Responding to Film Music and the Types of Music in Silent Film

1. Responding to Film Music

In order to see how a skilled composer can craft a piece of music to support a picture, refer to the Viewer Guide on page 139 of the Reel Music textbook ("Scarlett at Twin Oaks"), which is an outline of an important scene from Gone with the Wind (1939), scored by Max Steiner. Watch the clip below, and read the text provided in your textbook, which outlines the basic structure of the music and how it functions to follow the drama.

clip:

https://drive(dot)google(dot)com/file/d/1eSySOXFf-gmI9SKZY4FI1a2m9AbNvoH3/view?usp=sharing

How well do you feel that the scoring follows the dramatic shape of the scene? What emotions come across through Steiner's music? Does this remind you of any other scores you may be familiar with?

Post a response (approximately one paragraph in length).

2. Types of Music in Silent Film

Watch the following four clips. They are examples of silent films with a variety of types of scores. Submit a paper documenting the following for each example:

(1)Title and year of film

(2)In your opinion, the type of score is which of the following:

-Improvisation

-Cue Books (existing music tailored to the needs of the film)

-Compiled Score (adapted music from the classic repertoire)

-Original Score (composed for this specific film)

(3)Instrumentation

(4)Effectiveness: Give a sentence or two that outlines whether you feel this approach accurately supports the story, the action in the film, and the required mood.

Clip 1: The Man With A Rubber Head (1901)

https://drive(dot)google(dot)com/file/d/15-Eyen63ZmflSXzRwpTGPfCj4vxqR2hE/view?usp=sharing

Clip 2: The Tramp (1915)

https://drive(dot)google(dot)com/file/d/1Jhxi6tTcCPdmNlF97EgCV_k4YZ9iTvGa/view?usp=sharing

Clip 3: "The General" (1926)

https://drive(dot)google(dot)com/file/d/1lJW6Cb8J_Cj0C6n_3wAu8WS8qFTcQpk6/view?usp=sharing

Clip 4: Faust (1926)

https://drive(dot)google(dot)com/file/d/10ydAqVEeuef5aQbCjCIPLxSLiY7_v9kD/view?usp=sharing