Dear all

I was the composer on this score which was produced & recorded in England and I also researched the shanties for the show (& I'm so sorry but someone only pointed this link out to me after the event Rickard!)

In the original book by Melville:-

"What do ye do when ye see a whale, men?"

"Sing out for him!" was the impulsive rejoinder from a score of clubbed voices.

"Good!" cried Ahab, with a wild approval in his tones; observing the hearty animation into which his unexpected question had so magnetically thrown them.

"And what do ye next, men?"

"Lower away, and after him!"

"And what tune is it ye pull to, men?"

"A dead whale or a stove boat!"

Nigel Williams in his adaptation quotes this speech almost word for word ..... so I was honour bound to make a shanty tune work with that famous quote as there's even a statue in New Bedford with a whaleman & the line carved in stone.

As I was asking actors to sing this whilst filming scenes rowing out on the ocean, I thought the well known "Blow boys blow" meter worked well with the meter of the line "A dead whale or a stove boat" ..... also would be something that felt kind of organic with the action ... so set about making my own hybrid .... I wrote this version that we shot (not all ended up in the final cut):-

A dead whale or a stove boat
Row boys row
Aim the spear and make him float
Blow my bully boys blow

Race across the churning brine
Row boys row
The old whale's heart is surely thine
Blow my bully boys blow

A dead whale or a stove boat
Row boys row
Aim the spear and make him float
Blow my bully boys blow

I see the opening maw of hell
Row boys row
Of which the bravest lads do tell
Blow my bully boys blow

A dead whale or a stove boat
Row boys row
Aim the spear and make him float
Blow my bully boys blow

Tight the rope, 'n sharp the blade
Row boys row
And may our salty souls be saved
Blow my bully boys blow

A dead whale or a stove boat
Row boys row
Aim the spear and make him float
Blow my bully boys blow

We'll take him deepening down to doom
Row boys row
plunging to his watery tomb
Blow my bully boys blow

A dead whale or a stove boat
Row boys row
Aim the spear and make him float
Blow my bully boys blow

Awash with blood the sea will boil
Row boys row
And home we'll take the golden oil.
Blow my bully boys blow

A dead whale or a stove boat
Row boys row
Aim the spear and make him float
Blow my bully boys blow

Chase the boy and bring him down
Row boys row
Our prize will be his red rose gown
Blow my bully boys blow

A dead whale or a stove boat
Row boys row
Aim the spear and make him float
Blow my bully boys blow

As I have done in many movie scores,(particularly a film called A GOOD WOMAN starring Helen Hunt & Scarlett Johhanson) if we need to create a tense or dark atmosphere in the drama, I like working score across source music that I've previously prepared in order to create a kind of ominous feeling. In this case the snatch that you have on an mp3 is used when we - the audience - know that a bunch of guys are rowing away from the Pequod (Ahab's ship) and off into a very dangerous situation .... Moby Dick is "out there" .... !!! Whilst they go off to work .. harpooning whales singing this shanty .... WE KNOW THEY ARE IN MORTAL DANGER ..... hence this weird clip which sounds odd taken out of context.

I spent much time working on all the source music for the film and indeed had the privilege of speaking with the amazing Doctor Stuart Frank - shanty expert second to none at the New Bedford Whaling museum .... I really was attempting to give the shanties total authenticity. He kindly added a huge amount of reference material to my research which I endeavoured to make use of. However .... ..... in reality, it was only feasible for the actors to undergo just one week of training in the various marine skills, and they found it very difficult to work, chant & act. The original sailors worked with these chants for years and I can't tell you the amount of effort that i personally put in to getting the shanties into the film as authentically as possible (and in the correct positions of narrative which related to the voyage)

Sadly there are always so many practicalities involved in mounting a production of this scale, so a list of priorities have to be made and it wasn't always possible to give the shanties the priority we would have all loved. For example whilst we were shooting many of these scenes down in Malta, there were bad storms on many days, giving the actors periods of dreadful sea sickness. This coupled with the amount of scenes that had to be shot every day and continuity of varying seas gave Mike Barker (the director) an almost impossible task ...... for which he should be give some sort of Maritime medal for even coming in with ANY footage under the circumstance!
As well as this production of Moby Dick, Dr Frank also intimated from his various experiences, whenever anyone is musically involved on set with projects of this nature, it is impossible given the incredible lists of requirements of the riggers, lighting guys, camera operators, sound guys, actors ..... uncle Tom Cobbly and all .... to give something such as the sea shanties a high priorty. I as composer, did a huge amount of homework but as the scenes were being shot, the music on set often had to take a back seat to the important business of making the movie narrative work. Some days it was impossible to even get through the pages of dialogue necessary .... availablity of actors on certain days coupled with the weather makes Moby Dick a very arduous production.

Having said all this I think the results work way beyond anyones expectations. The cast and direction is magnificent .... the cinematography stunning and all in all this will I hope be seen to be the definitive MOBY DICK.

I sure hope you guys are happy that the use of shanty works well enough to not impair your enjoyment of this wonderful production .... it's sure been an incredible journey for me.

Many apologies for the dreadful rushed nature of this note but i'm in the middle of a heavy work load but wanted to make this connection with you guys and this terrific website.

Keep up the good work for lovers of sea shanty everywhere!

All best wishes
Richard G Mitchell