b'PROGRAM NOTESELMER BERNSTEINThe Magnificent Seven: Symphonic Suite for OrchestraCOMPOSER: Born April 4, 1922, New York City;died August 18, 2004, Ojai, CAWORK COMPOSED: 1960WORLD PREMIERE: The Magnificent Seven film with Bernsteins scorewas released on October 12, 1960.INSTRUMENTATION: 3 flutes, 2 oboes (1 doubling English horn),2 clarinets (1 doubling bass clarinet), 2 bassoons(1 doubling contrabassoon), 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, chimes, claves, crash cymbals, gong, snare drum, suspended cymbals, tambourine, tom toms, vibraphone, wood block, xylophone, piano, guitar, harp, and stringsESTIMATED DURATION: 5 minutes I n his time, award-winning film and television composer/conductor Elmer Bernstein was as widely recognized for his music as John Williams is today. Over his five-decade career, the versatile Bernstein composed more than 150 original movie scores, including The Ten Commandments (1955), The Magnificent Seven (1960), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), The Great Escape (1963), National Lampoons Animal House (1978), Airplane! (1980), Ghostbusters (1984), and The Age of Innocence (1992), among many others. He also wrote the iconic theme for National Geographics television specials, which aired during the 1960s and 70s. Bernstein garnered 14 Oscar nominations, winning the Academy Award for Best Score for Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). In addition to the Oscars, Bernstein earned two Golden Globes, an Emmy, five Grammy nominations, and two Tony nominations.The Magnificent Seven was one of the few pictures I wanted to do so badly I really put myself out to get it, Bernstein wrote. In this and another picture done much at the same timeThe CommancherosI think I said almost everything I had to say on the subject of Western Americana. In The Magnificent Seven, the purpose of the music was primarily to increase excitement, but is also served in a quite specific way to provide pacing to a film, observe that the music is faster in tempo than anything that is actually happening on the screen. The film needed music to help give it drive. In that sense, it is a quite physical score, as much foreground as background. It was a film that also needed music to suit its locale, and in this case, I felt it should have a definite Chicano sound, a blending of many elements of American and Mexican music.Every once in a whileit doesnt happen oftenyou hit on something really quite thrilling. I remember being very excited when I found that opening rhythm. It was like a surge of energy. Thats what people really remember.srsymphony.org2024-2025 Season 13'