| StoreTags: sad, Bebe Barron, RIP
Author: Roshi on April 21 2008 Viewed 1503 times. 18 people liked this blog. You can rate it below if you haven't already.
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Bebe Barron, half of the Electronic Music composing team of Louis and Bebe Barron, died today. They were best known for composing the "Forbidden Planet" soundtrack, for which Louis built various analog feedback circuits and literally recorded the sounds of them dying/overloading. Interestingly, they built circuits for each character, each with sonic properties they felt highlighted that character. Sadly, this was one of their last soundtracks for Hollywood after being blackballed by the Musician's Union.
When I first heard this soundtrack, I was blown away at how organic these sounds were - these are the sounds of overloaded circuits, circuits slowly melting, producing otherworldly sounds we still consider sci-fi. In their mastering of circuit feedback, one could say the Barrons were one of the original founders of noise music and we know and love it.
Like most pioneering woman electronic music composers (another being Delia Derbyshire, arranger of the Dr. Who theme), Bebe's contribution was not recognized until much later. Louis Barron may have built and recorded the circuits, but it was Bebe's editorial voice who managed to cull and cut these electronic improvisations into recognizable pieces. In her later years, after Louis Barron's death, she continued as a solo composer, including a piece called "Mixed Emotions". An early leader of the Society for Electroacoustical Music, she also knew John Cage well, and it was actually Cage who encouraged the Barrons to think of their "Electronic Tonalities" as music.
The Barron's legacy is quite large and amazing, and I'm glad to see they are finally getting their due as electronic music pioneers.
Anyway, more info about Bebe here: link
Matrixsynth obit here (thx bodo): link
Another obituary here: link
A great NPR piece about the Barrons here: link
And here is the Forbidden Planet Soundtrack: link | |
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04/21/08
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license
sadly I have never heard of her/them/this before. but this all sounds fascinating and I will be doing my part to give her some posthumous recognition.
04/21/08
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Unknownforce
I don't think I've heard of them either but I loved Forbidden Planet when i saw many aeons ago...I'm sure i must've enjoyed the music
04/21/08
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jp
some people have to die before we notice them. that's very sad.
04/21/08
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bodo
never heard of them either, sad indeed
there's a nice article at matrixsynth about them
link
04/21/08
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Roshi
Y'all need to be spanked and edumacated.
The movie is great (Leslie Nielsen is in it, and he isn't acting goofy!), and well worth checking out.
04/21/08
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Roshi
OK, maybe spanked is a strong word.
At least check it out...it's more than just theremin noises.
04/21/08
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nightowl
i always loved the movie Forbidden Planet(1956), larrgely because of the great soundtrack. The film is based on a play by shakespeare,
but the music is literally "out of this world"..
The movie was the first one to have an all electronic music score. if you havent seen it, check it out.
its sad that one of electronic music's great pioneers has passed.
04/21/08
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tantan
so good she was
I really want to hear some of her other stuff now, I'll ask Mr. Googles
04/22/08
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Joop
Damn, I've been onto Bebe for over a decade now, I'm sad she finally left.
Forbidden Planet is the Tempus in space with Freud.
Leslie Nelson's character was the basis for captain Kirk's characterization.
100% electronic score.
Fantastic stuff.
04/22/08
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mlbot
Yeah, that score is required listening material for all electronic musicians, imo. if only to put your own neat bleeps made with super-advanced computers in perspective
04/27/08
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whitecar
Forbidden Planet is indeed required listening. I scored an 80 gram vinyl reissue of it a few years ago -just so everyone knows that a vinyl copy does exist. It was originally put out on their own label I think. On red vinyl too! but good luck finding that one.
WHOA I went looking for a link to that reissue and I found this ebay listing for the original(supposedly)
link
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