The Kid
(1921, music composed by C. Chaplin in 1971, restored and adapted in 2016)
© Roy Export Company S.A.S. All Rights Reserved.
Directed by: C. Chaplin
Writing credits: C. Chaplin
Starring: Charlie Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Jackie Coogan, Carl Miller, Henry Bergman
Genre: comedy
Country: U.S.
Running time: 60 mins
Instrumentation List
Music composed by Charles Chaplin (1971)
Musical associate: Eric James
Restored and adapted for live performance by Timothy Brock (2016)Flute I, II (II dbl. picc.)
Oboe (dbl. ca)
Clarinet I, II (II dbl. bass-clarinet, contrabass-clarinet)
Bassoon
Horns I, II
Trumpet I, II
Trombone I, II
Timpani
Percussion (2/3)
Piano (dbl. celesta)
Harp
Strings: 8. 6. 4. 4. 2
In the score to The Kid (1971), Chaplin takes us back, musically speaking, to his own youth in the English Music Hall. Broad strokes of light pantomimic music, laced with the indelible Chaplin melodic trademark. The strings are lush, the winds are light and the power of over-sentimentality is kept at bay by a composer who knows his subjects. There is an over all feeling of foggy charm in these late scores that is difficult to pinpoint, but these films are forever poeticized by them.
In the score to The Kid (1971), Chaplin takes us back, musically speaking, to his own youth in the English Music Hall. Broad strokes of light pantomimic music, laced with the indelible Chaplin melodic trademark. The strings are lush, the winds are light and the power of over-sentimentality is kept at bay by a composer who knows his subjects. There is an over all feeling of foggy charm in these late scores that is difficult to pinpoint, but these films are forever poeticized by them.
It is true that Chaplin’s music gained a certain amount of Bel Canto in his old age, and at age 82 the melodic integrity of his work became equally more pronounced. The Kid score has a “play ‘til ready” approach that does not so much takes on the action in detail but rather let’s the drama play out at it’s own pace while Chaplin sets the tone and color of the scene. This is much more in line with the approach of stage comedy with music, of which the English are the masters. We can only imagine that Chaplin’s days with Fred Karno were a major influence in his late compositions, as they all embody this distinction of pace and timing.
The score was restored and adapted by Timothy Brock in 2016 and calls for 2 Flutes, 1 Piccolo, Oboe, English Horn, 2 Clarinets, Bass-clarinet, Contrabass-clarinet, Bassoon, 2 Horns, 2 Trumpets, 2 Trombones, 3 Percussionists, Harp, Piano, Celesta and Strings.
