* THE LOST CONTINENT - EVA'S THEME FROM THE HAMMER HORROR FILM op.36 (April 1968)

Four cues composed and performed by Howard Blake
Published by: Highbridge Music Ltd
Commissioned by: Hammer Films
Instrumentation: Hammond Organ (Howard Blake), bass (Russ Stapleford), drums (Tony Kinsey)

[Key to Abbreviations]
Duration: 10 mins
First Performance: Recorded Olympic Studios, 1968.
Recordings Available
The Lost Continent
Released: 2000
Recorded: April 1968
Artists: Howard Blake, Gerard Schurmann

LOST CONTINENT CD GDI RECORDS www.gdirecords.com

Tracks 24 and 25 are composed and played by Howard Blake on Hammond organ with rhythm section but not credited.

Notes

Composer's note:

 THE LOST CONTINENT

 
Note on the music score by Howard Blake:
 
The 1968 Hammer feature film 'The Lost Continent' had a cast that included Eric Porter, Hildegard Neff, Victor Madden, Nigel Stock and Suzanna Leigh. It was Hammer's largest film ever and a full-scale orchestral score for the film had been completed before I was suddenly invited to contribute new instrumental sections in reels 3, 5, 6 and 9. Phil Martell was musical director of Hammer music and he rang me, perhaps because I both played Hammond organ and composed film scores. He explained to me that the Dutch film-score composer Hammer used, Gerard Schurmann, had written a 12-tone non-melodic score, which is what his stable of serial composers tended to be used for. However, on this occasion there was a love interest in the film and Schurmann's score didn't really provide anything suitable. Very unusually Phil Martell asked if I would go with him to visit Schurmann in his London studio and examine the score for a possible motif that I could 'turn into something.' The reason for doing this was that the film's credits were already completed and the composer was stated as Gerard Shurmann! It was too late to change it. So I was asked to agree to all the credit remaining with him. It was the biggest film I'd worked on and I was persuaded to agree to this. Phil and I went over to see Gerard in Hampstead and he pulled out all the scores. There was only one possible phrase - the four notes b.c.a.b , hovering around middle C, (rather like the four notes that begin the standard classic song 'Time on your hands'.) I said I could use these 4 notes and expand them into a theme for Hammond organ, bass and drums - Phil wanted a 'trendy' organ sound because he had already introduced a title song into the picture featuring a group consisting of Hammond organ and rhythm section backing. This was the song by Roy Phillips,'Lost Continent', which played over the credit titles and was sung by The Peddlers. This was fine, the problem lay in the body of the film.
 
I set to work and wrote four new music sections:

Reel 3 Music 1: Eva's theme 1, composed and arranged by Howard Blake. Played and directed by Howard Blake on Hammond organ with bass (Russ Stapleford) and drums (Tony Kinsey) Duration c, 4' 00'' Olympic Studios 23rd April 1968

Reel 5 Music 2: Eva's theme 2, composed and arranged by Howard Blake. Played and directed by Howard Blake on Hammond organ with bass (Russ Stapleford) and drums (Tony Kinsey) Duration c, 4' 00'' Olympic Studios 23rd April 1968

Reel 6 Music 2: Eva's theme 3, composed and arranged by Howard Blake. Played and directed by Howard Blake on Hammond organ with bass (Russ Stapleford) and drums (Tony Kinsey) Duration c, 4' 00'' Olympic Studios 23rd April 1968

Reel 9 Music 1  Eva's theme 4, composed and arranged by Howard Blake. Played and directed by Howard Blake on Hammond organ with bass (Russ Stapleford) and drums (Tony Kinsey) Duration c, 4' 00'' Olympic Studios 23rd April 1968

Phil Martell as head of music for Hammer was delighted with this and it was used pretty much as recorded in the finished film. However, I was not credited on the film and I've always been a bit sad about that. The above story explains what happened!

 


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