WL: Music for Film

Question 1

Hermann: Psycho

Elfman: “Batman vs. the Circus”, 1992
-> This quotes the Violin 1 from “The Murder”

Answer 1

Marion

SIM:
Tense dissonance as the basis of his harmony
DIF:
DE - augmented 4ths, sense of anarchy
BH - melodic and harmonic tritones, sense of threat

Question 2

Hermann: Psycho

Hermann: “Vertigo”, 1958

Answer 2

All

SIM:
Minor/Major 7th chord
DIF:
Arpeggiated

• Chords as returning motifs
  John Barry - Goldfinger: Oddjob chord - CminMaj7 - as a LEITMOTIF

Question 3

Hermann: Psycho

Shostakovich: “String Quartet No. 8 Mvmt 2”, 1960

Answer 3

Prelude

SIM:
Violent string chords
DIF:
DS - Sforzando
BH - Staccato, fortissimo, downbow chords

Question 4

Hermann: Psycho

Williams: “Jaws”, 1975

Answer 4

All

SIM:
Semitone motif, played with
DIF:
BH - eg. The Murder -> verticalised
JW - Rhythmically diminished to increase a sense of threat

Question 5

Hermann: Psycho

Goldsmith: “Planet of the Apes”, 1968

Answer 5

The Prelude

SIM:
Deep articulated pedal
DIF:
BH - Pizz double bass, creating sudden moments of frightening emphasis
JG - Low registers of a piano

Question 6

Hermann: Psycho

Schoenberg: “Suite for Piano”, 1922

Answer 6

Experimental harmony and tonality…

• “The Murder” verges into the atonality of composers like Schoenberg, who uses a 12-note row to create complete harmonic and tonal ambiguity

Question 7

Hermann: Psycho

Penderecki: “Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima”, 1961

Answer 7

“The Murder”

SIM:
Piercingly high dissonance
DIF:
The composer instructs the players to play as high as possible

Question 8

Hermann: Psycho

Steiner: “King Kong”, 1933

Answer 8

All

SIM:
Chromaticism
DIF:
Steiner turns it into a three-note descending chromatic motif

Question 9

Hermann: Psycho

Morricone: “The Thing” - Humanity Part 2, 1982

Answer 9

The Murder

SIM:
- Horror film
- Dotted rhythm, representing a heartbeat
DIF:
- Articulated F pedal, followed by minmaj7 chords.

Question 10

Hermann: Psycho

Ives: “The Unanswered Question”, revised by 1935

Answer 10

ALL:

TONALITY
- Woodwind answers kind of span the full spectrum of tonality, as Herrmann’s score does:
/
-> Moving from focussing on ‘vertical’ dissonance/cluster chords
BH: Non-functional harmony:
- Prelude
- The City (string stillness similar)
/
-> …to both ‘vertical’ and ‘horizontal’ frantic atonality
BH
- The Murder
- Cellar (esp.)
- The Discovery (esp.)
- Finale

DYNAMICS
SIM:
- Graded dynamics
DIF:
- CI: Woodwinds graded up throughout the 6 answers
-> …then swell to fff by the last one
- BH: Hairpins in, for eg., The City
-> Williams: “Theme from Schindler’s List” - Expressive, emotive show of suffering

Question 11

Herrmann: Psycho

Toch: “Geographical Fugue”, 1930

Answer 11

SIM:
- Fugual texture:
-> A similarly non-transposed answer
HOWEVER! This is because it is all rhythmic - SATB choir, the only differentiating factor between lines are the pitches of the voices
-> Rapid rhythmic movement
-> Rhythmic alteration:
ET: Rhythmic augmentation
BH: Split into 2s and 3s

Question 12

Herrmann: Psycho

Bartok: “String Quartet No.4”, 1928
+
Stravinsky: RoS, “The Augers of Spring”, 1913

Answer 12

The Prelude / The Murder
SIM:
- Repeated, stabbing dissonant chords
DIF:
- BH: Hitchcock chord
- BB: Cluster chords eg. Murder, but with a rhythmic drive from low strings
- IS: Bitonal Eb7/Fb, irregular accents

Question 13

Elfman: BR (BoaP1/2)

Goldsmith: “Carol Anne’s Theme” from Poltergeist, 1982

Answer 13

(1)
- Choir
-> Both use children - sinister, unsettling, uncanny
* Synth choir in BoaP2

(2)
SIM
- Theme appears at different points in the texture/in different orchestral groups
DIF
- Goldsmith -> Strings to Horns
- Elfman -> Scattered, with a focus on brass

Question 14

Elfman: BR (BoaP1)

Queen: “Keep Yourself Alive”, 1973

Answer 14

SIM
- Tertiary modulation
DIF
- Pop song -> technique spans genres in contemporary music, adding to a sense of drama/excitement

Question 15

Elfman: BR (BoaP1/Rise and Fall)

Elfman: “What’s This?” from “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, 1993

Answer 15

BoaP1
SIM
- Sleigh Bells (Christmas-y)
DIF
- Song

Rise and Fall
SIM
- Whole tone scale
-> Shows disorientation of the character
DIF
- Rapid Celeste scale
-> Mimics harp gliss

Question 16

Elfman: BR (BoaP2)

Adams: “Short Ride in a Fast Machine”
(+ Herrmann: “Prelude”)

Answer 16

• Ostinati
  -> Relentless clarinet quaver ostinato
• Layered entries
  -> Minimalism

Question 17

Elfman: BR (BoaP2)

Williams: Theme from “Jurassic Park”, 1993

Answer 17

• Gradual introduction of orchestra:
  DE: Strings - Harp - Cello - Horns…
  -> Ostinati
  JW: Monophonic horn - +woodwind…

Question 18

Elfman: BR (BoaP2)

Goldsmith: “Planet of the Apes”, 1968

Answer 18

• Non-western instrumentation
  -> Tibetan horn (vs. Tamtam)

Question 19

Elfman: BR (BoaP2)

Holst: “St. Paul’s Suite”, 1922

Answer 19

• Canonic entries
  -> Strings, rising in pitch

Question 20

Elfman: BR (vs. Circus)

Wagner: “Tristan und Isolde”, 1858

Answer 20

• Ambiguous, unstable harmony
  -> Non-functional (vs. constantly changing)

Question 21

Elfman: BR (vs. Circus)

Elfman: “Spiderman”, 2002

Answer 21

• Music directly reflects action
  -> Brass mickey-mousing as Peter Parker climbs a wall

Question 22

Elfman: BR (vs. Circus)

Williams: “Star Wars”, 1977
+
Williams: “Prologue” from “Hook”, 1991

Answer 22

• Heroic, fanfare triplets
  -> BvC: Muted trumpet
  -> SW: Unmuted brass
  -> PfH: Strings as well, creating a sea-shanty feel

Question 23

Elfman: BR (BoaP1)

Morricone: “La Cordanna” from Inglourious Basterds, 2009

Answer 23

• Manipulation of ‘Fur Elise’
  -> Like the quote of ‘We Three Kings’

Question 24

Herrmann: Psycho

Elfman: “Stolen Bike” from “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure”

Answer 24

Inspired/pays homage through…
- High tessitura (Murder)
- Violins play repeated ostinato (Prelude)
- Dissonant cluster chord (Murder)