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Steven C. Smith

A Heart at Fire's Center: The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann Paperback – 31 May 2002

by Steven C. Smith (Author)

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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, Fran??ois 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Smith explores the interrelationships between Herrmann's music and his turbulent personal life, using much previously unpublished information to illustrate Herrmann's often outrageous behavior, his working methods, and why his music has had such lasting impact.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 on 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 Smith separates myth from fact and draws upon heretofore unpublished material to illuminate Herrmann's life and influence.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.

Films scored by Bernard Herrmann: Citizen Kane, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Vertigo, Psycho, Fahrenheit 451, Taxi Driver, The Magnificent Ambersons, The Man Who Knew Too Much, North By Northwest, The Birds, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Cape Fear, Marnie, Torn Curtain, among others

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Product details

Publisher : *University of California Press; 1st edition (31 May 2002)
Language : English
Paperback : 429 pages
ISBN-10 : 0520229398
ISBN-13 : 978-0520229396
Dimensions : 15.24 x 2.54 x 22.86 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 412,581 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 595 in Biographies of Theatre Performers
- 2,028 in Dance (Books)
- 8,318 in Biographies of Actors & Entertainers

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"Smith catches what many of us felt in those days, that Welles and Herrmann and colleagues seemed en route to the moon, bright spirits of a worried yet fervid decade. Smith then goes on to take us into every nook of Herrmann's career and many crannies of his private life."--Stanley Kauffmann, "The New Republic

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An exceptional work. I stand in awe of anyone who can piece together the puzzle of a man's life so fully, especially a man as odd and contradictory as Herrmann. A brilliant job.--Leonard Maltin

Bernard Herrmann was a master of psychology. His incredibly innovative music 'inhabited' the film it was in, creating moods that stayed with the audience long after the film was over. Steven Smith captures the very heart of what Herrmann represented. I highly recommend this book to anyone who truly wants a glimpse into the world of this musical giant who changed the very nature of film composing.--Esa-Pekka Salonen, music director, Los Angeles Philharmonic

Fascinating. The scholarship is impeccable, the judgments sound, and the whole thing as compulsively readable as eating popcorn.--Nicholas Meyer, director and writer

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W. Kiewiet de Jonge

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 October 2016

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Fantastic book about a complex and great composer.

One person found this helpful

Red Norman

A masterpiece of biography--scholarly and readable

Reviewed in Canada on 10 April 2021

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Read same author's bio on Max Steiner. The Herrmann one is more extensive. Both are outstanding and literate and insightful.

陸田竜平

知られざる大作曲家

Reviewed in Japan on 30 August 2011

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　熱心な映画ファン、それも、新作とともに過去の作品にも関心のある人にとって、バーナード・ハーマンの名前は全く馴染みがないものでもないだろう。アルフレッド・ヒッチコックの傑作の数々で、ケイリー・グラントやジェイムズ・スチュアートといったスターの名前の後に毎度のように顔を出す、見た目も音の響きも何やらドスの利いた「Bernard Herrmann」というクレジット。マーティン・スコセッシの出世作にしてハーマンの遺作『タクシードライバー』では、開巻のスタッフ・クレジットの中で真っ先に紹介されていたのが他ならぬハーマンだった。例え名前は知らなくとも、嘗てのテレビ映画劇場では夏休みの定番だった『アルゴ探検隊の大冒険』『SF巨大生物の島』、より年長者向けの『市民ケーン』『北北西に進路を取れ』『サイコ』『タクシードライバー』、変わり物好きには『地球の静止する日』『華氏451』『悪魔の赤ちゃん』と、彼の音楽の響きが自分の映画鑑賞歴と分かち難く結び附いているという人は、日本でも決して少なくないと思われる。

　本書では実に詳細にハーマンの足跡が辿られているが、それにしても何とも興味深い生涯を送った人物ではある。映画音楽についてだけ見ても、古典中の古典『市民ケーン』に始まり、新時代を画したこれまたもう一つの古典的傑作『タクシードライバー』で終るという絵に描いたような幕開きと幕切れ。その間も、映画史上に名を残す傑作・名作の数々を手がけたかと思うと、低予算・低品質の際物映画にも音楽を提供するという浮き沈みの激しさ。まさに映画史における一時代の始まりと終り、頂点と底辺、そして新しい時代の誕生を見届けた人物の一人ということになるのではないか。1984年に亡くなったフランソワ・トリュフォーは、ヒッチコックとの対談を一冊に纏めた『定本映画術ヒッチコック・トリュフォー』あとがきで「（ハーマンが）回想録を書くことなくこの世を去ってしまったのは…ほんとうに残念だ…ハーマンこそ、オーソン・ウェルズとヒッチコックとの共通点と差異を指摘し、あかしてくれることができたにちがいないのだ」とハーマンの早世を惜しんだが、本書は充分にその渇を癒す内容と言っていいだろう。

　ともあれ、興味深い話が盛りだくさんなのは間違いない。映画ファンは、個々の映画におけるハーマンの仕事ぶり、映画人との公私にわたる交流、就中『引き裂かれたカーテン』を巡るヒッチコックとの衝突の詳しい経緯に関心を惹かれることだろう。『ロリータ』『エクソシスト』『キャリー』などをハーマンが手がける筈だったという話、いずれも芸術音痴だったらしいハリウッドの大プロデューサー二人、セルズニックとザナックがともにハーマンを贔屓にしていたという話も面白い。ザナックなどは音楽と言えばブラス・バンドのマーチとCMソングしか理解出来なかったということだが、これもハーマンの音楽の有無を言わせない迫力と魅力の故だろうか。エイブラハム・ポロンスキーとは幼馴染み、文字通り竹馬の友の間柄だったというのも意外かつ愉快なエピソード。

　映画以外の分野でも多くの活動があったことが紹介される。映画音楽家ハーマンのみを知る読者には、ラジオでの活躍（嘗てのアメリカにおけるラジオ番組のレベルの高さ、幅の広さときたら、現代日本のテレビなど足元にも及ばない）、歌劇や交響曲、ミュージカルの作曲、名門管弦楽団との演奏会や録音など、意外な事実の連続かもしれない。前衛中心に記述される一般の音楽史では余り語られることのないハーマン在世中の英米の音楽状況の一側面、アイヴズ（『恐怖の岬』におけるポップス・レコードの劇中曲と喘ぐような低弦とのポリトーナル効果はまさにアイヴズそのもの）やストコフスキー、バルビローリとの親交の他、シェーンベルク、ストラヴィンスキー、ハイフェッツ、ランドフスカ、ショルティといった有名どころの「カメオ出演」も、クラシック音楽ファンには楽しく読めることと思う。

　こうした挿話のみならず、ハーマンの音楽そのものについての解説や論評も過不足なく、冗長だったり舌足らずだったりの印象はない。本書を読んで、あとは映画や音楽作品そのものに接していただければ、まずは充分な理解が得られると思われる。映画音楽一般についても、その受容と変遷が分かり易く綴られている点、未だに映画音楽＝あれこれの主題歌・主題曲と考えがちな向きにはいたって啓発的な内容と言っていいのではないだろうか。また、これまた未だに数多い、クラシックや前衛音楽に比して映画音楽の芸術性を決して高くは評価しようとしない人々に対しても、あらためてその再評価を促す機縁になればと思う。標題音楽でもない、歌劇・楽劇でもない、舞踊や演劇の伴奏音楽でもない、映画音楽は確かに独自の分野を音楽に占めている。この評伝が日本でも翻訳・出版され、ハーマンのみならず、映画音楽そのものへの理解の一助となれば幸いなのだが。

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Robert Hayes

Greatest film composer ever. Period.

Reviewed in the United States on 12 March 2017

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For a long time I've had the pleasure of enjoying many of the films which Bernard Herrmann elevated with his signature musical style. The complete story of his life was no less interesting. He shared many characteristics of artists who I feel a similar affinity with, like Scriabin and Hitchcock, while remaining a unique personality. This biography, the only one I'm familiar with was well-written and thorough, allowing a multifaceted perspective on his life and work. It also provided some insights which I'm keen to use for my Music History paper this semester. For one, I feel like he best summed up music's role in sound film, as one aspect of a collaborative art. After the main body of the book, there is a complete transcript of remarks on film music that he made at a university film class. One is also provided with a complete filmography and recording discography for further watching and listening. If you in any way enjoy movies and/or music, this book is for you. Highly recommended.

7 people found this helpful

ilprofessore

Vieil Homme Terrible

Reviewed in the United States on 2 October 2013

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Bernard "Benny" Hermann--one of, if not *the* greatest composer ever to write music for films--was an enfant terrible. He lived on long enough to become un vieil homme, as well. This revealing book celebrates the genius of the man as a musician and collaborator, but pulls no punches when it comes to depicting his many misadventures and mishaps as a man. Hermann burned almost every bridge he crossed, offended the very people who might have helped him, and so insulted his orchestra players that whenever he made a conducting mistake, as he often did, they followed him to ultimate disaster, causing Benny to lose the many symphony engagements he so coveted. Tail between his legs, he went to London to live and work. The next generation of filmmakers rediscovered him, and, in old age, he ended working for "the kids," as he labeled them. Even then he could not restrain his serpent tongue. When Spielberg heard he had returned to Hollywood, the then young director came to his scoring stage, and literally knelt before him--there were no chairs--to pay him homage. Benny said, "If you think I'm so great how come you keep using Johnny Williams?" An impossible man, but also a very great musician whose scores are now almost all available to us on CDs, proving once again and for all that a very infantile man can also be a supremely mature artist

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