University of the Ozarks
MOVIE MUSIC
Spring, 2005

GUIDE TO CRITICAL LISTENING AND ANALYSIS
IN FILM MUSIC

 

GLOSSARY OF MUSICAL TERMS

BEAT

The underlying pulse of music.  When most people say a piece of music has a good beat, they mean that there is a strong pattern of accented and accented beats.  See RHYTHM.

 

BRASS

BRASS instruments include trumpets, horns, trombones and tubas.

 

CHORD

Two or more PITCHES sounded together simultaneously.  (Pitches sounded in succession make a MELODY).  Chords can be DISSONANT or CONSONANT; dissonant chords are grating to the ear and consonant chords have a settled, sweet sound.

 

CONSONANCE

See CHORDS.

 

CRESCENDO

See DYNAMICS.

 

DECRESCENDO

See DYNAMICS.

 

DISSONANCE

See CHORDS.

 

DYNAMICS

This terms refers to the relative loudness or softness of the music or its volume.  Some of you have been describing soft music as having a “low tone”—this is technically not a good description; a low tone refers to a low-frequency PITCH, not the dynamics.  A gradual increase of loudness is called a CRESCENDO; a gradual decrease in volume is a DECRESCENDO.

 

METER

See RHYTHM.

 

MOTIVE

This is a short, recurring snatch of melody.  A full-fledged melody ordinarily consists of many notes; a motive consists of only 2-6 notes.  Max Steiner usually composed melodies for his film scores; Bernard Herrmann more often used motives.

 

NOTE

See PITCH.

 

ORCHESTRATOR

The person who arranges the film music for the orchestra.  Sometimes the film score’s composer does his/her own orchestration but, because of tight deadlines, often this job is delegated to another musician.

 

PERCUSSION

PERCUSSION instruments include drums, cymbals, xylophones, clappers and all other instruments that are struck or beaten upon.

 

PITCH

PITCH  refers to how high or low the pitch is in its frequency.  A soprano’s singing is usually high-pitched or in a high REGISTER; bass voices sing at a low pitch or in a low REGISTER.  Pitches are combined into MELODIES or CHORDS.  A pitch can also be referred to as a NOTE or TONE.

 

REGISTER

See PITCH.

 

RHYTHM

This term refers to the movement and duration of a succession of PITCHES.  Every musical work has rhythm.  Most works have a pattern of rhythm that repeats, i.e. rhythm that has a specific sequence of stressed and unstressed BEATS.    E.g. a waltz rhythm is perceived as long-short-short; a march has a pattern of long-short-long-short.  Some pieces, however, have a free rhythm in which no pattern is immediately apparent (New Age music is often of this type).  The rhythm itself can be performed quickly or slowly—see TEMPO.

 

SONG

This term refers to a vocal work.  It is a piece that is literally sung and usually has lyrics.  Do not refer to an instrumental melody as a song—instruments can neither sing nor deliver lyrics!  If a piece is instrumental, its melody is usually referred to as a THEME.

 

STRINGS

STRINGS include violins, violas and cellos.

 

TEMPO

This refers to how fast or how slow the rhythm is.  We ordinarily speak of a quick tempo or a slow tempo—it is NOT described as lower or higher; these terms are used to describe DYNAMICS OR PITCH.

 

THEME

The term used to signify a recurring melody of significance in a film.  A LEITMOTIF is a specific kind of THEME, a melody or motive associated throughout a film with a given character, place, object or event.  Most themes are instrumental although occasionally a theme is sung  (E.g., “Don’t Forsake Me” from High Noon).

 

THEREMIN

An early electronic instrument that is often used to create eerie effects in science fiction films.

 

TONALITY

Tonal music is constructed so that certain types of chords always follow others in a pattern of tension followed by resolution.  ATONAL music is usually unremittingly tense without resolution.

 

TONE

Many of you have been misusing this term.  TONE is another word for PITCH or NOTE.  Try not to use overuse this term in describing the mood of a scene.

 

TUNE

A type of melody that is relatively simple and folk-like in nature so that it can be easily remembered and sung by an ordinary person.  For example, most opera arias do not have tunes that a layman can sing—they have complicated, virtuosic melodies; “Oh, Susannah,” however, is a tune anyone can reproduce.

 

WOODWINDS

WOODWINDS include flutes, oboes, clarinets, piccolos, etc.

 

 

FILM MUSIC TERMINOLOGY       

COMPILATION SCORE

A musical score cobbled together primarily from pre-existing music, usually classical works.

MICKEY-MOUSING

A technique—made famous in scoring for animated cartoons—in which the music complements and imitates specific physical actions in the film.  E.g.  A cymbal will crash at the point when a character slams into a wall or the rhythm of the music might perfectly match someone’s footsteps.
LEITMOTIF A recurring melody or theme that is associated with a specific character, object, situation, relationship or idea in a film (i.e., Darth Vader’s theme in the Star Wars Trilogy).  Leitmotifs are often altered—by changing tempo or instrumentation, e.g.—in order to reflect changes in a character’s mood or circumstances.

DIEGETIC MUSIC

Music that is present in and part of the film itself rather than mere accompaniment, heard by the characters in the film as well as the audience.  For example, a band playing music for an on-screen party is diegetic music.

NONDIEGETIC MUSIC

Music that is not actually heard by the characters in the film but only by the theatre audience.  Most film music is nondiegetic.

TEMP TRACK

A temp track is pre-existing music added temporarily to the soundtrack before the actual composer has finished composing and recording the music.  A temp track is used so that previews of the film can be presented to distributors in advance of the final version, or sometimes so that actors and actresses can “get in the mood” while on the set.

CUE

Music composed for a specific scene—e.g., the shower scene in Psycho is a cue.

 
 

FILM MUSIC TECHNIQUES

Ask yourself which of the following is responsible for the emotional effect being created:

Here are some examples of how certain types of moods can be evoked in film music:

LOVE AND PASSION       
Love scenes are often orchestrated with string instruments, the violins playing sweet, lyric melodies.  Passionate love is often expressed by surging melodies with lots of crescendos and decrescendos.  Intimate love scenes are apt to use smaller numbers of instruments; dramatic love scenes will be set with full orchestra.  Sexy scenes are often set with jazz or blues melodies, although—depending on the time period—such music can also be a signifier for a “fallen” or sexually promiscuous character (especially a woman).

TRIUMPH       
Brass instruments are often used to create a sense of triumph or victory since they are closely associated with the military, whose primarily milieu is the battlefield and the victory parade.  A festive mood can also be evoked with full orchestra, regal march rhythms or lively, bright melodies.

SUSPENSE     
Tension can be created by using short motives in an insistent, repetitive pattern (e.g., as Herrmann does).  Dissonant chords are a provoker of anxiety, as are choppy, frenetic rhythms and fast tempos.  Suspense can also be evoked by holding out a very high or low-pitched note or chord for a long time.  Low-pitched notes of all kinds can be menacing but particularly low trombones, which have traditionally been associated with evil (just as harps or high strings are considered markers of the celestial).  A special kind of tension—the evocation of eeriness, particularly in science fiction films—is usually achieved with special effects, such as unusual instrumentation or unusual use of traditional instruments.  Theremins and synthesizers are special instruments used for such effects; one might also, e.g., create a special dramatic effect on a violin by plucking it savagely instead of bowing or pounding on its soundboard.

 

As you are watching/listening to a film, look for these things: