Early example of Electronic Music on the BBC

[AncientChord]

A friend of mine who collects BBC videos from all eras recently discovered this video from 1960 of the building of the BBC TV Center which was used between 1960 and 2013. What is amazing about this video is the music. There is no dialog, just 15 minutes of music created by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop which existed between 1958 to 1998. It's one of the earlier examples of pioneering electronic music that was created with no computers and/or synthesizers. To these ears the music is quite dark, and avant-garde. One of the people who made this music was probably Delia Derbyshire, who wrote the famous theme for the Doctor Who TV series. I'm just curious of what PE people think of this?

[JKL2000]

This is probably a naïve question, but if it wasn't made with synthesizers, what was it made with? Weren't the early electronic instruments basically synthesizers with very limited abilities (although obviously they could still make some interesting sounds!). Even if they used vacuum tubes, etc?

I think it's interesting that someone collects BBC videos -- not that there's anything wrong with it!

[GuitarGeek]

One of the people who made this music was probably Delia Derbyshire, who wrote the famous theme for the Doctor Who TV series.

Actually, the theme was composed by Ron Grainer. Delia Derbyshire created the recording that was used on the TV show circa 1963-1980 (though at the start of the 70's, a remix was done, which Delia apparently wasn't happy about). Delia claimed in at least one interview that Grainer was so taken aback by what she had done that he wanted her to have an on-screen credit, but this wasn't allowed as it went against BBC policy. So the on screen credit always read "Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop".

It's weird to think about, because I think I always assumed that they used synthesizers on Doctor Who right from the get go, but obviously when you look at the time line, that wouldn't have been possible, certainly in the very earliest days. Certainly the theme music didn't use a synthesizer as we know them today.

The bass line, actually is piano strings, being played with mallets. The melody was done with the same kind of test oscillators (which weren't actually designed for musical purposes) that everyone else was using to generate electronic tones at the time, with each note being recorded separately and then edited into the form that we know it. I think there's also some kind of rhythm loop, which sounds like something being played backwards, but I'm not sure what that is.

Oh, and for the record, the TARDIS take off/landing sound is a house key being scraped against piano strings. I believe Brian Hodsgon said it was the key to the back door of his mother's house.

[GuitarGeek]

This is probably a naïve question, but if it wasn't made with synthesizers, what was it made with?

It depends on your definition of "synthesizer". A lot of the elements that make up an analog synthesizer were employed in the 50's and 60's, eg oscillators, filters (usually graphic equalizers or other similar devices), ring modulation, spring reverb, etc.

But these weren't put together in the same fashion as they were in a Moog or a Buchla. You didn't have the kind of control over the sound that you do on even a rudimentary synth like a Micromoog or an EDP Wasp, forget about the type of instruments Bob or DOn were coming up circa 1964-1966.

A lot of what early electronic musicians used relied on things like tape manipulation (eg changing the speed of a tape recording of something, or running it backwards), as well as using whatever you could find that made interesting sounds, whether it be a brake drum or an old garbage can or breadbox or whatever.

Unless of course, you happened to be lucky enough to be on the staff at Columbia-Princeton, and you were granted access to the RCA Mark II Synthesizer, which, much like the early computers of the day, filled an entire room, and you practically needed a degree to operate the thing (and in fact, you had to have one, I think, before they'd even let you anywhere near it).

Weren't the early electronic instruments basically synthesizers with very limited abilities (although obviously they could still make some interesting sounds!). Even if they used vacuum tubes, etc?

If you're talking about things like the Clavioline, the Ondes Martenot, the Trautonium, and the Theremin, yes those could be thought of as primitive synthesizers. But those weren't used for composing "serious" electronic music. They were used more by composers who were using them the same way they might use a solo violin or a flute or whatever. And they really didn't have the latitude for inventing new sounds that became available with the advent of the Moog, Buchla, or EMS instruments.

I remember being disappointed when I finally got to hear an album of the great Theremin virtuoso Clara Rockmore, and she wsa essentially playing very conventional classical repertoire, violin sonatas and the like. Likewise, the things composers like Olivier Messiaen, Maurice Jarre, and Bernard Hermann had the Ondes Martenot really weren't all that different from what they asked from orchestral musicians.

When you listen to something like the Forbidden Planet soundtrack or Pauline Oliveros' work, or the early Doctor Who stuff, you're certainly not talking about people using pre-packaged instruments such as those named above.

I think it's interesting that someone collects BBC videos -- not that there's anything wrong with it!

Hey, the BBC did a lot of interesting stuff back in the early days. You wouldn't need collectors now if they had been smart enough to not erase every damn piece of videotape!!!!!

[peterpyser]

Some examples of early electronic music.
This one dates back to 1944, composed by an egyptian called Halin El-Dabh:




This one is from 1952 by Herbert Eimert, it's called Klangstudie II:




Bebe and Louis Barron with their soundtrack to the movie Forbidden Planet (1956):

[GuitarGeek]

Bebe and Louis Barron with their soundtrack to the movie Forbidden Planet (1956):

Which was composed using circuits that Louis built, I think mostly oscillators, ring modulators and such. From what I gather, they were highly unstable, and tended to go kaput very quickly, so Bebe had to record everything that Louis came up with, and then edit it together into the musical form that we got to hear.

Because the Barrons didn't belong to the musicians union, their score couldn't be credited as "music". That's why the credit reads "Electronic Tonalities by...". Consequently, when it came time to hand out Oscar nominations for music, the Forbidden Planet score was passed over because it was "Electronic tonalities" not "music", or whatever. Never mind that it was easily the most innovative score of the year (if not the entire decade), the chieftans at the Oscar committee said "NEIN! NON! NYET! NOPE!".

And then they were blackballed from doing further filmwork, at least so far as big Hollywood pictures were concerned, because there were those who were concerned that "electronic tonalities" would put the orchestra out of work. Or something like that.

(Actually, the "Electronic instruments are putting real musicians out of work" argument is something that went on all the way from the mid 50's up through at least the 80's, if not more recently. I know there was talk in the 80's about synthesizers and samplers putting musicians out of work, because instead of using a full blown 80 piece orchestra or whatever on a record, one could simply use the studio's Synclavier or Fairlight or whatever).

[olivetti]

[A. Scherze]

[AncientChord]

It seems funny that a month ago I was listening to the great early electronic work from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and thought that the music was good enough to release publicly. I'm on the mailing list of Burning Shed and was surprised I found this today. I has no idea that this was happening.

https://boomkat.com/products/burials...b-ccb0936e281c

[battema]

Got the new Radiophonic Workshop in the mail yesterday...I think it is quite good.

[jake]

It seems funny that a month ago I was listening to the great early electronic work from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and thought that the music was good enough to release publicly. I'm on the mailing list of Burning Shed and was surprised I found this today. I has no idea that this was happening.

https://boomkat.com/products/burials...b-ccb0936e281c

Fucking hell yes!