Critical Analysis Assignment 1 (May 2011)!

Student Number 1035897

An Extended Analysis of Bernard Herrmannʼs The Wrong Man

The Wrong Man (1956) is the second collaborative effort of the composer-director partnership
Bernard Herrmann (1911-1975) and Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980). It is one of Herrmannʼs lesser-
known film scores, a claim substantiated by the scarcity of its CD release, and lack of any re-
recordings.

(In contrast, Herrmannʼs scores to Fahrenheit 451, Marnie, Psycho and Vertigo have received
handsome and thorough restorations by conductors such as William Stromberg and Joel McNeely.
The fact that three of those scores are very lyrical may explain their relative popularity.)

Nevertheless, The Wrong Man is an intriguing score to study; it may provide clues to or indica-
tions of Herrmannʼs future stylistic pursuits (use of repeating cells, slow tempos and self-
orchestration1 with a highly idiosyncratic instrumental palette), yet it differs from many of his other
scores: it is supremely gloomy and unrelenting in tone, and so stark in places as to be almost
atonal.

Since extensive theoretical literature on the film is scant to non-existent, the only primary
sources available to me are the film itself, and Bernard Herrmannʼs manuscript (a poor photocopy
from studio archives, but legible enough to be of some value). For this reason, the most rewarding
analysis will take the form of a chronological commentary: a thematic and harmonic description of
each cue, its synchronisation and placement in the film, and its connection with the narrative de-
velopment. The structure of the document will therefore be dictated by that of the film.

Prologue

The very first piece of non-diegetic music heard in the film (immediately at 00:00:00) accom-
panies Hitchcock himself, who appears as an ominous silhouette, introducing the film. This pro-
logue music initially appears not to be in Hitchcockʼs manuscript (which begins instead with “The
Wrong Man Prelude”), but a more thorough search through the manuscript reveals that this music
is in fact a composite of tracks written for the trailer, namely “Trailer (Wrong Man) - Pt. I”. (page 56)
and “Trailer (Wrong Man) - Pt. III) (page 61).

The bootleg soundtrack identifies this music according to its final placement (“Prologue”),
rather than its functional purpose (the filmʼs trailer). One piece of evidence suggesting that this mu-
sic was carelessly inserted by someone other than Herrmann is the fact that it has been cross-

1 The following quotation from Herrmann is amusing enough to warrant inclusion: “Color is very important… This whole
rubbish of orchestration is so wrong. You know, they make everything shit… To orchestrate is like a thumbprint. People
have a style. I donʼt understand it, having some orchestrate. It would be like someone putting colour to your paintings.”
(Brown, Royal S., Overtones and Undertones, p. 292)

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faded into the opening music proper on a harmonically incongruous note. A bass clarinet descends
from G-flat to F, at which point Herrmannʼs first written cue is dubbed on, in a lively C major (in
which the note F clashed with the tonic triad).

1M1 - Prelude

As the credits are displayed it becomes clear that the music is diegetic, that is, emanating from
the Stork Clubʼs band, who gradually become visible in the background of the scene.

Understandably, no attempt is made by Herrmann to synchronise the placement with the edi-
torʼs placement of the title cards. Clearly, the credits were not cut in a musical fashion, and thus we
can state with certainty that any loose synchronisation (e.g. the sustained piccolo and flute entry in
the Preludeʼs 25th bar corresponding approximately to the Warner Brothers logo) is purely coinci-
dental.

The reason for this lack of synchronisation becomes obvious when it understood that Herr-
mann is writing a mambo to accompany the on-screen dancers, and I can deduce from his manu-
script (at the top of which is pencilled “Click Track (minim) = 117 (>120)”) that either he was given
this tempo by an (uncredited) musical director, or he worked it out by watching the movements of
the actors. (The actual tempo of the music is closer to 120 than 117.)

A medium-shot of the musicians at 00:02:54 reveals that not only are they not actually playing
Herrmannʼs music live, they are not playing any real music: Henry Fonda fruitlessly fingers one
double bass string whilst plucking another, the saxophonist never breathes or moves his fingers
beyond a slight twitch, and amusingly, the pianist lifts his left hand to check his watch, and once
again to direct the band to stop, whilst his piano continues to play.

As I have been unable to find any detailed literature which deals specifically with the technical
production of this film, I can only speculate that during filming, the dancers were dancing to an un-
known piece of music at 120 beats per minute, to which the on-screen ʻmusiciansʼ mimed, resulting
in a piece of film from which Herrmann calculated the tempo and approximate instrumentation.

The band are never wholly visible, so Herrmann took some liberties with the instrumentation.
The Prelude (according to the manuscript) is scored for piccolo, flute, 4 clarinets, 2 bass clarinets2,
4 horns, 4 trumpets, tuba, a battery of 5 percussionists, two pianos, two harps and a solo double
bass - a total of twenty-seven players. It is assumed that the casual viewer will not notice that most

2The prevalence of large clarinet sections, used in their deepest register, would later become a distinctive feature of
Herrmannʼs style.

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of these instruments do not exist in the visible diegesis, nor does the clearly visible saxophone ex-
ist in its audible counterpart.

This perky Prelude is often included on Hitchcock / Herrmann film music compilations, even
though it is completely unrepresentative of the film score as a whole. This may be because it is the
only piece of music from the film that is conventionally entertaining; the remainder of the score, be-
ing stark, gloomy and non-symphonic, does not lend itself to listening ʻfor pleasureʼ, as one might
do with, for example, the opulent and highly melodic Marnie or North by Northwest scores.)

1M23 - The Hallway (00:05:45)

Manny (Christopher Emanuel Balestrero) returns to his house, checks on his sleeping sons,
puts milk in the fridge, and returns to his bedroom to find his wife awake and worried. The cue be-
gins immediately as he opens the front door, and concludes when he steps into the bedroom (on
the high D - see Fig. 1), with the final double bass notes trailing off underneath the dialogue.

Since the manuscript of this cue appears to be an early draft that differs slightly from what is
heard in the film, I have made a transcription (see Fig. 1).

Fig. 1 - 1M2 ʻThe Hallwayʼ (aka. ʻManny Returns Homeʼ)

Although several minutes have elapsed since the terse C major ending of the Prelude, per-
haps it is possible that the listener will subconsciously notice that Herrmann has shifted the key
downwards into what is ostensibly a B-minor-based tonality (although the manuscript is written
without a key signature), mirroring Mannyʼs return to his humdrum home and mildly troubled home
life.

The low-register flute and the clarinet in its chalameau (lowest) register make a distinct con-
trast to the piercingly jolly piccolo and flute from the Prelude. There, the wind instruments were
carefree, now they sing a gentle, deliberate lullaby to soothe the sleeping children (although per-
haps it could be seen as a dirge, foreshadowing the inevitable ruin of Mannyʼs life and family). The
contour of pitches is narrow (as are Manny and Roseʼs chances of success) and the motion is of-
ten stepwise.

3The manuscript page is labelled ʻReel I pt 2ʼ but I will use the M-number notation throughout for consistency.
(The Prelude has no written reel/cue number, as it is assumed to be 1M1)

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The prominence of the solo double bass throughout the entire score, (often played in a fairly
unrefined manner, and in an uncharacteristically high register, creating a sense of strain) is un-
doubtedly a literal reference to the protagonistʼs strained life as a bass player. As the non-diegetic
bass musically supports the score, so Manny (with his diegetic bass) struggles to financially sup-
port his family. (He is considering gambling to pay for his wifeʼs expensive dental treatment.)

1M3 - 5 AM4 (00:09:15)

The clock in the house chimes five a.m., and the cue begins; it is structurally and timbrally
identical to the previous one: smooth, delicate phrases performed by an intimate quartet (corre-
sponding to the four vulnerable family members) - one each of flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, and
double bass, but this time the phrases arch upwards to an expressive peak (the flute reaches a top
G-sharp as Manny kisses Roseʼs neck).

(1M4) - Source Music (00:09:51)

The mood is temporarily lightened the following morning: Manny cheerfully tells Rose that her
insurance may cover her dental costs, whilst their “bright, good” sons create a charming sinfonia
domestica in the adjacent room in the form of a Mozart minuet with impromptu (and inept!) har-
monica additions. The first 8 bars of the Trio from Mozartʼs K.1 are played.

While it is true that The Wrong Man is mostly a bleak film, it has been said that it contains
“[none] of Hitchcock's trademark comic relief.5 ” and “there are no funny scenes written in the
movie.6 ” With this, I partially disagree; as a pianist and composer I find the following exchange dis-
tinctly droll:

# Robert: “It says here that Mozart wrote it when he was five. So I should be able to play it - Iʼm eight.”
# Greg: “Iʼm five, so I should be able to write it.”

The filmʼs inciting incident, the crucial moment where Manny is actually misidentified as an
armed robber by the deluded old harridans at the insurance office, is left unscored. Herrmann has
understandably chosen to score the film primarily from the protagonistʼs perspective; since Manny
is unaware of their concern, the non-diegetic music remains silent.

4 I was initially confused by the title of this cue - in the manuscript it looks like “SAM”.

5 Jerry Renshaw, Turner Classic Movies (http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/374114%7C103572/The-Wrong-Man.html)

6 Bill Wrobel, Film Score Rundowns (www.filmscorerundowns.net/herrmann/wrongman.pdf)

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3M1 - The Car (00:19:51)

The moment he does become aware - when the police arrive to take him for questioning - the
music dutifully resumes. (There has been a full ten-minute gap in Herrmannʼs score, making its re-
entry all the more conspicuous.)

The doors of the police car are shut, and the engine is started, at which point pairs of horns in
octaves play sustained, overlapping, threatening two-note phrases, moving largely in semitones. (A
semiotic connection can be drawn between repetitive semitones and alarms or sirens that warn of
impending doom.)

The horns are muted with unconventional metal mutes to give them a cold, buzzy timbre - like
dulled trumpets. The solo bass is again present, which reveals that, for the second time, Herrmann
has lowered the tonality by a semitone, from B minor (in 1M2 and 1M3) to B-flat minor, a subtle
musical device corresponding to the sinking of the protagonist into a situation beyond his control.

The cue is written in a very broad (Largo) 5/8 time signature, further intensifying the disorienta-
tion by jolting the phrase endings and eroding a sense of musical or narrative safety.

3M2 - The Store (00:23:49)

(This cue is a good example of Herrmannʼs fondness for multiple low-register clarinets which I
previously mentioned. It has a timbral similarity to the end of the cue Madelineʼs Car from Vertigo,
written two years later. Several other passages from Herrmann scores featuring that particular in-
strumental colour combination can be found with ease.)

Manny is instructed to perform a one-man identity parade by walking the length of a liquor
store in front of the proprietor. “Wonʼt that look kind of funny?” Manny asks. The peculiarity is en-
hanced by Herrmannʼs music, which, as before, begins with the car door being shut.

Herrmann appears to have chosen a tempo that matches the pace of the editing in this se-
quence; each bar has either a shot change or a facial expression. (The exact tempo is not known;
aside from the Prelude to this film, it is rare to find an actual metronome marking in a Herrmann
manuscript, accounting for the wide variety of tempo discrepancies in re-recordings of his music.)

It should be noticed that the metre in this cue has returned to ʻcommonʼ 4/4 time, and the mu-
sical content is repetitive, hypnotically slow, and regimented, as is Mannyʼs carefully choreo-
graphed walk. The double bass part repeats a 2 bar pattern throughout, and the chromatic ges-
tures are alternately exchanged between the clarinets and bass clarinets, in parallel with the alter-
nation of tense gazes between Manny and the liquor store proprietor.

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4M1 - The Second Store (00:26:48)

Although it has some minor variations, this cue is essentially identical, musically and function-
ally, to the previous one.

5M1 - Fingerprints (00:38:24)

Manny is told to “throw [his] hat and coat on [a] chair.” and have his fingerprints taken. The cue
begins immediately after that line. It is similar the ʻalarmʼ music of 3M1 (chromatic, sustained, over-
lapping brass), but now the horns have been turned into harsh muted trumpets, a far cry from the
trumpetsʼ jubilant role in the Prelude. Manny is understandably frustrated at the accusations (“But
what can I…? Donʼt you see Iʼm just trying to tell the truth!”), a subdued frustration echoed by the
trumpets, whose phrases swell dramatically from p to f and then subside. (see Fig. 2)

Although Herrmann is a skilled orchestrator with a keen ear for instrumental colour, the audible
distinction between the cup mutes and ʻhard (straight?) mutesʼ is not as pronounced in the sound-
track as he perhaps intended.

(Interestingly, the on-screen trumpeter from the start of the film can clearly be seen with a
Harmon mute, yet the trumpets in Herrmannʼs score never use such a mute.)

Fig. 2 - the opening bars of 5M1 ʻFingerprintsʼ (notated at sounding pitch)

The solo double bass, previously limited to nervous semitones and minor thirds, now has ex-
panded intervals, starting with an augmented 4th (or tritone) - the so-called diabolus in musica. It
has also descended in tessitura to more typical double-bass territory, introducing a G-flat for the
first time, the lowest note it has played in all the cues thus far (including the Prelude), and only a
tone away from its lowest possible note.

This is consistent with the idea of ʻdescentʼ I identified in earlier cues. Indeed, the use of the
tritone weakens the musicʼs tonal foundation (and Mannyʼs chances of being believed) yet further;
it is not easy to determine what key these bars are in.

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5M2 - The Cell (1) (00:41:54)

The mildly ominous line “Thatʼs been taken care of” signals the entry of this music, as Manny
is led into a cell. The first four bars are instrumentally identical to the previous cue:

The harps and tuba make their first return to the score since the Prelude. Here, the harps are
used very unconventionally (see Fig. 3) - at the moment the cell door is slid shut, they perform a
pedal glissando at their loudest possible dynamic, requiring the string to be plucked rather brutally
whilst the pedal (in the first bar) is shifted from F to F-flat, and F to F-sharp (in the third bar), creat-
ing a harsh buzzing tone as the pins contact the vibrating string. As Manny looks around his cell in
utter disbelief, the this creates an appropriately gut-wrenching sound.

Fig. 3 - 5M2 ʻThe Cell (1)ʼ - bars 5-8

5M3 and 6M1 - The Cell (2) (00:45:02)

This is the largest-scale cue (in terms of instrumentation) since the prelude; it is scored for 4
clarinets, 2 bass clarinets, 4 horns, 4 trumpets, tuba, 2 harps, and (in the manuscript at least), the
solo double bass. Interestingly, the opening trumpet notes (in pairs of octaves, as always) begin on
a shot of Mannyʼs two dolorous-looking sons, before cutting back to him in the cell.

In the manuscript, the plodding, descending double bass line (which corresponds to the open-
ing of the previous cue) is now doubled with two harps. But, most intriguingly, it appears that in the
actual film, the double bass line is omitted altogether - taken over entirely by the harps. The sud-
den extinguishing of Mannyʼs primary sonic identity - his foundation - from the music, and its re-
placement with feminine harps, could be said to represent his total loss of potent control.

The two-note trumpet motifs, now well-established in the viewerʼs memory, gradually increase
in tempo via Herrmannʼs ʻwritten-outʼ accelerando (from 6/4 to 5/4 to 4/4 to 3/4 to 2/4, then to triplet
crotchets, then quavers, then triplet quavers), and they exhibit a distinctly ʻmockingʼ quality.

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It is in this sequence that the camera circles dizzyingly around Mannyʼs head, and we hear
another classic Herrmann device: two harps playing glissandi in opposite directions, but tuned to
different scales. (Paired harps used in this manner are famously used by Herrmann in Vertigo to
accompany the iconic, and equally dizzying ʻdolly-zoomʼ shots.)

6M2 - Police Van (00:46:38)

This cue stands apart from the ones that have preceded it; it is not written from the protago-
nistʼs perspective. The double bass is not prominent; in fact, during the opening bars, it is in such a
high register that only the initial percussive attack of each note is audible.

As a montage of shots unfolds (Manny being led into the police van, a left-to-right panning
shot of the van driving across a bridge, high-angle shots of the court building), the repeating cells
of quick-fire semiquavers (for muted horns and trumpets, at their highest possible dynamic) illus-
trate the unwavering and formidable power of the police. It is well known that Hitchcock had a life-
long fear of the police, after being ʻlocked upʼ in jest by his father. This incident has been “cited as
the reason for the recurring ʻwrong manʼ themes in his films. 7”

(The cue Fire Station from Fahrenheit 451, also uses similar techniques, although in that film,
Herrmann mocks the firefighters by giving their ʻquick-fireʼ semiquavers to a xylophone.)

6M3 - Felony Court (00:48:14)

By this point, Manny is nothing more than a compliant puppet; he marches down the steps of
the stage like a robot, as the double bass pounds out its emotionless descending crotchets. The
scene cuts to the prison van arriving at the felony court, and the ʻpolice motifʼ introduced in the pre-
vious cue is reprised; the oscillating clarinets hint at a two-tone siren. (see Fig. 4)

Fig. 4 - 6M3 ʻFelony Courtʼ - bars 4-7

7 Trivia section of a Hitchcock biography (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000033/bio)

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6M4 - The Tank, 6M5 - Handcuffs and 7M1 - The Door (00:54:27)

6M4 and 6M5, whilst in the manuscript, appear to belong to a portion of the film that was ex-
cised prior to the final release. Manny is jailed - the door slams shut, and the music of that title be-
gins. It is essentially a modified, compressed version of 5M2 ʻThe Cell (1)ʼ.

7M2 - Bob (00:56:39)

Manny is granted bail, and returns home temporarily to see his wife and sons. This cue is rare
in its tenderness, and is marked “Lento (molto espressivo)”. Gone are the wailing trumpets and
pounding double bass - it is scored for flutes and clarinets only, and the dynamic never rises be-
yond p.

Herrmann starts this short (13-bar) cue in synchronisation with Robertʼs head turning. Although
the dialogue between the pairs of flutes and clarinets does not literally match the pace of the dia-
logue between Manny and Robert, they almost imperceptibly combine in the last three bars as the
on-screen pair hug each other. Herrmann does not overwrite this scene, and allows the obvious
affection be conveyed largely through the existing dialogue and picture.

7M3 - The Telephone (00:58:25)

This cue is analogous to 1M2 ʻThe Hallwayʼ, as it takes place in that location. The melodic
shapes are identical to 1M2, but it contains minor variations and extensions to accommodate the
length of the scene.

8M1 - The Farmhouse (01:04:54), 8M2 - The Bridge (01:06:23)

8M3 - 3rd Floor (01:07:25) and 8M4 - Alibi (01:08:45)

Manny pensively steps out of the farmhouse, and the score introduces a striking new colour -
two harps playing interlocking lines with a brittle, folk-like quality and an Italian tinge that initially
appears to represent the Italian couple who own the farmhouse, but which, over the course of the
next three cues, comes to function as a mysterious ʻsearch for an alibiʼ theme.

The four cues are nearly identical; the introduction to the last has a clear difference: it is pre-
fixed with three bars of harps, imitating tolling bells, to comment on Mannyʼs grim line, “Molinelli is
dead.”

In this set of cues, the two horns and single bass clarinet, while playing the familiar chromatic
motifs, do so at a very subdued, non-threatening dynamic, and the solo contrabass plays at mf -

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neither loudly anguished nor shrinkingly meek. The pulse and metre of the music is regular, pre-
dictable, and quietly rational; like Manny and Rose, it dutifully runs its course in pursuit of a justified
end.

A brief (and in my opinion, jarring) glimpse of a vacant-looking Manny at the Stork Club with
his bass occurs at 01:10:18; the music is the coda of the Prelude.

9M1 - The Glove (01:12:30)

Roseʼs surprisingly unenthusiastic response to a piece of good news (a muted “Yes, I suppose
so.”) signals the start of her psychological decline, a mental anguish characterised by Herrmannʼs
introduction of yet another novel sonic color: a piercing electronic sine wave generated by the flute
stop on a Hammond organ. It is doubled with a real flute and piccolo, played ppp and senza vibrato
(and therefore, like Roseʼs face, senza espressione).

In this startlingly ghostly piece of pointillistic writing (that is reminiscent of Schoenbergʼs op. 16
no. 3), Herrmann creates a quivering canvas of sustained tones (that often combine to form dis-
cordant clusters) atop an equally desolate-sounding series of plucked harp notes.

The whole arrangement is supported by the double bass, which hypnotically repeats its lowest
note (the open E string) with chilling quietness - it is literally profound.

9M2 - The Mirror (01:18:21)

Rose catatonically smashes a mirror (“They will! Theyʼll smash us down!”), bringing forth a bar-
rage of brass from the soundtrack - not in dictatorial octaves (as in Mannyʼs oppressive brass mu-
sic), but in closed, confused diatonic clusters. Harps and clarinets play the same rising motif as in
the previous cue; we can thus label this motif ʻRoseʼs Madnessʼ (see Fig. 5, middle bar)

Fig. 5 - 9M2 ʻThe Mirrorʼ (first 3 bars)

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10M1 - The Parting (01:23:01)

A mostly taciturn Rose is taken to a sanatorium, and a melancholy oboe makes its very first
appearance in the score, speaking for her in a lyrical lament, marked Adagio mesto.

The soundtrack is dulled at this point, almost muffled, which has the effect of disguising the
oboeʼs timbre and transforming the five clarinets into a funereal organ (Rose is emotionally dead).
Such an effect was presumably added intentionally, but the bootleg soundtrack includes a perfectly
clear recording of this cue.

11M1 and 12M18 - Prayer (01:35:27) and 12M2 - Samba (01:38:38)

Mannyʼs mother says, “My son, I beg you to pray.”; he does. The chromatic trumpets in oc-
taves return, but they are no longer threatening. Instead, they soothe and heal - by virtue of being
played pp with cup mutes and doubled by flutes.

(I am convinced that this cue directly foreshadows the cue The Peephole from Psycho, written
by Herrmann four years later. The musical elements are identical, as is the diegetic situation in
both cases: Manny stares at Jesus; Norman Bates stares at Marion.)

Manny, whilst playing his bass in a lively samba dance at the Stork Club, is informed of good
news. His prayer has worked; the right man is finally found, yet the ʻdeluded old harridansʼ from the
insurance office are maddeningly unapologetic.

12M3 - Finale (01:40:58)

Manny visits his wife in the sanatorium. Developing the material from 10M1 ʻThe Partingʼ,
Herrmann weaves an extended elegy for oboe and organ (an organ emulated by six clarinets)
which unfolds with an intense chromaticism, evoking the utmost pathos and tragic despair.

As Manny exits, and the narrative coda is written on the screen, Herrmann concludes his film
score by providing the listener with a tantalising glimpse of tonal resolution: a brief molto cantabile
for harps, flutes, clarinets and ʻorganʼ (4 horns and 2 bass clarinets), firmly in C major, and with the
most subtle sweet flavour of an Italian opera intermezzo, before rudely allowing the impersonal,
odiously vulgar brass fanfares of the police to have the last laugh.

8Presumably, two cue numbers have been assigned because A) the cue overlaps reels 11 and 12, and B) Reel 11 had
no other cues on it.

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