MUSIC TO LIVE BY

Year Published: 1970s

Creator: McGraw-Hill

Format: 16mm

Copyright: Registered 12Oct71 · MP22876 (Jan-Jun 1972) Copyright holder: McGraw-Hill, Inc

Description: Funded by the Hammond Organ Co., Music to Live By is a short educational film from McGraw-Hill Films. Produced in the early 1970s and directed by Ed Schultz, the film gives viewers a look at—and listen to—music from a variety of cultures and from different time periods. The film opens with a man plugging in audio cables; he plays a synthesizer, making a variety of electronic sounds. The film discusses the history of music, discussing the early stages where a beat was used so people could work in tandem. Men beat a pile of potatoes in a rural setting (02:01). Sailors sing to keep the beat while turning the wheel to raise the anchor. A mother sings to her infant as she rocks the child in a rocking chair (04:12). Viewers see illustrations of Native Americans while the film’s audio track plays what is said to be a battle song (05:03). Bagpipers and drummers play their instruments while marching in a parade (05:27). The film features more military parades from different countries, as the men and women march in time to a beat. U.S. military branches march in a parade (07:30); the U.S. Army Band plays in the parade. Several Polynesians dance hula (08:00). A group of people dance to rock music. Viewers see a dance performance by several women from a Southeast Asian country (possibly Cambodia). Jewish men dance a traditional dance (09:22), and on a Japanese stage an actor dances in full costume. A man manipulates puppets during a silhouette puppet performance (10:31). An opera singer sings to his female co-star during a televised production. In Trinidad, a man plays the guitar and sings (12:08). A youth rock band plays on a stage, in what appears to be a recording session or concert rehearsal (12:51). A monk uses a stick to ring a gong (14:19). A muezzin calls Muslims to prayer at a Jerusalem mosque (14:37); viewers see Muslims praying with the Dome of the Rock in the background. Jewish rabbis sing during a religious celebration (15:35). A choir conductor directs a church choir inside a cathedral (16:02). Another man conducts a symphony at a large music hall (16:58). A woman puts on a record at home while she sets the table for dinner. The film then shows a man listening to music through headphones, before concluding with footage of the church choir, accompanied by an organist, singing a hymn.

Complete Record: