Movie Music Music Technology I Pentucket Regional High School

The History of Film Music -First came silent films -In 1895, the Lumiere Brothers added a pianist to play along with their movies. Sometimes the music was written out but often it was improvised -In the early 1900's organs could make percussion sound effects -Movie Clip is from "Alice in Wonderland" in 1903.

"The Golden Age" in Film ( ) -In 1926 "Talkies" or talking movies began -First "Talkie" was Don Juan followed by The Jazz Singer -The following clip is from The Jazz Singer (1927)

Notice towards the end of the movie the singer has a black face. Often times black shoe polish would be placed on white actors to make it look like they were black.

The Golden Age Composers -This time period also runs along "The Great American Songbook Period" and has many of the same composers Many Composers Were Fleeing Nazi Areas: Irving Berlin (born Israel Baline from Minsk!), George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers -Most famous at the time, Wolfgang Korngold Vienna whose operas and concert music were highly respected and widely performed. Korngold wrote only sixteen movie scores (most notably Captain Bloodin 1935, Robin Hood in 1938, The Sea Hawk in 1940, and Of Human Bondage in 1946), but his influence on filmmakers, studios, and other composers was very profound. His scores, with lush music often running throughout an entire scene ("wall to wall" as it is termed in the industry) under dialogue and action alike created operatic scenes of great emotional power and sensuousness.

Robin Hood (1938)

Television in the 1960's Everything is Changing! -in 1959, Jazz Pianist Henri Mancini composes soundtrack to the television show Peter Gun with a Stan Kenton/Pete Ruggolo sound -Sound clip is the theme song to Peter Gun and The Pink Panther

1981: Introduction of the Synthesizer! -The synthesizer started taking over the usage of full orchestras -Pioneered by Vangelis in Chariots of Fire (1981) -Video clip is from the opening scene of the movie "Chariots of Fire."

Synthesizer Continues -Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

Synthesizer Today Hans Zimmer

The Man Who Changed Everything

John Williams -Used the Leitmotif tool that Wagner was famous for -Leitmotif is a musical element or passage repeated or assigned for a certain person or situation the occurs more then once in a film or production.

JAWS (1974) Bruce the shark breaks a lot! Music creates the feel that video could not provide!