Delia Derbyshire was a Mathematician and Electronic Music Pioneer Genius. If you’ve ever wondered how early electronic musicians worked in a time before computers and synthesizers, the answer is: very laboriously. In the 1960s, composing electronic music the analog way meant working with magnetic tape, which is a cumbersome, finicky medium that demands time, exactness, and perfectionism. The innovation of magnetic tape was that it allowed artists to manipulate natural and found sound once it had been recorded. This is a short documentary on Delia's work.Ron Grainer‘s Doctor Who theme is an iconic masterpiece. But most people don't know that it was a pioneering woman called Delia Derbyshire who created all the sounds and arranged the Dr Who theme. Ron Grainer wanted her credited as co-composer, but because the BBC preferred to keep the members of the Workshop anonymous, Derbyshire’s genius was not recognized, as it should have been, at the time of her creative output. She was never credited as a composer and never saw financial residuals for her work. During her eleven years at the Workshop, Derbyshire would create music and sound for almost two-hundred radio and television programs, including the hauntingly iconic theme song for Doctor Who. - EDIT: I did not write this, these are quotes from other sources.
Thank you for the video, really amazing documentary!!! I love Delia's passion for music!!! She was such a bright and creative artist and had such a sweet voice :) she will never be forgotten for the immense legacy left behind!
Delia Derbyshire was a Mathematician and Electronic Music Pioneer Genius. If you’ve ever wondered how early electronic musicians worked in a time before computers and synthesizers, the answer is: very laboriously. In the 1960s, composing electronic music the analog way meant working with magnetic tape, which is a cumbersome, finicky medium that demands time, exactness, and perfectionism. The innovation of magnetic tape was that it allowed artists to manipulate natural and found sound once it had been recorded. This is a short documentary on Delia's work.Ron Grainer‘s Doctor Who theme is an iconic masterpiece. But most people don't know that it was a pioneering woman called Delia Derbyshire who created all the sounds and arranged the Dr Who theme. Ron Grainer wanted her credited as co-composer, but because the BBC preferred to keep the members of the Workshop anonymous, Derbyshire’s genius was not recognized, as it should have been, at the time of her creative output. She was never credited as a composer and never saw financial residuals for her work. During her eleven years at the Workshop, Derbyshire would create music and sound for almost two-hundred radio and television programs, including the hauntingly iconic theme song for Doctor Who. - I did not write this, these are quotes from other sources.
@@TokyoShemp NO, genius, Plagiarism is when you quote something and DON'T AKNOWLEDGE that you didn't write it, and claim credit for yourself i.e passing off someone else's work as your own - the exact opposite of what I did - way to make yourself look like a total dummy - read a dictionary next time.
@@TokyoShemp - Sorry, shit-for-brains... it's not. Not if you acknowledge that the work isn't your own. Plagiarism is when you try to take credit for what others did.
@@TokyoShemp - What part of "I did not write this, these are quotes from other sources." did you fail to understand? It doesn't need to have footnotes. Just an acknowledgement is sufficient for it to not be plagiarism. If they'd said nothing, *that* would be plagiarism.
Totally agree. As someone involved with this project we haven't forgotten all the women you mentioned. We have even tried to get them to play for us but couldn't get them.
She also worked with Stockhausen and Boulez, and attended the summer school sessions with Boulez too. She was part of the New York avant garde with Lamont young too.
CaroC at 10:42: "The three of us commissioned... er, we got Arts Council funding to commission ourselves to write a response to Delia's archive". Love it!
@@christopherlawley1842 If we're talking about the voice-over at the start, that's definitely not Delia. It's someone reading from a script, emulating her precise use of RP. (Note: I've only just started watching, so they may well have Delia's own voice later on.)
@@christopherlawley1842 Just heard another bit: I recognise the quote from Delia's interviews, but the voice isn't hers. Perhaps they couldn't get the rights to use the original interview recordings? Or perhaps they just wanted the words to be more audible than on those interviews, that were mostly conducted down a 'phone line.
@@therealpbristow and @christopher Lawley thank you for your answers. I was confused by the fact that the voice-overs sounds very similar to the one in The Delian Mode - which is an original interview in the studio, but the sound is too clear and clean that it seems impossibile, even considering the very young age embodied by that voice in this documentary. I am writing an essay on Delia and I wanted to be sure that it wasn't her speaking. :-) thank you
This does make me wonder what Delia would have done with a Commodore Amiga or an Atari ST! How prolific a composer of music for video games she would have been had the BBC had their own software house, supporting our burgeoning games industry instead of slandering it!
14:03 ..My gawd ..being obscure for the sake of being obscure ? God forbid playing the actual Dr.Who theme👍😵 Unbelievable how she left it all behind....It seems she was totally dependent on the Radiophonic Workshop and its hardware. She could've bought a few tape machines and still kept on producing great sounds like Brian Eno did in his own home..... She must've become totally disillusioned. Making such iconic musical pieces and hardly receiving any credit or even financial reward. Apparently she even hadn't enough money to fix her front teeth ?
@@frankshailes3205 Yèh....I know.....it's not very pc correct to make a passing remark about such a totally unimportant thing as one's crooked front teeth , they looked beautiful for goodness' sake .
I am still fascinated and creeped out by her music for the film “The Legend of Hell House.” It’s so unsettling.
What a wonderful exposé and a lovely tribute to such a staggeringly important figure in electronic music. Delia forever.
Wow, this documentary gave me the chills. So moving, and I learned something. I need to watch this again! Thank you.
Delia Derbyshire was a Mathematician and Electronic Music Pioneer Genius. If you’ve ever wondered how early electronic musicians worked in a time before computers and synthesizers, the answer is: very laboriously. In the 1960s, composing electronic music the analog way meant working with magnetic tape, which is a cumbersome, finicky medium that demands time, exactness, and perfectionism. The innovation of magnetic tape was that it allowed artists to manipulate natural and found sound once it had been recorded. This is a short documentary on Delia's work.Ron Grainer‘s Doctor Who theme is an iconic masterpiece. But most people don't know that it was a pioneering woman called Delia Derbyshire who created all the sounds and arranged the Dr Who theme. Ron Grainer wanted her credited as co-composer, but because the BBC preferred to keep the members of the Workshop anonymous, Derbyshire’s genius was not recognized, as it should have been, at the time of her creative output. She was never credited as a composer and never saw financial residuals for her work. During her eleven years at the Workshop, Derbyshire would create music and sound for almost two-hundred radio and television programs, including the hauntingly iconic theme song for Doctor Who. - EDIT: I did not write this, these are quotes from other sources.
Thank you for the video, really amazing documentary!!! I love Delia's passion for music!!! She was such a bright and creative artist and had such a sweet voice :) she will never be forgotten for the immense legacy left behind!
This is quite the brilliant documentary. Delia Derbyshire has been so influential on so many. Sheer groundbreaking genius.
Delia Derbyshire was a Mathematician and Electronic Music Pioneer Genius. If you’ve ever wondered how early electronic musicians worked in a time before computers and synthesizers, the answer is: very laboriously. In the 1960s, composing electronic music the analog way meant working with magnetic tape, which is a cumbersome, finicky medium that demands time, exactness, and perfectionism. The innovation of magnetic tape was that it allowed artists to manipulate natural and found sound once it had been recorded. This is a short documentary on Delia's work.Ron Grainer‘s Doctor Who theme is an iconic masterpiece. But most people don't know that it was a pioneering woman called Delia Derbyshire who created all the sounds and arranged the Dr Who theme. Ron Grainer wanted her credited as co-composer, but because the BBC preferred to keep the members of the Workshop anonymous, Derbyshire’s genius was not recognized, as it should have been, at the time of her creative output. She was never credited as a composer and never saw financial residuals for her work. During her eleven years at the Workshop, Derbyshire would create music and sound for almost two-hundred radio and television programs, including the hauntingly iconic theme song for Doctor Who. - I did not write this, these are quotes from other sources.
That's called plagiarism, genius.
@@TokyoShemp NO, genius, Plagiarism is when you quote something and DON'T AKNOWLEDGE that you didn't write it, and claim credit for yourself i.e passing off someone else's work as your own - the exact opposite of what I did - way to make yourself look like a total dummy - read a dictionary next time.
@@TokyoShemp - Sorry, shit-for-brains... it's not. Not if you acknowledge that the work isn't your own. Plagiarism is when you try to take credit for what others did.
@@Garryck-1 Where are the footnotes, then, scvmb@g?
@@TokyoShemp - What part of "I did not write this, these are quotes from other sources." did you fail to understand? It doesn't need to have footnotes. Just an acknowledgement is sufficient for it to not be plagiarism. If they'd said nothing, *that* would be plagiarism.
Excellent. Thank you for this gem!
fittingly magnificently edited production. very inspiring to get on with the day.
absolutely fabulous film....thank you for making it!
Amazing. Thank you so much
Oh don't I love me a good air raid siren! They make me all nostalgic.
@27:45 - Suzanne Ciani, Éliane Radigue, Bebe Barron, Laurie Spiegel, Pauline Oliveros...
Totally agree. As someone involved with this project we haven't forgotten all the women you mentioned. We have even tried to get them to play for us but couldn't get them.
Daphne Oram, and *maybe* you could add Wendy Carlos as well.
It really doesn’t take much effort to make oneself aware of the abundance of pioneering female electronic artists...
She also worked with Stockhausen and Boulez, and attended the summer school sessions with Boulez too. She was part of the New York avant garde with Lamont young too.
Thank you for 56:57 of enthralled moments.
brilliant
if reincarnation was possible you would surely want delia back,
“The doing is the most important” good ending monologue
55:37 the doing of it that was the pleasure
for a documentary about sound, the balance between noise/music and voices could not be more off
CaroC at 10:42: "The three of us commissioned... er, we got Arts Council funding to
commission ourselves to write a response to Delia's archive". Love it!
I would really appreciate a track list from someone 😄
PSYCHEDELIA!
beautiful and dreamy... can anyone tell me who gives Delia's voice in the documentary? it sounds so clear... isnt'she?
thank you
I think it is Delia. Compare to this documentary czcams.com/video/n2dvGQ32q8g/video.html
@@christopherlawley1842 If we're talking about the voice-over at the start, that's definitely not Delia. It's someone reading from a script, emulating her precise use of RP.
(Note: I've only just started watching, so they may well have Delia's own voice later on.)
@@christopherlawley1842 Just heard another bit: I recognise the quote from Delia's interviews, but the voice isn't hers. Perhaps they couldn't get the rights to use the original interview recordings? Or perhaps they just wanted the words to be more audible than on those interviews, that were mostly conducted down a 'phone line.
@@therealpbristow and @christopher Lawley thank you for your answers. I was confused by the fact that the voice-overs sounds very similar to the one in The Delian Mode - which is an original interview in the studio, but the sound is too clear and clean that it seems impossibile, even considering the very young age embodied by that voice in this documentary. I am writing an essay on Delia and I wanted to be sure that it wasn't her speaking. :-) thank you
@@claudiaattimonelli5363 It's a shame that they don't credit the voice artist (except possibly in the list of "other contributors"?).
39:56
This does make me wonder what Delia would have done with a Commodore Amiga or an Atari ST!
How prolific a composer of music for video games she would have been had the BBC had their own software house, supporting our burgeoning games industry instead of slandering it!
tape looping sampling tape looping sampling tape loop..
14:03 ..My gawd ..being obscure for the sake of being obscure ? God forbid playing the actual Dr.Who theme👍😵
Unbelievable how she left it all behind....It seems she was totally dependent on the Radiophonic Workshop and its hardware.
She could've bought a few tape machines and still kept on producing great sounds like Brian Eno did in his own home.....
She must've become totally disillusioned. Making such iconic musical pieces and hardly receiving any credit or even financial reward.
Apparently she even hadn't enough money to fix her front teeth ?
Who cares about her teeth for goodness' sake? She was beautiful. In mind and talent, not only looks.
@@frankshailes3205 Yèh....I know.....it's not very pc correct to make a passing remark about such a totally unimportant thing as one's crooked front teeth , they looked beautiful for goodness' sake .
i find it ironical that the sound mixing of a documentary about music and sound is complete shit lol
🤨👍
It passes most of us by I suspect