The Thrilling Scores of Bernard Herrmann

Alfred Hitchcock, commonly known as the “Master of Suspense,” built the visual language of a thriller’s tension, and composer Bernard Herrmann gave it its sound. Both well-respected before their collaboration, which spanned about a decade from 1955, their partnership spawned several films that continue to thrill modern audiences, with Vertigo and Psycho among them.

The narrative of Vertigo (1958) originates in the Tristan myth, leading many to link Herrmann’s score construction with Wagner’s leitmotifs, but perhaps Berlioz’s idée fixe from Symphonie fantastique is a more apt comparison. Circular ostinatos recur throughout the score, reflecting both the protagonist’s phobia and growing obsession. Herrmann’s music is true to the late-Romantic orchestral tradition in scope and style, taking advantage of the full timbral qualities to emphasize different mental states, from lush, warm cues reflecting Madeleine’s seductive power to the brass blasts of danger and suspense. Though contemporary audiences may not associate this score with today’s horror thriller, it remains a masterclass in representing the spiral of mental turmoil in music.

For Psycho (1960), due to budgetary constraints, Herrmann was forced to use significantly smaller musical forces — a string orchestra. But what began as a hindrance soon became an asset. Beyond the iconic shower scene (originally meant to be unscored), ferocious percussive bowings recur throughout, complemented by meandering, sinewy chromatic lines. The score exchanges directional harmony for short gestures and ostinato patterns that continually mutate, echoing Hitchcock’s vision of mounting anxiety and uncertainty. Even with strings alone, Herrmann manages to conjure timbral and textural intensity in a way that continues to unsettle audiences.

Though these films received mixed critical reception upon release, they have since become undisputed classics. The Cleveland Orchestra’s performances acknowledge not only their cultural importance but also Herrmann’s adeptness in using sound to elicit emotion. Combining visuals and sounds to strike fear in audiences was certainly not a new practice in the 1950s. However, Hitchcock and Herrmann elevated it to an art not commonly acknowledged in thrillers of the time. These scores span Herrmann’s range of music, from the romantic to the modernist, and both continue to shape how we hear suspense, passion, and fear.

— Krista Mitchell

Krista Mitchell is a music librarian at Oberlin College & Conservatory and a PhD candidate in musicology at Case Western Reserve University.