Not only an actor but also a musician

Aarti Srivastava

16th April is the birthday of famous comedian Charlie Chaplin. Article dedicated to his musical journey.

If you are fond of films and are interested in Indian and foreign films, then you will not be able to escape the magic of the acting of veteran comedian Charlie Chaplin. When this actor brings strange expressions on his face with a small moustache, then no matter how sad you are, you definitely laugh out loud. But the life of the person who ruled people’s hearts for years without uttering a word was not so easy. After the death of his father and illness of his mother, Charlie Chaplin started working at a young age with his brother Sidney, who was four years older than him, so that he could earn a living. Charlie was a natural artist, he was proficient not only in acting but also in music. Let us know about the musical side of this great actor’s life.

Inherited acting and music

Charles Spencer Chaplin – known to the world as Charlie Chaplin – was born on April 16, 1889 in London, England. His father, Charles Chaplin Sr., was a versatile singer and actor. His mother, Hannah Chaplin, better known by her stage name Lily Harley, was an attractive actress and singer. He gained considerable reputation for his work in the light opera field. During Charlie Chaplin’s childhood, his mother used to take him to the theatre. Where they used to stand and listen to him and other programs of the music hall. When Charlie’s parents had not separated, his father had not died, and his mother had not been ill, when Charlie’s home was a happy place, Lily Harley would sing, dance, and perform with other artists. She used to entertain Charlie and his brother by imitating. Growing up in such an environment, Charlie probably did not even realize when he automatically started enjoying and becoming expert in dance, music and acting.

First stage performance at the age of five

Charlie’s first performance on stage at the age of five occurred when his mother’s voice broke in front of the crowd. In such a situation, Charlie, who was a born artist, took the place of his mother and sang two songs. The song of boy Charlie mesmerized the crowd and the crowd showered coins on the boy.

Started professional career at just nine years old

In 1898, at the age of just nine, Charlie began his professional musical career as a member of “The Eight Lancashire Lads”, a troupe of juvenile clog dancers, and soon became popular as an excellent tap dancer. . Before joining Fred Karno Company, Charlie was associated with the theater. After joining Fred Karno, in 1910 he toured America with the ‘vaudeville circuit’ as a rising star. According to Carno’s fellow artist Stan Laurel, Charlie took his violin wherever he could during his American tour in 1912. By this time, he had become so adept at playing the violin that he used to play it with his left hand by reversing the strings of the violin. He used to practice playing it for hours.
When he bought the musical instrument ‘Cello’, he used to carry it around with him. During this time he always wore, like a musician, a long fawn-coloured overcoat with green velvet cuffs and collar and a tilted cap. Despite all this, they had no idea what they were going to do next. Charlie has written that ‘every week he used to take lessons from the theater conductor or whomever he recommended. He had a strong desire to become a concert artist and if not, to use his violin in a ‘vaudeville act’. But as time passed, Charlie realized that he could never excel in this field, so he left it.

Got an opportunity to meet musicians while working in the film

At the end of 1913, Chaplin severed ties with the Carnot Company because he wanted to work in films while living in America. While working at the Mutual Film Company, he had the opportunity to meet composers such as Paderewski and Leopold Godowsky. In the year 1916 he established his own music publishing company. This company printed two thousand copies of the songs written and composed by Charlie, but they could not be sold. Charles Chaplin Music Company closed down the company after publishing three of Chaplin’s songs. Those three songs were- Oh! That Cello, There’s Always One You Can’t Forget, and The Peace Patrol.
After this, Charlie’s interest and engagement in films increased. In the year 1918 he started working in his own studio and took complete control over the production.

Talent shown in film music

Even during the era of silent films, it was common to hire professional arrangers to create suitable musical accompaniments for major films. These were usually compiled from published music, and performed live by each individual cinema that could afford such instrumental combinations. Since Charlie had always been interested in the music for his feature films, he approved and composed the scores for ‘A Woman of Paris (1923)’ with Fredrik Stalberg and ‘The Gold Rush (1925)’ with Carly Elinor. Was co-compiled. In the year 1931, the music composed by Charlie for the film ‘City Lights’ surprised people.
After composing music for the above three films, Charlie also composed the scores for ‘Modern Times’, ‘The Great Dictator’, and ‘Monsieur Verdoux’. When the movie ‘Gold Rush’, which was first released in 1925, was re-released in 1942 with narration by Charlie Chaplin and a musical score composed by him, Charlie was once again appreciated for his music. After City Lights, Chaplin composed the scores for almost all of his films.

Charlie Chaplin was a born musician: Timothy Brock

According to conductor-composer (and Chaplin music expert) Timothy Brock, Charlie was a born musician with genuine musical talent. Even though he could neither read nor write music, complex, sophisticated compositions were completely ready in his mind. His only problem was to convince his colleagues and put down on paper what he could sing or sketch for them on the piano.