Music in Film Reading Notes

Monophonic The presentation of a single melodic line without any other musical
material. Not common in film music and heard mostly as brief contrast, often used
for dramatic effect.
Example: a single woodwind instrument playing the principal theme of E.T.
Can also be used to represent the past, such as Gregorian chant
Counterpoint / contrapuntal two or more equal melodies which are usually
similar to each other.
Example: Frere-Jaque which is called imitation
Contrapuntal settings of longer themes are unusual in film music, but can be
effective, such as in a climatic scene of A place in the Sun, where the
counterpoint suggests a chase.

Harmony
Dissonance Example is Bernard Herrmans score of Psycho (1960) . The bottom
three notes of the chrords, create a traditional harmony. But the top notes clashes
with the bottom one, and the resulting dissonance establishes the dark mood of the
story of a disturbed psychological state.

- Traditional Western harmony depends on dissonances and their resolution.
There are a number of movies that use continuous dissonance with out
resolution. The result is a disturbing mood, suggesting that something is
wrong.

Tritone - Special interval known as a diminished fifth, argumented forth, creates
great tension both melodically and harmonically in traditional western music.
- Example: The harshness of the Rowing theme for Ben-Hur can be attributed
in part to the melodic outline of two tritons.
-
Chromatic Modern art musics abandonment of the two seven-note scales and
employ melodies and harmonies using all twelve pitches found in the octave.

Electronic Instruments
- Forbidden Planet (1956) used a completely electronic score created in a
studio by Bebe Barron.
- Walter/Wendy Carlos abandoned the electronic studio in favor of the Moog
synthesizer, for Kubricks A Clock work orange (1971). Since that time, the
synthesizer has greatly transformed the sound of film scores.
- In combination with computers, the synthesizer remains a valuable tool for
its ability not only to replace acoustic instruments, but also to create a new
musical sounds.



Chapter 4: Listening to Film Music

Simplest terms, music in film can be divided in three:
1. Dialogue (principal focus of our conscious listening)
2. Sound effects (peripheral hearing)
3. Music (peripheral hearing)

Placement
- medley : presenting several musical themes that will be heard in the film
- entracte immediately precedes the resumption of the film, functioning like
an overture to the second part
- The music during the opening credits is usually more significant for the film
as a whole, but the overture can still help establish a mood and acquaint the
audience with themes from the film.
Music within the narrative
- Source music heard as part of the drama itself, sort of a sound effect and
the audience does not have to see the source of the sound.
o Rear Window (1954) There is no underscoring, all the music comes
from radios and musical instruments creating a great impact.
- Underscoring has no logical source in the drama itself. Performed by an
unseen orchestra, jazz band, etc. underscoring creates a general mood and
guides us emotionally and psychologically through the course of the film.
o If the character can hear the music, it is source, if they cannot then it is
underscoring.
- Cue - a passage of underscoring from its entrance, the number and length in
a given film can vary greatly.
- Wall to Wall - music plays almost continuously
o The beginning of a cue may coincide with other sound effects so that
the viewer may be unaware that music has been added, and cues often
fade without notice. However, the dramatic entrance or abrupt
stopping of music can have a strong emotional impact on the
audience.
Borrowings
- Arrangement Borrows a melody from another source, and the film
composer provides it with an original setting suited to the film.
- Adaptation Borrows a complete passage from another source, including
both melody and accompaniment.
- Compilation scores In silent film era, scores that are a pastiche of
borrowed music.
- Adapted music In the sound era, refers to film music that is substantially
borrowed.
o The principal differences between the two terms are the eras from
which they originate and the amount of music in the film score. The
compilation score from the silent era suggests non-stop, wall-to-wall
music, while the adapted score from the sound era uses music more
sparingly.
Running counter to the action When the music depicts a mood that deliberately
does not match what is happening in the screen.