Keeping Score: Bernard Hermann and the terrifying sound of ‘Psycho’
It’s one of the most famous movie scenes ever. Marion Crane, famously played by Janet Leigh, is taking a shower in a shady motel when a shadowy figure appears behind her. All of a sudden, the figure rips the curtain, and we see they are brandishing a knife. As poor Marion screams, the assailant plunges their weapon into her over and over again, her blood infusing with the water as it slowly circles the drain.
This is, of course, the infamous shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 masterpiece, Psycho.
Part thriller, part horror, part mystery, Psycho is one of the most adored entries in the British director’s catalogue for a reason. As well as a stellar performance from Anthony Perkins and the game-changing twist in the middle, the movie has another genius trick up its sleeve: its score. The music in the shower scene is particularly potent, to the point where it is arguably better-known than the film itself.
The short, staccato beats of various string instruments as the grisly killing begins have been parodied by just about every movie and TV show worth talking about. The piece, which is called ‘The Murder’, in case you were wondering, has entered pop culture in a way few other film scores have. It’s even more impressive when you consider that it isn’t even a proper track, more of a musical cue designed to punctuate the severity of the scenario playing out around it.
The man responsible for this transcendent composition is Bernard Hermann. Prior to his most famous work, Hermann had worked on a number of other high-profile projects, including versions of Jane Eyre and The Day the Earth Stood Still. He also contributed the score for a little picture called Citizen Kane, if you’ve ever heard of that one. He was a favourite of Hitchcock’s, having worked on a number of his most famous films across the 1950s. However, with a new decade taking shape, it was time for the maestro to show the world something new.
Prior to Psycho, scores for thrillers (and most other movies) employed the use of a full orchestra. Hermann decided this wasn’t necessary, so he zeroed in solely on the string section. He fought with Hitchcock over its use in the film, as the director initially wanted no music to be included in any of the motel scenes. Luckily, he gave Hermann’s idea a try, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Musically, ‘The Murder’ is fascinating. Hermann makes use of two techniques – fermata, a notation that elongates a note, and glissando, in which a musician ‘glides’ from one pitch to another – to drag out the tension of the scene. The opening to ‘The Murder’, that slowly-building cacophony of dread, was achieved by alternating semitones on every eighth note. This is the same technique that John Williams used on one of his most famous pieces – the main title theme from the movie Jaws.
Hitchcock was so impressed with Hermann’s work that he doubled his salary. If anything, he was underpaid. Without its music, Psycho simply wouldn’t be the all-conquering cultural giant it is today. The shower scene is still one of the best ever committed to film, and Hermann’s soundtrack still haunts the nightmares of anyone who’s ever stayed in a dodgy roadside motel.
