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restored 1921 German version of The Asta
Nielsen âHamletâ, with Danish actress Asta Nielsen. That "historical compilation scoring is made up solely of excerpted compositions by the sons of Bach performed in a keyboard duo-performers format utilizing three instruments (organ, fortepiano, harpsichord) and a guest mezzo-soprano vocalist." The duo also scored and performed on tour the preserved Marion Davies âJanice Meredithâ and the Conrad Veidt âHands of Orlacâ silent films.
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69:, prominently performing in New York at the Metropolitan Opera, for Hollywood film scorings, and repeat performances at Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival (debuting in 1991 with Roger Norrington and the London Classical Players) plus performing at the Tanglewood Festival with the Boston Symphony Orchestra performing the intricate glass armonica complete part in the U.S. debut of
380:, along with a wide variety of glass flutes and glass bells. He is currently constructing an expanded version of the French Bouteillophone creating a touring continuo instrument for 18th c. ensemble repertoire plus developing his own glass instrument invention, the Mesmerphone. James played his glass instruments on Marco Beltrami's film scores for
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at the
National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Recent tour seasons include collaboration with historic keyboard specialist Michael Tsalka touring as the Duo Filmharmonia performing all classical repertoire scorings, commissioned initially by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., to the
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James performs under the aegis of his own production companies, Crystal City Music and Silent Film
Concerts. James has assembled one of the largest private libraries of authentic period-published historical scores and generic historical music in existence (including complete original film scores and
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James currently is the appointed (2010) "Theatre
Organist for the Washington Center" a professional position in the Washington Center for the Performing Arts in Olympia, Washington, the appointed (2010) "House Organist" for the Historic Coleman Theatre, Miami, Oklahoma, the Cinequest Festival silent
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with
Ronstadt. "It was a great surprise. A sort of unspoken message in the air to me before the broadcast was 'Do not say anything on the air!' After all, these things are Linda's appearances. When David Letterman leaned over his desk and directed a question to me I simply froze â on playback of the
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and the Grammy Award-winning "Dedicated to the One I Love" and "Trio II" featuring Dolly Parton and EmmyLou Harris. "Linda explained she had first heard the sounds of rubbed glass some 15 years before, just where, though, escapes her to this day. She kept that ethereal sound in her mind all those
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at
Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, designing a glass music studies program that including graduate level student instruction in Seraphim and Armonica (the first such academic appointment in the history of the field). James performed glass armonica contributions to six of
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plus has begun performing early syncopated jazz and mid-century moderne styled period-piano repertoire within a multitude of other specialist musical activities generally considered of marginal cultural impact and predominantly subject to the periodic whims of amateurs and enthusiasts.
171:, a deluxe movie house with facilities for stage productions and a specially built Wurlitzer pipe organ for accompanying silent films. James "follows the technique and style of the old-time accompanists, cueing the music exactly to the action and mood on the screen."
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armonica then on display in its own showcase in the entry rotunda of the city's famed science museum.". In the interest of historical and philological accuracy, James adheres to
Franklin's original name, "armonica" without the "h".
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James began performing films in
October, 1969 and soon in full scale revival performances together with symphony orchestras beginning in 1971. From 1975 to 1989, James was "Resident Organist for the Ohio Theatre" in
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dub I can see myself caught and unable to speak. I received a glance from Linda that said to me it was OK and so when he tried again I called back a flip one liner and on things went from there", says James.
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and his popular annual
Stummfilm Series begun in 2011 for the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. His scorings have been commissioned for archive-presented performances and recordings of silent films for the
167:, providing musical accompaniment on national tour revivals of their motion pictures. The New York Times reported on December 13, 1981 that James would play at the recently restored Pascack Theater in
221:, the British Film Institute, Salzburg's Mozarteum, Vienna's Konzerthaus, three sellout screenings at the Sydney Opera House as well as appearances for special film exhibitions at the
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film score all over the world, from the Louvre in Paris to the
British Film Institute in London and the National Gallery in D.C." In addition to scoring the theremin for
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hundreds of published generic silent film music compositions that he uses to create compiled musical scores for his recreations where the originals do not survive).
113:'s School of Music as a student of concert and church organ performance, earning his bachelor's and master's degrees under the tutelage of Dr. Oswald G. Ragatz.
306:. "I contacted Clara Rockmore, the leading virtuosa of the instrument still then living in New York, who taught me to play it. Then I began performing my
45:(born 1950) is an American musician and historic preservationist. Beginning in 1969, he presented historically informed live accompaniments for
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61:, throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and overseas. He is now primarily active as a noted multi-instrumentalist, specializing on
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372:'s 19th century Grand Harmonicons, one of the few surviving Beyer 18th c. Glass-cords, and modern glass instrument inventions such as
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having revived a bygone era professional position vacated in 1942. James had his organ concerto with orchestra debut with the
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about the Cherokee Strip land rush as part of a celebration of the one-hundredth anniversary of Oklahoma statehood
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James has also become active in the preservation and restoration of other historic instruments such as the French
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years and it was during the orchestra sessions and post-session mix on the track "A River for Him", written by
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Dennis James plays the Franklin Glass Armonica at the Poncan Theatre in Ponca City, Oklahoma on April 2, 2011.
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701:"The Ponca City News. "Silent Film Organist To Play The Poncan Theatre for 'Tumbleweeds'" September 6, 2007"
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co-produced by Ronstadt and Grammy Award-winning producer John Boylan. James plays the glass armonica, the
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as a special commission as part of a celebration of the one-hundredth anniversary of Oklahoma Statehood.
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and he decided to include period-texture sound effects to the score produced from an original 1929 RCA
101:, in 1950. He began formal organ training at the age of 12. At the age of 16, he replaced his teacher,
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From 2010 to 2015 James served as the initial appointed Lecturer in glass music studies at the
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James recorded for Sony-Classical release an album Featuring several glass music instruments,
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Theater program, "Seattle Theatre Group presents German Expressionist Silents", January 2006.
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In 1991 James was commissioned by the BFI to score the 1924 Soviet science fiction spectacle
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142:. In classic 'Chorus Line' fashion, I turned to my Dad at the end and said 'I can do that!'"
124:. As James recalls, "The late 'Flicker Fingers' himself, California touring theatre organist
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before the performance, which placed him on an international touring circuit. James attended
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392:(1998). "I first became aware of glass instruments at about the age of 6 while visiting the
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University of South Carolina Film Studies. "Dennis James, Silent Film Accompanist."
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James' interest in silent film performance with live music dates from 1969 at the
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Dennis James Classic Theatre Organ (1985), recorded on the Morton organs at the
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New York Times "New Jersey Guide: Chaplin in Westwood." December 13, 1981.
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at Orchestra Hall in 1984. James toured in the 1980s with silent film stars
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400:. I can still recall being mesmerized by the appearance of the original
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in September 2007, where he played the score for Clara Bow's 1927 film
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Dennis James at the Movies. Ohio Theatre Summer Series, Vol 2. (1977)
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603:"Dennis James interview" interviewed by Rich Bailey January, 2002
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in a live performance at the Poncan Theater (built in 1923) in
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Sony Classical Music. "Cristal â Glass Music Through the Ages"
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Dennis James at the Movies. Ohio Theatre Summer Series (1975)
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on the CD in original historical compositions for glass by
676:"Ciné-concert: The Asta Nielsen Hamlet (German version)"
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On September 14, 2007, James performed the score to
277:for his special commission of the 1925 Silent Film
525:on SilentEra.com. Accessed online 16 January 2006.
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787:DeLay, Tom (January 1985). "For the Records".
763:"South Puget Pipeline Online. "Dennis James.""
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213:James has accompanied silent films at the
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817:Dennis James plays for the silent movie
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105:, in concert after MacClain suffered a
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543:State University of New York at Albany
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314:, James has utilized the theremin for
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503:Cristal: Glass Music Through the Ages
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368:music instruments including several
188:, and Silent Film organist for the
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861:21st-century American keyboardists
493:Dennis James at the RTOS Wurlitzer
122:Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania
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477:Dennis James at the "Fotoplayer"
256:UCLA Film and Television Archive
217:and Rome Silent Film Festivals,
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429:Late Night with David Letterman
252:American Federation of the Arts
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318:'s now-restored silent films
236:New York Museum of Modern Art
146:Silent film organ performance
23:James at the keyboard of the
16:American musician (born 1950)
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628:Silent Era. "Dennis James"
555:Espe, Erik (8 March 1996).
540:"Biography of Dennis James"
496:Dennis & Heidi James â
175:Organ performance positions
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348:Glass armonica performance
29:at the Coleman Theater in
364:and has collected other
302:that he had restored by
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846:Glass harmonica players
370:Francis Hopkinson Smith
362:Franklin glass armonica
228:American Film Institute
63:Franklin glass armonica
866:21st-century organists
462:Emerson String Quartet
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260:British Film Institute
232:National Film Registry
165:Charles âBuddyâ Rogers
134:Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.
93:Early musical training
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312:Aelita, Queen of Mars
295:Aelita, Queen of Mars
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194:Palo Alto, California
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342:Ponca City, Oklahoma
275:Ponca City, Oklahoma
269:Dennis James at the
248:George Eastman House
244:Pacific Film Archive
186:San Jose, California
169:Westwood, New Jersey
498:Puttin' on the Ritz
464:, operatic soprano
240:Library of Congress
59:symphony orchestras
851:Silent film people
738:2006-11-24 at the
559:. Palo Alto Online
456:, Schnaubelt, and
394:Franklin Institute
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200:Production company
182:California Theatre
180:film organist for
111:Indiana University
97:James was born in
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856:Theatre organists
662:michaeltsalka.com
557:"Classical Glass"
402:Benjamin Franklin
327:Woman in the Moon
139:The Mark of Zorro
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360:James plays the
190:Stanford Theatre
157:Chicago Symphony
103:Leonard MacClain
55:chamber ensemble
26:Mighty Wurlitzer
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75:Written on Skin
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47:silent films
43:Dennis James
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836:1950 births
819:Tumbleweeds
563:22 February
472:Discography
389:The Faculty
386:(1999) and
337:Tumbleweeds
304:Robert Moog
288:Commissions
280:Tumbleweeds
219:Cinema Muto
830:Categories
773:2007-09-15
686:2016-09-11
374:verrophone
321:Metropolis
316:Fritz Lang
258:, and the
73:'s opera "
801:0040-5531
795:(1): 20.
711:March 16,
510:Citations
454:Scarlatti
215:Pordenone
130:Wurlitzer
57:and full
736:Archived
446:seraphim
444:and the
366:vitreous
300:theremin
67:theremin
65:and the
442:cristal
799:
658:"Home"
505:(2002)
450:Mozart
376:, the
308:Aelita
254:, the
238:, the
223:Louvre
458:Fauré
209:Tours
797:ISSN
713:2010
565:2011
324:and
163:and
84:and
396:in
273:in
192:in
184:in
136:in
120:in
77:".
832::
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53:,
36:It
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