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thegoldenage3060 wrote:

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good know George that this is a very good book about Rozsa and Ben Hur, your review show that there is in this book many passion and work, I see in George enthusiasm like a child that have received a new toy

Well, yes, that's it exactly, a child-like enthusiasm, recalling the time long ago when I first held the MGM Records boxed set in my hands for the first time.  My enthusiasm is for the project itself, and such literary ventures do not come around very often. There is Ralph Erkelanz’s very fine and scholarly effort, of course, which is cited in the Introduction, in the analysis and in the endnotes, but Mr. Hickman’s analysis is restricted to the music as heard in the completed form and is of a broader survey, rather than cue-by-cue.  Mr. Hickman writes in his own distinct style, and is not Christopher Palmer, who was closer to the musical material for a longer period of time, but the passion is there.

I must emphasize that my evaluation, therefore, is based on a quick scan of the book and relates more to the writer’s zeal for the score, and not for his actual analysis or opinions in the book, into which I have yet to immerse myself completely.  I’m sure there will be room for discussion of such in this Forum, and that is, after all, what the Forum is all about.

In scanning the book quickly I have come across certain odd remarks some of with which I would immediately disagree, others are food for thought.  A few examples:

• “… the vision of the North Star is accompanied by Balthazar’s theme.”  “North Star” is hardly an apt description of the Star of Bethelehem.  The North Star is fixed in the night sky and does not move with respect to the observer, nor is it by any stretch of the imagination the most brilliant in the heavens.
  

•  “In the score Anno Domini functions as a motto.”  “Motto” is a literary word that I would not right away associate with a musical motif, but the word is from the Latin muttum, meaning “sound” or “utterance” and can therefore mean “a recurring musical phrase.”  It does appear throughout the score, often as a tag within themes.
  

• “Notably Messala has no theme other than Friendship and Hatred, which he shares with Ben-Hur.”  I’ve always thought of the Hatred motif as Messala’s theme (I recall Palmer’s observation that Ben-Hur’s theme and Messala’s theme ride proudly in tandem in the Parade of the Charioteers), but, of course, Mr. Hickman is absolutely correct: the Hatred theme is one shared by both Judah and Messala.  Judah appropriates it when, as Esther notes, “it’s as though you have become Messala.”  Furthermore the Friendship and Hatred themes linger tragically over the death of Messala in Judah’s presence.  The triumphant use of the Hatred theme in the Circus Parade is then a prelude to the final confrontation between the two.
  

clayking wrote:

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Is there anything new in this book for MRS members that would justify a $28 price tag?  It seems expensive for what appears to be mostly rehash along with 30 pages of musical analysis.

Thanks, Marco.  None of us ever thought of contacting the author directly.  Nice work.

I think that you have already answered your own question, clayking. I can't quite agree. For one thing, there are more like 40 pages of musical analysis, if you include the pages which examine the principal themes. 

A great deal of thought went into the analysis, and the unity of thematic ideas and overall score structure. While it is true that any such book would naturally build on the work of others (there is a substantial bibliography), and despite the proverbial "law of diminishing returns," there are some astute observations to be found in Mr. Hickman's work.

The author, for example, unlocks a wealth of information in just the first three chords of the Overture, which serve as a foundation for the unity of Rózsa's score and provide musical building blocks for several major themes. I personally found this particularly fascinating, in part because it gave me a sense of déja vu, having similarly unlocked the key to Rózsa's KING OF KINGS score via his via crucis motive in that old PMS article of mine from a few years ago.

All of Mr. Hickman’s analysis requires careful reading – in my case, slow and careful, as I don’t pretend to have anywhere near his musical expertise.  But it is clear enough for most readers to understand, although I did have a problem with a few passages.  On p. 94 Mr. Hickman states: “Perhaps most significantly, Esther’s countermotive introduces the three-note idea [from Anno Domini] with a preparatory leap of a fourth (Example 4.5b).” True, except that Example 4.5b pictures a preparatory leap of a fifth! Then, in the next sentence, “In this four-note form … the motive resembles the second phrase of the Christ theme (the initial leap is a fourth rather a fifth).” I read this as “the initial leap is a fourth [in the Christ theme] rather a fifth [in the Esther countermotive].” Fifth?? Am I misreading here?  

There are conclusions that are so simple yet remarkable that, having read them, we can kick ourselves for never having explicitly made the connection, despite the fact that may have intuitively done so all these years.  For example: “The themes for Esther and Balthazar also share the same countermotive (Example 4.5b), which clearly links the two figures that are the strongest figures for Christ in the film.”

I'll post more thoughts at a later date.