A new sound is coming to the University of Colorado Boulder thanks to a generous donation by alumnus Rodney Sauer.
Sauer received his master’s in chemistry in 1989, and during his time at Boulder, Sauer fell in love with silent film scores.
When Sauer found out that there was a collection of silent film scores being sold in California in 2013, he could not pass up the opportunity. He purchased the scores, loaded them in a truck and drove them to his home in Colorado.
The collection included 4,000 scores ranging from the years 1900 to 1929. He then spent the next five years studying the scores, cataloging them, scanning them, and even performing them.
“By the time I was halfway through I realized it was going to take me way too long to finish this project myself,” Sauer said.
Sauer decided to donate the scores to CU Boulder this year. The university now continues the process of scanning the scores, in order to have them be more accessible.
Susan Thomas is the director of the American Music Research Center for CU Boulder. The center works on research, outreach, and development of musical curriculum to bring materials, such as the silent film scores, to the classroom for students.
“We’ve been the very grateful recipients of donations by the same donor before I got here, but this collection is really kind of unmatched and it’s significant not just for us here at CU but for silent film scholars nationally,” Thomas said.
“We’ve been working with some scholars who work specifically on silent film, not here at CU, but are willing to work with us on grant projects to digitize this collection and make it more accessible to other scholars.”
Pablo Kjolseth, director of the International Film Series at CU Boulder, is impressed with Rodney’s dedication to preserving the past.
“It comes down to knowledge and passion, which Rodney has in spades,” he said.
Sauer is part of an ensemble called The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. It is a quintet that performs photo music, specific to silent films and have played all over the country at various festivals such as the San Francisco Film Festival, the Telluride Film Festival, the Denver Silent Film Festival, the Chautauqua Auditorium film series, and more.
“I’m playing with some of the best musicians I’ve ever worked with and they enjoy this music too. Part of the charm for us is it’s undiscovered,” Sauer said.
The group will perform on CU Boulder’s campus at 2 p.m. Nov. 17 in Muenzinger Auditorium. They will play music with the Swedish silent film “The Phantom Carriage” (1921). The music is part of the collection Sauer donated.
