The Hadleys write about When A Man Loves

Henry Hadley Talks on Writing Music for the Movies

Full text of article from Musical Courier, December 9, 1926.

Little did I think that, on a warm summer day, in Times Square, when my old friend, Dr. Kilenyi, [Edward Kilenyi Sr., not to be confused with his son, the well known pianist and professor of the same name - ed.] greeted me with "Why don't you write music for a big movie?" that I should ever do so. My thoughts had turned heretofore to opera, symphonies, oratorios, and songs, which I had considered my goal.
I gave the matter very little thought indeed, but strangely enough, Herman Heller, a young man whom I had known as a gifted young violinist during my conductorship of the San Francisco Symphony and with whom a warm friendship had sprung up, called at my home. He said in the course of his visit that in addition to the active pursuit of his profession he had become interested in a mechanical device which would some day revolutionize the motion picture world, and which would at once raise it to the realm of serious art.
I listened wonderingly and sympathetically to his enthusiasm, but must confess that after the effect of Mr. Heller's magnetic personality wore off, I dismissed the subject from my mind.
Imagine my amazement when I was called to the phone and Herman's voice, after some weeks: "Come right up to Warner Brothers' office and get ready to start the music on a big picture". I went up to the office and met the gentleman of the firm who offered me the opportunity to write music for Manon.
The story had always appealed to my imagination, stimulated perhaps by the fact that, as a young boy, I had received as a legacy from a dear old friend (a collector of first editions) a beautifully bound, hand-illumined, and very precious copy of Manon Lescaut. I had turned these pages so many times and so tenderly that almost every episode of that beautiful work was engraved on my mind. When I heard the title of the picture, I immediately decided that I preferred it above all others.
As the picture had already been made, I went to the projection room and saw a number of reels. The film far surpassed any ideas that I had of the original, and I left the place absolutely thrilled.
I went to my studio and wrote down themes for Des Grieux, Manon, and many pages of music to express the character of the scenes I had witnessed. Afterwards I went to the projecton room to meet and consult with the experts in regard to the fitting of my themes to the seven episodes and their synchronization. Imagine, when Mr. Heller presented this gentleman, my surprise to see the self-same Dr. Kilenyi, who had reminded me of his suggestion five years before..
On playing over the same music we found that the themes seemed not only appropriate for the characters for which they were concerned, but also fitted the pattern quite accurately. We then got down to actual technical details, timing by the second, every phrase, by using a stop watch and deciding the actual tempo for each section or scene. I then returned to my studio with an outline of my work which was somewhat as follows:

Scene: Le Havre
Time - Three Minutes

                       The Ship................................Music
18th Second, Crowds............................ Terror.. danger.. hurry..
26th Second, Captain seen...................Trumpet call
38th Second, Captives arrive................Excitement
52nd Second, Manon and Fabien.........Love themes
etc., etc.

When I had finished this more accurately detailed work, I again returned to the projection room, where we played the music while the picture was being shown, in order to discover whether it fitted every outstanding episode, the atmosphere of the whole scene, and if it had continuity or, more technically speaking, that every section should modulate imperceptively into the next one.
This being accomplished, the next thing was to take each reel, step by step, second by second, using the themes for different characters, and developing them in new rhythms and keys to suit the mood or situation.
   Much more opportunity is given the composer than in writing an opera, because in the moving picture the action changes constantly, whereas, when one is given a text to set to music, he is bound to give more sustained and lengthy episodes to each singer.
   I believe that Wagner would have found the cinema a great inspiration.
The sketches of Manon now having been timed accurately at the piano with the picture, the next task was the orchestration, then the copying which kept a staff of men busy for weeks, as the score contains as many pages as an opera.
This task completed, the orchestra of 100 men was called and the final synchronization of the work began with the picture on the screen. The indefatigable energy of Herman Heller, the conductor; the never-failing support of the Warner Brothers and of Mr. Rich, the president, made this experience a delightful one. Yes, it was hard work, but always with the inspiration of variety of mood and color.
I have written music all my life, but I cannot ever composing to any theme which gave me such delight from beginning to end as Manon, the most beautiful of photo-plays.

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Henry Hadley and the Films

[By Inez Barbour Hadley. Undated, typewritten on letterhead of the National Association for American Composers and Conductors, published in a special 1946 edition of Film Music Notes¹. While it is apparent that Mrs. Hadley - and, possibly Hadley himself - were not fully versed in advanced, live-only music that had been previously composed for films, particularly by European composers for European films, the article captures the excitement, pride, and legitimate sense of history-making that the Hadleys had at the time, and the sense of a career highlight that never left them. Mrs. Hadley's recollection of Hadley's fondness for his composition, and her nostalgia for the music of "W hen A Man Loves" is especially touching. Her lament over the fate that the score had come to suffer is ironic, for over sixty more years would pass before it could again be heard easily and regularly in symphonic form. Finally, her lifelong devotion to Hadley and his work is elegantly and eloquently expressed in the closing paragraphs. - ed.]

   When I landed from Europe in late August, 1926, my husband, Dr. Henry Hadley, met me with the greeting that we must go at once up Broadway. He had a surprise for me!

   I was travel weary and anxious for home but as there was an undercurrent of excitement in his greeting, I at once put aside thoughts of bathing and unpacking.

When we reached the Forties, [40th Street in New York city - ed] he took my arm and pointed. There in blazing lights in front of the Rivoli Theatre were the words "Henry Hadley". For the first time in the wild and picturesque history of the Movies, a musician's name was featured and an American musician at that!

Our pride was deep and I think that at that moment my husband realized the ever-increasingly important part that serious music was destined to play in film development.

We went into the theatre immediately and I saw Henry Hadley conducting the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in the "Overture to Tannhauser" - an overwhelming experience, as up to that time we were accustomed to hearing only pitifully small groups offering nothing more than a soporific background.

At one leap serious music had become an integral part of the films.

This "short" went all over the world. In fact, some time after its American showing I received a letter from the Princess Calitzin in Paris saying: "I became acquainted with your husband and the New York Philharmonic this afternoon. I dropped in at a cinema near the Madeline and to my surprise and delight, saw, by the caption that 'M. Henri Hadley' would conduct the overture to 'Tannhauser'.

In the meantime, Hermann Heller, of San Francisco, asked Dr. Hadley if he would be interested in writing a score for the screen version of "Manon Lescaut", to be produced by Warner Bros.

My husband saw at once waht a great field this would offer composers and accepted with enthusiasm. Naturally the field was unexplored and Dr. Hadley felt keenly the responsibility that rested upon him as the first composer to write music to synchronize with the unfolding of the scenes and to make music an integral part of the finished picture.

It meant visit after visit to Manhattan Theatre, to see whether this musical phrase must be enlarged or that cut down to fit with exactness and precision. It was an arduous task but he and Warner Bros. Studio were making technical history.

When finished, the score was as full as that of "Meistersinger", and my husband always considered that some of the most beautiful music he ever wrote was in it. What a pity that it should be buried in the archives of the Studio and can no longer be heard!

It was always a source of joy to us that this beautiful music was associated with the great performance of John Barrymore in "When A Man Loves", as this history-making film was called.

The public is always grateful for the gift of beautiful music, and Henry Hadley has received his meed of such gratitude. But perhaps as time goes on, we , as Americans, will learn that we owe him an even greater debt. He vigorously championed American music as guest conductor of the great Orchestras of Europe, South America, and the Orient, offered it on his own programs with pride and confidence. It was because of this that he was called "America's Musical Ambassador".

When America gave the screen voice, it was particularly fitting that Henry Hadley should be the first musician to utilize the new medium. Great music on the screen is no novelty today. Henry Hadley helped, by his vision and his understanding, to add the magic of melody to the magic of sound.

In the Music Division of the New York Public Library is a section dedicated for all time to the memory of Henry Hadley. This physical monument, visible and tangible. That other monument - a high patriotism which never excluded love of greatness in other peoples' achivements - is invisible. It is a strong tree rooted in the heart and spirit of a generous man.

It will grow and strew its sweet benevolence over ever-widening circles.

Mrs. Henry Hadley