Can you identify the music on these newsreels?

[teamsaint]

I was hoping for a little help in identifying the music used on these three newsreels. I don't know if it was written for the reels, or was existing music.
Any help at all gratefully received.
Any comments on how the music is used also welcome.

Many thanks.
TS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgWHbpMVQ1U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcv3FnLRXuU

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/the-menzies-mission-aka-suez-crisis-the-menzies-mi/query/suez+menzies

[Roslynmuse]

The first one (Hindenberg) sounds like a movement from Grieg's Peer Gynt called, I think, Ingrid's Lament. Don't recognise the others, I'm afraid.

[Petrushka]

It's impossibly difficult to make much out behind the strident voice-over though the Suez one sounds vaguely familiar. I'm not sure what Pathe did regarding the music whether specially written or not, but I do remember a newsreel (possibly American) which used Fetes from Debussy's Nocturnes to good effect.

[edashtav]

The first one (Hindenberg) sounds like a movement from Grieg's Peer Gynt called, I think, Ingrid's Lament. Don't recognise the others, I'm afraid.

I can't add to that - the other two are more elusive, although definitely British C20

[Serial_Apologist]

I don't think the first clip is Peer Gynt. For a second I thought I was listening to Beethoven 7, slow movement. A bit from here, a bit from there. The second clip appears to contain two different pieces: the first sounds as if it might be one of Elgar's Pomp & Circumstances, which I don't know apart from No 1, the second from some pastoral-type scene. The Suez clip contains that generic patriotic occasional type music that I imagine British composers of that period probably made most of their money composing as library music for footage of British armed forces going to war, coming home to flag-waving crowds, etc etc. I always imagine we'd have a lot of that kind of music if UKIP ever came to power.

[Alison]

I can't help either. There's definitely no Pomp and Circumstance in there but I hear what SA means. Rather intrigued now ...

[Stillhomewardbound]

Teamsaint, I have in my past, as a radio producer, been rather immersed in this stuff.

These soundtracks were manufactured as library or stock music. Specifically composed and recorded as generic backgrounds for a whole variety of scenarios and a key component on my shelves was a library of some 100 CDs featuring backgrounds, drones, jingles, themes and most valued of all, four CDs that covered the Pathe archive.

There were tracks such as 'peril at sea'. 'industry on the move' and the lighter cuts typified by the likes of Robert Farnon's themes.

Almost none of it was attributable music meaning that it would be royalties and performance rights free.

There's a huge amount of used recordings available on Amazon though it is more of the popular / lounge variety.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_pg_2?rh=n%3A229816%2Ck%3Akpm+library+music&page=2&keywords=kpm+library+music&ie=UTF8&qid=1395616453

Some of the samples you've included are American but the arrangement was likely the same there. Their equivalent was The March of Time which Orson Welle parodies in Citizen Kane.

[teamsaint]

Thanks for the very helpful replies so far.
I agree with Roslynmuse, I played Ingrid's Lament and it sounds like it to me.

SHB,thanks for your comments particularly, which are really illuminating, and very helpful indeed.

Its possible that clips 2 and 3 aren't generic library stock I suppose, so do keep those guesses coming !!
Cheers.

[MrGongGong]

It's impossibly difficult to make much out behind the strident voice-over though the Suez one sounds vaguely familiar. .

Is it by Kate Bush

[Ferretfancy]

The first is definitely Peer Gynt, the others are probably mood music discs. There was quite an industry composing vaguely familiar sounding background stuff for newsreels and TV, from companies like Conroy and KPM. We used them quite a bit at the BBC, mostly for current affairs programmes. They had the advantage that they were free from copyright restrictions, and often came with several versions of the same clip on each disc, with different timings, which was useful. The companies received fees for the amount used, and there was a system for checking. Some compositions had a real life of their own, such as Barwick Green ( The Archers) and went on to be a part of the light music repertoire.

[gradus]

Greig followed by ? and ? (Ireland/Bliss maybe).