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Herman Stein
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Herman Stein (August 19, 1915 – March 15, 2007) was an American composer who wrote music for many of the 1950s science-fiction and horror films from Universal Studios. "Herman Stein was one of the architects of the sound of 1950s science-fiction movies."[1] Stein retired in the 1970s and died of congestive heart failure in his home in Los Angeles at the age of 91.
Life
[edit]Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Stein was a child prodigy, playing the piano by the age of three[2] and making his professional concert debut at the age of six.[3] He worked as a jazz composer and arranger for radio programs and big bands in the 1930s and early 1940s. He served in the army in World War II and moved to Hollywood in 1948, studying with the Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.[4] Subsequently, in 1951, he was hired by Universal Studios, where he scored the music for about 200 films.[4] His name was seldom in the movie credits because of the studio's tendency to give solo credit to the music supervisor.[2] Nonetheless, he either wrote the main themes, from which he and his colleagues worked, or, equally important, wrote the opening music, which often sets the tone for the film itself.[1] In 1950, Stein married Anita Shervin who played a viola with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Later he left Universal and composed music for television.
Music
[edit]In 1932, aged just sixteen, Stein sold a jazz arrangement of The Song of the Volga Boatmen to bandleader Alex Bartha, who recorded it under the name "Red Blues." He also was co-composer/arranger of 'Line-a-Jive," recorded in 1935 by the Blanche Calloway band.
Stein composed the eerie music for, among others, the sci-fi and horror movies It Came From Outer Space, Revenge of the Creature and This Island Earth. Despite longstanding claims, he did not write music for the American version of Toho's King Kong vs. Godzilla. The suspect music heard in that film was composed by fellow Universal-International writer Hans J. Salter for Creature from the Black Lagoon, and those original music tracks were re-used in the U. S. release of the Japanese picture. Some of his music, however, was used in the film's theatrical trailer. In addition to horror films, Stein wrote for westerns, dramas and comedies, including the Audie Murphy western Drums Across the River and Roger Corman's civil rights drama The Intruder.[3] His television work included such shows as The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Gunsmoke, Lost in Space and Daniel Boone.[2]
Among Stein's compositions are a number that he wrote just for fun, such as The Sour Suite a tonal, cheery, and quite tongue-in-cheek piece for woodwind quintet.[3][4]
In 2008, a classical piano piece he wrote in 1949 ("Suite for Mario") for his composition teacher, the esteemed Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, received its world-premiere recording.
Selected filmography
[edit]- Girls in the Night (1953)
- It Happens Every Thursday (1953)
- It Came from Outer Space (1953)
- Drums Across the River (1954)
- The Far Country (1954)
- Revenge of the Creature (1955)
- This Island Earth (1955)
- Female on the Beach (1955)
- Backlash (1956)
- I've Lived Before (1956)
- The Great Man (1956)
- The Unguarded Moment (1956)
- Quantez (1957)
- The Land Unknown (1957)
- The Monolith Monsters (1957)
- No Name on the Bullet (1959)
- The Intruder (1962)
- Taggart (1964)
- Let's Kill Uncle (1966)
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b Jon Burlingame, film-music historian at the University of Southern California, quoted in Fox, Margalit (24 March 2007) "Herman Stein, 91, Composer of Moody Horror and Science-Fiction Scores" New York Times Section C;, Column 1, The Arts/Cultural Desk, p. 10
- ^ a b c Staff (9 April 2007) "Child prodigy began performing at three" The Courier Mail (Australia) p. 60
- ^ a b c Fox, Margalit (24 March 2007) "Herman Stein, 91, Composer of Moody Horror and Science-Fiction Scores" New York Times Section C;, Column 1, The Arts/Cultural Desk, p. 10
- ^ a b c Ritter, Steven E. (2002) "Woodwind Treasures" American Record Guide 65(3): pp. 203-204
External links
[edit]- Herman Stein at IMDb
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Herman Stein
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Early life
Childhood and musical prodigy years
Herman Stein was born on August 19, 1915, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [3] [4] He demonstrated extraordinary musical talent from a very early age, learning to play the piano at three years old. [3] [4] Described as a youthful prodigy, Stein gave his first public recital at the age of six and was already giving public performances in his native Philadelphia by that time. [3] [4] This early mastery of keyboard instruments marked him as a child prodigy, showcasing his exceptional abilities well before his teenage years. [4]Self-taught development and early professional steps
Herman Stein developed his musical expertise as a largely self-taught orchestrator with no formal higher education in music. [5] He taught himself the art of orchestration during his teenage years by studying scores at the local library. [4] [5] By age 15, Stein had begun arranging professionally in Philadelphia. [3] [4] His early work included assignments for local radio station KYW. [4] These foundational skills in orchestration later supported his transition into jazz arranging.Pre-film career
Jazz arranging and radio work
In the 1930s and 1940s, Herman Stein worked as an arranger and composer for jazz orchestras and radio programs. [6] [2] He provided arrangements for prominent bandleaders, including Count Basie, Bob Crosby, and Fred Waring. [6] [2] He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. [6] His work encompassed writing and arranging music for various radio broadcasts during this period. [2] These contributions marked Stein's professional activity in the jazz and radio spheres before his relocation to Los Angeles in 1948. [6]Film scoring career
Move to Hollywood and entry at Universal
In 1948, Herman Stein relocated to Los Angeles after establishing himself as an arranger for jazz orchestras and radio programs in New York. [5] [7] [8] There he studied composition formally with Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco to refine his skills for the film medium. [5] [7] [8] His prior experience in jazz arranging and popular music proved advantageous in adapting to the demands of film scoring, where tight deadlines and collaborative workflows were common. [8] In 1951, Stein joined the music department at Universal-International Pictures (later Universal Studios) as a staff composer, where he worked under music director Joseph Gershenson in a system that emphasized team-based scoring and reuse of library cues. [5] [7] [8] He remained with the studio until 1958, contributing to numerous productions during this period. [8] His initial assignments at Universal focused primarily on the science fiction and horror genres, aligning with the studio's prolific output of low- to mid-budget genre films in the early 1950s. [8] [5]Major contributions to 1950s horror and science fiction films
Herman Stein played a key role in defining the musical identity of Universal's 1950s horror and science fiction films as a staff composer, contributing main themes, opening cues, and foundational music to numerous genre classics, often without on-screen credit.[5][6] His work helped establish the distinctive sound of monster and sci-fi pictures during the decade, with themes and motifs that became synonymous with the era's creature features.[5][6] Stein's most famous contribution is the iconic three-note creature theme for Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), a jittery, ascending motif played by shrill trumpets that recurs throughout the film to herald the Gill-man's appearances.[5] He composed several key cues for the film, including the Main Title (which features this theme), Prologue, The Webbed Hand, Kay and the Monster (Parts 1 and 2), and others depicting the creature's encounters.[9] This theme was reused in the sequels Revenge of the Creature (1955) and The Creature Walks Among Us (1956), reinforcing continuity across the Creature series.[9] He also provided significant music for It Came from Outer Space (1953), This Island Earth (1955), and Tarantula (1955).[5][6] This Island Earth has been described as a landmark science fiction score, inventive and comparable to major works in the genre.[6] For Tarantula, Stein composed the majority of the new original music, including 22 cues, while incorporating tracked music from earlier Universal films such as It Came from Outer Space and This Island Earth.[10] His cues additionally appeared in The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957, select cues).[5][6] Many of Stein's compositions were reused across Universal's monster and sci-fi output, contributing to a unified musical style for the studio's 1950s genre films.[10][9]Collaborations, techniques, and uncredited work
Herman Stein frequently collaborated with fellow Universal staff composers including Henry Mancini, Hans Salter, Irving Gertz, and William Lava, contributing to a shared compositional process typical of the studio's 1950s output. [11] [12] In joint scores, Stein often handled dramatic scenes and opening titles while his collaborators addressed other elements such as lighter moments, resulting in scores that blended diverse thematic material. [11] This team approach drew on established Universal horror traditions from earlier decades while adapting them to the demands of contemporary science fiction and horror genres. [11] Stein's work emphasized dramatic, menacing cues suited to monster sequences and tense narrative moments, helping establish the characteristic sonic palette of 1950s science fiction cinema. [12] Much of his contribution at Universal was uncredited, as he participated in the scoring of approximately 200 films during his tenure there. [11] Film music historian Jon Burlingame described Stein as "one of the architects of the sound of 1950s science-fiction films." [1]Later years and death
Post-Universal activities and retirement
After leaving Universal Pictures in 1958, Herman Stein's involvement in feature films became limited, consisting primarily of tracked or stock music cues drawn from his earlier library rather than new original compositions. [8] [4] His final original feature score was for Roger Corman's The Intruder (1962). [4] Among his sparse later film credits, Stein contributed uncredited stock music from his Universal period to the American version of King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962). [13] Stein shifted his focus to television in the mid-1960s, composing for episodes of several series including Daniel Boone, Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and Wagon Train. [2] [1] [4] He also provided music for television commercials and animated shorts, notably the 1966 Speedy Gonzales cartoon Mucho Locos. [1] Beyond screen work, Stein composed concert pieces such as Mock March for brass quintet and Sour Suite for woodwind quintet. [1] [2] His active scoring career wound down thereafter, with few new credits emerging after the mid-1960s. Stein retired in the mid-1960s and remained in Los Angeles, the city he had called home since 1948. [1] His primary recognition stems from his extensive 1950s contributions to Universal's horror and science fiction films. [4]Death
Herman Stein died of congestive heart failure on March 15, 2007, at his home in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 91.[7][6][5] His wife, Anita Shervin Stein, a violist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, had predeceased him in 2001, and the couple had no children, leaving no immediate survivors.[5][4][7]Legacy
Influence on film music
Herman Stein is regarded as one of the architects of the sound of 1950s science-fiction movies. [5] Film music historian Jon Burlingame has described Stein's contributions as foundational to the era's genre scoring, noting that he frequently wrote the main themes from which colleagues developed cues or crafted opening music that established the film's overall tone and atmosphere. [5] This approach helped define the musical language of 1950s science fiction and horror cinema, characterized by suspenseful, dramatic orchestral writing that evoked tension and otherworldliness. [5] Stein's work contributed significantly to the sonic identity of monster and creature features produced during the decade, creating a distinctive underscore that became emblematic of the atomic-age genre. [5] Burlingame emphasized the lasting resonance of this music with audiences, particularly the baby-boom generation that grew up watching these films, noting that the scores remained memorable long after many of the pictures themselves faded from prominence. [5] This enduring recognition reflects Stein's role in shaping the conventions of suspense and atmosphere in subsequent creature features and genre films. [5] Many of his cues have been archived and re-released by specialty labels, allowing later generations to appreciate his contributions to the evolution of film music in these genres. [5]Recognition and archival releases
Herman Stein's contributions to film music have garnered posthumous recognition through dedicated archival releases and preservation initiatives, particularly from the specialty label Monstrous Movie Music, which has focused on reissuing and contextualizing his 1950s Universal cues. [14] [15] Albums such as Monstrous Movie Music and its sequels feature his work alongside other composers, presenting cues from films like It Came from Outer Space (including the Main Title and Visitors From Space) and The Mole People (including the electrifying Main Title), often with detailed liner notes, manuscript reproductions, and original session recordings to highlight his role in classic sci-fi scoring. [14] A significant milestone came in 2009 with the limited-edition CD The Intruder & Other Music by Herman Stein, which won the Sammy Award for its archival value. [15] This release compiles the complete orchestral score for Roger Corman's 1962 drama The Intruder, along with Stein's earliest film work for the 1951 industrial short Career For Two, several unreleased cues from various projects, and the world premiere recording of his 1948 piano composition Suite for Mario. [15] Stein's manuscripts and recordings are also preserved in the Herman Stein motion picture music collection at the American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming. [16] Acquired in stages from Stein himself and later donors, the archive includes over 100 sketches and scores from his Universal-International period, plus phonograph records, reel-to-reel tapes, and other audio materials documenting his work on 1950s genre films. [16] These efforts have helped sustain interest in his legacy within film music scholarship and among enthusiasts of classic horror and science fiction cinema. [15]References
- https://wikizilla.org/wiki/King_Kong_vs._Godzilla