By Jessica Bustamante

 Well recognized musician and composer  Best known for film scores with Tim Burton Tim Burton is a film director who has almost exclusively used Danny Elfman for the music of his films In Tim’s films, the tone is the most important thing that the score can do. - Danny Elfman

Danny Elfman’s scores for Tim Burton: Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure BeetlejuiceBatmanEdward Scissorhands Batman Returns The Nightmare Before Christmas Mars AttacksSleepy HollowPlanet of the ApesBig Fish Charlie and the Cholcolate Factory Corpse BrideAlice in Wonderland Dark ShadowsFrankenweeniePinocchio ???

 Born in Amarillo, Texas on May 29 th, 1953  Raised in Los Angeles, California  Mother: “Blossom” Elfman  Father: Milton Elfman  Brother (older): Richard Elfman (I) grew up in a multiethnic neighborhood where I was the only white Jewish kid. - Danny Elfman

 Sergei Prokofiev  Igor Stravinsky  Dmitri Shostakovich  Maurice Ravel  Bela Bartok  Bernard Herrmann – film score for The Day the Earth Stood Still  Monsters magazines Who was he influenced by?

 Self-taught violinist  “Grand Magic Circus” performer  Traveled from West to East Africa  “Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo” performer and composer  “Oingo Boingo” singer songwriter  “Boingo” singer songwriter  Retired in 1995 to become a full time composer (self-taught) Musical Resume

Not Impressed? He also composed: Theme song for Tales from the Crypt Theme song for The Simpsons Theme song for Weird Science Theme song for Point Pleasant Theme song for Desperate Housewives Seranada Schizoprhenia The American Ballet Rabbit and Rogue Cirque Du Soleil’s Iris

In 2003, he remarried to American film actress Bridget Fonda and had a son, Oliver (7)

 0:00 Brass plays the minor melody of the theme in homophony at a slow tempo  0:12 Violins join in with the brass, but do so in a polyphonic manner  0:19 Xylophone joins in with a high pitched version of the same melody in a faster tempo. The music begins to build in volume, particularly the brass and the violins.  0:45 Xylophone doubles the tempo, creating tension and suspense.  0:53 The height of the climactic build leads to a crash of the cymbals and the volume of the brass and the violin have doubled now that they are playing a single note in homophy  1:00 In duple meter, the song changes tone to the style of a marching band. The snare drum keeps the beat and the brass are now playing the same minor melody from before only in a faster tempo.  1:07 Flutes join in with a higher pitched version of the same melody, emphasizing the dramatic feel of the music as is ascends and then descends with the brass.  1:15 The tempo returns to the slowness of the beginning for only one measure before returning to the duple meter of the march which descends in contrast to the melody thus far.  1:22 Flutes join in again playing a flutter of a descending melody in the break of silence from the brass section which comes in stronger after they have finished. The snare drum has never stopped playing the beat.  1:33 After some dissonance, the music is resolved once the brass, violins and flutes play the in harmony the same melody from the beginning of the song.  2:03 Xylophone can be heard softly in the background as the tension of the music builds and the volume becomes louder building towards another climax  2:18 A snare drum solo leads the music back to a duple meter with the added touch of a high pitched, what sounds like a marimba that is energetically building suspense with the brass emphasizing the beat by playing a strong pulse  2:28 The music tapers off into just the violins and then the brass playing in polyphony. The violins create a different timbre than before, creating tension with the vibrations of their strings while the rest of the music is calming down  2:45 Xylophone enters for one measure resolving the music as it slows down in homophony  2:53 There is only silence, a beautiful break that lets you know the song will now transition  2:56 Violins enter and the timpani play a beat in the background, and there is a hint of a triangle or some other chime in the background. The tempo is slow and the melody is minor; it feels sad  3:18 The melody from the beginning, which is the movie’s theme, is reintroduced by a single violin  3:28 Another chime is introduced as the music drifts into the “Flowers” portion of the medley, but the theme continues to be intertwined into the still minor melody  3:49 The violins ascend towards a little tension in the music as the timbre is high pitched and eerie. There is little dissonance, but is resolved by the background music and chimes  4:19 A new set of violins ascend in beautiful harmony still in dissonance with the other set of violins  4:33 The tempo slows even more as you can hear by the chimes, which seem to be tuning you to sleep and then the brass comes in with an ascending urge to stay awake as they lead to tension and then resolve  4:50 The chimes play a major melody with the violins that feel hopeful and happy, but as they descend they make their way back to that minor chord in homophony  5:25 There is only silence, a beautiful break that lets you know the song will now transition  5:29 Chimes keep the beat and a woodwind enters with a minor melody in a moderate tempo. This is the “Love Theme,” and feels a little more upbeat than what we have heard before. There is not tension, just a feeling of lightness and swaying  5:45 Here an interesting use of silence and sound is used to create what sounds like someone sneaking around and spying. It has a theatrical sound that is almost humorous  5:54 Tuba enters with a soft note that becomes increasingly dynamic, and once again the use of silence and sound is used on the piano, violins, woodwinds and some odd percussion like a clapper, cymbal and snare drum to create a musical visual of sneaking  6:24 Flutes add in a high pitched flutter as the sneaking continues. No instrument is playing in time together, but all the instruments begin to come in and out of the context of the music  6:52 There is silence just before the timpani settles the score with a single note from what sounds like the clarinets and oboes. The trumpets join with a sounding call that feels alarming  7:04 A harp is introduced and the violins ascend toward the reentrance of the trumpets. All together they are creating the mystery of “The Joker’s Poem”  7:15 The violins play an arch where they ascend and then descend. The trumpets are playing their sound softer, but then come in strong with a single note before the woodwinds resolve the song into a very minor melody that climaxes to a very tense state  7:40 The mood is now very dark; the brass is playing in homophony a very brood melody. The percussion introduces cymbals every quarter note and the timpani holds the beat  7:59 The melody comes back to the theme of the movie for only a moment, only to trail back into the softer melody of the “Love Theme” and then back to “the Joker’s Poem” that then tapers down slowly into “Up the Cathedral”  8:15 Snare drum begins a march beat with the timpani at this point while the music is building tension and climax. A triangle enters to emphasize an alarming feeling as the climax persists with the addition of the brass instruments  8:37 The violins ascend and then descend the melody into a more romantic mood of lost love, perhaps Batman is remembering his parents  8:55 The music now become louder and stronger as the flutes create a pulse that is dramatic and moving back towards the theme of the movie that is played with vigor to a more escalated tone and timbre  9:22 The brass end this section on a high minor note that leaves you wanting a resolution in the music, at which point the snare drum and timpani begin another marching beat that trails into silence  9:41 The music begins a waltz in major melody with all the instruments playing in harmony keeping a simple rhythm we are all familiar with. I believe it is in triple meter because the cymbals emphasize every third beat.  10:12 The waltz continues, but changes tone and volume to create a more relaxed emotion  10:19 Dissonance arises suddenly with a minor note from the trumpets, but is resolved as soon as the waltz continues and the orchestra is playing in harmony once more ending with brass pulse  10:38 There is only silence, a beautiful break that lets you know the song will now transition  10:40 The violins enter with a minor pulse that feels scary and then the brass join in to create more tension with a minor melody as the band introduces the last song “The Final Confrontation” Also the snare drum comes in every fourth beat creating a sense of preparing for battle  10:56 The percussion becomes more noticeable and the woodwinds are fluttering in and out of sections. The music is communicative of a battle as the instruments go back and forth between sound and silence from each other.  11:05 Cymbals crash, creating the visual of contact just, and then the music backs down, opening the measure for the violins to hold the beat and the brass to build tension once more  11:16 The same scenario is repeated from 10:56  11:40 The brass begin to pulse in thirds, which really creates dissonance as the song approaches its climax  11:45 The timpani play quarter notes alone changing the tempo for the whole orchestra to pulse in homophony just before the brass begin to play a super heroic major melody echoed by the strings and woodwinds  12:09 The whole orchestra plays this melody in homophony as they approach the climactic ending that returns the whole song to the beginning theme song  12:39 The song ends on a single note from the brass

1. "Elfman, Danny 1953–." Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television Retrieved February 10, 2013 from Encyclopedia.com > 2. “About Danny Elfman.” Retrieved February 10, 2013 from mtv.com > 3. “Interview: Danny Elfmann.” Last updated March 4, Retrieved February 10, 2013 from thejc.com > 4. “The Danny Elfman & Tim Burton 25 th Anniversary Music Box.” Retrieved February 10, 2013 from burtonelfman.com > 5. “Danny Elfman Life and Times interview part 1.” Retrieved February 10, 2013 from youtube.com > 6. Elfman, Richard. “Oingo Boingo: The Complete History.” Last updated November 11, Retrieved February 10, 2013 from buzzinemusic.com > 7. “Oingo Boingo Songs.” Retrieved February 10, 2013 from musicvf.com > 8. “Danny Elfman.” Last updated June 16, Retrieved February 10, 2013 from filmtracks.com > 9. Schweiger, Daniel. “Tim Burton’s Favorite Composer Leaps Down The Rabbit Hole for ‘Alice in Wonderland’.” March 9, Retrieved February 10, 2013 from buzzinemusic.com > 10. “Batman – Theme/Flowers/Love Theme/The Joker’s Poem/Up the Cathedral/Waltz to the Death/The Final Confrontation” Retrieved February 10, 2013 from rhapsody.com >