The Third Man theme

gypsyjazzer

Hi,

Anybody out there know where I might find a tab or notation version of the theme music from the film "The Third Man" - I know it's not a Django tune, but it's still very much of the Forties era, and a definite 'crowd pleaser' to add to one's repertoir.

The single note sections don't seem too difficult to work out, but I'm not sure of the 'two-stopping' passages.

Stuart

Jack

Here's one version. It's also known as The Harry Lime Theme, if that helps your search...

Best,
Jack.

Jack

gypsyjazzer wrote:

The single note sections don't seem too difficult to work out, but I'm not sure of the 'two-stopping' passages.

Bear in mind that the original was played on a zither-I'm not sure how they're tuned, but that might make some of those passages lay oddly on a fretboard...

Ken Bloom

Being both a guitar and concert zither player I think I can safely say that it's all very playable on both instruments. The fretboard of the zither is tuned in fifths with two unison A strings on the outside. The Third Man uses the outside strings to get the closely voiced chords that are it's trademark.The theme has three sections. The music that you put up is the first. Finding a recording of Anton Karras playing it on his zither is pretty easy to track down. If you need more info please feel freet o contact me directly. it is a great piece of music and fun to play on either guitar or zither. It's just on the zither you don't need a rhythm player. You do all the parts yourself. Hope this helps.

gypsyjazzer

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the info, and for the score to the first part of the tune - that'll get me started, although I'm still after the middle section, the one with the double-stopping, if anyone out there has that.

The sound and atmosphere created by Anton Karas from the zither on the film soundtrack was without doubt a key element in the success of the film. It was so different to anything being produced by mainstream cinema at that time it's amazing Carol Reed took the courageous decision to use a local, and largely unknown musician to compose and perform the score instead of using a traditional lush orchestra.

I feel the melody to the theme is so strong it isn't a very easy tune to improvise over, but it's so well known and evocative of the immediate post-war era in Germany, that audiences always respond so positively to it.

Stuart

Jack

There is a tabledit on this page with three sections, though I can't say if it's correct or not: http://www.geocities.com/ljsonljson/TABLATURE.html

Good luck,
Jack.

gypsyjazzer

Thanks Jack,

I've downloaded a copy, and it sounds spot on to me.

I'm not very good with fingerstyle playing, so I'll need to adapt it to a picking technique, but that's great - I've been after that one for ages.

Thanks again.

Stuart

daddyfruit

gypsyjazzer wrote:

Anybody out there know where I might find a tab or notation version of the theme music from the film "The Third Man" - I know it's not a Django tune, but it's still very much of the Forties era, and a definite 'crowd pleaser' to add to one's repertoir.

Actually, according to Michael Dregni in Django: The Life and Music of a Gypsy Legend: "Django was taken by composer Anton Karvas's zither soundtrack to the recent movie The Third Man, and Django played the theme song, using its eerie mood as a jumping off point to explorations."

Makes you wonder what other gems the recording machine never captured.

Cameron

gypsyjazzer

Hi Cameron,

Thanks for that, I'd 'missed' the quote in Michael's book.

Your observation poses that recurring question of how many performances we haven't had the opportunity of enjoying as a result of the technical difficulties involved in making live recordings during Django's career. Although this is 'balanced' by the consideration that had Django not escaped from the caravan fire, we'd have nothing.

I think it's interesting to consider if you were to 'erase' Django from the chronology of guitar players, who would have filled the void?

It annoys me when commentators say things like, "If we hadn't had "Queen" we wouldn't have rock bands playing in stadiums" (This was stated on UK TV over the weekend). What rubbish - progress wouldn't stand still just because a particular artist didn't exist, agreed things might go in a slightly different direction, or develop more slowly, but things would still progress.

After way too many years of playing, improvising is still always a challenge to me, but I feel "The Third Man Theme" is a particularly difficult tune to work with, and it would've been great to hear how Django developed it.

Stu

klaatu

Yet another good example of a perfectly fine tune that really did not need words, but someone insisted in writing some anyway.

pale42

there is a version by Joscho Stephan on his new Cd Acoustic Live. As soon as he starts playing it everybody starts to laugh. It is a funny song.