The Music, The Revolution
MY HOAN NGUYEN (u2084204@uel.ac.uk), PA6202. Level 6. Term 1
Assessment 1
I will discuss how music is used in films. It is very rare to watch a movie that doesn’t include some music. It was not always this common and I picked this subject area so that I could learn more. To be clear I’m not talking about films which are musicals, “Singing in the Rain” and “West Side Story” for example. They consist of filming performances, often based on previous stage plays. While these performances must be arranged, the music is not original. My subject is original music which is composed, performed, and recorded for a film. The film score which accompanies a particular scene is designed to amplify the drama and emotion. To state the obvious: “….music communicates emotions in a particular way” (Hesmondhalgh, 2014) The same can be said about the film (moving images) as well. When the two complement each other, it can be magic.
First a bit of history. Early films were silent due to the primitive state of audio recording technology. (The actors’ words might be shown in a frame.) The early movie theaters often included a live pianist or organist, or even a full orchestra in a large theater. Initially this was primarily to mask the noisy movie projector. Eventually projection rooms (booths) were soundproofed, but some movie companies began to provide a “cue sheet” tailored for a specific film. This indicated when live music should start and stop (synchronized scene by scene), and also the type of mood desired – dark, sad, suspense, action, etc.
Once sound came to movies, initially this only included the actors’ voices, and some sound effects. As comically illustrated in “Singing in the Rain” some silent-era actors couldn’t make the transition because their voices were poor. The recording of the actors’ voices and sound effects has a long, interesting history, which initially built on the technology developed for radio broadcasts. It wasn’t until the 1950s that modern ”film scores” became common. That is original music written specifically to accompany the film. It is “cued” or timed to start/stop at specific points during the film, very similar to the use of live musicians during the silent era described above. In addition, original “theme music“ can be composed – music which is not associated with a particular scene.
Scores are written or composed and then performed and recorded. Scores are performed by a full symphony orchestra when the score is based on Western classical music. This is still the most common, but scores are also influenced by jazz, rock, blues and a wide range of world music styles. Many scores also include electronic elements.
“As the compositions that constitute the classical music tradition of the Western world
probably have many different functions. Yet among those functions is probably
some kind of emotional expression or communication. That is, when aficionados
of classical music attend a concert or turn on their stereo, they usually expect to be
‘moved’. Furthermore, listeners often believe that these emotional reactions are what
the composer intended—that the work is a vehicle for emotional communication. As
Beethoven once put it, ‘Coming from the heart, may it go to the heart’ (Justin, 2019)
Close collaboration between the composer and the movie director (or producer) is required. This is somewhat similar to the collaboration required between the composer of a song’s melody and the lyricist who writes the words. Which comes first? Rogers and Hammerstein collaborated in notable hits over the years: Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music. Hammerstein first wrote the lyrics and then Rogers composed the music. Other successful teams, however, reversed the order.
When it comes to films, the movie comes before the film score in the vast majority of instances. John Williams is the most successful film score composer ever, winning five Oscars, 25 Golden Globe Awards, seven BAFTA film awards, and twenty-five Grammy awards. In 2016 he was the first, and still the only composer, to receive the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement award. It was presented to him by Steven Spielberg who was the presenter. https://youtu.be/tJY5l6I253c
Spielberg starts by noting that the two of them had collaborated on 27 films over 43 Years. He then describes the process. First, everyone (except Williams) makes the movie. Thousands of people working together for months, sometimes years. Then they conduct a “spotting session” where they decide which scenes should have music and which scenes should not. (The power of music also lies in the absence of music) Then Williams sits alone with a yellow pad and begins to write. “The violins play these notes at exactly these times, the flutes do this, the brass plays here, then the percussion comes in over there. “ Since for an average person “,,,the frequencies heard as sound by the ear range ‘from about 20 to about 32,000 in a second.” (Trower. 2012) A symphony orchestra covers the entire range.
Some of these orchestrations are as complex as Debussy and as accomplished as Stravinsky. This is handed over to an orchestra of nearly 100 people and this “arranged marriage” of images and music that audiences fall in love with the movie. Note, the composer is usually not the orchestra conductor.
In his acceptance speech, https://youtu.be/JTmcmxl2OpQ Williams commented that films gave composers the broadest possible audience worldwide. Further that “Beethoven would have shunned it, but Wagner would have embraced it.” While symphonic concerts are popular, far more people are exposed to “original” classical music in films. Several of William’s score were performed and recorded by the London Symphonic Orchestra, yet some traditional music critics are still dismissive,
There are a few examples where the film is edited to fit the music. One instance was Steven Spielberg’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” where he gave John Willaims complete freedom in composing the finale. Spielberg than re-edited the finale to match John Williams music.
L shall now discuss some of Williams famous scores, from “Ten of the Best” https://youtu.be/BX_ioSSRhQk
“Jaws” ominous background was achieved with just two notes. The main “shark” theme, which signals impending danger, consists of a pair of alternating notes, identified as either E and F or F and F sharp. Describing this theme as “grinding away at you, just as a shark would do, instinctual, relentless, unstoppable,” Williams wanted to keep it straightforward. “I just began playing around with motifs that could be distributed in the orchestra, and settled on what I thought was the most powerful thing, which is to say the simplest, Source is “Jaws Soundtrack”, Wikipedia, assessed Dec 10, 2021
“Saving, Private Ryan” is a graphic war film, yet William’s score is contrastingly quiet.
“Star Wars” epic theme is the first on this list which was used in the subsequent sequels. Instantrly recognized, It is considered by some to be the best film score of all time. John Williams sketched the score for his various orchestrations and wrote the music for a full symphony orchestra (ranging from 79 to 113 players overall) and, in several passages, chorus (ranging from 12 to 120 singers overall) and a few non-orchestral instruments. The orchestration is not consistent throughout the different films, but generally, the score makes use of a considerable brass section over a comparatively smaller string section, giving the series its heraldic, brassy sound. “Music of Star Wars,” Wikipedia, assessed Dec 10, 2021
“Jurassic Park” contains elements of awe and wonder (viewing dinosaurs for the first time”, but also intensity and fear when they attack.
“Harry Potter” theme was also used in all the sequels.
“Raiders of the Lost Ark” recognizable theme was used in all the sequels. Williams said the music did not have to be serious for the film and was instead theatrical and excessive. For the romantic scenes he composed something more emotionally monumental that he felt would contrast well with the film's humor and lighter moments.Williams used "dark" orchestral pieces to represent the actions of the Nazis, using the "seventh degree on the scale of the bottom". He said this signified a militaristic evil. To create something suitably biblical for the Ark of the Covenant, he used a mix of chorus and orchestra. Source: “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Wikipedia assessed Dec 10, 2021
“Catch Me If You Can” is a light-hearted film and the music matches.
“Superman” monumental theme builds to a climax. Heroic deeds were treated theatrically, almost cartoonist.
“Schindler’s List” was filmed in black and white, and the score suggests tragedy and loss. Anecdotally when Williams first viewed the film he was overwhelmed, and felt it deserved a more accomplished composer, and Spielberg agreed, but added that they were all dead. The famed violinist Isaac Perlman played a haunting solo.
“E T, the Extra Terrestrial” marvelous score is uplifting. Innocence is depicted, There are almost 80 minutes of music excluding alternates and album arrangements recorded just for the film. In paper the total number of full score excluding instrument parts excess well over 500 pages The orchestra consist of that of a usual standard orchestra with variations, e.g. the end credits consist of 3 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 3 bassoons, 4 horn in f, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba, percussion section, 1 harp, 1 piano and string section. Other parts of the movie required additional instruments such as celeste and organ. During the recording several of the woodwind players also play doubles between their own instrument and piccolo flute, English horn, and a clarinet, and contra bassoon. Source: “ET the Extra-Terrestrial (soundtrack),” Wikipedia. Assessed Dec 10 2021
Although I am primarily a vocalist, I am also an accomplished pianist, and I have composed music. Being a professional musician is very challenging because of all the competition. To survive, let alone succeed, one needs as many skills as possible. I identify with John Williams because he was so versatile. He studied at Julliard in hopes of becoming a concert pianist, but decided that while he was good, he could not compete with contemporaries such as Van Cliburn, so he decided to become a composer and moved to Hollywood where he worked on films and TV shows. Initially he was a movie studio pianist performing on film scores by famous composers such as Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein, Elmer Bernstein, and Henry Mancini. For example, he was the pianist for the soundtrack for the adaptation of Leonard Bernstein's musical, the 1961 West Side Story. Working with a number of successful composers on many different noteworthy films in different genres was invaluable training. As for myself, I will continue to study and learn more about music.
References
Hesmondhalgh, D (2014) Why Music Matters. Wiley & Sons
Justin, P, (2009) Handbook of Music and Emotion. OUP Oxford
Trower, S. (2012) Senses of Vibration, Continuum International Publishing Group
