Alexander Courage (1919–2008) was an American composer and arranger, a veteran of scores of films and television shows, but forever remembered for the theme music to the iconic science fiction television series Star Trek. RRAuction is proud to offer a remarkable and historic pair of original manuscripts, with supporting documentation, of the theme music from Star Trek, as follows: 1) Autograph full-score manuscript in pencil with a few ink additions, titled by Courage “‘The Menagerie,’ Pilot, Concert Score, R1 Pt. 1A Main Title,” signed “Composed & Arranged Alexander Courage, BMI,” four pages, 13 x 8.5, no date [1964]. This manuscript comprises the opening fanfare, 23 measures in length, described by Courage in a letter (see No. 3 below) as “simple, eerie, and bold,” to “express the mystery of outer space, humankind’s curiosity and thirst for exploring the unknown.” The score is arranged for brass, percussion (including vibraphone and bells), and woodwinds. In contrast to the first three neatly written, self-contained pages, the final page comprises several hastier inserts and corrections to the previous music, along with the indication “Can be cut!!” 2) Autograph full-score manuscript in pencil, titled by Courage “‘Pilot Part 2, Star Trek, Where No Man Has Gone Before, Draft” signed “Composed and Arranged by Alexander Courage, BMI,” four pages, 13 x 8.5, no date [1964]. This manuscript constitutes the instantly familiar main theme that became inextricably identified with the show. In a letter (see Number 3 below), Courage described this theme, 39 measures in length and bearing the tempo marking “very fast and spacey,” as “positive, thrusting, and lyrical,” suggesting “the expectancy of discovery.” The score employs an instrumentation somewhat augmented from that of the previous section, including the music’s most distinctive feature: a soaring, wordless vocal line originally sung by Loulie Jean Norman, whom Courage described as “the best of the Hollywood singers.” 3) A detailed three-page TLS of provenance, signed in ink “Alexander Courage” and dated October 21, 2002. Courage provides a complete history of how the music came to be and of the manuscript itself. In part: “These two scores, with the orchestration, are my final efforts at writing the opening fanfare and main theme for Star Trek. (There were [sic] some lesser note scribbling, but those were lost and long gone.) In fact, this was the only time that I hand drew every line rather than using printed out music forms which were always available at the studio. I purposefully added more music than was required as I had heard that Gene Roddenberry had a bad habit of, and reputation for always editing other people’s work, whether the work needed it or not. So, I added a crazy ending to the main title theme. No one has ever seen this ending since it was only done on these pages.... The following year, when scoring the second Star Trek pilot, I changed the arrangement slightly to accommodate the different length of the main title. I added the ‘...where no man...’ name to my early score so as to separate it from ‘The Menagerie.’ These scores are unique. They are the basis for all Star Trek music and are very important pieces of Star Trek music memorabilia. These scores are my only hand-written Star Trek scores in my possession.” As a curious final footnote to his intrusive, exasperating behavior, Roddenberry later added a set of never-used “romantic” lyrics—which may be most charitably described as ridiculous—purely to assert rights as co-composer and thus to share equally in royalties that should have gone solely to Courage. Unimpressed by Roddenberry’s reported defense—“Hey, I have to get some money somewhere. I’m sure not going to get it out of the profits of Star Trek”—Courage quit the series after scoring only two first-season episodes. 4) A TLS explaining Courage’s connection to Star Trek, signed by Herbert F. Solow, head of television production at Desilu Studios during creation of the show, dated December 20, 2002. Mild handling wear to scores, otherwise fine condition. A singular relic from one of the most durable institutions in the pantheon of science fiction and in television history—a true Trekkie treasure! RRAuction COA.
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