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"A film is a composition and the musical composition is an integral part of the design." —H. G. WELLS

Key Points

  • Music sets the mood, helps establish the characters, and creates a sense of place and time in a film.
  • There are two principal types of music in a film—underscoring and source music.
  • Silent films were generally accompanied by solo piano or organ.
  • Film music may be newly composed or may borrow from Classical or popular repertory; rock, country/western, and jazz gained favor in film music after the late 1940s.
  • The late 1930s is considered the Golden Age of films and film music.
  • The Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev wrote scores for two epic films—Alexander Nevsky (1938) and Ivan the Terrible (1944–45)—both about Russian historical figures and both directed by Sergei Eisenstein.
  • Post–World War II films used music sparingly, and composers explored more modern special effects.
  • The film music of John Williams marks a return to full orchestral resources and the use of leitmotifs (recurring themes) associated with characters or situations.
  • In the 1980s, the synthesizer had a significant influence on the film music industry.

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