• 9/19/23

The Silver Streaks, by Nathan Bieber - recorded at AIR Studios

The Silver Streaks tells the story of my Grandfather, John, who served aboard a B-26 bomber as a gunner and radio operator during WWII. During his time in the European theater, he flew in over 50 combat missions above the continent. My piece, The Silver Streaks, captures a dramatic day-in-the-life of what his time may have been like. The piece begins mournfully and still, suddenly there is a call to action and John and his crew must leap into action. John and his crew take off and, after another moment of stillness, are confronted by a squadron of Luftwaffe fighter planes. A dramatic dogfight ensues: both sides are unleashing heavy fire while planes are crashing and burning. Here I tried to capture the tension one might feel if they were in that situation, and also to create the musical energy necessary to reflect the high-stakes aerial acrobatics. Somehow, John and his crew survive the dogfight with only some cuts and bruises. And with a triumphant setting of the main theme, they return to their base to fight another day.

The piece that I wrote is a film score, however it is not scored to picture. Instead, the piece accompanies a script that I wrote, which is largely based on source material (photos, newspaper clippings, and letters) that my grandfather kept from his time in the war. While the specific events of The Silver Streaks likely did not happen, the piece captures the mood of an experience that was shared by many from that time and beyond.