Horner Flashcards
Instruments
Double woodwind, (including the darker sounding A clarinet) double bassoon 4 horns 3 trumpets 3 trombones tuba Timpani suspended cymbal bass drum tubular bells bell tree side drum glockenspiel sleigh bells 2 harps piano synthesiser SATB choir Strings
Instrumentation
- large symphony orchestra, augmented by a real choir and by synthetic vocal sounds.
- Traditional symphonic/Romantic treatment of the orchestra with much doubling of parts.
- Few uses of solo timbres
- Mainly middle and lower ranges of each instrument
On a ship
16
-repeated semiquavers
-Violin semiquaver figures, with overlapping Harp broken chords (bar 8-10)
-changes of metre
-Rapid crescendo -diminuendo brass chords
-Off-beat viola pedal
-Bass drum roll leads into next section
-Tubular bell D, which is associated with the ringing of the ship’s bell on the screen
-Violas play tremolando
-Rising figure in thirds at bars 21-22 in violin II,
viola, horn and trombone
-‘Spiky’ off-beat elements introduced in woodwind,
glockenspiel, sleigh bells and piano from bar 61
-Harp glissando up C Lydian scale (76-9)
-Suspended cymbal roll
-rapidly changing variety of textures
-The music up to bar 30 follows the action on screen closely, as the ship’s engines grind into life
-From bar 30 the ship is under ‘full steam’ in the open sea
-doubling of tempo at bar 37
Film music
11
- whole piece is based on cues in the opening of the film
- music changes at different sections of the scenes
- broadening music as if the camera is zooming out. Full picture
- bar 49 pause due to dialogue
- dolphins represented by glockenspiel in 68
- cymbals represent waves splashing
- Tension ‘relaxes’ at bar 28 as the music ‘sinks’ into G major
- Tension, volume and speed increases as the engines on the screen get up to speed
- 25-9 Music arrives at first climax point. Titanic under full steam.
- Few uses of solo timbres and not virtuosic, more background music
- tubular bells, bell tree, sleigh bells are sounds of ship
Film music instrumentation
- dolphins represented by glockenspiel in 68
- cymbals represent waves splashing
- Few uses of solo timbres and not virtuosic, more background music
- tubular bells, bell tree, sleigh bells are sounds of ship
Film music melody
- broadening music as if the camera is zooming out. Full picture
- bar 49 pause due to dialogue
- Tension, volume and speed increases as the engines on the screen get up to speed
- 25-9 Music arrives at first climax point. Titanic under full steam.
Film music structure
- whole piece is based on cues in the opening of the film
- music changes at different sections of the scenes
- 25-9 Music arrives at first climax point. Titanic under full steam.
On a ship instrumentation
-Violin semiquaver figures, with overlapping Harp broken chords (bar 8-10)
-Rapid crescendo -diminuendo brass chords
-Off-beat viola pedal
-Bass drum roll leads into next section
-Tubular bell D, which is associated with the ringing of the ship’s bell on the screen
-Violas play tremolando
-Rising figure in thirds at bars 21-22 in violin II,
viola, horn and trombone
-‘Spiky’ off-beat elements introduced in woodwind,
glockenspiel, sleigh bells and piano from bar 61
-Harp glissando up C Lydian scale (76-9)
-Suspended cymbal roll
On a ship rhythm and metre
-repeated semiquavers
-changes of metre
-Off-beat viola pedal
-‘Spiky’ off-beat elements introduced in woodwind,
glockenspiel, sleigh bells and piano from bar 61
On a ship texture
- Rapid crescendo -diminuendo brass chords
- rapidly changing variety of textures
- doubling of tempo at bar 37
