Class Notes #3
What is music? see: general definitions
Can music have meaning? If so in what way is meaning conveyed - consider music with lyrics (song, choral music, opera, musicals, rock, rap ...) vs. instrumental music.
How does music cause an emotional response especially in cinema? What are the "tools" that film composers employ to evoke particular responses? Can these be categorized and simply "pulled off the shelf".
A very brief history of film music
In Prendergast "Film Music - A neglected art (2nd edition)" we learn about the organization of music libraries by the major film houses during the early years of silent movies up to about 1930. (note - first popular "talkie" was "The Jazz Singer" in 1927 staring Al Jolson. Clearly a film about music! There were a few earlier takies but this movie become wildly succesfull mainly due to Al Jolson's performance. Otherwise it is not considered to be an important film.)
How was music organized? What were music libraries?
1919 - Guiseppe Becce "Kinobibliothek" (or Kinothek for short)
Compendium/catalog of musical excerpts that could appropriately accompany specific dramatic situations. For example from another similar catalog "The Handbook of Film Music" (Prendergast, pp 6,7).
Dramatic Expression (Main Concept)
1. Climax (subordinate concept)
a) catastrophe
b) Highly dramatic agitato
c) Solemn atmosphere; mysterious in nature2. Tension - Misterioso
a) Night: sinister mood
b) Night: threatening mood
c) Uncanny agitato
d) Magic: apparition
e) Impending doom: "something is going to happen"For each of these dramatic moments, sections of scores and parts from the literature and from new "cues" composed by Becce and others would be assembled in order with in some cases rough timings. The pianist, organist or ensemble would play these in order to provide a kind of "pasticcio" to accompany the silent and ghostly images in screen.
Another form of music making was just as important - the piano or organ improvisor who could play from memory or improvise on the spot suitable musical passages while watching and synchronizing with the silent movie. In fact there is a wonderful and complex history of the "theater organ" - a grand (or grandiose) extension of the church pipe organ designed to provide the performers with a huge palette of sounds for cinematic accompaniment. There are many sites devoted to this nearly lost art form.
Click here to listen to theater organ examples: <here>
During the peak of the movie industry (1935-1950) on a given week close to 65% of Americans would attend "the movies" (several movies, newsreels, cartoons). Now the movie going public is in the order of 10%. Movie scores matured rapidly and we will look at several of the most important in the coming weeks.
Today there are massive on-line libraries organized by "type" or "scene" or "emotion".
For example: Partners in Rhyme
These are used for many kinds of film & video production. Consider the countless "in house" videos that companies make to promote new products or train/inform employees, clients, investors. There are also many low-budget TV shows that use canned music from these sites.
You should do a search on your own for "Royalty Free Music" and explore all these possibilities.
Musical Forms
Blues: aab (3, 4-bar phrases)
Popular Song - aaba (4, 8 bar phrases) "Yesterday" a perfect example.
verse-chorus - "Hotel California" a perfect example.
Round (Row, Row, Row) - a form of canon. Oldest surviving -1260AD!
Chord Progressions - great site!