History of Film Music
Why weren’t early silent films actually silent?
Because musicians were hired to perform live music that matched the mood, action, or characters on screen.
What is a musical motif?
A recurring musical theme tied to a specific character, object, or idea.
What’s the main job of a film composer?
To write original music that enhances the emotion, pacing, and story of a film.
Which composer scored Interstellar based only on the script?
Hans Zimmer! He focused on emotion before visuals.
What is the relative minor of E♭ Major?
C minor.
What is non-diegetic music?
Music the audience hears but the characters do not.
Approximately how many distinct motifs did Howard Shore compose for The Lord of the Rings trilogy to represent characters, places, and themes?
Over 90 motifs.
What is a spotting session?
A planning meeting where the composer, director, and sound team decide where music should go and what its purpose is.
Which composer uses looped cello textures and minimal melodies?
Hildur Guðnadóttir.
How many sharps are in F♯ minor?
Three (F♯, C♯, G♯).
How can music shape a scene when no one is talking?
It adds emotion, foreshadows events, creates tension, and shapes how the audience feels.
Why is a motif considered the skeleton of a film score?
Because it forms the foundation other music builds from or returns to it.
What does an orchestrator do?
They take the composer’s ideas and arrange them for full orchestra, often transposing and expanding them.
What’s one technique John Powell uses to build energy in a score?
Irregular meters, syncopation, and layered percussion. Rhythmic Motifs
What’s the interval from D to B?
Major 6th.
What were early 20th-century movie theatres called that showed short silent films for a nickel and often featured live music to enhance the experience?
What are nickelodeons?
Who pioneered the use of leitmotifs in opera?
Richard Wagner
Name two other members of the film scoring team (other than the composer and orchestrator).
Music Editor – aligns music with visuals.
Sound Designer – creates ambient or synthetic sounds.
Contractor – hires musicians and books recording sessions.
Which composer blended folk instruments and invented languages to create a fantasy world?
Howard Shore
What kind of scale raises the 6th and 7th degrees when ascending?
Melodic minor.
What’s the difference between a film score and a soundtrack?
A score is original instrumental music composed for a film. A soundtrack includes pre-existing or licensed songs that reflect tone, emotion, or time period.
How can a composer change a leitmotif to reflect a story or character arc?
By altering the tempo, key, harmony, orchestration, or rhythm to reflect growth or transformation.
How does traditional composing differ from using sequencing software?
Traditional composing is done on paper or instrument (e.g., piano), while sequencing involves writing and editing digitally using software.
Which composer blends recorded industrial and environmental sounds into emotional film scores?
Hildur Guðnadóttir.
What are the notes in a g melodic minor scale? (ascending and descending)
G A Bb C D E (natural) F (sharp) G F (natural) E (flat) D C Bb A G