Who knew? The best way to stay employed is to make music ... Silent-ly.
Whether you know his name or not, among the most famous participants in the 19th San Francisco Silent Film Festival, May 29-June 1 at the Castro Theatre, is Donald Sosin.
The name should be familiar to both music and film fans because Sosin has composed, performed, and recorded an incredible 1,000-plus film scores. How is that possible? I asked Sosin and he explained what he is doing:
"Written" means improvised scores that I record live (in addition to many dozen features and shorts recorded for DVD on the Criterion, Kino, Milestone, and European labels), and a dozen or so scores for various instrumental combinations from jazz trios and chamber groups to chamber orchestras.I have more than 30 years’ worth of recordings of countless films. For TCM alone I have recorded 50-60 shorts and about eight features have been aired, from Fritz Lang’s Spies to De Mille’s King of Kings, and three Chinese films including The Goddess, Wild Rose, and The Peach Girl.
But asked specifically about the advertised 1,000 films (according to a press release), Sosin wrote: "I guess. The number is so inaccurate, I really have no idea. 40 years x 80-100 films a year, with a lot of repeats at this point, but always new material ... accompanied 1000+ and recorded many of them for DVD and television' may be the best way to say it."
Activity by Stephen Horne, already regaled in this column, must be on Sosin's level. Both will attend and perform at the upcoming festival.
For a few quick samples of Sosin's work, see Origins of Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata, a quirky short from 1909, produced and probably directed by Thomas Edison — yes, that Edison; and the beyond-bizarre 1927 King of Kings (look for Mary Magdalene's carriage drawn by zebras).
Sosin's appearances in the Castro Theatre include The Song of the Fishermen, 1 p.m. on May 30; The Good Bad Man, 10 a.m. on May 31; Under the Lantern, 7 p.m. on May 31; Seven Years Bad Luck, 10 a.m. on June 1; and The Sign of Four, 5 p.m. on June 1.
Festival director Anita Monga calls special attention to the music of the silents, an element much more important than in the subsequent era of the Talkies, when music became mostly background sound behind all that chatter:
The silent film era is known for its brilliant music as much as its legendary performances. The 19th Silent Film Festival continues to enhance the silent film experience with live musical performances at each screening at the historic Castro Theatre.Each year, we are grateful to have a group of talented musicians add another dimension to the diverse selection of films that left a significant mark in cinematic history.
Among musicians at the festival in addition to Sosin and Horne: Serge Bromberg, the Matti Bye Ensemble from Sweden, Colorado-based quintet Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, and Freiburg Filmharmonic Orchestra founder Guenter Buchwald.