Lecture 11: The 1980s

Question 1

James Horner - Early Life

Answer 1

• 1953 - 2015
• American born
• grew up in England where he attended the Royal College of Music
• his father worked in the movie business as production
• felt that film composing was not a serious artistic outlet
• began composing for film while at UCLA in 1978 for the American Film Institute (AFI)
• within a year, he got his first major feature film

Question 2

James Horner - Works

Answer 2

• first major feature film = The Lady in Red (1979)
• breakthrough score = Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
• among his best-known work = Aliens (1986), Field of Dreams (1989), Braveheart (1995), Apollo 13 (1996)
• greatest success came in 1997 = Titanic
• he won two Academy Awards = Best Original Score, Best Original Song

Question 3

James Horner - Characteristics

Answer 3

• strong melodic composer, often works with the conventional orchestra
• had exactly the number of notes that it needed, and no more
• also capable of incorporating electronic and avant-garde sounds - very strong at synchronizing music to visual elements
• adept at writing in popular styles

Question 4

Glory - Movie Summary

Answer 4

• 1989
• composer = James Horner
• based on a true story
• when Shaw was young, he was given a commision during the American Civil War
• Shaw was put in charge of a division of African American soldiers
• he discovered that it was basically a PR campaign
• he fought to uphold the dignity of his division

Question 5

Glory - Scene Analysis

Answer 5

• simple, quiet melody played in the trumpet
• then, title card comes on with a snare drum
• the music reinforces the visual structure
• instrument used to carry the main idea = children’s choir
• then, the melody moves to the strings
• when the battle starts, the music disappears

Question 6

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Answer 6

• 1982
• second movie was a callback to the television series
• film is set 15 years later from the original television episode
• Kirk is getting older, and is now Admiral Kirk
• Khan represents Kirk’s one big mistake
• film is about making up for past mistakes, and about getting older

Question 7

Star Trek - Television Series

Answer 7

• starts in the 1960s
• played for 3 seasons
• ideas that were being dealt with were much bigger than the sets
• developed a huge cult following
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture = tried to play big ideas, but none of the adventure

Question 8

Star Trek II - Scene 1 (Kirk and the Enterprise)

Answer 8

• theme is not an action hero theme
• Kirk is no longer a man of action
• it is grand and sweeping, but calm and slow, very tonal
• melody reaches up and falls back
• the full statement of the theme occurs for the first time when we see the entirety of the Enterprise

Question 9

Star Trek II - Scene 2 (Khan Introduction)

Answer 9

• world of the dissonant
• music is like a soundcloud, until we see Khan
• then, the notes hit extremes, and a slow pulse (using synthesizers)
• slow pulse is the beginning of Khan’s rage
• then, we hear the beginning of Khan’s theme = semitones, and then a lashed out note
• all tension, no sense of relief

Question 10

Star Trek II - Scene 3 (Khan Attacks)

Answer 10

• interplay between Kirk’s theme and Khan’s theme
• Horner’s style = based on scene changes
• Khan’s theme gets stronger, while Kirk’s theme starts to get more and more uncertain
• music mirrors confidence of Khan and Kirk
• transformed to minor = sensitive, exposed, fragile