Sunday, August 3, 2008

Ulysses Simpson Kay Composed Score of “The Quiet One”, Released 60 Years Ago


[Ulysses Kay: Works for Chamber Orchestra; Metropolitan Philharmonic Orchestra; Kevin Scott, Conductor; Troy 961 (2007)]

Four works of the African American composer Ulysses Simpson Kay, Jr. (1917-1995), who is profiled at AfriClassical.com, are found on the CD Ulysses Kay: Works for Chamber Orchestra; Metropolitan Philharmonic Orchestra; Kevin Scott, Conductor; Troy 961 (2007). Suite from The Quiet One was music written for an award-winning 1948 documentary film about the Wiltwyck School for Boys. An article at SeacoastOnline.com discusses the film:

The 'Quiet' man: Eliot man recalls a 'masterpiece' film
Former Wiltwyck School for Boys director talks about 'The Quiet One,' released 60 years ago
By Lars Trodson
features@seacoastonline.com
August 03, 2008 6:00 AM

“There are very few places that can boast a roster of supporters that includes first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, prizefighter Floyd Patterson, writers Claude Brown and James Agee, and photographer Helen Levitt. But this one does. There was even a time when Robert Moses — one of the towering figures in New York City history and a very, very powerful man who did pretty much what he wanted — decided not to run a highway through the school's property when one of the board members simply told him 'no.' So the story goes.

“Many of these names have been lost to history, including Justine Wise Polier, who persuaded Robert Moses to look elsewhere for his land, but Nate Levine, now of Eliot, Maine, and now also 89 years old, remembers them all. He was director of the school in the late 1950s, early '60s. And he remembers when they made a lovely movie 60 years ago this year, in 1948, that only had one purpose, to spread the word of the Wiltwyck School for Boys. And they recruited some of these great names to do it. One of the premier movie critics of the day, Bosley Crowther of The New York Times, called 'The Quiet One' a 'masterpiece.'” “The score, by Ulysses Kay, feels slightly exploitative at the beginning (but then quickly turns delightful, even pastoral).” “'The Quiet One' can be seen in its entirety at
http://www.archive.org/details/the_quiet_one.” Full Post





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