'Emmanuelle', Instrumental Theme - Pierre Bachelet, Hervé Roy (& King Crimson?)
Pierre Bachelet’s ‘Emmanuelle Song’ became an international hit, both in its English and French versions sung by the composer himself, and was crucial in getting Just Jaeckin’s film publicised in 1974. However, the music which really dominates the film itself is a repetitive instrumental theme, which plays out the erotic scenes. It is heard about seven times in the film, in various forms and instrumentations.
It is now well known that Pierre Bachelet and Hervé Roy lifted this theme from ‘Larks' Tongues in Aspic’, an instrumental album by the English rock group, King Crimson, released just the previous year. The B side, ‘Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part II’ was written solely by lead-guitarist, Robert Fripp, and is dominated by a simple riff which falls and rises in minor thirds - Bachelet and Roy simply inverted this riff, so it that it now rises then falls in tones. They also used exactly the same chord progression as Fripp (G7, Bb7, Ab7, D7), and the same 5/4 time signature.
The more percussive chord sections in Fripp’s piece were themselves inspired by the 'Dance of the Young Girls' from Stravinsky's ‘Rite of Spring,’ with accents placed on specific beats (3+3+2.) These lines of chords are interrupted every few bars by strange arpeggiated figures (inspired by Bartók’s string quartets) - again, all of this can be heard in the middle section of the Bachelet/Roy theme.
When ‘Emmanuelle’ was released in cinemas to great success across the world it was only a matter of time before King Crimson got wind that their music had been ‘borrowed.’ When interviewed in 2007, Robert Fripp confirmed the matter was settled ‘out of court.’ Perhaps this also explains why this instrumental theme is conspicuously absent from the official soundtrack release of 1974, from Warner Bros. Records. The main riff features on one track titled, ‘Emmanuelle Theme (Instrumental-Variation)’, but a high-pitched synthesizer tone is dubbed over the top, which obscures the actual music. The Stravinsky/Bartok-inspired percussion movement is also presented in the track ‘Rape Sequence’, but again the music is obscured by discordant saxophones added on top. I suspect this was all intentional, to make the theme less conspicuous. In any case, the rest of the original soundtrack has never been released since.
In spite of its problematic history, I think this instrumental track is actually the defining theme of the film, more so than Bachelet’s title song. I also find it easier listening than King Crimson’s earlier incarnation. Legal matters aside, it is simply music which evolved through several composers and musicians - the end result justifies the means.
I am just an amateur and do not own any of this.