Week 6

Question 1

What year did High Noon release?

Answer 1

1952

Question 2

How was High Noon related to pop music?

Answer 2

whole score based off Tiomkin’s “Do not forsake me”
Composer took basic elements of the melody and applied it into other cues/themes/leitmotifs in what the orchestra is doing in the film

Question 3

what is a movie song?

Answer 3

where they put the song out first, and give it promotion, in order to give the upcoming film promotion. if the film is good, it’ll give the song further promotion

Question 4

what movie did we see the first movie song?

Answer 4

high noon, won an academy award

Question 5

what information is given in “do not forsake me”, regarding High Noon (1952)

Answer 5

1. frank miller’s theme is heavily used throughout the song
2. scenes are timed to music
3. plot of movie laid out in song

Question 6

What was the stylization of High Noon (1952) during the “do not forsake me” scene?

Answer 6

director uses series of still shots, almost like a tableau

depth and stylization is timed to music, almost like you’re looking at paintings

Question 7

Bernard Herrman lifetime

Answer 7

1911-1975

Question 8

Where was Bernard Herrman born? Where did he study?

Answer 8

born in NYC, studied at Julliard

Question 9

What was Herrman’s first job? How did he stand out?

Answer 9

CBS radio show, wrote music for radio plays
his claim to fame: he would pick a small, but unusual combo of instruments to capture a sound for the play. he was trying not only to give plays a unique musical score, but also a unique musical sound

Question 10

What was the connection between Bernard Herrman and Orson Wells?

Answer 10

They put on a show of a book “The war of the worlds”, written by H.G.Wells - it became “The night that panicked America”
Orson Wells was then recruited to direct Citizen Kane (1941), and brought Bernard Herrman with him

Question 11

What was the first movie Bernard Herrman worked on? who directed it?

Answer 11

Citizen Kane (1941), with dir. Orson Wells

Question 12

What was Bernard Herrman’s breakout film?

Answer 12

Citizen Kane (1941)

Question 13

Who composed The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)

Answer 13

Bernard Herrman

Question 14

What is a soundcloud?

Answer 14

a collection of notes on high range, mid range, low range, and there’s an uncertainty to it

Question 15

Who was famous for using soundclouds?

Answer 15

Bernard Herrman

Question 16

Describe the characteristics of the score of The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)

Answer 16

music with uncertainty, sense of anticipation, uses soundclouds, uses diminished scales, dissonant, music is evenly paced and relentless, big heavy brass instruments, bottom end of piano

Question 17

At the start of film, why were most scores written for symphonies?

Answer 17

1. Symphonies was a standard performance ensemble, very easy to find, standardized around most European cities
2. Most composers at the start of film were born and trained as concert hall composers, so they continued writing film scores based off the instruments and rules they learned

Question 18

Why did scores transition as concert hall music started dying out? What did they transition to?

Answer 18

When music started being recorded and added to the film, accessibility was no longer an issue. As long as the instruments could be found for the recording session, it could be recorded
started becoming dissonant, or pop music. concert hall faded out

Question 19

Who composed and directed Vertigo (1958) and North by Northwest (1959)

Answer 19

dir. Alfred Hitchcock. composed by: Bernard Herrman

Question 20

What were the censorship issues surrounding Psycho (1960)?

Answer 20

Woman having affair, ““nude”” scene, stabbing with gore and blood
(all of these were #fakenews)

Question 21

How did Bernard Herrman’s score for Psycho (1960) reflect the black and white film production?

Answer 21

Herrman used only strings. He created a variety of sounds with strings:
-cold, detached
-deep and rich
-pluck
but overall he set a single mood, and shows little response to what happens minute by minute

Question 22

Describe the score from the “money” scene from Psycho (1960)

Answer 22

detached, short, repetitive theme that fractures. alters only slightly
quiet but unsettled - Marion’s discomfort with theft
Grows in intensity as she decides to take the money
music does not change

Question 23

Describe the score from the “flight” scene from Psycho (1960)

Answer 23

music enters as she makes her escape
plays at fear of being caught, then music represents her “dark side” as she feels like a badass for stealing money; music starts off as the threat TO Marion, then becomes threat OF Marion
motion & rhythm, unsettling distorted quality