Leith Stevens’ War of the Worlds Online Score Study

Embark on an exploration of Leith Stevens’ remarkable score to the 1953 science fiction classic, “War of the Worlds.” Despite not being widely recognized now, Stevens was a towering figure in his day. In the 1930s he worked at CBS radio, alongside Bernard Herrmann, before moving on to compose for Hollywood films in the 1940s. He soon became the preferred composer for director George Pal, crafting the scores for a trio of iconic 1950s sci-fi films: “Destination Moon,” “When Worlds Collide,” and “War of the Worlds.”

Stevens’ unique compositional techniques have significantly influenced the musical language of science fiction, employing devices like stacked fourths and fifths, melodic leaps of a seventh, and tritone-related progressions, which have become associated with the genre’s depiction of space and the extraterrestrial.

In 1954, Stevens was instrumental in establishing the Composers and Lyricists Guild of America, the forerunner to the current Society for Composers and Lyricists, leading it as president for eight years. His work in the 1960s expanded into television, where he collaborated with the then-emerging John Williams on “Lost in Space.”

Our discussion will delve into the potential compositional links between Stevens and Williams and explore the impact of one of Stevens’ instructors, the Russian composer and theorist Joseph Schillinger. A relatively enigmatic and underexplored figure, Schillinger contributed unconventional music theories that possibly inspired a generation of Hollywood composers to experiment and innovate, shaping the distinctive sound of film music during that era.

We will be joined by special guests William H. Rosar and Tom Schneller! Having taught film score analysis in USC’s Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television Program, William H. Rosar is a musicologist and college lecturer specializing in the history of Hollywood film music. He is also founder and former president of the Film Music Society and editor of The Journal of Film Music.

Tom Schneller is a composer, music theorist, and author, and has taught film music at Cornell University, Ithaca College, and Eastman School of Music.

This online score study is FREE for all ASA members! Please sign up to be a member here. The Zoom link be sent via email the day before the event. It will also be posted on our website.

Watch the score study preview with ASA member Josh Lucan!