Renée Baker at Ebertfest
Photo by Shalayne Pulia
The Daily Illini
Editor’s
note: The following article was written for an Ebert Fellowship in
memory of the late Roger Ebert.The fellowship works with the forthcoming
Roger Ebert Center at the College of Media. Chicago Tribune film critic
Michael Phillips advises the Ebert fellows.
Daily Illini:
The film is Paul Robeson’s cinematic debut where he assumes the role of
two characters, a sinful preacher and saintly Sylvester Jenkins. The
former swindles the life savings away from an unsuspecting woman in his
congregation while taking advantage of her daughter whom he is supposed
to marry. Film critic Leonard Maltin introduced the film apologizing for
its lack of sophistication preparing the audience to “meet the film on
its own level.”
Chaz Ebert and Maltin moderated a Q&A after the film. However, Chaz argued with Maltin’s introduction.
“I think this movie is as sophisticated as any other silent movie we’ve had here [at Ebertfest].”
The audience and Baker agreed with Chaz sounding off several cheers and
a round of applause before the moderators turned their attention to the
vivacious composer to talk about her music and process for scoring
silent films.
“I see the music as a dialogue,” said Baker. “Since there is no
dialogue [in silent film], I don’t have to play underneath voices. I can
match what’s going on [with the music].”
Baker’s commitment to her unique sound is integral to what she creates
blending a classical music education with modern sensibilities.
“This is the way we bring them forward, is to marry them to current genres. And I think it’s entertaining.”
Entertaining the crowd at this year’s Ebertfest took some logistical
determination as well. Baker managed to squeeze 16 musicians and
vocalists into the Virginia Theatre pit that is made to fit only 10. She
needed every single one of those sounds; however, so she made it work –
another testament to her commitment and strong personality. She also
unabashedly described her desire to start her own orchestra as a
narcissistic endeavor.
“I wanted to overcome the fear of playing non-traditional genres and
non-traditional scores… I’ll be honest. I started this because I was a
composer and did not want to wait until I was dead to have my stuff
played.”
She believes her art stands on its own entertaining a silent film
audience via sound while they understand the basic storyline via sight.
The two arts succeed in tandem as parallels but not essentially
intertwined. There’s separation there that breathes new life into the
accompaniment letting the music speak freely on a higher level not
simply as a live interpretation of exactly what is shown on screen.
“If a broom falls, I don’t have to go ‘pat!’ when the broom falls. You
know the broom fell. I didn’t need to match it emotionally,” Baker said
while the Virginia Theatre audience let out a collective laugh. “So I
can keep the music and the mood flowing without leading you
emotionally.”
However, Baker’s highly animated conducting style does lead her
musicians who she hand-selects to join her orchestra. Some, she finds in
unconventional ways like Yoseph Henry, whom she discovered in the back
corner of a coffee shop when he walked past her humming. At the time,
Henry was working for ADT. He now adds the hauntingly beautiful vocals,
alongside Saalik Ziyad, for “Body and Soul’s” energetic yet melancholy
score.
Baker’s composition is written in ink to preserve its original
authenticity. It’s pure inspiration for her – a celebration of her style
and clear artistic vision. If any musician in her orchestra, or anyone
she works with for that matter, has an objection, they can take their
leave.
“It ain’t personal. It’s about the music.”
And these musicians get that. Baker told me in an interview after her
Q&A that conducting a live performance for a silent film is not more
complicated than any other instance of conducting – if she is working
with the right people.
“It’s about working with a group of people enough on a regular basis
that no matter what the situation is they read my language they read my
music. They have to understand the language.”
Baker speaks her own unique gestural conducting language where she can
make the music sound like it has all been written down in advance. It’s a
process she developed while studying non-traditional conducting
languages.
“You have to be composing in your head along with watching the film the entire time. There’s no downtime.”
The assertive composer was also asked in the Q&A about her thoughts
on the layered issues presented in “Body and Soul” related to race,
religion and abuse of women, among others. But she prefers a purely
artistic approach to what she creates choosing to zero in on the music
instead of thinking about the issues.
***
For more information on Baker and her impending projects, visit: reneebakercomposer.net or chicagomodernorchestraproject.
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