Music Appreciation Semester 2 PDF

BACKGROUND Music can either add or takeaway, but mainly manipulates emotion.  MOODS IN MUSIC Positive Negative Nuetral or Ambiguous Dynamic/Action-oriented Specific Context  POSITIVE Joyful: Conveys happiness, celebration, or lightheartedness. Excited: Reflects t...

BACKGROUND Music can either add or takeaway, but mainly manipulates emotion.  MOODS IN MUSIC Positive Negative Nuetral or Ambiguous Dynamic/Action-oriented Specific Context  POSITIVE Joyful: Conveys happiness, celebration, or lightheartedness. Excited: Reflects thrill, enthusiasm, or anticipation. Hopeful: Evokes optimism or a sense of possibility. Romantic: Expresses love, intimacy, or tenderness. Triumphant: Celebrates victory, success, or achievement. Playful: Captures fun, mischief, or childlike wonder.  NEGATIVE Tense: Builds suspense, unease, or anticipation of conflict. Sad: Evokes sorrow, loss, or melancholy. Ominous: Suggests danger, foreboding, or impending doom. Angry: Reflects frustration, rage, or conflict. Fearful: Portrays terror, anxiety, or dread. Lonely: Conveys isolation or abandonment. NEUTRAL OR AMBIGUOUS Mysterious: Creates curiosity, intrigue, or a sense of the unknown. Reflective: Suggests introspection, nostalgia, or contemplation. Ethereal: Evokes a dreamlike, otherworldly quality. Suspenseful: Maintains anticipation and keeps the audience on edge. Somber: Reflects seriousness, gravity, or solemnity. Nostalgic: Suggests longing for the past or a bittersweet memory. DYNAMIC OR ACTION - ORIENTED Heroic: Captures bravery, honor, or determination. Energetic: Suggests action, movement, or intensity. Chaotic: Reflects confusion, disorder, or wild energy. Epic: Conveys grandeur, scale, or monumental stakes. Aggressive: Reflects confrontation, power, or force.  SPECIFIC CONTEXT Whimsical: Conveys quirky, imaginative, or fantastical tones. Intimate: Reflects closeness, personal connection, or subtlety. Melancholic: Evokes bittersweet emotions or poetic sadness. Grotesque: Suggests unease through distortion or exaggerated elements. Haunting: Reflects lingering unease, eeriness, or ghostliness.  MOODS IN MUSIC Positive Negative Nuetral or Ambiguous Dynamic/Action-oriented Specific Context  BIG 3 50 40 30 John Williams 20 Hans Zimmer 10 Nobuo Uematsu 0 Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 Item 5  UNIQUE STYLE Classical influence Holst Wagner Crafts lush and timeless harmonies full of their own complexities  EMOTIONAL ENGAMENT Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Harry Potter, Williams masterfully uses leitmotifs—repeated musical themes that represent characters or ideas—to evoke strong emotional connections. Master of the orchestral score, using sweeping melodies and leitmotifs to create emotional depth. For example, the Star Wars theme embodies heroism, while E.T.’s score evokes wonder and nostalgia.  MEMORY Instantly recognizable and tied to the identities of characters like Darth Vader (The Imperial March) or moments of wonder (Jurassic Park) Leitmotifs links specific themes to characters or events, making his music memorable and iconic. INTERESTING FACT Williams holds the record for the most Oscar nominations for a living person, with over 50 nominations. Williams often composes his scores while watching rough cuts of films, ensuring his music perfectly matches the visuals.  ATTENTION innovative use of electronic and orchestral fusion grabs attention, as seen in Inception and The Dark Knight. His music creates suspense and enhances on-screen action. In The Dark Knight, he uses heavy, pulsating rhythms to build tension and drive action scenes.  HANS ZIMMER Brain Are Attention as Interesting Fact  JOHN WILLIAMS ment Memory tional Engage Interesting Fact Emo  INTERESTING FACTS Zimmer’s Inception score famously uses a slowed-down version of Édith Piaf’s "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" to mirror the film’s time-bending concept. Zimmer invented the “braaam” sound (deep, resonant bass) that became a hallmark of modern trailers, first popularized in Inception.  BRAIN AREAS Compositions often include rhythmic layering, stimulating the frontal lobe and intensifying focus. Repetition and layering, stimulating the brain’s focus centers. His use of unique instruments and sounds adds depth and intrigue.  NOBUO UEMATSU agement Memory egration nal Eng Story Int Emotio  EMOTIONAL ENGAGMENT Evoke deep emotional responses. His work on the Final Fantasy series, particularly pieces like "Aerith’s Theme" (Final Fantasy VII), often brings players to tears by perfectly aligning with the narrative’s poignant moments. His melodies are emotionally resonant and instantly recognizable, contributing to the longevity of his music.  MEMORY Strong, memorable melodies that players can hum long after finishing the game. His themes, like "One-Winged Angel" or the Prelude, are iconic and immediately recognizable. By combining orchestral grandeur with modern influences like rock and jazz, Uematsu creates scores that transcend traditional game music.  STORY INTEGRATION Uematsu’s ability to reflect a game’s emotional and narrative landscape ensures his music is an integral part of the experience. By combining orchestral grandeur with modern influences like rock and jazz, Uematsu creates scores that transcend traditional game music. INTERESTING FACT “Beethoven of video game music” for his ability to create enduring, emotionally charged compositions. He is self-taught and began his career composing jingles before joining Square (now Square Enix) in 1985. Rock enthusiast and formed a band, The Black Mages, to perform rock arrangements of his Final Fantasy music. CLICK HERE:  FILM SELECTION Man of Steel Emotional Categories: Positive: Music conveys hope and triumph, such as Clark embracing his role as Superman. Negative: darker, more dissonant moments in the score, such as the invasion of Zod --> Harsh Percussion Neutral/Ambiguous: Clark’s internal conflict about his identity and purpose--> Soft piano and strings Dynamic/Action-Oriented: Intense, high-energy pieces during battles and flight sequences Specific Context: Look for leitmotifs  History of Music in film 6 5 4 3 1990s-Now 1970s The Kitchen 2 Synths Sink 1 1960s 1950s Pop, Jazz, 1930s - Branching Westerns 1890-1929 1950s Forward Silent Era Golden Age Music in Films and Games  Musical Style Silent Era (1890s - 1929) Individualized music, often improvised or using classical pieces. Perfromance Live or Phonographic  Music + Film Golden Age Individualized music, often improvised or using (1930s-50s) classical pieces. Key Composers Max Steiner (King Kong). Erich Korngold (Robin Hood, The Sea Hawk; influenced John Williams). Alfred Newman (Mask of Zorro; father of David Newman and Randy Newman). Bernard Hermann (Psycho, Taxi Driver).  Quick Review Silent Era Improvised and only placed in 2 categories Live or Recorded Golden Age Primarily orchestral Matches the film  Hybrids Branching Symphonic and Jazz Score Forward (1950s-1958) Promotional Songs Increase in popularity; radio and commercials help promote films. Improvisation Miles Davis (Gallows full jazz score). Pop, Jazz, Westerns (1960s) Key Composers Elmer Bernstein (The Magnificent Seven). Henry Mancini (Pink Panther, Mission Impossible). John Barry (spy movie sounds, e.g., James Bond).  Quick Review Branching Forward Symphonic and Jazz Pop, Jazz, Westerns Expansive Repertoire Classical Western Stories ‘Temp Love’  Songs/Soundtracks Synths (1970s-80s) Footloose, Flashdance, Ghostbusters. Tech Driven Scores Escape from New York, Blade Runner, Tron. Key Composers Jerry Goldsmith (Star Trek blends synth and orchestral). Danny Elfman (Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Batman). Hans Zimmer (Black Rain).  Blending Styles Symphonic scores + synthesizers + digital tools. The Kitchen Sink (1990s-NOW) Rock Stars as Composers Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor, Red Hot’s Cliff Martinez and Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood Female Composers Rachel Portman (Emma), Mica Levi (Under the Skin)  Quick Review Synths Orchestral pieces Vs. Hit Songs Increase in sampling The Kitchen Sink Instrumentalists from non - classical backgrounds Directors often decide how music best serves their films.’ Moods in Music Positive Negative Nuetral or Ambiguous Dynamic/Action-oriented Specific Context  Moods and themes Positive - Love Negative - Loss Nuetral or Ambiguous - Nature/Environment Dynamic/Action-oriented - Triumph Specific Context - Coming of Age  Themes Super Hero - Coming of age/Freedom of Oppression Brass Heavy - Heroism Strings - Reflective moments Synths - Fiction elements/Scientific  5 MAIN THEMES Man of Steel THEMES: Superman: Represents Clark Kent’s journey of self-discovery and his transformation into Superman. Krypton: Depicts the grandeur and ultimate destruction of Krypton, Superman's home planet Zod: Represents General Zod and his militaristic, menacing presence. Flight Theme: Captures the exhilaration and freedom of Superman learning to fly. Earth/Family: Reflects Clark’s connection to his human parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent, and his upbringing on Earth.  5 MAIN THEMES Man of Steel THEMES: Superman: Starts with a simple piano motif and builds to an epic, heroic crescendo with full orchestra and percussion. Krypton: Utilizes synthetic textures, choir, and heavy percussion to create an otherworldly and tragic sound. Zod: Aggressive rhythms, dissonant brass, and industrial percussion convey his ruthless determination. Flight Theme: Sweeping strings, triumphant brass, and a soaring melody evoke awe and inspiration. Earth/Family: Warm strings and piano motifs underscore themes of love, family,  Review 6 categories of music during the era of film 4 main concepts Era of silence Era of Classical/Symphonic Era of song/Soundtracks Era of Synths Theme is main concepts (Big bullet points) Moods are emotions connected (Smaller bullet points)  LORD OF THE RINGS Thematic Developement Leitmotif Emotional Resonance Orchestration Strings --> Longing and Tension Brass --> Heroism and Triumph Choirs --> Ethereal and Otherworldy  MUSICAL ANALYSIS You will each see an image from the film What kind of music do you think would fit it Consider moods What instruments would you put in those scenes and why?  INSTRUMENTATIONS The hobbits - Celtic The Ancient Elves - Eastern Isengard - hammered percussion and low brass Middle-Earth’s Men - Minor-moded melodies → Tragedy and dawning future.  BACKGROUND Lord of The Rings COMPOSITION: 10 hours of composition over 4 years Best original Score twice Divided Orchestra as “Low, Middle, High” Each Middle -Earth Race was given an instrumental style COMPOSERS VS. DIRECTORS Seamless storytelling Scene - Specific Tailoring Creative Energy The collaboration can lead to innovative and impactful Feedback and Refinement Directors can provide feedback on early compositions,  DIFFICULTY Film composers must work closely with directors, editors, and music supervisors to ensure the music serves the film's vision. Controversial Ideas Long Hours  DIFFICULTY Bernard Herrmann uncompromising nature and strong opinions Not “Commercial” enough Hans Zimmer Innovative and Large Scale Productions Extended timelines + co-composers Danny Elfman Unorthodox Background Creative freedom Vs. Rigid Vision  1. Dynamics - volume in music 2. Instruments - Brass, Strings, Percussion, Electronics 3. Texture - Quantity of instruments 4. Composition - Writing of music 5. Crescendo - Gradually getting louder - Adds to drama 6. Decrescendo - Gradually getting quieter - centers on a specific moment 7. Diminuendo - Gradually getting quieter - centers on a specific moment 8. Diegetic Sounds - sound in the story world - Character dialogue, footsteps, car engine sounds, music playing on a radio 9. Non Diegetic Sounds - sound not part of the story world - Music, sound effects, narration 10. Theme - Overarching concept 11. Mood - Emotion tied to a theme 12. What makes the film, the fantasy believable?