Page "Bernard Herrmann" Paragraph 39

His philosophy of orchestrating film was based on the assumption that the musicians were selected and hired for the recording session — that this music was not constrained to the musical forces of the concert hall.

For example, his use of ten harps in Beneath the 12 Mile Reef created an extraordinary underwater-like sonic landscape ; his use of four bass flutes in Citizen Kane contributed to the creepy opening, only matched by the use of 12 flutes in his unused Torn Curtain score ; and his use of the serpent in White Witch Doctor is possibly the first use of that instrument in a film score.