1. Golden Age of Silent Film

2. Film Music in the 1920s
Before sound films, the movie theater was the largest employer of musicians in the world
Piano & Organ were the most common
New music was used in almost every major film

3. Movie Palaces Huge, elaborate theaters greatest were in N.Y.
Housed full symphony orchestras, music libraries with 30,000-50,000 scores, and featured singers and dancers before the feature film (Rockettes)
Included the Roxy, Radio City Music Hall, Capitol Theater, etc.
The Roxy could seat 6,214 and included a waiting room for 2000, a kitchen, fully staffed nursery & hospital, radio broadcast booth and private apartments

6. 1:45 start
Modern Day Rockettes

7. The Transition to Sound (1926-1928)
Vitaphone (1926): coordinated visual images shown by a projector with recorded music and sound effects played on a phonograph
Length of a reel of film matched one side of a record
Quality of sound wasn’t as good as a live orchestra, but was better than what most people had.
Short films were first had to stand close the microphone so acting was difficult
Mostly musical performances (early MTV)

8. Don Juan (1926) First feature length film with synchronized sound
Musical score by William Axt and recorded by the New York Philharmonic
Uses leitmotifs (melodies assigned to specific characters)
For the premiere, several live recorded musical shorts were shown prior to the film

9. The Jazz Singer (1927) Used synchronized music and music recorded live
Most of the underscoring was borrowed
In 2 segments, Al Jolson improvised dialogue
First words heard in a narrative film “Wait a minute! Wait a minute! You ain’t heard nothin’ yet”

10. The Jazz Singer: Jack Robin Sings for His Supper
Plot
Music
The scene opens at Coffee Dan’s
Silver’s arrangement of “Hop Skip” by Caesar
We see Jack Robin eating. He is asked to Sing
Silver quotes “My Mammy,” Jolson’s signature song; “Dirty Hands, Dirty Feet” is played in the underscoring
Jack sings two songs separated by the first spoken dialogue in narrative film. Mary enters and is attracted to the voice
“Dirty Hands, Dirty Feet” and “Toot, Toot, Tootsie!” are performed in a live recorded segment

11. Sound on Film
General Electric developed Movietone, which recorded sound directly onto the film itself, instead of a separate record
Had better sound quality
Coordination with visuals was better
Super important for dialogue
Movietone Newsreel Example

12. Sunrise (1928) First full length film made with Movietone
Had two scores: one for live performance and a synchronized version
Used a layered effect of multiple melodies to show several things happening at once

13. City Lights (1931) Considered one of the last great silent films
Charlie Chaplin produced, directed, acted and composed the music
Music is light and popular
Still used a synchronized soundtrack
City Lights