Adagio in G Minor

Adagio in G Minor
for Strings & Organ
Tomaso Albinoni
Jean François Paillard
Chamber Orchestra
R.C.A. Records
Oxygene
Jean Michel Jarre
Polygram Records
The Pearl Fishers
Georges Bizet
Soloists:
Léopold Simoneau
René Bianco
Polygram Records
Tales from the Vienna Woods
Roses from the South
Johann Strauss
Centone di Sonata No. 3
Nicoló Paganini
It's a Long Way to Tipperary
Judge & Williams
Australia Will Be There
Skipper Francis
Additional Music
Composed and Conducted by Brian May
In typical Peter Weir fashion, Brian May was the ostensible composer, but the major 'keynote'
music for the film came from other sources, most notably Jean Michel Jarre's Oxygene, and
Albinoni's Adagio, which runs over the head and tail credits. (Weir had done the same to
Bruce Smeaton on Picnic at Hanging Rock by using a pan flute music theme as the primary
musical motif). (Jarre has a wiki here).
The Albinoni is commonly attributed to twentieth century musicologist and Albinoni biographer
Remo Giazotto and has its own wiki here.
This has led to some fatuous observations. The film's wiki, here, for example, says:
The use of the adagio is a historical oddity. A fragment of the composition purportedly
discovered in 1958 by composer Thomaso Albinoni's biographer, Remo Giazotto, in the ruins
of a Dresden museum after it was destroyed during World War II, was in fact an entirely new
work by Giazotto. Whether a musical hoax or not, the music would not have been known at
the time of the battle.
It might just as well have been noted that the troops would have not known of the scores of
Brian May, or the work of Jean Michel Jarre. It is hardly odd to use a piece of sombre,
classically styled music for the opening and closing titles and for underscore as a deadly
battle approaches, whatever its origins.
It is more likely that later viewers would find the use of Jarre's music just after the 6 minute
mark, as Mark Lee hones his running skills racing across the desert, or over the desert scene
- which starts near the 30 minute mark, where Mark Lee and Mel Gibson race across the sand
towards a man and his camel - as something of a musical oddity. Another modernist note is
struck around the 60'03" mark as Mel Gibson and Mark Lee race towards the pyramids to the
sounds of the synth score. The first piece of Jarre that was used then recurs near the 60'37"
mark when Bill Hunter tells the Mel Gibson character to go like the wind, and he races off to
warn of impending military disaster.
The film deploys a band to perform the Strauss:
Bill Hunter gets to sing, hum and whistle along to Bizet's The Pearl Fishers prior to
the climactic battle:
Speaking of musical oddities, it is likely that Bill Hunter was humming along to this version of
Bizet's duet In the depths of the Temple, from the opera The Pearl Fishers, which was
recorded in 1954 (and listed on Amazon here):
Featured artist Léopold Simoneau made his debut in 1949 and was at his peak in the 1950s his wiki is here - while René Bianco is listed in the French wiki here.
For the lyrics of the duet, in French and English, see its wiki here.
It is safe to assume that Bill Hunter's character knew nothing of these artists. However it is
safe to say that his character could have known of Bizet - wiki here - whose Pearl Fishers
opera was first performed in September 1863.
As for Jarre, his music was re-badged with the Gallipoli title, in the same style as the film's
main title:
45 (ST) Polydor 2001 765
© 1976 Francis Dreyfus Music. Sound recording made by Francis Dreyfus Music. First
published 1976 in France.
Side `:
Oxygene Part II (Composed, Arranged and Produced by Jean-Michel Jarre). (Intersong).
Jean-Michel Jarre
Side 2:
Oxygene Part VI (Composed, Arranged and Produced by Jean-Michel Jarre). (Intersong).
Jean-Michel Jarre.
The three main tracks - the Albinoni, the Jarre and the Bizet - turned up in various spin off
albums:
There are however a couple of traditional pieces of music true to period which are referenced
in the film.
It's a Long Way To Tipperary by Judge and Williams - wiki here - is played by a brass band
around the 15 minute mark as a foot race unfolds at a country fair:
A Scottish pipe band appears around the 41 minute mark:
And this segues into the Perth crowd farewelling the shipload of troops with a few lines from
Skipper Francis's Australia will be there, released in 1915:
More details at Trove here.
In a way typical of the day, there were a number of versions of this song, with somewhat
different lyrics. There is for example a version on YouTube here, sung by Stanley Kirkby on
Regal (the dates mentioned are likely incorrect).
This doesn't include the Emden verse, listed on the cover above, to take into account the
battle of the Sydney with the Emden.
Here's one set of lyrics, with the Kirkby variations in brackets:
There has been a lot of argument (There are lots and lots of arguments)
Going on they say (Going on today)
As to whether dear old England
Should have gone into the fray (Should be brought into the fray)
But right-thinking people
All wanted her to fight (Knew we had to fight)
For when there's shady business (For the kind of funny business)
Britannia puts it right. (It wants some putting right)
Rally 'round the banner of your country
Take the field with brothers o'er the foam
On land or sea
Where'er you be
Keep your eye on Germany
But England, home and beauty
Have no cause to fear
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
No, no, no, no, no! Australia will be there.
Australia will be there …
(With Kitchener in our army
And French in our cavalry fine
You'll think those German batmen
Are in for a lively time
Then there's Admiral Jellicoe
To guide our Navy grand
With this fine lot they'll make it tough
For the poor old fatherland
Rally round the banner of your country
Take the field with brothers o'er the foam
On land or sea
Where' ever you be
Keep your eye on Germany
But England, home and beauty
Have no cause to fear
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
No, no, no, no, no! Australia will be there.
Australia will be there …)
Other verses not in the Kirkby version:
You've heard about the Emden
That was cruising all around
Sinking British shipping
Where it could be found
Till one fine morning
The Sydney came in sight
And when she started firing
The Germans said, good night.
When old John Bull is threatened
By foes on land or sea
His colonial sons are ready
And at his side will be
From Africa, India and Canada
Come men to do or die
And motherland is glad to hear Australia's battle-cry
Brian May's underscore was mainly noticeable for its absence. In fact Imdb doesn't give him a
credit as composer, but instead puts him in its "Music department" category for his work on
the film, and for once this is an accurate assessment.
Composer Brian May:
Born 28th July 1934, composer Brian May began life in music studying piano, violin and
conducting at the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide. He joined the ABC in 1957, and formed
the ABC Adelaide Big Band, and when he was 35, he moved to Melbourne to take charge of
the ABC's Show Band there, making his radio debut with the band in 1969.
May started to record television underscore, most notably arranging and recording George
Dreyfus's score for the ABC goldfields drama Rush.
May became interested in composing for feature films, and The True Story of Eskimo Nell was
his first score. It also marked the beginning of a collaboration with director Richard Franklin,
perhaps most successful in the 1977 thriller Patrick. In turn, this led to other film scores for
producer Antony Ginnane, including Snapshot and Harlequin for director Simon Wincer, and
perhaps most importantly to the score for Mad Max (though cultists will have a soft spot for
Turkey Shoot in 1982).
The story goes that producer Bryon Kennedy and director George Miller were convinced there
was no one in Australia who could compose the score for their film, but when they were
having dinner one evening with Franklin, Miller asked what Bernard Hermann score was
playing on Franklin's stereo.
It turned out that it was May's score for Patrick, and so May got the gig. May would also do
the score for the second Mad Max, but Universal preferred to go with Jerry Goldsmith when
they gave the chance of making Psycho II to Franklin. May also lost to out Maurice Jarre for
the third Max Max, and turned to writing the score for the TV mini-soap Return to Eden in
1986.
May did write a few more horror film scores, but his later titles were not as appealing as his
early work.
May had done the score for producer Ginnane's ghost chiller The Survivor, directed by David
Hemmings, before working with Hemmings again on the Race for the Yankee Zephyr, and he
would also in the same year do the score for Richard Franklin's Roadgames - Franklin had
originally been slated to direct Yankee Zephyr.
May's wiki is here, but at the time of writing, it failed to mention his first feature film score - an
important step in his career. The wiki is also careless with chronology.
There is a sympathetic study of his work here in the form of an obituary, up at time of writing
March 2014.
(Below: composer Brian May)
(Below: The Age 26th April 1977 and then The Age 2nd May 1977):