1. Chapter 19 – Film Music
The rise of the symphonic film score began in what decade?
1930s
Most film music was written first by European composers writing in the European-symphonic tradition.

2. A Realistic Film of the American West
An early example of an American composer writing for film can be found in The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936).
a documentary film on drought-stricken farm families and the aid of the federal government
filmmaker: Pare Lorentz
composer: Virgil Thomson ( )
musical Americanisms:
a Calvinist psalm tune
cowboy songs
African American blues
World War I songs

3. Two films about small town and big city
Aaron Copland’s music for Our Town
Leonard Bernstein’s music for On the Waterfront

4. Three Career Film Composers
Max Steiner ( )
European
born in Vienna, Austria
worked in musical theater (frequently in Paris and London)
America (New York)
on and off Broadway
1924: worked on George Gershwin’s Lady Be Good! And Jerome Kern’s Sitting Pretty
Hollywood
: composed music for more than 130 films at RKO Radio Pictures
King Kong (1933)
his first celebrated full-length film score
s: worked mostly for Warner Brothers
Gone With the Wind (1939)
one of his most memorable film scores

5. Steiner’s musical style
- “romantic,” broad, sweeping melodies
- rooted firmly in classical principles
- largely derived from nineteenth-century, central European models
- Richard Wagner-influenced style of music’s dramatic functions
- use of melodies that are tied to specific characters and themes

6. Bernard Hermann (1911-1975) “The Murder” Psycho score born in New York
studied at New York University and the Juilliard School
: arranger and composer for CBS Radio
music for radio dramas
collaborated with Orson Wells ( ) on War of the Worlds (1938)
1941: music for Wells’ Citizen Kane
c.1955-c.1964: collaborated with Alfred Hitchcock ( )
The Trouble with Harry (1955)
Marnie (1964)
Psycho (1960)
many others
“The Murder” Psycho score
use of glissando in the “screaming strings”
short, repeated melodic fragments

7. Hermann’s musical style
“modernist” frequent use of short melodic fragments
What is a “cue”? a passage of music that is written for a specific moment in a film Example: “The Murder” music in Psycho

8. John Williams (b. 1932) born in New York; soon moved to Los Angeles
Education
classical and jazz lessons
Juilliard School
UCLA
: conducted and wrote music for the Air Force Band
1950s: composed music for television
1960s: music for comedy films
1970s: began long musical collaboration with Steven Spielberg
Jaws
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Schindler’s List (1993)
1977: first of the Star Wars movies (George Lucas)

9. Williams’ musical style
more in the style of Steiner than Hermann
broad, lush, nineteenth-century approach
Wagner-like musical motives
melodies reflect characters
melodies can also change in order to reflect character development

10. an example of how music can project a character.
The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme) Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back
an example of how music can project a character.
Listen for
march style
dark musical key (minor)
blaring brass instruments over “shuddering” strings