Douglas Stuart Moore
1893-1969
When
Moore viewed this rough cut in June, 1940, he was watching
only the footage without any of the narration. Thus, as
his notes indicated, he did not know any of the names
of the Parkinson family members. Later, however, Moore
(along with Joris Ivens and Ed Locke) posed for a picture
with members of the Parkinson family in front of their
farm residence at Warnock, Ohio. Moore also had his picture
taken sitting at the Parkinson family piano. These photographs
were apparently taken at the time of the film’s
premiere in nearby St. Clairsville in August, 1940.
Robert L. Snyder, in his comprehensive
study Pare Lorentz And The Documentary Film (1968),
has referenced Moore’s contributions to Power
and the Land. Snyder, drawing upon a letter from
Moore dated December 6, 1961, notes that “Moore
received five hundred dollars for the score and also received
money to hire as assistant, Henry Brant, to do the scoring,
the same man who scored The Plow and The River
for Virgil Thomson.” (p. 130)
In 1954, Moore had been one the founders of Composer Recordings,
Inc., a non-profit public foundation "dedicated to
the discovery, distribution and preservation of the finest
in contemporary music representing the diverse inspirations
of American culture." In 1998, CRI released Farm
Journal and two of Moore's other works (Cotillion
Suite and Symphony in A). In an introduction
to this release, Eric Salzman wrote that Moore's musical
style was "simple and direct, often to the point
of homespun" and "almost entirely organized
around his gift for melody." Farm Journal,
Salzman added, not only reflected Moore's interest in
American folk music, but was “connected with the
political and ideological movements of the time."
While seeing some parallels with Vigil Thompson's The
River (also focusing on farm life), Salzman noted
that the contrasts between these two works "is notable."
Whereas "Thomson's music always has an undertone,
a subtext that suggests we are on the outside looking
in," Salzman added that "Moore's music is more
clearly the thing itself: hearty, straight-forward, sincerely
felt." (Quotations from Eric Salzman © 1998
CRI, reprinted with permission)
While Moore’s score for Power
and the Land is a moving rendition of rural Americana,
it seems to have been largely overlooked today. Nor is
there any attention given to Moore’s contributions
to two spin-off REA films (made from outtakes) featuring
the Parkinsons: Bip Goes to Town and Worst
of Farm Disasters. Interesting enough, Moore, in
a list of his “Compositions Before 1947” found
in his personal papers at Columbia University, cites the
former short film but not the latter. However, Moore is
clearly listed as the composer in the credits for both
of these short REA films.
While the score for the documentary concert
version of Power and the Land were never published,
in 1947 Moore released what he described as a “Suite
for Orchestra” entitled Farm Journal. This
was apparently an adaptation of themes used in the Rural
Electrification Administration’s film Power
and the Land. Farm Journal had its world
premiere before the Little Orchestra Society in its 1947-1948
season.
In 1953, Frederick W. Sternfield, a Professor
of Music at Dartmouth College, who was working on a projected
book on movie music, wrote Moore requesting a print of
Power and the Land and a copy of the score. Moore,
in a letter of January 13, 1953, wrote that he was sending
his only copy of the film, which he wanted returned. Moore
added that he was also sending “all of the score
that I can find of Power and the Land. This consists
of material that was used for an orchestral suite and
it is far from complete. The rest of the score I cannot
seem to find. It may be in the country.”
