Work Is A Four Letter Word

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Work Is A Four Letter Word poster

Work Is A Four Letter Word is Peter Hall's first feature film, made in 1967 by Calvacade Films[1], released in the UK on 7th June 1968[2] and distributed by Universal Pictures.[1]

I also did the music for Peter Hall's first feature film, Work is a Four Letter Word. I did the electronic part of the music... the bloopy bits when they'd taken the magic mushrooms.
   --Delia, in the Surface interview

She subsequently reworked these themes to make the "Delia's..." tracks on the ESL104 album.

Credits

From the opening titles:

  • Stars: David Warner, Cilla Black
  • Written by: Jeremy Brooks, adapted from the play "EH?" by Henry Livings
  • Director of Photography: Gilbert Taylor
  • Editor: Jack Harris
  • Art Director: Philip Harrison
  • Production Manager: Donald Toms
  • Assistent Director: Claude Watson
  • Sound recordists: Robert MacPhee, Gordon K. McDallum
  • Music Composed and Conducted by: Guy Woolfenden
  • Associate Producer: Ham Haysom
  • Production Controller: Tom White
  • Producer: Thomas Clyde
  • Director: Peter Hall

From the closing titles:

  • Electronic music by Delia Derbyshire

Excerpts

Spectrograms are from A(55Hz) to A(3520Hz) at 200 pixels per second except 9) at 100pps.

1. First theme: "I love you, Betty" (0:15)

Work Is A Four Letter Word - 1 - Spectrogram.jpg

2. Second theme; semitone chord theme: "Mrs Murray? You're beautiful" (0:38)

Work Is A Four Letter Word - 2 - Spectrogram.jpg

3. Delia's theme; first theme reprise: "Val, oh Val, you have such lovely ears" (0:15)

Work Is A Four Letter Word - 3 - Spectrogram.jpg

4. Climbing theme; second theme: "They had been climbing, it seemed, for hours" (0:59)

Work Is A Four Letter Word - 4 - Spectrogram.jpg

5. Spangles; Delia's theme (0:08)

Work Is A Four Letter Word - 5 - Spectrogram.jpg

6. Second theme reprise (0:39)

Work Is A Four Letter Word - 6 - Spectrogram.jpg

7. Second theme slow: "I'm just gonna see to me mushrooms, Betty" (0:15)

Work Is A Four Letter Word - 7 - Spectrogram.jpg

8. Acciaccatura theme (0:13)

Work Is A Four Letter Word - 8 - Spectrogram.jpg

9. Semitone cheeps and mushroom-eating finale (3:20)

Work Is A Four Letter Word - 9 - Spectrogram.jpg

Papers

Preparatory notes

Cue sheets

Notes and sound diagrams

Manuscript scores

Correspondence

Tapes

  • DD129: Tape loops
  • DD199: Rough mix of cue 10M1, sent for approval
  • DD239: "Work is a 4 letter word: Master tape 3"
  • DD240: "Work is a 4 letter word: Master tape 2"
  • DD241: "Work is a 4 letter word: Master tape 1"

Copyright

The Performing Right Society's list of works by Delia Ann Derbyshire has:

Title: Work Is A Four Letter Word
Writer(s): Derbyshire Delia Ann
Creation date: 19 November 1996

Availability

References