{"id":16528,"date":"2021-01-15T22:14:43","date_gmt":"2021-01-15T21:14:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stummfilm.tecbits.de\/v4\/wilfried-kaets\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T19:34:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T18:34:11","slug":"curriculums","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/curriculums\/","title":{"rendered":"Wilfried Kaets"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"cmsmasters_row_982eaf665a\" class=\"cmsmasters_row cmsmasters_color_scheme_default cmsmasters_row_top_default cmsmasters_row_bot_default cmsmasters_row_boxed\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_outer_parent\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_outer\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_inner\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_margin\">\n<div id=\"cmsmasters_column_6103458c4a\" class=\"cmsmasters_column one_first\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_column_inner\"><div id=\"cmsmasters_heading_15996123cc\" class=\"cmsmasters_heading_wrap cmsmasters_heading_align_center\">\n\t<h2 class=\"cmsmasters_heading\">Biography<\/h2>\n<\/div><div class=\"aligncenter\"><div class=\"cmsmasters_img  cmsmasters_image_c\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/CF1E8F321BA1382D363C2EF011B1B6AAF1979407D0BD15Epimgpsh_fullsize_distr.png\" alt=\"new\" \/><\/div><\/div><div id=\"cmsmasters_heading_v7b5l9pnuw\" class=\"cmsmasters_heading_wrap cmsmasters_heading_align_center\">\n\t<h3 class=\"cmsmasters_heading\">Composer, Conductor, Performer<\/h3>\n<\/div><div class=\"cmsmasters_text\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"cmsmasters_button cmsmasters-icon-file-pdf\" style=\"margin: 10px;\" href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Vita_WilfriedKaets_Deutsch.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">German<\/a><a class=\"cmsmasters_button cmsmasters-icon-file-pdf\" style=\"margin: 10px;\" href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Vita_WilfriedKaets_English.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">English<\/a><a class=\"cmsmasters_button cmsmasters-icon-file-pdf\" style=\"margin: 10px;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Vita-islandic-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Islandic<\/a><a class=\"cmsmasters_button cmsmasters-icon-file-pdf\" style=\"margin: 10px;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Vita-arabic-1-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arabic<\/a><a class=\"cmsmasters_button cmsmasters-icon-file-pdf\" style=\"margin: 10px;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Vita-russian-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Russian<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"cmsmasters_row_eifq56j73c\" class=\"cmsmasters_row cmsmasters_color_scheme_default cmsmasters_row_top_default cmsmasters_row_bot_default cmsmasters_row_boxed\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_outer_parent\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_outer\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_inner\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_margin\">\n<div id=\"cmsmasters_column_b844710945\" class=\"cmsmasters_column one_half\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_column_inner\"><div id=\"cmsmasters_fb_1y9k96l688\" class=\"cmsmasters_featured_block\">\n<div class=\"featured_block_inner\">\n<div class=\"featured_block_text\">\n<p>Received degrees in Arts, Sciences and Education from The Robert-Schumann-Academy of Music, D\u00fcsseldorf and the Heinrich-Heine-University, D\u00fcsseldorf.<\/p>\n<p>After completing his concert examination for organ, Kaets took part in a number of courses and master courses with special emphasis on improvisation for piano and organ (e.g., O. Latry, Paris; P. Eben, Prague) and studied silent film accompaniment with, among others, H. Riethm\u00fcller (Berlin, theater organ), Richard McLaughlin (Frankfurt, silent film piano), Paul Haletzki (Bergisch-Glabach, theater organ).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>awarded the Gottfried Schreuer Prize, D\u00fcsseldorf, for organ literature and improvisation;<\/li>\n<li>served as Professor of Film Music for the Department of Media Science, Heinrich-Heine-University, D\u00fcsseldorf from 1992-2002;<\/li>\n<li>organized and presented seminars and master courses for silent film music (e.g., Silent Film Music Workshop for Organists and Pianists, Music Conservatory, Cologne);<\/li>\n<li>artistic supervisor for the historic Welte theater organ at the Film Museum, D\u00fcsseldorf;<\/li>\n<li>has performed in many venues in Germany and abroad including diverse CD, DVD, television and radio productions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The artist has been intensively involved in researching the medium of silent film and its theory and practice since 1986. To date he has composed approximately 160 silent film scores, has performed in more than 450 live concerts and has been involved in silent film festivals in Leipzig, Hagen, D\u00fcsseldorf, Essen, Frankfurt a. M., Dresden \u2026<\/p>\n<p>Kaets has served as Musical Director for comprehensive retrospectives: F. W. Murnau, E. von Strohheim, F. Lang, S. Eisenstein, W. Pudowkin, C. Th. Dreyer, L. Kuleschow, Ch. Chaplin, B. Keaton, Man Ray, G. W. Pabst, L. Feuillade, G. Meli\u00e9s, L. und A. Lumi\u00e9re, D. W. Griffith, A. Gance, and others.<\/p>\n<p>His film music and other compositions have been performed in:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>concert halls (Cologne Philharmonic, Oetkerhalle Bielefeld, Konzerthaus Wien, Th\u00e9atre des Capucines Luxemburg);<\/li>\n<li>film theaters (German Film Museum Frankfurt, Film Institute Dresden, State Institute of Film D\u00fcsseldorf \u2026);<\/li>\n<li>churches (Hallgrimskirkjy Reykjavik; St. Martin Luxemburg; St. Magdlena Linz, Austria; Stadtkirche Bayreuth, Cathedral St. Eberhard Stuttgart; M\u00fcnsterkirche Villingen; Marienkirche Leipzig; Rochuskirche K\u00f6ln; M\u00fcnsterkirche Konstanz \u2026);<\/li>\n<li>as well as official cultural programs during EXPO 2000 in Hannover, Germany.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In tandem with his work as a musician and composer, Mr. Kaets serves as Regional Cantor for the deanery of Cologne.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div id=\"cmsmasters_column_786385d260\" class=\"cmsmasters_column one_half\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_column_inner\"><div class=\"cmsmasters_content_slider_wrap\" style=\"max-width:px;\"><div id=\"cmsmasters_slider_c72e0bd1e2\" class=\"cmsmasters_owl_slider owl-carousel cmsmasters_content_slider\" data-auto-play=\"7000\" data-stop-on-hover=\"false\" data-rewind-nav=\"true\" data-slide-speed=\"600\" data-pagination-speed=\"600\" data-rewind-speed=\"1000\" data-transition-style=\"false\" data-pagination=\"true\" data-navigation=\"false\"><div class=\"cmsmasters_owl_slider_item cmsmasters_content_slider_item\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"299\" height=\"448\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/kaets_1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/kaets_1.jpg 299w, https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/kaets_1-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 299px) 100vw, 299px\" \/><\/div><div class=\"cmsmasters_owl_slider_item cmsmasters_content_slider_item\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"299\" height=\"448\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/kaets_2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/kaets_2.jpg 299w, https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/kaets_2-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 299px) 100vw, 299px\" \/><\/div><div class=\"cmsmasters_owl_slider_item cmsmasters_content_slider_item\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"299\" height=\"448\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/kaets_3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/kaets_3.jpg 299w, https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/kaets_3-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 299px) 100vw, 299px\" \/><\/div><div class=\"cmsmasters_owl_slider_item cmsmasters_content_slider_item\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"299\" height=\"448\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/kaets_4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/kaets_4.jpg 299w, https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/kaets_4-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 299px) 100vw, 299px\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"cmsmasters_row_d7800bb504\" class=\"cmsmasters_row cmsmasters_color_scheme_third cmsmasters_row_top_default cmsmasters_row_bot_default cmsmasters_row_boxed\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_outer_parent\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_outer\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_inner\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_margin\">\n<div id=\"cmsmasters_column_26c83c84fc\" class=\"cmsmasters_column one_first\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_column_inner\"><div id=\"cmsmasters_heading_df62fba3f1\" class=\"cmsmasters_heading_wrap cmsmasters_heading_align_center\">\n\t<h2 class=\"cmsmasters_heading\">About Silent Film Music<\/h2>\n<\/div><div class=\"aligncenter\"><div class=\"cmsmasters_img  cmsmasters_image_c\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/CF1E8F321BA1382D363C2EF011B1B6AAF1979407D0BD15Epimgpsh_fullsize_distr.png\" alt=\"new\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"cmsmasters_row_vod7tse6i\" class=\"cmsmasters_row cmsmasters_color_scheme_fourth cmsmasters_row_top_default cmsmasters_row_bot_default cmsmasters_row_boxed\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_outer_parent\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_outer\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_inner\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_margin\">\n<div id=\"cmsmasters_column_oazm9m8qt\" class=\"cmsmasters_column one_first\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_column_inner\"><div id=\"cmsmasters_fb_cevtyg07wu\" class=\"cmsmasters_featured_block\">\n<div class=\"featured_block_inner\">\n<div class=\"featured_block_text\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-18641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/WK5-e1741886734184.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"310\" \/><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"14\"><strong data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"12\">The Task<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"16\" data-end=\"1412\">Today, making music for films from yesterday.<br data-start=\"61\" data-end=\"64\" \/>1895 is generally considered the birth year of cinema. What a long way the film has come in such a short time, from the first few seconds-long films of the Lumi\u00e8res, M\u00e9li\u00e8s, and Skladanowskys, in which, for example, the departure of workers from a factory was shown in a \u2013 of course, static \u2013 shot, to the &#8220;freed&#8221; flying camera of Abel Gance and Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau or the expressive, even avant-garde montage techniques of Carl Theodor Dreyer, Sergei Eisenstein, or Walter Ruttmann!<br data-start=\"552\" data-end=\"555\" \/>What a long way for a medium that has accompanied film from the very beginning: music. Silent film music since 1895: an old harmonium, a pianist with a standing violinist or sound effects artist in duet, the salon orchestra with reduced arrangements of the great late Romantic symphonies, to the more than 120-piece orchestra \u2013 all reflect the range, production mechanisms, taste issues, style studies, commercial use, risk assessment, and experimental enthusiasm.<br data-start=\"1019\" data-end=\"1022\" \/>Above all, the film-music-dramaturgical question must be examined by the silent film composer: background music against the noise of projectors and fear in the dark; appropriate sound effects to bring a silent visual revolution to life; experimental attempts at precise second-by-second matching; provocatively designed counterpoint; capturing and conveying atmosphere, emotion, and mood&#8230;<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1414\" data-end=\"1643\">The major events of silent film cinema have, both then and now, emerged from the combined effect of both temporal arts, from a magical enhancement of cinematic storytelling and musical poetry, dramatic tension and emotional tone.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1645\" data-end=\"2320\">The demands on the musical interpretation of silent films have grown over the decades in line with cultural development, and unfortunately, in the same context, they are often betrayed by the misplaced ambition of musicians, who, for example, experiment with their avant-garde principles on the film to demonstrate that they are not writing functional music; or by musicians who, through lack of expertise or disrespect for the director and their work, let their unaltered personal musical principles run alongside or against the film or even &#8220;improvise behind the image,&#8221; trying to convince the audience that the perceived value of their spontaneous impressions is high art.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2322\" data-end=\"2978\">The main criterion for a successful silent film scoring remains S. M. Eisenstein&#8217;s demand, &#8220;that in an organic work of art, a unified structural law permeates all the features of the work and that music must also be guided by the same fundamental structural principles.&#8221;<br data-start=\"2592\" data-end=\"2595\" \/>Writing for silent film means engaging with the specific conditions of visual language, dramaturgy, appearance, and overall aesthetics, means offering the director&#8217;s expressive intent a helping hand, i.e., making compositional decisions that are committed to the narrative logic, the rhythmic grand movements, the structural semantics, and the sensual quality of the visual template.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2980\" data-end=\"3657\">In nearly seven decades, sound films have changed the viewing and listening habits of audiences. They differentiated audiovisual references and enriched their sonic possibilities. Therefore, newer scores deviate from historical models not only through the expanded base of musical material but also through innovative dramaturgies, as the use of electronic instruments or stylistic idioms (jazz, minimal music, etc.) suggests.<br data-start=\"3406\" data-end=\"3409\" \/>As a composer of today, I do not want to exclude the experiences of reception history and therefore see the engagement with the inherited film and sound documents (recordings, scores, title keyword lists, film archives&#8230;) as an artistic challenge.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3659\" data-end=\"3828\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">Innovative musical implementations can also be convincing and illustrate Th. W. Adorno&#8217;s remark that true tradition preservation does not consist of preserving the past.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"cmsmasters_row_4k6429l9fb\" class=\"cmsmasters_row cmsmasters_color_scheme_default cmsmasters_row_top_default cmsmasters_row_bot_default cmsmasters_row_boxed\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_outer_parent\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_outer\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_inner\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_margin\">\n<div id=\"cmsmasters_column_9frhxvwa69\" class=\"cmsmasters_column one_first\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_column_inner\"><div id=\"cmsmasters_heading_ap5lmiaae\" class=\"cmsmasters_heading_wrap cmsmasters_heading_align_center\">\n\t<h2 class=\"cmsmasters_heading\">Practice &#8211; Silent Film Music<\/h2>\n<\/div><div class=\"aligncenter\"><div class=\"cmsmasters_img  cmsmasters_image_c\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/CF1E8F321BA1382D363C2EF011B1B6AAF1979407D0BD15Epimgpsh_fullsize_distr.png\" alt=\"new\" \/><\/div><\/div><div id=\"cmsmasters_fb_v8nu68mtf\" class=\"cmsmasters_featured_block\">\n<div class=\"featured_block_inner\">\n<div class=\"featured_block_text\">\n<article class=\"w-full text-token-text-primary focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-&#091;-4px&#093;\" dir=\"auto\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-15\" data-scroll-anchor=\"true\">\n<div class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto py-&#091;18px&#093; px-6\">\n<div class=\"mx-auto flex flex-1 text-base gap-4 md:gap-5 lg:gap-6 md:max-w-3xl\">\n<div class=\"group\/conversation-turn relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn @xs\/thread:px-0 @sm\/thread:px-1.5 @md\/thread:px-4\">\n<div class=\"flex-col gap-1 md:gap-3\">\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col flex-grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 whitespace-normal break-words text-start &#091;.text-message+&amp;&#093;:mt-5\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"70211276-d56f-4544-8ad9-43cd6d37ce58\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-4o-mini\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-&#091;3px&#093;\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose w-full break-words dark:prose-invert light\">\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"53\"><strong data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"53\">Silent Film Music: The Man at the Piano and Organ<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"55\" data-end=\"679\"><strong data-start=\"55\" data-end=\"102\">History &#8211; Written Accounts and Speculations<\/strong><br data-start=\"102\" data-end=\"105\" \/>Since films have been publicly shown, music has accompanied them (at the first screening of the Lumi\u00e8re brothers\u2019 films in 1895 in Paris, a pianist is said to have played). It is also quite certain that the use of music not only had the task of eliminating disruptive factors (projector noise, covering the \u201coutside noise\u201d in non-isolated spaces, unrest in the audience, as well as \u201ccalming\u201d anxious viewers, who had to sit in completely darkened rooms due to the still weak projection), but it was also meant to build atmosphere, intensify impressions, and launch emotions.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"681\" data-end=\"1681\">It seems particularly true for the period before 1900 that great importance was placed on selecting appropriate music that would enhance the illusion and reality experience. After 1900, according to various accounts, any music, preferably popular, would suffice, meaning that the fact of musical accompaniment itself gained importance.<br data-start=\"1016\" data-end=\"1019\" \/>In addition, pianists and organists (as early as 1896, an organist is said to have accompanied the London premiere of Lumi\u00e8re\u2019s films on a harmonium\u2014one with three missing notes) naturally relied on existing literature\u2014primarily 19th-century piano music (following the tradition of \u201cSongs Without Words\u201d \/ Mendelssohn \/ Schumann \/ Grieg \/ Salon Music)\u2014whose short character pieces often matched the mood of early film character portraits. What else could they do, given the long hours spent in cinemas (often from late morning until 11 pm, uninterrupted), constantly changing programs, minimal preparation time, and of course, the lack of specialized literature?<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1683\" data-end=\"2697\">The longer the films became and as the emerging feature film with its dynamic discontinuity of the story, broken into individual scenes, required a continuous musical thread to bind contrasting scenes and shots, the more film music developed into an independent art form.<br data-start=\"1954\" data-end=\"1957\" \/>As early as 1910, American trade publications regularly offered tips on accompanying current films (it is worth noting that the French production group \u201cFilm d\u2019Art\u201d had already engaged Camille Saint-Sa\u00ebns in 1908 for an original orchestral score for their one-act film <em data-start=\"2226\" data-end=\"2256\">L\u2019Assassinat du Duc de Guise<\/em>).<br data-start=\"2258\" data-end=\"2261\" \/>From 1912 onward, so-called &#8220;cue sheets&#8221; were created: music lists precisely aligned with the film\u2019s progression. The path from perfecting \u201ccue sheets,\u201d listing musical characters, cataloging appropriate titles for those characters (compilation), to composing transitions and linkages (composition), and finally creating a piano score that no longer relied on pre-existing elements (work-related original composition), is easy to trace.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2699\" data-end=\"3792\">Even in an era of growing original music for large orchestras, the pianist\/cinema organist maintained an important role: especially in the provinces, where, playing from a piano reduction, they mimicked the orchestra that was not available due to financial constraints.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17537 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/WK-kameramann1-e1741887230557.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"420\" \/>But even in large cinema palaces, the piano or cinema organ would take over the missing instruments of the orchestra; the organ would also provide instrumental balance for often unevenly distributed ensembles (too few strings with too many brass instruments due to necessary instrumentation) and also regulate volume changes. Furthermore, the organist, with the cinema organ\u2014richly equipped with effects\u2014would accompany entire film screenings because the orchestra could not manage five or six two-hour sessions daily. However, the &#8220;man at the piano&#8221; scarcely survived the trend toward luxury in the grand \u201cpicture palaces\u201d built from around 1920. For instance, the New York &#8220;Roxy&#8221; (1927) included an orchestra of 110 musicians, four conductors, three organists, a mixed choir, and a group of high-caliber vocal soloists.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3794\" data-end=\"4116\"><strong data-start=\"3794\" data-end=\"3849\">Silent Film Practice Today &#8211; A Personal Perspective<\/strong><br data-start=\"3849\" data-end=\"3852\" \/>Comparisons of film archives show that during the silent film era, different musical practices existed and succeeded one another. Moreover, attempts (which are sometimes quite successful) to reconstruct compiled film music often fail due to a series of problems:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"4117\" data-end=\"5239\">\n<li data-start=\"4117\" data-end=\"4299\">Sheet music and compilation lists are rarely available or accessible (often due to poor archiving and lack of interest from film companies due to the lack of economic incentive).<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4300\" data-end=\"4379\">Compilation lists rarely match the existing, mostly fragmented film copies.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4380\" data-end=\"4453\">Usually, perhaps only 20% of the music used is still available today.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4454\" data-end=\"4627\">Piano reductions are often incomplete or riddled with mistakes, inaccuracies, and imprecise information (as they were often made for a specific performance or premiere).<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4628\" data-end=\"4911\">At live performances, the problem of projection speed arises: some cinemas lack equipment capable of projecting at less than the current standard of 24 frames per second. This immediately renders the score irrelevant (and causes significant stress for me as the ensemble leader).<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4912\" data-end=\"5239\">Music can only be created for a specific copy, as no two silent film versions are identical (I\u2019ve frequently encountered problems when scenes appeared in a film that were completely unknown to me in terms of content and especially length). Performing alone (piano\/organ) removes synchronization problems with other musicians.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"5241\" data-end=\"5312\">When developing silent film music, I always consider several factors:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"5313\" data-end=\"7157\">\n<li data-start=\"5313\" data-end=\"5405\"><strong data-start=\"5315\" data-end=\"5343\">Film content, film genre<\/strong>: Is it a wild slapstick or a socially critical documentary?<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5406\" data-end=\"5609\"><strong data-start=\"5408\" data-end=\"5425\">Creation time<\/strong>: A hand-colored magic film by G. M\u00e9li\u00e8s has different \u201croots in thinking\u201d than a revolutionary film by S. Eisenstein, which also demands a fundamentally different approach to music.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5610\" data-end=\"6209\"><strong data-start=\"5612\" data-end=\"5722\">Director, film language, integration into the development of a director\u2019s or directing team\u2019s film concept<\/strong>: For an Asta Nielsen melodrama, I once set music as a stylistic guideline that the \u201cman at the piano\u201d might have played in the 27th screening in a rural cinema in 1920. In contrast, for abstract O. Fischinger films, I used a graphics program to process images from the film and transform them into synthetic musical sounds, with a computer controlling multiple synthesizers. For C. Th. Dreyer\u2019s films shot in Scandinavia, for example, I relied on music by Edvard Grieg (<em data-start=\"6193\" data-end=\"6205\">Pr\u00e4stankan<\/em>).<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"6210\" data-end=\"6479\"><strong data-start=\"6212\" data-end=\"6253\">Organizational and local requirements<\/strong>: For a VHS screening on the theme \u201cFilm Art &#8211; Visual Pleasure\u201d for film scholars, for example, I was required to demonstrate different methods of silent film accompaniment within the program (on different films, of course).<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"6480\" data-end=\"7157\">Additionally, during live performances, and especially during improvisation (composing on the spot), I always respond to the audience. The combination of composed (both original and found) material and improvisation, which allows for a particularly rapid reaction, characterizes my film music. The thematic and harmonic range spans from stylistic imitation to complete alienation of instrumental sounds.<br data-start=\"6885\" data-end=\"6888\" \/>This naturally requires an intensive engagement with film, literature, and music (from developing the overall structure of the music to the shaping of individual elements and long hours of practice on the instrument\u2014achieving a unified sound, transposing themes, etc.).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"7159\" data-end=\"8236\">Not only in longer films do I find it important to vary the perspective of the music to avoid becoming monotonous. Sometimes the action should be accompanied, sometimes paraphrased, the development hinted at, or the images contrapuntally highlighted (for example, the fiery death sequence of <em data-start=\"7451\" data-end=\"7465\">Jeanne d\u2019Arc<\/em> is underscored with very calm music\u2014the choral theme from the Requiem &#8220;Paradise will guide you the angels&#8230;&#8221;\u2014reflecting the certainty of the hope of salvation).<br data-start=\"7627\" data-end=\"7630\" \/>It is also possible to follow the editing rhythm of the sequences (during the long final sequence in Hitchcock\u2019s <em data-start=\"7743\" data-end=\"7755\">The Lodger<\/em>, a manhunt, the key of the motif and its tone color (register\/organ stops) change with each camera shot to increase the tension).<br data-start=\"7885\" data-end=\"7888\" \/>Furthermore, it is possible to instrumentally clarify the various sensory layers of the film (for example, traditional major\/minor harmony could sketch the atmosphere of a simple rural home, while the evil stranger brings with him late-romantic harmony, enriched with dissonances) or even present \u201cfilm music as such\u201d (e.g., with a title melody).<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"8238\" data-end=\"8525\"><strong data-start=\"8238\" data-end=\"8287\">Recommendations &#8211; Perhaps a bit more personal<\/strong><br data-start=\"8287\" data-end=\"8290\" \/>On such a limited number of pages, neither can the history of silent film music be presented in a way that resists scientific scrutiny, nor can a composer clearly convey his many hours of developed and multifaceted thoughts on scoring.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"8527\" data-end=\"9045\">Therefore, it is important for me to share that through my intensive engagement with silent films\u2014both significant and lesser-known\u2014I have developed considerable respect for this medium over the past 20 years. Hopefully, most of the public already knows that silent film is not just &#8220;Laurel and Hardy,&#8221; but my thesis is that cinematic art and visual language reached a peak toward the end of the silent film era that is still rarely surpassed today, and this should motivate future exploration of silent film artworks.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"9047\" data-end=\"9555\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">Here are some\u2014selectively, but not arbitrarily\u2014initial recommendations (besides the well-known films like <em data-start=\"9153\" data-end=\"9163\">Caligari<\/em>, <em data-start=\"9165\" data-end=\"9175\">Napoleon<\/em>, <em data-start=\"9177\" data-end=\"9188\">Nosferatu<\/em>, <em data-start=\"9190\" data-end=\"9202\">Metropolis<\/em>, <em data-start=\"9204\" data-end=\"9225\">Battleship Potemkin<\/em>, <em data-start=\"9227\" data-end=\"9237\">Goldrush<\/em>&#8230;):<br data-start=\"9242\" data-end=\"9245\" \/>C. Th. Dreyer: <em data-start=\"9260\" data-end=\"9272\">Pr\u00e4stankan<\/em> (1920); K. H. Martin: <em data-start=\"9295\" data-end=\"9324\">Von Morgens bis Mitternacht<\/em> (1920); F. Lang: <em data-start=\"9342\" data-end=\"9356\">Der m\u00fcde Tod<\/em> (1921); W. Ruttmann: <em data-start=\"9378\" data-end=\"9388\">Opus 1-4<\/em> (1922-25); L. Kuleshov: <em data-start=\"9413\" data-end=\"9476\" data-is-only-node=\"\">Die seltsamen Abenteuer des Mr. West im Lande der Bolschewiki<\/em> (1924); F. W. Murnau: <em data-start=\"9499\" data-end=\"9516\">Der letzte Mann<\/em> (1924); H. Tintner: <em data-start=\"9537\" data-end=\"9547\">Cyankali<\/em> (1930).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":""},"class_list":["post-16528","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Wilfried Kaets - Stummfilm-Live<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Today, making music for films from yesterday.1895 is generally considered the birth year of cinema. What a long way the film has come in such a short time, from the first few seconds-long films of the Lumi\u00e8res, M\u00e9li\u00e8s, and Skladanowskys, in which, for example, the departure of workers from a factory was shown in a \u2013 of course, static \u2013 shot, to the &quot;freed&quot; flying camera of Abel Gance and Friedri\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/curriculums\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wilfried Kaets - Stummfilm-Live\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Today, making music for films from yesterday.1895 is generally considered the birth year of cinema. What a long way the film has come in such a short time, from the first few seconds-long films of the Lumi\u00e8res, M\u00e9li\u00e8s, and Skladanowskys, in which, for example, the departure of workers from a factory was shown in a \u2013 of course, static \u2013 shot, to the &quot;freed&quot; flying camera of Abel Gance and Friedri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/curriculums\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Stummfilm-Live\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-12T18:34:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/WK5-e1741886734184.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"15 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stummfilm-live.de\\\/en\\\/curriculums\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stummfilm-live.de\\\/en\\\/curriculums\\\/\",\"name\":\"Wilfried Kaets - Stummfilm-Live\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stummfilm-live.de\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stummfilm-live.de\\\/en\\\/curriculums\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stummfilm-live.de\\\/en\\\/curriculums\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stummfilm-live.de\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/WK5-e1741886734184.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-15T21:14:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-12T18:34:11+00:00\",\"description\":\"Today, making music for films from yesterday.1895 is generally considered the birth year of cinema. What a long way the film has come in such a short time, from the first few seconds-long films of the Lumi\u00e8res, M\u00e9li\u00e8s, and Skladanowskys, in which, for example, the departure of workers from a factory was shown in a \u2013 of course, static \u2013 shot, to the \\\"freed\\\" flying camera of Abel Gance and Friedri\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stummfilm-live.de\\\/en\\\/curriculums\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stummfilm-live.de\\\/en\\\/curriculums\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stummfilm-live.de\\\/en\\\/curriculums\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stummfilm-live.de\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/WK5-e1741886734184.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stummfilm-live.de\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/WK5-e1741886734184.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stummfilm-live.de\\\/en\\\/curriculums\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stummfilm-live.de\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Wilfried Kaets\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stummfilm-live.de\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stummfilm-live.de\\\/\",\"name\":\"Stummfilm-Live\",\"description\":\"Internetseite des Stummfilmkomponisten und -interpreten Wilfried Kaets.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stummfilm-live.de\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Wilfried Kaets - Stummfilm-Live","description":"Today, making music for films from yesterday.1895 is generally considered the birth year of cinema. What a long way the film has come in such a short time, from the first few seconds-long films of the Lumi\u00e8res, M\u00e9li\u00e8s, and Skladanowskys, in which, for example, the departure of workers from a factory was shown in a \u2013 of course, static \u2013 shot, to the \"freed\" flying camera of Abel Gance and Friedri","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/curriculums\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Wilfried Kaets - Stummfilm-Live","og_description":"Today, making music for films from yesterday.1895 is generally considered the birth year of cinema. What a long way the film has come in such a short time, from the first few seconds-long films of the Lumi\u00e8res, M\u00e9li\u00e8s, and Skladanowskys, in which, for example, the departure of workers from a factory was shown in a \u2013 of course, static \u2013 shot, to the \"freed\" flying camera of Abel Gance and Friedri","og_url":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/curriculums\/","og_site_name":"Stummfilm-Live","article_modified_time":"2026-02-12T18:34:11+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/WK5-e1741886734184.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"15 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/curriculums\/","url":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/curriculums\/","name":"Wilfried Kaets - Stummfilm-Live","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/curriculums\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/curriculums\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/WK5-e1741886734184.jpg","datePublished":"2021-01-15T21:14:43+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-12T18:34:11+00:00","description":"Today, making music for films from yesterday.1895 is generally considered the birth year of cinema. What a long way the film has come in such a short time, from the first few seconds-long films of the Lumi\u00e8res, M\u00e9li\u00e8s, and Skladanowskys, in which, for example, the departure of workers from a factory was shown in a \u2013 of course, static \u2013 shot, to the \"freed\" flying camera of Abel Gance and Friedri","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/curriculums\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/curriculums\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/curriculums\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/WK5-e1741886734184.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/WK5-e1741886734184.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/curriculums\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Wilfried Kaets"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/","name":"Stummfilm-Live","description":"Internetseite des Stummfilmkomponisten und -interpreten Wilfried Kaets.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"ticketed":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16528"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19820,"href":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16528\/revisions\/19820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}