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Published byAvice Strickland Modified over 9 years ago
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1936-1944
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The Transformation…. The Hollywood sound is about to be influenced by contemporary concert composers. Write primarily symphonies, chamber music, operas etc. In America, Film music was written by experts who devoted themselves to the art, not concert composers. These composers wrote quickly and effectively. The modern styles and techniques of concert music gradually made its way to Hollywood.
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International Films In Europe, many leading concert comp. wrote film music. AS a result, modern styles and comp. techniques can fist be detected in foreign scores. France England Soviet Union
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Modern Music in Hollywood 2 styles of concert music influenced Hollywood at this time: Expressionism American Nationalism We also see the development of a new style: film noir, which deals with darker subjects. All 3 styles appear in Hollywood in the 1940’s.
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Expressionism Igor Stravinsky and Arnold Schoenberg, two prestigious composers of the time were invited by MGM to write for films. Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire Both eventually lived in Hollywood, but neither actually completed a studeio score
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Stravinsky Worked on several rejected films Some of his musical drafts were later reused in published compositions He is said to have requested $100,000 for a score, a year to compose it, and a voice in how the film was created…he didn’t get the job. Stravinsky: Excerpts From Part 1 Of Le Sacre
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Schoenberg 1874-1951 Was very influenctial on Hollywoood both as a teacher and as a model for composing expressionistic music. Expressionist music: Continuous dissonant harmony Disjunct melodies One of the most radical sounding musical styles in the first half of the twentieth century
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American Nationalism Brought to Hollywood by Aaron Copland Best known for his ballets: ○ Appalachian Spring ○ Rodeo ○ Billy the Kid Distinctive American style His music influenced a number of film composers including Leonard Bernstein and John Williams.
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Aaron Copland All 4 of his film scores are connected to American stories Wrote music for a film adaptation of John Steinbeck’s 1937 novel Of Mice and Men Received Oscar Nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Score in 1939
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Bernard Herrmann 1911- 1975 1 st major Hollywood film composer to incorporate the modern sounds of contemporary concert music in a consistant fashion Wrote the score for Citizen Kane in 1941
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Citizen Kane Widely acknowledged as America’s greatest film and the high point of the Golden Age. Plot is told from 6 perspectives : Newsreel: the public view Thatcher: the guardian Bernstein: the business partner Leland: the best friend Susan: the second wife Raymond: the butler
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Citizen Kane… Contained effects which broke contemporary practices: Stark contrast between bright light and dark ○ Used mostly in scenes with reporter Thompson Camera angles create unique shots Use of deep focus ○ Allows images in the foreground and background to stay in focus. Use of reflected images and montage
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The Music of Citizen Kane Orson Wells starred in Citizen Kane, produced it, and helped write the script. Leonard Bernstein composed the score Like the classic film scores of the Golden Age, music supports the drama, captures moods, and contributes a sense of unity.
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