Going to the movies is as American as apple pie, mom and baseball. Movies have the power to arouse every human emotion in some form or another. We all have laughed; cried; been scared; felt sad; happy; elated; deflated; excited and emotionally stirred watching movies. But what greatly enhances these emotions is the music that goes with the action or drama in the movie.
Film researchers have conducted test trials showing a film without the musical background to a test group. The same group is then shown the same film with music. The reported results are exactly what one would expect. The screening with the music had a much greater emotional impact on the test group than the same film without the music. Film makers have known this simple fact for years and consequently spend a great deal of time, effort and money hiring top film composers to enhance their productions.
In some form or other motion pictures have been around for over 100 years. It wasn’t until the 1920’s that the first sound-tract was introduced in film production. It was a tremendous breakthrough in the industry. They were called “Talkies” replacing the printed subtitles that were interspersed on the screen. Sound was a revolutionary development in film-making. Actors were heard speaking for the first time and a musical background was introduced.
The evolution of music in films is a long and interesting story. In the 1920’s some early movie theaters did not have a separate projector enclosure. The projector was set up in the room where the audience was seated. Believe it or not, music was used to cover-up the sound of the projector!
Early silent films, where music was introduced, often included an orchestra, an organist or pianist positioned under the screen in the theater. Music to accompany films became so important that books and lists were provided to the musicians with ideas for particular scenes on the screen. For example, love scenes, action, comedy and dramas.
In the 1930’s it was common to use western European classical music as a mainstay in films. Then film-makers gradually began using original music composed specifically for a film. Max Steiner, in 1933, wrote an original score for the film King Kong. This is thought to be one of the very first original musical scores of early filmdom. The 1940’s saw a refinement of this and more original scores were used in film production.
Many children and adults were first exposed to great classical music through cartoons at their local neighborhood theaters. Fans of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and many other cartoons owe a lot to composer, Carl Stalling. During his 22 years, from 1936 to 1958, as a composer for Warner Brothers’ animated shorts, Stalling invented the musical vocabulary of cartoons. Stallings compositional genius and uncanny ability to borrow a tune helped make cartoon characters silly, funny and entertaining.
Until the 1950s film music was almost entirely symphonic in nature. This meant many musicians were needed to create the full orchestral sound. As jazz and pop music was introduced into movie music, at an increasing rate, fewer musicians were needed. This greatly reduced the payroll of the music budget. Obviously, producers were very much in favor of reducing expenses for production of the film.
The 1960s and 70s saw more jazz and other musical experiments, including a rock sound-tract of the 60s, continuing what began in the 50s. The 70s saw the emergence of a phenomenal film composer, John Williams. There are literally hundreds of noted film composers but it is generally acknowledged that John Williams is the most famous. Williams has won five Academy Awards, four Golden Globes and many other awards, including many Grammys, so far. His compositions include: Star Wars; Jaws; Jurassic Park; Indiana Jones; Saving Private Ryan; Superman; ET; Schindler’s List; Harry Potter; Olympic Themes; War Horse and Lincoln. He works with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas almost exclusively. Williams’ career has spanned six decades.
Other great film composers are: Maurice Garre; Elmer Bernstein; Klaus Badett; Hans Zimmer; Miklos Rozsa; Henry Mancini; Dimitri Tiomkin; Franz Waxman; Leonard Bernstein; Aaron Copland and many others too numerous to mention.
The 1980s and 90s saw the introduction of synthesized music, created by computers, often produced by a single person. Contemporary rock music became the basis for entire film scores. With these electronic innovations composers have the ability to create any sound they want, enhancing the film’s plot, characters and theme.
Through decades film music has drawn from classical; jazz; rock; pop; blues; new-age; ethnic and other world music styles. Composers usually enter in the production period near the end of shooting a film, collaborating with directors and producers about specific requests for the music. As one can imagine, timing is extremely important.
It is a well-known fact that music can be a major part of the success of any film. Without music to help create the action or drama, the end result would not be the same.
“Hooray for Hollywood” and great movie music!
Please submit your questions and comments to banddirector01@comcast.net Visit our website at www.danvilleband.org for up-to-date information about the Danville Community Band.
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