Listening to Stanley Kubrick (29 page)

An original member of Ceoltóirí Cualann, Paddy Moloney, eventually founded the Chieftans and plays tin whistle, Uilleann pipes, button accordion, and bodhrán in the band. He also arranges much of their music and, in addition to performing on their recordings, produces them as well. It was the Chieftans who performed the Irish music for the soundtrack to
Barry Lyndon
. The Chieftans’ appearance on the
Barry Lyndon
soundtrack was a great opportunity for the group, which is still active today. This opportunity formed some of the publicity pieces for the film. In a newspaper piece from 1973, the Chieftans explain that Kubrick personally wrote them a letter praising their music and telling them he wanted to discuss using some of their music in
Barry Lyndon.
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Another piece, in London’s newspaper
Daily Express
, reports that Paddy Moloney visited Kubrick’s home to watch sequences from the film. Author Victor Davis stated that their appearance on the soundtrack would give the Chieftans a boost: “Look what Kubrick did for those old squares, the Strausses, in
2001: A Space Odyssey
.”
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Traditional: “Piper’s Maggot Jig”

Appearance:

0:08:19–0:09:32 Nora dances with John Quin

The Waterford Glass Band recorded this traditional jig for
Barry Lyndon
. It plays as Nora dances with John Quin at the celebration that takes place ostensibly after the British regiment (including men who have joined up from this Irish town) makes its grand display. Kubrick, again wanting authenticity, sent the actors, Gay Hamilton and Leonard Rossiter, to London to learn the proper steps of the jig. Not only did the two learn it perfectly, but they also performed it flawlessly on the first take. Kubrick, however, asked for numerous takes, perhaps, as Gay Hamilton surmises, to make it seem almost careless, “like we’d been doing that dance all of our lives.”
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The piece is lively and rhythmic, and the joy of the jig and the participants’ enjoyment of the dance are contrasted against Redmond’s dismay at seeing Nora and Captain Quin together.

Traditional: “The Sea-Maiden”

Appearances:

0:27:19–0:29:33 Barry says goodbye to his mother and goes to Dublin

0:47:38–0:49:39 After Captain Grogan’s death, Barry wants to get out of the service

Another Irish air, “The Sea-Maiden,” accompanies two scenes. In the first, Redmond bids farewell to his mother and flees to Dublin. Although the tune seems to suggest a sense of melancholy for the boy who has just left his home and mother for the first time, the narrator explains that Redmond must, as any young man in the same situation, be excited about the possibilities of independence.

In the second appearance of this tune, Barry has just seen his friend, Captain Grogan, die in battle. As he reflects on the event, he realizes that he wants to escape the service. The tune accompanies a scene of the regiment burning a farm and leaving with the animals, and one of Redmond carrying buckets of water. It is on this errand that Redmond sees a chance of escape, and he takes the opportunity, stealing the horse and uniform of an officer.

Sean Ó Riada: “Tin Whistles”

Appearance:

0:29:45–0:33:34 Barry meets Captain Feeny

As Redmond travels to Dublin, he stops briefly at an inn to get a drink of water. A man sitting at a table outside bids Redmond hello and asks him to stay and join him for a meal. Redmond refuses, saying he must be on his way. A little while later, Redmond rides down the road to the strains of “Tin Whistles,” and he meets the same man on the road, who identifies himself as Captain Feeny—a name seemingly recognized by Redmond. Feeny and his son are thieves and they rob Redmond of everything but the clothes on his back. With no money and no other choice, Redmond joins the British Service.

The cue begins with a ruffle on the bodhrán, and a lone tin whistle plays a meandering melody. The second time through the melody, a second tin whistle joins the first in harmony. The two musical lines, played by the Chieftans’ Paddy Moloney and Sean Potts, meet and diverge as they weave two melodies together. The two tin whistles end on a haunting unison note as Redmond walks away from Feeny and all of his worldly possessions.

Traditional: “British Grenadiers”

Appearances:

0:06:22–0:08:02 Scene of British regiment marching in Ireland

0:43:41–0:45:24 Ship traveling; battle (drums alone continue until 0:47:37)

1:47:33–1:47:58 Barry in a brothel, soldiers singing the song

Early in the film, the narrator states, “The whole country was alive with war’s alarms. Three kingdoms ringing with military music.” One of the military tunes that was undoubtedly heard was “The British Grenadiers,” a march used by British armies. As the name implies, it is a song about a regiment whose members dropped grenades, an especially dangerous endeavor. It is currently the official march of a number of groups including the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery and the Corps of Royal Engineers. The provenance of the tune is not entirely clear, having possible British or Dutch origins. The best-known text for the tune comes from the War of Spanish Succession, which lasted from 1702 to 1713. Parts of the text refer to the specific clothing and equipment of the grenadiers and speak of the bravery and persistence of the group.
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The refrain, “Sing tow, row, row, row, row, row, the British Grenadiers” is paired with lines like, “But our brave boys do know it [the force of gunpowder], and banish all their fears,” or “Here come the Grenadiers, my boys, who know no doubts or fears!”
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Redmond Barry’s time in the British service is symbolized by this traditional military tune. As one might expect, the drum cadence is suitable for marching, and the fife and drums arrangement is entirely appropriate for battlefield performance. We hear the music for the first time when the British soldiers led by Captain John Quin march through Redmond’s town. Redmond looks upon the display of the regiment, which, according to the narrator “filled Barry with envy.” Soon enough, because of the robbery at the hands of Captain Feeny, Redmond is wearing the same red uniform and marching in formation. The music accompanies film of a ship at sea, presumably carrying Redmond’s regiment to a battle against a small French rear guard, and the cue continues into the battle itself, with the drum cadence lasting almost two minutes after the melody has finished.

It is in the battle that Redmond loses his friend and protector Captain Grogan. Grogan, who was Redmond’s second in the duel with Quin, previously informed Redmond that Nora’s family rigged the duel and that Quin and Nora have indeed gotten married. When Redmond sees him shot in battle, he carries the man into the woods and they share some words before Grogan dies of his wound. The experience sours Redmond on the service, and soon his thoughts turn to escape. The first two cues featuring “The British Grenadiers” are both instrumental, but the final time we hear the song, a group of men (two of them in British uniform) sings drunkenly in what might be a bar or a brothel. Redmond, who at this point is married to Lady Lyndon, is enjoying the attentions of two topless young ladies, while the men sing a verse of “The British Grenadiers” in the background.

Traditional: “Lilliburlero”

Appearance:

0:39:54—0:41:05 Barry sees Captain Grogan again

“Lilliburlero” appears in a scene in which Redmond’s regiment is being joined by another group of soldiers, including his old friend Captain Grogan. As Grogan’s men parade by Redmond and the others, Redmond and Grogan share a look of recognition. The music for the march “Lilliburlero” has a murky history. The tune is often attributed to British composer Henry Purcell, because it appears in his 1689 collection
Music’s Handmaid
under the name “A New Irish Tune.” It is highly doubtful, however, that Purcell was the creator of the tune, and it is much more likely that he adapted some preexistent folk tune for his collection. The BBC World Service has used the “Lilliburlero” tune as the signature tune for their news since 1955, and on their website they claim that the first appearance of the tune with the words “There Was an Old Man of Waltham Cross” is in a 1661 collection called
An Antidote against Melancholy
.
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This volume is described on the title page as being “Compounded of Choice Poems, Jovial Songs, Merry Ballads, and Witty Parodies” and contains no actual music notation, just the poems. Under the heading “A Catch,” these words appear:

There was an old man at Walton Cross, [Waltham]

Who merrily sung when he liv’d by the loss;

Hey tro-ly loly lo.

He never was heard to sigh a hey ho

But he sent it out with
Hey troly loly lo.

He chear’d up his heart,

When his goods when to wrack[,]

With a hem, boy, Hem!

And a cup of Old Sack;

Sing,
hey troly loly lo
.
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To further confuse the history of this tune, there is also a French version called “Marche du Prince d’Orange,” which is attributed to Lully and another composer who worked for King Louis XIV. In subsequent years, the tune has also served as a drinking song, a song about the Protestant army in Northern Ireland, and a satirical song about the Confederacy in the American Civil War.

“Lilliburlero,” in the time of
Barry Lyndon
, was known as a political protest song against King James II, last of the Catholic monarchs, who fled England when the Dutch invaded England under the command of his Protestant nephew (who was also his son-in-law), William III of Orange. James attempted to regain the throne in 1689 with the help of Irish Catholic supporters, but his effort was thwarted at the Battle of Boyne in 1690. James spent the last decade of his life at a French court that was under the aegis of his friend and relative King Louis XIV.

Heading the opposition against James II was Thomas Wharton, first Marquess of Wharton. Wharton was a member of Parliament and later served England as the lord lieutenant of Ireland early in the eighteenth century. Wharton penned lyrics to the Lilliburlero tune to give voice to the British opposition to Catholics.
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The refrain of “Lilliburlero”—“Lero Lero Lilliburlero / Lilliburlero bullen a la”—has a number of possible sources, like the mispronunciation of Irish words, which could refer to lilies, the flowers, or to William Lilly, who predicted there would be a Catholic King of England, to the use of “Lilli” as a nickname for William.

Frederick the Great (attrib.): Hohenfriedberger March

Appearances:

0:51:14–0:52:25 Redmond escapes British service in the guise of Lieutenant Fakenham

0:58:05–0:59:16 Redmond rides through the countryside

1:01:15–1:01:53 Rides with Potzdorf, song is taken up by the men singing in the pub; fades out at 1:03:49 as Potzdorf calls for Barry’s arrest

1:04:32–1:08:37 Fife and drum version; Barry’s fellow Prussian soldier gets beaten; Barry saves Potzdorf

The Hohenfriedberger March represents the period after Redmond’s escape from the British service. Sick of the difficulties of life in the regiment and disheartened after the death of Captain Grogan, Redmond is unwilling to finish out the years left in his commission. The march begins, in grand fashion, as Redmond rides through land occupied by the Prussian army (allied with Britain in the war). In his disguise as British officer Lieutenant Fakenham, Redmond hopes to reach Holland. Before he can get there, however, Redmond meets up with Captain Potzdorf, an officer in the Prussian army. As they ride off together, the march begins anew. Potzdorf suspects that Fakenham is not who he says he is and, through a series of questions and some flattery, lures Redmond into lies to discover his deception.

Potzdorf takes Redmond to the mess hall where the march (to this point played by an orchestra) is taken up by soldiers who sing the song. The music goes from being part of the score to being part of the action, “sourced” on-screen.
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This was a particular challenge because Kubrick wanted the instrumental version and the sung version to be in the same key, nearly seamless to the ear. In the notes about the musical cues, it says:

1. [The cue] starts from Hardy [the actor portraying Potzdorf] riding away, and ends just before the singing in the Prussian Mess.

2. Check if we can make a reasonable transition from the end of the melody, which does end properly, to the Prussians singing, to see whether they are close to being in the same key.

3. If they’re not in the same key, the tempophon
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could probably change the key, or we might consider doing it again.

Potzdorf, who interrupts the singing to call for the arrest of “Fakenham,” gives Redmond a choice: go to prison (or be executed by the British army for desertion) or volunteer for the Prussian army. Redmond chooses the latter. At first, life in the Prussian army seems worse than life in the British service. A fife and drums version of the march accompanies a Prussian soldier running the gauntlet for some unknown minor offense.

Redmond, however, proves his mettle and earns himself a reward when he saves Potzdorf in battle. Redmond frees the captain from a support beam that has fallen on him and, as he had for Captain Grogan, carries the injured man to safety. In this case, Potzdorf survives and Redmond is rewarded. When the war is over, Redmond continues in the Prussian service as a spy. It is this assignment that helps Redmond transition to the next phase in his life.

The Hohenfriedberger March is attributed to Frederick the Great, who was the king of Prussia from 1740 to 1786. Frederick studied music in his youth and had no designs on his father’s crown, attempting to run away from his responsibilities as heir to the throne. He eventually ascended to the throne and ruled Prussia during the Silesian Wars, the second of which featured the Battle of Hohenfriedberg. It was supposedly Frederick’s victory in this battle that inspired him to the write the Hohenfriedberger March.
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Frederick, an accomplished composer and flautist, surrounded himself with some of the most talented musicians of the day, including C. P. E. Bach (son of J. S. Bach) and noted flautist, composer, and treatise-writer Johann Joachim Quantz.