Kasiemba Okeyo

November 2007
The History of Film Music

Scene 1: Main Title

The main title sequence of the film brings forth the usual text that comes at the
start of any film: the title and the credits for the cast and crew. However, it accomplishes
this in the rather unusual way of having animated text that moves and presents itself in
wild and somewhat unsettling ways: lines entering the screen from opposite sides of the
screen to meet in the center and form words. The most unsettling word presented,
probably due to both its presentation AND its meaning is the actual title, Psycho, which
is brought to the screen and animated by pieces of the word moving side to side, then
finally leaving the screen in fragments as the other text had already done. Bernard
Hermann also uses this time to set the mood of the film with his heart-pounding overture.
The music maintains a consistent up tempo and forte to fortissimo dynamics
throughout the entire cue. It can be both diatonic AND dissonant. The main motive,
consisting of 10 notes, is quite dissonant and rich in its resulting tension and does a
pristine job of reflecting the Norman Bates split personality. The music has very
rhythmic and pulsating chords but also a diatonic melody that comes in between the
dissonant motive. With these combined characteristics, the music really prepares you for
the level of intensity and darkness of the film.

Scene 2: Phoenix Skyline

The second scene of the film shows the city of Phoenix on a beautiful sunny day
and gives the audience the actually setting of the start of the story: Phoenix, Arizona;
Friday, December 11
th
; 2:43pm. The music is slow and fluid and quite successfully
manages to deviate from both tonality and dissonance through its use of the whole tone
scale in both a harmonic fashion and melodically with the individual voices of the chords.
The harmonies along with the orchestration do a great job of complimenting the beauty of
the Phoenix skyline and, at the conclusion of this cue/scene, presenting us with two of
our main characters. The music does not attempt to dictate any sort of emotional response
but instead carry you into your first real scene of the film and slow things down from the
powerful overture and themes used for the main title sequence.

Scene 3: Sam and Marion

This particular scene shows the interaction of two characters in love but that have
to maintain a distance relationship. A lot of information about the characters is given to
the audience through their dialogue and, as a result, the music stays very light and slow.
Everything in this particular scene revolves around the same 3-note motive. There is a
part when the music stops (a negative accent when Marion says I pay too) and then
continues a minute later. The music is more sequential than diatonic and is rich in
contrapuntal material rather than chords. The music in this scene was probably written
with empathy in mind, and possibly even sympathy, with regard to these two characters
that are in love but because of the present circumstances cannot be together consistently
and comfortably.

Scene 4: The Envelope

In this scene, Marion is in her room packing her bag as she prepares to leave
town. She, showing traces of guilt and indecision, repeatedly stares at the envelope with
the $40,000 in it as she packs. Hermann compliments the scene by starting an moderate
tempo ostinato, a close cousin to the thematic music of the opening credits (but slower,
thinner, and with less intensity). This music starts at the end of Hitchcock zooming in to
the envelope. For a split second, the envelope could pass for a character itself as the
music suggests trouble. The ostinato is suspenseful as it is orchestrated with long
sustained strings both above and below it. This music is not dissonant, nor does it favor
any sort of tonality.

Scene 5: Leaving Town

In this scene Marion is leaving town and becomes very nervous and agitated as
she briefly exchanges glances with her boss, who had expected her to drop the $40,000 at
the bank in a safety deposit box. This is the first time that Hermann uses thematic
material that blatantly came out of the opening overture. This music is similar, if not
parallel, in its orchestral, motivic, and dynamic and rhythmic approach. He probably did
this because this is the first moment the audience experiences the level of tension and
suspense that the opening credits promise as Marion drives toward her own demise. The
music is both dissonant and diatonic in parts but always maintains the strong rhythmic
statement made by the string section and has the 10-note motive just as in the overture.
The music slows down and stops as Marion falls asleep on the road.



In my course of study in orchestration, it has been consistently expressed to me
that the string section of the orchestra is the most powerful section and the word that
comes up most often in terms of justifying this notion is range. The string section is the
section of the orchestra with the widest pitch range, widest dynamic range, and widest
range of tonal variation/sound effects/texture. With that being said, I strongly believe that
Bernard Hermanns decision to use only the string section of the orchestra lies heavily in
that final characteristic mentioned: the strings have the widest range of texture/tonal
variation. They are the best instruments in the orchestra to consistently achieve human
qualities, second only when the actual human voice is present. The film deals heavily in
the flaws of humanity as its content ranges from the guilty conscience of Marion Crane
after stealing the money to the psychotic split personality of Norman Bates. The string
section is the only section of the orchestra that could effectively reflect this range of
humanity and while also reflecting the love story and the innocence of the characters
(which every character in the film has traces of, to some extent). I believe that using only
strings on the entire film would heighten the sense of humanity that their presence gives
the audience because the strings are not sharing the stage with any other instruments.
Thus, the end product is a more thorough look at the humanity in the film.