Week 8 Flashcards
To understand the trends in 1960s/1970s in film soundtracks
T/F - 2001 A Space Odyssey used a compiled score
True
Was the soundtrack for 2001 A Space Odyssey a convential sountrack?
No, it was seen as a new approach to the relationship between music and film
True/False - 2001 A Space Odyssey used tonal music from the early 19th century by Johann Sebastian Bach and atonal music from the 21st century (Dua Lipa)
False - caps are the corrections
2001 A Space Odyssey used tonal music from the LATE 19th century by Johann STRAUSS II and atonal music from the 21st century (GYORGY LIGETI)
Who initially composed for 2001 Space Odyssey? Who was he changed to?
Alexander North wrote original
Music trashed for Johann Strauss II (tonal music) and Gyrogy Ligeti (atonal music)
where was Jerry Goldsmith born? Why is this location significant?
Los Angeles - he wanted to be a film composer, he didn’t accidentally end up in film music
Who did Jerry Goldsmith study under?
Mikolos Rosza at USC
What field did Jerry Goldsmith come from before film music?
television
What year was Patton released? Who composed it?
1970, Jerry Goldsmith
T/F Patton (1970) had a really “full” score - nearly 2h of music for a 3h film
False. spare score, less than 40 minutes for a 3h film
what was the musical focus in Patton (1970)?
the music focused heavily on the character of Paton
What was significant about the manipulation of instruments in Patton (1970)? Why did he do this?
electronic processing on orchestral instruments to create an echo of a trumpet. the trumpet call is what Patton answers over and over again through his reincarnation
what was significant about tora tora tora?
it portrayed characters in a non-racist way. japanese people spoke japanese, they weren’t seen as senseless killing machines, they were given character&humanity
Why did Goldsmith write short scores for most films?
he wanted contribute positively to a film with every single addition of music, did not want music to be just “filling space” or trying to distract from a shitty part of a movie
What were significant films that Jerry Goldsmith composerd for?
Tora! Tora! Tora and Patton
What is the plot of Patton?
Patton is a deeply religious Protestant man, who believed God took sides in war. He also believed in reincarnation, and believed God put him on earth to be a war general
what are the three themes are seen in the score for Patton (1970), for the character of Patton?
- Tonal military march
- Religious theme, simple based on Prostetant church music
- Reincarnation theme, using electronic processing in recording studio
Describe the score of the North Africa scene in Patton (1970)
sound cloud of strings and woodwinds, use of electronic echo on trumpet (reincarnation theme).
feels like two different things going on - trying to see overlap of multiple different reincarnations of this guy, sounds a lil bit dissonant, a lil bit out of tune, uses multiple themes
where have we seen “sound clouds?
Bernard Herrman and Gerry Goldsmith
Describe the score of the Advance in Europe scene in Patton (1970)
montage - blending of all three themes
- march theme accompanies Patton and advancing troops
- religious (Protestant) theme accompanies the commanding officers because we’re seeing Patton as an answer to the ally’s prayers
- reincarnation theme when we see list of German casualties to show the ‘cost’ of Patton because we’re seeing Patton come back in order to kill these Germans
Which film did Jerry Goldsmith utilize modernism?
Planet of the Apes (1968)
what year did Planet of the Apes come out?
1968
describe the plot of Planet of the Apes?
it’s a fairytale - it’s actually a social and political critique of the late 1960s
big part of it is based on the idea of racial segregation. the apes are clearly defined in different species of ape having different jobs. you can see the higher you go in the ladder, the lighter skinned the apes become
what was significant about the instruments in Planet of The Apes (1968)
blend of orchestral instruments with elements such as animal horns and mixing bowls
who composed Planet of the Apes (1968)?
Jerry Goldsmith
T/F - the entire score of Planet of the Apes is tonal. Why or why not?
False. it is entirely modern and atonal and dissonant
we only hear one single tonal moment, and it’s when the main character has the upper hand
full of atonality b/c the main character is in a world he doesn’t understand, is out to be killed, and is on the run from communism & the apes
which movie used a Prepared piano? what is it? why was it used?
Open up piano, and then attach random shit withloose metal filaments to the strings to change pitch and create a different tack. Some will ring, some will thump, some will buzz, etc. we see this in Planet of the Apes (1968).
describe the score of “The Takers” scene from Planet of the Apes (1968)
music for the astronauts is atonal but strongly organized. clear even rhythm supported by snare drum
music for unseen takers is chaotic, “chirping” woodwinds, log drums - more “primitive” sound
describe the score of “The crossing part 1” scene in Planet of the Apes (1968)
no clear organization, more sound than music. use of electronic echo, metal sheet, ram’s horn. violins all start on the same not, and some pull away to a different note, so it almost sounds like half are falling out of tune and coming back in. trying to sound unfamiliar and make you unsure
when does structure come in, in Planet of the Apes (1968). what is the melody?
when there’s plants found in Planet of the Apes.
melody unfolds in sets of three notes. four sets of three notes, 24 notes, two sets of 12. when we get to the end of these 24, we get a swish and the whole pattern starts over again
Describe the score of “the crossing pt 2” scene in Planet of the Apes (1968)
clear melodic structure using 12-Tone technique
when there’s plants found in Planet of the Apes. TONAL AF.
melody unfolds in sets of three notes. four sets of three notes = two sets of 12 = 24 notes. when we get to the end of these 24, we get a swish and the whole pattern starts over again
what was the musical influence of Arnold Schoenberg. what movie did he influence, and what scene?
2nd Viennese School. 1923, development of “tone rows”
treat all 12 notes with equal importance. moving away from major/minor tonality.
influenced Planet of the Apes (1968), “the crossing” scene
describe the score of “the apes” scene in planet of the apes (1968)
strong rhythm adds urgency to the scene
more intense as the apes are gradually revealed
music peaks with the ram’s horn - accompanies the first clear view of the apes - like a distortion of a hunting horn
describe the score of the final scene in Planet of the Apes (1968)
you don’t get relief. you get soun of waves and fade to black. no relief at all at the end of the film. you’re supposed to feel like shit about the ending, it wants to make you think
T/F - after the 1940s, film music has been moving away from conventions of Seiner and Korngold
True. increasing influence of American composers, increasing importance of popular music and modernism (atonality), and technology
how many films are produced in 1970 vs 1937? why?
1970s: 160 films per year
1937: 538 films produced
costs increasing over 400% from 1972-1979
how much did costs increase from 1972-1979?
72-77: 178%
77-79: 200%
what was the transition of score “genre”?
from orchestra to pop scores
where do we see pop scores?
the graduate 91967), easy rider (1969), the last picture show (1971), american graffiti (1973)
why do we see a transition from orchestra to pop scores?
chaper, and promotion
T/F - films started being produced around pop songs. why?
True. cheaper&promotion
where, when was John Williams born? where did he train?
born in 1932 to musical parents in the US.
trained as a concert pianist at Julliard.
studied film music at UCLA
who was John Williams an orchestrator for?
Tiompkin
where did John Williams work before breaking into film? name some notable credits.
television (late 1950s). Lost in Space, Land of the Giants, Gilligan’s Island.
when did John Williams break into film?
late 1960s, film work
What genre of films was John Williams known for?
comedies and disaster films
What year was Sugarland Express released? who directed it? who composed it?
- dir: Steven Spielberg. composed: John Williams
what year was Jaws released? who directed it? who composed it?
- dir: Steven Spielberg. composed: John Williams
how was Jaws different in the way it was released?
normally, film is finished, and then it would open in a few theatres in LA and NYC, and that’s it for week 1. if people love it, it’ll hit more theatres. the idea is that a film would be in theatres for up to 18 months.
jaws was the first wide release film. they dropped it EVERYWHERE, saturated market with promotion, and opened it to 400 screens simultaneous. jaws made money back in 13 days (revolutionary for the time)
how did Jaws affect attitude towards orchestral music in film?
began a shift in attitude. helped reestablished orchestra as important force in film music. sounded like Korngold’s work
T/F - George Lucas did not use a temp track for Star Wars
False. He did use a temp track with classical music from films he was trying to emulate. e.g Robin Hood
who scored Star Wars (1977)?
John Williams
which composer with John Williams draw from for Star Wars (1977)
Korngold
what musical convention did John Williams take from Korngold for the Star Wars opening?
it’s an overture (A theme and B theme), a long extended theme.
Who was The Rite of Spring composed by? What was its musical style?
composed by: Igor Stravinsky. modernist style.
T/F - John Williams used only a classical, concert hall music styles. Mention influential composers in Williams’ style
false, he used both modernist/atonal styles influenced by Stravinsky, and concert hall music, influenced by Korngold
what’s the real magic of the Jaws theme?
gong GONg gong GONG gong GONG gong GONG
it’s the melody. it’s powerful, basic, simple, dangerous.
