
M.socrative.com – Room #38178

QUESTION:
 1. What do we call a melody or short theme
associated with a person, idea, or object?

There are several famous Leitmotifs used in operas,
and most recently in cinema

Short melodies associated with characters are played
as characters come on screen or are mentioned.
 Usually a near full composition the first time the character
appears – later just short segments of the music

The leitmotifs are used so often throughout the
opera/film, that when you hear it you immediately
think of the character!

Can you name the character?
▪ We talked about SOME of these yesterday…
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehrj58nJBJI
 http://youtu.be/0di9tiulb4Q?t=1m30s
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9vrfEoc8_g
 http://youtu.be/D83YzbIwEmY?t=4m20s
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90h2gLgTz5g

Sometimes leitmotifs are associated with a
THING or FEELING
 War, Love, Victory, etc.

Can you name the theme?
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0di9tiulb4Q
 http://youtu.be/0di9tiulb4Q?t=23s
 http://youtu.be/D83YzbIwEmY?t=1m37s
 http://youtu.be/0di9tiulb4Q?t=2m11s
 http://youtu.be/0di9tiulb4Q?t=4m28s
 http://youtu.be/0di9tiulb4Q?t=5m9s
 http://youtu.be/0di9tiulb4Q?t=7m54s

Your favorite TV SHOW wants to go another
direction – the staff wants to turn it into an
opera.

For the TV Show to work as an opera, it needs
leitmotifs associated with its main characters
and common themes.

It’s up to YOU to determine what music
should be used.

Groups of 3-5 people

Select a TV show that everyone in your group
is familiar with. (Its hard to pick songs for
characters you don’t know.)
 You’ll want one with at least 5 frequent characters

As a group, decide what you’re going to
create leitmotifs for…
 You MUST do at least 5 characters
 You MUST do at least 3 “ideas” (love, moral
lesson, work, partying, etc. They could be more
specific like “when Mike says ‘that’s awesome’” –
as long as he does that a lot!)
 You need 10 TOTAL – the other 3 can be
characters, settings, or ideas.

On the handout, create a list of the
characters and ideas (with brief descriptions)
 What qualities define your characters?
 When do the ideas come into play? Why are they
important?

Using YouTube, select segments of songs to use
as leitmotifs for the characters and ideas you’ve
selected.
 Music should reflect the character or idea being
presented! They should help us better understand the
character/idea.
▪ If your character is a “bad boy” don’t play happy music!
 Music should be 10-30 seconds in length (nothing
longer.) It can include words, or be instrumental.
▪ ALL EXAMPLES MUST BE CLEAN!!!
▪ Put this on your handout
▪ Make sure you note the START and STOP time of your leitmotif (it’s
NOT the whole song!)

At the end of next week, you’ll present your
leitmotifs to the class.
 We’ll be in the lab Tuesday and Wednesday to put the
presentation together.

Each slide should introduce us to the character,
with a detailed description (in case someone
hasn’t seen the show), then briefly explain the
music you selected for them, and play it for the
class.
 You will do the same for the ideas you’ve selected.
Mrs. Buchholz’s Example (only 3 leitmotifs – you need 10!)
24 is a show full of action. It follows Jack Bauer as he works with CTU (the CounterTerrorist Unit) to prevent terrorists attacks on the United States. It was on FOX for 8
seasons and is coming back this May as a mini-series.
Main character
Started as director of CTU Los
Angeles, but in most seasons
worked as head of Field
Operations. He has also worked
for Homeland Security and CTU:
NY (later seasons.)
 Frequently pushes the envelope –
he does whatever it takes to get
the job done. This often includes
torturing suspects.
 He is highly efficient with firearms,
and can fly planes and helicopters.
 He’s a scary guy with a noble
purpose.



Jack goes to extreme
measures to get the job
done, but always with
good intentions

Leitmotif: Shostakovich
Symphony No. 5 (40:2131)
 Because it’s scary
sounding, but still full of
strength and power


Jack, and his CTU coworkers, are often seen
torturing the enemies in an effort to get
information
Sometimes they’re injecting captives with
things specifically designed to cause them
pain, other times its physical infliction, or, in
extreme cases, hurting ones loved ones.
 A lot of times, Jack kills them after he gets the
information anyway…

Since torture is painful, the music needed to
be painful to hear.

Leitmotif: Joker’s Theme (:51-1:10)
 Anytime any member of the team goes to
extreme measures, this music will play – almost
torturing your ears.



In each season of 24, someone close to the
team dies (or gets seriously hurt.)
They may die in an attack, of a disease, or in
combat.
It’s always a very sad moment, and the
episode usually ends with a silent countdown.

When a CTU member dies, its always a shock
to the audience – usually met with teary eyes.

Leitmotif: O Magnum Mysterium (5:23-End)
 Very sad music that makes you want to cry