Lee Erwin (organist)
Lee Orville Erwin (July 15, 1908 – September 21, 2000) was an American theatre organist who played an important part in a revival of interest in the silent film era. His career began as an organist accompanying first-run silent films in the 1920s. He received classical training in Cincinnati and France, and then began a career as organist and arranger for radio, significantly at WLW and CBS Radio, the latter in association with Arthur Godfrey, that lasted through the mid-1960s. When his radio career ended he was commissioned to provide complete new scores for silent films exceeding seventy in number, and in this capacity and as an organist for silent film tours and exhibitions he received widespread critical acclaim. Erwin was active into his early 90s.
Biography
Lee Orville Erwin was born July 15, 1908, in Huntsville, Alabama.[1][2] His mother was a church organist for a small congregation, and at age of four Erwin would copy on a toy piano what his mother was playing on a regular instrument.[1][3][4] He began formal music training from a local teacher at the same time he entered school.[3] Hooked by both the films and the organs, Erwin developed a habit of regularly attending movie theatres.[3] Both of Huntsville's theatres found out about his abilities as an organist, and at the age of twelve he was playing at both as a substitute and without pay, but it allowed him free entrance.[3] Erwin began performing professionally as a theatre organist while still attending high school in Huntsville.[1] As a pianist he won a state competition for high-schoolers which afforded him a scholarship to the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where he enrolled in 1926.[1][3][5]
While studying at the conservatory under Parvin Titus, Erwin earned sufficient funds to support himself by continuing to play organ at theatres.[1][3] After graduating from the conservatory in 1929, his first stop was as assistant organist at Birmingham Alabama's Loew's Temple Theatre and then as primary organist for the Alabama Theatre.[5] There he was greatly influenced by the main organist, Joseph Stoves, whose improvisational abilities and insistence on original composition was to profoundly affect Erwin's approach to film accompaniment.[3] In addition to this theatre work, Erwin earned money by playing piano and organ at radio stations WAPI and WBRC, as well as playing at the First Methodist Church.[3] It was in this period he first took up composing in his spare time.[3]
Erwin was not to stay in Birmingham for long, leaving for Paris, France, in 1930 to study with Nadia Boulanger, André Marchal and significantly with Jean Verd.[1][2][6] While in Paris he became assistant organist at the American Cathedral in Paris.[3] His time in Paris finished May 1931 due to lack of funds, and he returned home to Alabama.[6]
Erwin relocated back to Cincinnati in 1932 to become organist at the Albee Theatre in
Approximately in 1944
The next year he was given a commission by the
Performance and impact
Erwin composed music for many types of silent films, including comedies, melodramas, and epics. His favorite films to score were those of Buster Keaton – he devoted six years to scoring every one of Keaton's silent features.[1][7][13] He felt it was important to ignore the original musical scores and re-score the films as the originals were "full of the musical cliches of the '20s", and he wanted the music to lead to appreciation of the film, not "make fun" of it.[13] He commented in 1989 that, contrary to a commonly held concept regarding piano accompaniment of silent films, many theatres had small orchestras to provide music. He sought to provide a similar kind of sound using organs and synthesizers.[4] Despite his classical training, he avoided using classical themes in his scores, finding they distracted from the overall performance.[1] In his second career as a theatre organist he would watch the film on videocasette several times, denoting the exact length of each scene and making his own cue sheet accordingly.[13] His classical training revealed itself in the French harmonies used in his movie compositions.[2] Erwin's international education and compositional faculty helped bridge the cultural chasm between what was considered "serious" organ music and theatre organ music, which had been lightly regarded.[14] Although he carefully composed scores for many silent films, he was noted for a superior improvisational ability which scores were designed to facilitate.[14][15] Erwin was widely considered the greatest artist of silent film accompaniment and singularly responsible for the genre revival, and has been credited with helping to revive the interest in silent films in general.[2][10][16] By the time of his death he had scored in excess of seventy silent films.[17] He was twice named as the American Theatre Organ Society's organist of the year.[2]
In addition to the radio and theatre organ work which brought him popularity, in the 1960s and 1970s Erwin composed experimental electronic classical music classified as "avant-garde" for organ, electronics, or a combination.[11] Musicians who have listed Erwin as a significant influence include Dennis James, David Missineo, Ben Model and Dorothy Papadakos.[12][18]
Other activities
Erwin obtained a pilot's license in 1940, and regularly flew his own Taylorcraft Aircraft thereafter, a testament to his financially rewarding career at WLW.[19] In the 1950s he listed mathematics and sailing his sloop Aloha as his favorite hobbies.[20] Other activities included acting as president of a music publishing company (Erwin-Howard Music) and a recording firm.[20][21]
Partial discography
- (1956) – Moon River Music (Zodiac LP-333)[3]
- (1957) – Words and Music of Love – with Tony Marvin (Zodiac Z-1375)
- (1961) – Oldies for Pipe Organ – (Somerset P-12600)
- (1968) – The Sound of the Silents – (Concert Recordings CR-0045)
- (1971) – Lee Erwin Plays Ben Hall's "Little Mother" Wurlitzer – (Concert Recordings CR-0075)
- (1974) – Sound Of Silents – (Angel S-36073)
- (1974) – Rosebud: Marches And Rags Of Scott Joplin & Kerry Mills, Eubie Blake, Harry Guy – (Angel S-36075)
- (1976) – D.W. Griffith – (Angel S-36092)
- (1979) – Moon River Revisited – (OVC-ATOS 34519)
Notes
- ^ Erwin's start date at CBS is variously stated as 1943 to 1945. Most sources give 1944.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Kozinn, Allan (September 26, 2000). "Lee Erwin, 92, Organist and Composer, Dies". New York Times. p. C31.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Weiler, Jeff (January 2001). "A Tribute: Lee Erwin". Theatre Organ. Vol. 43, no. 1. American Theatre Organ Society. p. 13.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Klos, Lloyd E. (January 2001). "Portrait of Lee Erwin – Theatre Organist". Theatre Organ. Vol. 43, no. 1. American Theatre Organ Society. pp. 14–17.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ ISBN 9780810883383.
- ^ ISBN 9780810883383.
- ^ a b c d e Mink, Claudia Gellman (August 10, 1983). "He Gave The Silents A Sound Of Music". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 3D – via newspapers.com.
- ^ ISBN 9780810883383.
- ^ "Program of organ music to climax 1977 season". The Daily Journal. Flat River, Missouri. April 27, 1977. p. 10 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Eder, Bruce. "Lee Erwin: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ ISBN 9780810883383.
- ^ ISBN 9780810883383.
- ^ a b c Rodriguez-Florido, Lourdes (September 26, 1989). "Sound of Silence Organist Composes, Performs Scores for Silent Movies". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
- ^ ISBN 9780810883383.
- ^ Noah Adams, Bob Mondello (September 26, 2000). Appreciation: Silent-Cinema Organist Lee Erwin. National Public Radio. Event occurs at 2:07.
- ^ Noah Adams, Bob Mondello (September 26, 2000). Appreciation: Silent-Cinema Organist Lee Erwin. National Public Radio. Event occurs at 1:05.
- ^ "Deaths: Lee Erwin". Washington Post. September 30, 2000. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ "Dorothy Papadakos: Silent Films". dorothypapadakos.com. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
...Dorothy learned at the feet of the legendary silent film organist & composer Lee Erwin how to improvise to silent films in the grand theatre organ tradition.
- ISBN 9780810883383.
- ^ a b Erwin, Lee (performer) (1956). Moon River Music (LP Record). Zodiac Records. LP-333.
- ^ "Music As Written". Billboard. July 18, 1953. p. 26.