Today I completed the music score for our new production 'Saint Bernadette of Lourdes and the Holy Rosary'. This music score goes for me into the category of 'the toughs'. It was a tough one, some are easy and others are particularly difficult; This was one of those.
When I began this music score the other day, I had been in the middle of 'Holy Spirit of Serenity' music CD, so I put it aside and changed direction. The first 15 minutes went very well and had the correct atmosphere and I was able to use some good soundscapes such as 'Talking to the Wind' which added a subtle element of mystery.
I had to stop writing yesterday and go to work and then try to pick up the thread of it today. After much thought I decided that at this point in the production a change of direction was needed. I searched for a while for some soundscapes but a lot of them that I have are quite sinister; great for writing for the English Martyrs films and adding tension, but not what I was looking for.
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| Screenshot from St Robert Southwell. I really enjoyed writing this score. |
Eventually I worked with 2 soundscapes: 'Divine Rest' and 'Peace'. During lunch I thought about deleting a whole previous section but then instead I decided to do a whole key-shift and it worked before I dropped everything away except the 'Divine Rest' and 'Peace'. This is something I don't usually do - to leave the score very empty but it created just the right mood for a whole section about Contemplation and prayer.
With the addition of warm strings and cello, back and forth with flute and piano I had reached the 20 minute mark. I was inspired at this point to use Track 5 from 'Holy Spirit of Serenity' that I wrote last week. I very rarely use pre-written tracks in my music scores but as this score was so meditative and fits so nicely with the Holy Spirit of Serenity theme, I tried it out. It's amazing how everything is guided, it fitted so well and it seems appropriate to use it since I am immersed in this album at this current time.
It was as if I had pre-written this part of the score for Saint Bernadette in advance.
Encountering the Saints
I am very moved by this saint. It seems for me that I really meet a saint when I write a music score for one of our Mary's Dowry Productions films. It was again true in this case. Today I feel I met Saint Bernadette of Lourdes and what an honour I feel it is to be named after this saint!
What I was struck most by was her simplicity in life and in prayer. We brought the Holy Rosary to the forefront of this production. I knew that the Rosary played a big part in this film, but seeing St. Bernadette pray, and hearing how she was asked as a child if she kept sweets in her apron, but it was her Rosary - she was always praying it. This was reinforced by the Popes at Lourdes and in my own life, faithfulness to the Rosary has proven key. Saint Bernadette shows how such a simple thing can achieve wonders.
I also loved how Our Lady smiled at Saint Bernadette when the Saint sprinkled Holy Water on the apparition. I was pleased to use 'Mystica' female choirs adding a very mystical atmosphere to the apparitions. I have not used these samples much and this was a great opportunity. This mystical atmosphere became moving after the 25 minute mark and the Holy Spirit of Serenity Track 5 addition. It was like choirs from Heaven. I really felt that Heaven and Earth met and am pleased that the music portrays both this heavenly and moving element as well as the simple beauty of Saint Bernadette's life.
For more information visit: www.marysdowryproductions.org
This film will be released over the following week.
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