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Hans Erdmann

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Hans Erdmann was a German composer, born on 7 November 1882 and died on 21 November 1942. He wrote music for a number of German films at a time when film was still silent and the music was played live by an orchestra in the auditorium. His name remains linked above all to a single title: Nosferatu (1922), the vampire film for which he composed the score.

Music and breakthrough

After Nosferatu, Erdmann continued to work for film. His other well-known film music includes Le testament du Dr. Mabuse, the 1933 film also known under the title The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, and Augustus the Strong (1936). It is work for the image: music that carries the tension of a scene and gives a film a tone colour of its own, even before spoken dialogue existed.

Influence

For pop history Erdmann is a forerunner in the background. He belongs to the first generation of composers who asked themselves what music accompanying moving images should do. Anyone who understands the later film music in De Droomfabriek (The Dream Factory) will see here where that tradition begins. In 1995 an edition of his Nosferatu score appeared under the title Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to an excerpt from the Nosferatu music on Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. Notice how the music builds menace without a single word, and what you imagine when you cannot see the images.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Categories: Artists