Silent Sound – Improvised Soundtracks to Silent Film

Website(s) : http://www.sumnertruax.com / http://www.lawrence.edu/conservatory/studios/saxophone

Willing to explore the relationship between silent film and free improvisation, the saxophonists will accompany silent movies such as ‘Le Voyage dans la Lune’ and ‘High Sign’.

Biography

From Chicago, Illinois, Sumner Truax is a saxophonist committed to performing the music of our time. By working closely with composers, Mr. Truax has helped create and premiere many new works for saxophone, most recently collaborating with French composer Christian Lauba. Mr. Truax is instructor of saxophone at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. He holds a graduate degree from the Eastman School of Music where he also earned a certificate in arts leadership.

The Lawrence University Saxophone quartet is comprised of Lawrence students Joe Connor, Daniel Vasey, Garrett Evans, and Colin Parsons. Newly formed, the group is actively performing and commissioning new works by Lawrence student composers.

More information

Silent film was a captivating medium in the early 1900s. Today, we have several captivating mediums that artists use for expression. One such musical medium is that of free improvisation. Although it is typically associated with jazz, improvisation can be used by classical and contemporary musicians in very interesting ways. In this project, we attempt to explore the relationship between film and music by improvising the soundtrack to a silent film.

The use of the silent movie is an attempt to bridge disciplines and time periods.
One such film is Luis Buñuel’s Un Chien Andalou. The film, instead of being driven by traditional plot devices, tells the story of a dream. This type of development serves an exploration of free improvisation very well as the musicians are not confined by the traditional tension/release narrative that exists in music and film.

The group will accompany silent horror movies such as Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and excerpts from Nosferatu.