This extraordinary compilation gathers electroacoustic music soundtracks to some of the experimental films produced by the National Film Board of Canada, or Office National du Film in French, from 1955 to 1971. It features such classics as Norman McLaren‘s musique concrète, hand-scratched directly on the 35mm film strip, as well as Eldon Rathburn‘s electronic music for McLaren’s Canon. Many of McLaren’s films are available to streaming and downloading on the NFB’s official website. Also included are French Canadian contemporary music composers Pierre Mercure and Gilles Tremblay, both very active in Montréal during the 1950s and 1960s as composers, theoricians and festival organizers. The former’s La Forme des Choses, or The Shape of Things, is a collage of field recordings and noises recorded during a sculpture festival held in Montréal in 1964. A classically-trained composer, Maurice Blackburn worked as a film music composer for the NFB from 1942 to 1978, first for documentary films, then for McLaren and other film directors. His monumental Jour Après Jour is a sound poem including environmental sounds, library music and machine noises, over which reader Anne Claire Poirier reads found texts.
01 Maurice Blackburn & Norman McLaren Blinkity Blank (5:00)
02 Norman McLaren Rythmetic (7:46)
03 Gabriel Charpentier La Courte Echelle (6:44)
04 Eldon Rathburn Canon (8:08)
05 Maurice Blackburn Christmas Cracker (4:46)
06 Pierre Mercure La Forme des Choses (9:56)
07 Maurice Blackburn Jour Après Jour (27:32)
08 Norman McLaren Neighbours (7:35)
09 Gilles Tremblay Dimension Soleils (4:25)
10 Alain Clavier Metadata (8:26)
Total time 1h 30mn
2xLP released by National Film Board of Canada, 1977
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Much appreciated, thank you Continuo.
You’re welcome, Janas.
OMG thank you from Canada!
This compilation is such a classic it’s a shame it isn’t better known and available. Thanks for dropping by, Caitlyn.
Another first-class offering. Thank you, as always.
As long as there are readers who can appreciate this kind of things… Thanks for your comment, Thomas.
Thanks very much for this. The Clavier track brings to mind the great Parmegiani’s work in a similar mode.
How true. Even the title (“Metadata”) sounds INA-GRM. But the Canadian composers on this disc really have their own style and sound.
This is going to be a completely unexpected trip back in time. As a Canadian teacher during the 70′s-90′s I saw most of these films many, many many times. The National Film Board offered a library service, loaning out 16mm copies to educational institutions and we made liberal use of their resources. I have always wondered whether any of the music from these innovative films was available in any form. I have my answer. Many thanks for the opportunity to discover what images the music will release.
-Brian
Thanks for the nice memories, Brian. Apart from those of Malcolm McLaren, I’m not familiar with the films featured on this compilation, but the soundtracks are just fantastic.
a jewel!! =) a fantastic rip! thanks a lot my friend!
Glad these sound files found their way onto some computers, especially that of someone like you, Joaquín.
Hi, I really want to download this but when I click on the link I’m taken to a page which inundates me with links to the ilvid downloader. I assume ilvid is thinly disguised malware. Can you clarify?
See bottom of the page.
Thanks
You’re welcome, Adam.