallax
Mozart’s original SINFONIA
CONCERTANTE FOR VIOLIN, VIOLA AND ORCHESTRA IN E FLAT MAJOR, second movement is
heard here in its entirety (or almost). This is the piece that Nyman adapted
into the numbered title music and what I’m calling the Mozart theme. He would
later expand parts of the whole movement into the complete score to DROWNING BY
NUMBERS. So it’s appropriate that the original music accompanies Cissie
Colpitts’s biography. The original Mozart piece is heard at the end of
DROWNING BY NUMBERS too. The particular recording used in this biography is from
a scratchy LP that Greenaway found in a suitcase (the original Tulse Luper
Suitcase) that also contained several photographs and other ephemera that made their
way into THE FALLS.
Biography 28—Cash
Fallbaez
No music.
Biography 29—Antopody
Fallbatts
No bio.
Biography 30—Coppice
Fallbatteo
No music.
Biography 31—Agrendo
Fallbazz
No bio.
Biography 32—Cisgatten
Fallbazz
An unknown Michael Nyman
piece.
Biography 33—Hasp
Fallbazz
Eno’s GOLDEN HOURS is heard
again over more footage presumably from Greenaway’s EROSION (see Biography 8
above). This image and this music are used in THE FALLS to illustrate dreams of
water, category one: flight.
Biography 34—Canopy
Fallbenning
No music.
Biography 35—Cole
Fallbird
No bio.
Biography 36—Castel
Fallboys
The mysterious ambient music
that I think is by John Hyde, heard previously in Biographies 4 and 25 (see
above), is heard again in three separate installments. More of it is heard this
time.
Biography 37—Acataloope
Fallbus
No bio.
Biography 38—Astraham
Fallbute
The M-WORK music is heard
again.
Biography 39—Loosely
Fallbute
The Mozart theme on what
sounds like a synthesizer is heard followed by M-WORK.
Biography 40—Betheda
Fallbutus
The piano-percussion version
of THE BIRD LIST SONG, as heard in Biography 24 (see above) is heard again with
the difference that this time strings come in from time to time. It’s like the
different tracks of the recording are being turned on and off. Once again this
version accompanies images from the Goldhawk Road.
Biography 41—Cathine
Fallbutus
The Mozart theme again.
Biography 42—Bwythan
Fallbutus
The Goldhawk Road version of
BLS is heard again with just piano.
Biography 43—Menenome
Fallbutus
No bio.
Biography 44—Olivine
Fallbutus
The unknown Nyman piece heard
in Biography 32 (see above) is heard again.
Biography 45—Vacete
Fallbutus
Once again the Goldhawk Road
version of BLS is heard, this time with piano and a single (treated) horn.
Biography 46—Astra
Fallcas
“The high-pitched female
voice” of THE BIRD LIST SONG is heard three times singing three separate
sections of the song a cappella here.
Biography 47—David
Fallcash
No bio.
Biography 48—Bewick
Fallcaster
No
music.
Biography
49—Catch-Hanger Fallcaster
No
music.
Biography 50—Clasper
Fallcaster
No
music.
Biography 51—Felix
Fallcaster
No
music.
Biography 52—Max
Fallcaster
No
music.
Biography 53—Orian
Fallcaster
No
music.
Biography 54—Throper
Fallcaster
No
music.
Biography 55—Raskado
Fallcastle
Another
unknown Michael Nyman piece, different from the one heard in Biographies 32 and
44. It’s similar to parts of M-WORK and A WALK THROUGH H, but it’s a
different piece.
Biography 56—Appropinquo
Fallcatti
A solo violin version of BIRD
ANTHEM, heard for the only time in THE FALLS.
Biography 57—Agrimany
Fallchester
No music.
Biography 58—Sitiarch
Fallding
No bio.
Biography 59—Ostler
Falleaver
No music.
Biography 60—Edio
Fallenby
Unknown marching band music.
Biography 61—Shey
Fallenby
Nyman’s piece INITIAL TREAT
from his self-titled album is heard during Shey’s biography. This piece was
also released under the title WEBERN as a single by Nyman, and again with the
title FIVE ORCHESTRAL PIECES FOR OPUS TREE on the album FROM THE KITCHEN
ARCHIVES—NEW YORK NEW MUSIC 1979 on Philip Glass’s Orange Mountain Music
label (discussed on these groups recently). This is also the piece that
Corntopia Felixchange commissioned Nye Gallibo to compose as a tribute to her
late husband (see Biography 83 below).
Biography 62—Affinado
Falleur
The Mozart theme.
Biography 63—Erek
Fallfree
No bio.
Biography 64—Thomax
Fallfresh
Another instrumental version
of THE BIRD LIST SONG. It’s different from the Goldhawk Road version. It
starts with just strings, and features some really cool percussion that’s
unique to this version. And is that a banjo that comes in toward the end?
Biography 65—Zachia
Fallgillot
No bio.
Biography 66—Joyan
Fallicory
No bio.
Biography 67—Bird
Gaspara Fallicutt
During the film “TRAILING
AWAY,” Brian Eno’s song IN DARK TREES is heard. This is an instrumental song
that, like GOLDEN HOURS, is from his 1975 masterpiece ANOTHER GREEN WORLD.
Significantly the footage shown is of a swimming pool, so it’s more Eno music
used to accompany water in some way—and of course the image foreshadows
MAKING A SPLASH.
Biography 68—Obsian
Fallicutt
BIRD ANTHEM is heard twice in
this biography: first in a brief a cappella rendition, then a sped up version
over sped up footage of A WALK THROUGH H.
Biography 69—Wrallis
Fallinway
No bio.
Biography 70—Ashile
Fallko
No music.
Biography 71—Agostina
Fallmutt
No music.
Biography 72—Castan
Fallockery
No bio.
Biography 73—Cottes
Fallope
No bio.
Biography 74—Pollie
Fallory
The definitive BIRD LIST SONG
as sung by Pollie Fallory, who is of course played by then-Nyman Band singer
Lucy Skeaping. She sings it on the MICHAEL NYMAN album too, though that version
is different than the one heard here. The electric guitar that comes in at the
end of the album version (which I love) is missing here, and there are some
slight variations in the libretto, including her singing “Capercaillie
Cassowary Lammergeyer” one of the times near the end.
Biography 75—Afracious
Fallows
Yet
another unknown Nyman piece—different from the one already heard (see
Biographies 32, 44, and 55 above). It’s very similar to the final section of A
WALK THROUGH H, but is different.
Biography 76—Hearty
Fallparco
No music.
Biography 77—Sallis Pino
Fallpinio
And still one more unknown
Nyman piece.
Biography 78—Crasstranger
Fallqueue
The a cappella BIRD ANTHEM
heard briefly in Biography 68 (see above) is heard again more fully here. As in
Biography 68, the music accompanies historical images of humans attempting
flight.
Biography 79—Romanese
Fallracce
An a cappella soprano is
heard singing an unknown song.
Biography 80—Ascrib
Fallstaff
No bio.
Biography 81—Armeror
Fallstag
The mysterious ambient music
previously heard in Biographies 4, 25, and 36 (see above) is heard for the last
time. John Hyde plays Armeror Fallstag, confirming to my mind his composer
status of this piece. And there is no album called ABIGAIL AND THE EARLY BIRD.
Biography 82—Combayne
Fallstoward
No music.
Biography 83—Geoffrey
Fallthuis
Anton Webern’s FIVE PIECES
FOR ORCHESTRA is heard during the film footage, which is from Greenaway’s
early film TREE. I thought that the shots of the train with the sun behind it
were from his early film TRAIN, but now I’m not so sure. All of the music is
from the Webern piece. Since the images are cut so perfectly to the music, it
implies to me that it’s all the same film. Webern was of course the first
victim of a conspiracy against composers that likely continues to this day. Both
Geoffrey Fallthuis and Corntopia Felixchange would soon fall victim to the same
conspiracy.
Webern did two pieces called
FIVE PIECES FOR ORCHESTRA. One is Op. 10 and the other is listed as "Op.
Post." Op. 10 is the one heard here and is the basis for Nyman’s piece
heard in Biography 61 (see above).
Biography 84—Merriem
Falltrick
No bio.
Biography 85—Stephany
Falltrix
The synthesizer version of
the Mozart theme heard in Biography 39 (see above) is heard again here.
Biography 86—Tolley
Falluger
M-WORK.
Biography 87—Vassian
Falluger
M-WORK.
Biography 88—Erhaus
Bewler Falluper
No music.
Biography 89—Grastled
Fallusson
No bio.
Biography 90—Castral
Fallvernon
The piano and horn
instrumental version of BLS heard in Biography 45 (see above) is heard
here—the only time it’s divorced from images of the Goldhawk Road.
Biography 91—Leasting
Fallvo
No music, but Leasting does
recite the lyrics to THE LADY IS A TRAMP that Starling Fallanx sings in
Biography 15 (see above). He also recites the libretto of THE BIRD LIST SONG. It
should be pointed out that all of the vocal versions of BLS that we hear in THE
FALLS, including this one, as well as version on Nyman’s self-titled album,
have slight variations in the lyrics. Our own Paul Melia has compiled the
definitive list detailing all of the variations here: http://www.btinternet.com/~paul.melia/birdL1.html
Biography 92—Anthior
Fallwaste
No
music until the very end when the opening strains of BIRD ANTHEM are heard. The
vocals kick in over
The
complete vocal version of BIRD ANTHEM is finally heard now, followed at the very
end by the Mozart theme one last time.
And
that is the end of the Music in The Falls list. The next song in the directory
is Queen of the Night.
Capercaillie
Lammergeyer Cassowary,
Eric
