Best Nosferatu score ever!

[Barlow]

Ok,first a big thanks to Vic for transferring this version I had on VHS to DVD. 

This is by far the best musical score I've ever heard for the 1922 Nosferatu film. I copied it from an old tape I rented at Blockbuster and it's the one I've always felt had the proper, most fitting spooky sound. Here's a small clip:

http://www.undermountain.org/nosferatu-score.AVI


Can anyone tell me who did the score? Also, who else here likes it or has heard it?

[marsattacks666]

The only one I know was released by IMAGE in 2001. Original music by James Bernard, and was performed by the city of Prague Philharmonic. If there is another score, then I'm stumped.

[Barlow]

This definitely predates the IMAGE release. I taped it in about 1990 or 1991.

[marsattacks666]

Then I'm unsure who did the score?  I do like the score that's on my dvd.Anyone else in The UMA uni-verse know???

[dlhenderson]

Don't have the answer to that one.
Here's another mystery: Back in the early-mid seventies, the local PBS affiliate showed a version of Metropolis with a really fun effects track. No, this wasn't the Moroder "rock version". I remember when Rotwang was in his lab; every turn of a knob or manipulation of his machinery produced beeps, bloops, and boings. Very energetic sound mix. No home version I've ever heard included this particular score/effects track and I don't know who created it.

[marsattacks666]

Don't have the answer to that one.
Here's another mystery: Back in the early-mid seventies, the local PBS affiliate showed a version of Metropolis with a really fun effects track. No, this wasn't the Moroder "rock version". I remember when Rotwang was in his lab; every turn of a knob or manipulation of his machinery produced beeps, bloops, and boings. Very energetic sound mix. No home version I've ever heard included this particular score/effects track and I don't know who created it.

Another mystery.....Wow!!!!!! now I'm really stumped again.

[Gwynplaine]

I thought for sure that one of the three copies I own would have the score you're looking for -
But, alas - it was not meant to be...
Seems all the music on the versions I have are "updated", which is a shame because from the snippit I heard of the one you posted it sounds far superior to any of the ones I have...

Sorry I couldn't be of any more help...

 

[zombiehorror]

Did a quick search and found this info~

http://www.nosferatumovie.com/nosferatu_music.html
"The "Masterworks of German Cinema" DVD has a version of Nosferatu with a score by a German composer named Peter Shirman. We are told that this chamber piece was most likely composed in the 1960's for live accompaniment of the film in Europe. This score is reported to have made its way onto some of the earliest VHS tapes of the film."

http://www.horror-wood.com/nosferatu.htm
"Madacy Home Video offers a good, clean print, nicely framed, with new main titles. A jazzy orchestral score by Peter Schirmann is rather good; it actually tries to follow the action instead of just vamping (bad choice of words?) to the appropriate mood. Maybe that’s frowned upon by purists, but I like it. Alpha Video has a traditional print with an unaccredited orchestral score. Both of these go for about $7."

"Diamond and Navarre offer different, uncredited musical scores, mostly organ solos, with Diamond’s heavy on swipes from Bach. They’re adequate. All of these suffer from speckles, splices and the usual glitches to which old film is heir. The Alpha and Madacy discs show evidence of greater care in the transfer; the other two are overscanned. (You will note that the opening titles are clipped at the edges. A common benchmark is the memorable scene wherein Orlok rises catapult-fashion from his coffin on the ship, and just how much of his head is cut off at the top of the frame.)"

Any idea what company your copied vhs was released thru!?!?  Even if you know the answer may never be known since it appears most of the scores are uncredited.  I'm still at the in-laws right now but I do have a vhs of Nosferatu at home that I will check out when I get back.

[SinisterSilence]

This score was featured on the tape released by a company known as "Hollywood Home Theater", who released a rather infamous version of "Black Devil Doll From Hell", a friend of mine uploaded the whole thing on YouTube, sadly the audio drops in parts. Not much is known about this release, which is shocking to me since it was a score unique to the film instead of the usual canned recordings that we got on those tapes. I'm looking for a copy of the tape myself, it's really rare apparently, I've never seen a copy of it online or out in the field. My friend sent me the cover, which was surprisingly in one of those big Disney-style clamshells. If I find out more about this version, I will let this group aware of the info.
Cover: http://prntscr.com/7alf8u
Uploaded VHS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq_RbUZBR6Q

[Count_Zirock]

Sounds like the score was done on a synthesizer. Not bad, really. Too bad there aren't any credits for the music.

[SinisterSilence]

Sounds like the score was done on a synthesizer. Not bad, really. Too bad there aren't any credits for the music.

I know, out of all the scores I heard, this one is the best and most foreboding one I've heard. It does put one on edge, According to WorldCat, this company put out "Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" and "Metropolis", I can just imagine how unsettling those scores are. And it seems from looking at the records, all of these tapes came out roughly in 1980. I have a feeling this company was probably a catalog only distributor, ala Video Yesteryear, although I'm not 100% sure. Once you get to these fly-by-nights records and memories go south. Apparently this tape was a Blockbuster staple, my friends copy was withdrawn from circulation as late as 5/28/1998

[Barlow]

That's the one! Creepiest, most haunting version I've ever heard. It does seem to have been custom-scored for the film.

[SinisterSilence]

That's the one! Creepiest, most haunting version I've ever heard. It does seem to have been custom-scored for the film.

Do you still have your tape, I ask because the actual footage on the upload from the opening shot on-wards is taken from the Alpha DVD as the tape itself was shot. I was wondering if yours is in better shape and if you wouldn't mind doing a high quality transfer of your tape.

[Anton Phibes]

Sounds very Creepshow-ish.

[Barlow]

SinisterSilence, I have the original tape as well as a transfer of it on DVD. Not sure if the tape is better than what's been posted here, maybe even a bit blurrier. But I can try to make a copy to send you.