Music for Riots and Fights

Paper Exhibition online: Gabriel Lester's "Music for Riots and Fights"

For "Music for Riots and Fights" Gabriel Lester collaborated with the New York Public Library / Lincoln Public Center to research the silent movie scores and compositions archive. His intend was to find and record silent movie soundtracks that can be considered purely visual compositions. Other than to look for certain known or complete movie soundtracks, Gabriel Lester set out to find those compositions that are written for certain specific scenes. Compositions with such titles as "Music for Riots and Fights" indicate that the soundtrack is in fact written for certain (possible) scenes in a film and not for one single, specific film alone. As such the compositions selected can almost be considered theatrical props; elements or tools to construct a dramatic narrative.

Together with Adonis Gonzales, Gabriel Lester recorded twenty-one soundtrack compositions, written between 1899 and 1929. Sixteen of these recordings are compiled on a cd entitled "Music for Riots and Fights". These silent movie soundtracks were conducted by Gabriel Lester and played and recorded by Adonis Gonzales. Initially the recordings were made with no intention to publish or distribute. Never the less, since the selection of silent movie soundtracks – and for that matter, the whole area of musical composition for silent movies – seems to have been lost, discarded or forgotten, the cd has become a rare attempt to document some of the very rich and creative musical (and visual) compositions of the twentieth century. read more

MUSIC FOR RIOTS AND FIGHTS
basement recordings of silent movie scores
selected by Gabriel Lester
performed by Adonis Gonzales

1. Misterioso dramatico - P. Fauchey - 1918
2. Allegro vigoroso (Duels, Sword-fights, Struggles, etc.) - J. S. Zamecnik - 1923
3. Allegro agitato (for disputes and excitement) - J. E. Andino - 1919
4. Blue beard and Fatima: the king's bal masque - T. Bendix, Theo - 1899
5. Allegro infernale - M. Aborn & M. Baron - 1921
6. A general utility theme (May be used in love scenes, farewells, idyllic scenes,
fairy or child scenes, solemn occasions, festivals, rejoicings, or general mirth and happiness. May also be used for waltz scenes) - J.C. Breil - 1917
7. Moon glow - J. F. Barth - 1918
8. Misterioso (stealth, horror, dark scenes) - J. S. Zamecnik - 1919
9. Mysterious nights: valse dramatique - S. M. Berg - 1919
10. Orgies of the spirits (From Oriental Suite) - A. Il'yinsky - 1917
11. Recuerdo - E. Soro - 1924
12. Storm music (Storm at sea, Thunderstorm, etc. - J. S. Zamecnik - 1919
13. The conquette - A. E. Johnstone - 1912
14. Visione: notturno - R. Avena - 1920.
15. The confession (sorrowful emotion) - J. S. Zamecnik - 1922
16. Agitato no. 37 (for fights and riots) - J. E. Andino - 1917

download all (.zip)

All the compositions of silent movie scores on this cd have been selected by Gabriel Lester in collaboration with the
Lincoln Center for Performing Arts, New York Public Library.

All songs were played and arranged by Adonis Gonzales.