Sir Arthur Bliss’s Music Things to Come (1936)
A Study of Contemporaneous Sources and Musical Materials
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/jfm.v4i2.83Keywords:
Arthur Bliss, original film score, H. G. Wells, BBCAbstract
At the invitation of H. G. Wells, Sir Arthur Bliss composed his first and most famous film score, Things to Come, over the period 1934–35. Wells had full artistic control over the film and insisted on the music being composed before shooting commenced. Recording the majority of the score in advance was highly irregular in terms of the musical practice adopted, and it is clear many modifications were made in order to fit the music to the film. Six months in advance of the film premiere, Bliss performed his Suite from Film Music during the 1935 BBC Proms season. Primary source materials related to the music are analyzed, including newly found 78 rpm records made by Bliss and a Denham Film Studios playback recording titled “Utopian Hymn.” Bliss’s landmark score is lost except for “No. 9 Attack on Moon Gun,” preserved at Cambridge University Library.
References
Bliss, Arthur. 1923. Interview, “From ‘Colour’ Symphony to Charlie Chaplin.” Musical Mirror (April 1923): 104.
———. 1938. Death on squares. Great Thoughts (January): 18-22.
———. 1970. As I remember. London: Faber & Faber.
———. 1991. A musical pilgrimage of Britain. In Bliss on music: Selected writings of Arthur Bliss 1920–1975, ed. Gregory Roscow, 105-155. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
———. 1991. Aspects of contemporary music (complete transcript of Royal Institution lectures on March 8, 15, and 22, 1934). In Bliss on music: Selected writings of Arthur Bliss 1920–1975, ed. Gregory Roscow, 69-104. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Capua, Michelangelo. 2010. Deborah Kerr: A biography. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co.
Coren, Michael. 1993. The Invisible Man: The life and liberties of H. G. Wells. London: Bloomsbury.
Craggs, Stewart R., ed. 1996. Arthur Bliss: A source book. London: Scolar Press.
———, ed. 2002. Arthur Bliss: Music and literature. Farnham, UK: Ashgate Publishing.
Easterbrook, Giles. 2001. The film music of Sir Arthur Bliss, CD CHAN 9892. Chandos Records Ltd.
Elton, W. John. 1936. The music of “THINGS TO COME”. Film Weekly (February 20): 23.
Foreman, Lewis and Susan Foreman. 2005. London: A musical gazetteer. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
Foreman, Lewis. 1980. Arthur Bliss: Catalogue of the complete works. London: Novello.
Frayling, Christopher. 1995. Things to Come. London: BFI Publishing.
Hetherington, S. J. 2006. Muir Mathieson: A life in film music. Dalkeith, UK: Scottish Cultural Press.
Huntley, John. 1947. British film music. London: Skelton Robinson.
Korda, Michael. 2002. Charmed lives: A family romance, rev. edn. HarperCollins.
London, Kurt. 1936. Film music: A summary of the characteristic features of its history, aesthetics, technique; and possible developments, trans. Eric S. Bensinger. London: Faber & Faber.
Manvell, Roger and John Huntley. 1957 The technique of film music. London: Focal Press.
Observer. 1935. Mr. Wells and the cinema: Publishing his film script—a new form of literature. Observer (October 27): 14.
Riley, Matthew, ed. 2010. British music and modernism, 1895–1960. Farnham, UK: Ashgate Publishing.
Smith, David C., ed. 1998. The correspondence of H. G. Wells. London: Pickering & Chatto, 4 vols.
Stover, Leon. 1987. The prophetic soul: A reading of H. G. Wells’s Things to Come, together with his film treatment, Whither Mankind? and the postproduction script. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company Inc.
Tabori, Paul. 1959. Alexander Korda. London: Oldbourne.
Wells, Catherine. 1928. Winter Sunset. In The Book of Catherine Wells. London: Chatto & Windus.
Wells, G. P., ed. 1984. H .G. Wells in love: Postscript to an experiment in autobiography. London: Faber & Faber.
Wells, H. G. 1933. The Shape of Things to Come: A film story based on the material contained in his history of the future “The Shape of Things to Come.” London: The Cresset Press.
———. 1935. The Shape of Things to Come. London: Hutchinson.
Wetherell, Eric. 1995. Gordon Jacob: A centenary biography. London: Thames Publishing.
———. 1938. Death on squares. Great Thoughts (January): 18-22.
———. 1970. As I remember. London: Faber & Faber.
———. 1991. A musical pilgrimage of Britain. In Bliss on music: Selected writings of Arthur Bliss 1920–1975, ed. Gregory Roscow, 105-155. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
———. 1991. Aspects of contemporary music (complete transcript of Royal Institution lectures on March 8, 15, and 22, 1934). In Bliss on music: Selected writings of Arthur Bliss 1920–1975, ed. Gregory Roscow, 69-104. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Capua, Michelangelo. 2010. Deborah Kerr: A biography. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co.
Coren, Michael. 1993. The Invisible Man: The life and liberties of H. G. Wells. London: Bloomsbury.
Craggs, Stewart R., ed. 1996. Arthur Bliss: A source book. London: Scolar Press.
———, ed. 2002. Arthur Bliss: Music and literature. Farnham, UK: Ashgate Publishing.
Easterbrook, Giles. 2001. The film music of Sir Arthur Bliss, CD CHAN 9892. Chandos Records Ltd.
Elton, W. John. 1936. The music of “THINGS TO COME”. Film Weekly (February 20): 23.
Foreman, Lewis and Susan Foreman. 2005. London: A musical gazetteer. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
Foreman, Lewis. 1980. Arthur Bliss: Catalogue of the complete works. London: Novello.
Frayling, Christopher. 1995. Things to Come. London: BFI Publishing.
Hetherington, S. J. 2006. Muir Mathieson: A life in film music. Dalkeith, UK: Scottish Cultural Press.
Huntley, John. 1947. British film music. London: Skelton Robinson.
Korda, Michael. 2002. Charmed lives: A family romance, rev. edn. HarperCollins.
London, Kurt. 1936. Film music: A summary of the characteristic features of its history, aesthetics, technique; and possible developments, trans. Eric S. Bensinger. London: Faber & Faber.
Manvell, Roger and John Huntley. 1957 The technique of film music. London: Focal Press.
Observer. 1935. Mr. Wells and the cinema: Publishing his film script—a new form of literature. Observer (October 27): 14.
Riley, Matthew, ed. 2010. British music and modernism, 1895–1960. Farnham, UK: Ashgate Publishing.
Smith, David C., ed. 1998. The correspondence of H. G. Wells. London: Pickering & Chatto, 4 vols.
Stover, Leon. 1987. The prophetic soul: A reading of H. G. Wells’s Things to Come, together with his film treatment, Whither Mankind? and the postproduction script. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company Inc.
Tabori, Paul. 1959. Alexander Korda. London: Oldbourne.
Wells, Catherine. 1928. Winter Sunset. In The Book of Catherine Wells. London: Chatto & Windus.
Wells, G. P., ed. 1984. H .G. Wells in love: Postscript to an experiment in autobiography. London: Faber & Faber.
Wells, H. G. 1933. The Shape of Things to Come: A film story based on the material contained in his history of the future “The Shape of Things to Come.” London: The Cresset Press.
———. 1935. The Shape of Things to Come. London: Hutchinson.
Wetherell, Eric. 1995. Gordon Jacob: A centenary biography. London: Thames Publishing.
Published
2014-09-19
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Snedden, N. W. (2014). Sir Arthur Bliss’s Music Things to Come (1936): A Study of Contemporaneous Sources and Musical Materials. Journal of Film Music, 4(2), 83-114. https://doi.org/10.1558/jfm.v4i2.83
