Showing posts with label children's television. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children's television. Show all posts

Monday, August 16, 2010

Children Of The Stones















Children of the Stones was a complex and disturbing television drama produced for children by HTV in 1976. I remember being literally petrified by this programme, particularly the title sequence. As a youngster, I found its soundtrack both intensely otherworldly and deeply troubling. The music was composed by Sidney Sager who used a combination of a cappella vocalizations of a single, repeated Icelandic word ("Hadave") to create a terrifying and dissonant score. The vocals were provided by the Ambrosian Singers who during their long career have provided choral work for both Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota. The series was filmed at Avebury, Wiltshire during Summer 1976, with interior scenes filmed at HTV's Bristol studio.  The score for this series has never been commercially issued, which is a shame as both the "Start Title" and the "Ritual And End Title" are some of the scariest music I've heard on television.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Sculpture Sonores

This piece of music haunted me as child and I still find it eerie as an adult.  The music is entitled "Manache" by Lasry-Baschet.  It was used as the theme for an ITV children's educational programme which was aimed at five to eleven year olds.  Years later, after an internet trawl, I located a little 10" record of this music.  It's all very odd.  Even the instruments are odd.  Another reason I find this odd, is that one of the musicians is flying through the air.  Not very oddly, I've posted some images for you to enjoy.