Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
A P.E.G.S MUSIC DEPARTMENT PRODUCTION
Starring
Year 8 Music Students
Opening soon in classrooms everywhere.
Which of you, on hearing the first sinister, low-pitched notes of the theme
from Jaws, does not instantly form a mental picture of the great monster of
the deep? Can you imagine the shark moving in to attack without the
accompanying music which intensifies the horror and sheer terror as it
becomes louder, higher pitched and thicker in texture? In scenes like this it is
the music that is the communicating link between the visual image on the
screen and the audience.
The importance and value of an effective film score may not be fully
appreciated until you view the scene with sound and then without sound.
Imagine the following scenario on the screen – you can see a young child
walking through a park holding hands with an elderly man. What do you think
might be happening? Can we tell by just watching the image on the screen?
Now imagine the same scene with two different soundtracks.
Sound Track One – the music is bright and playful – it is in a major key with a
lyrical melody, lots of concordant harmonies and lively rhythms.
Sound Track Two – the music is dark and ominous – it is in a minor key with an agitated melody, lots of
discords and uneasy, syncopated rhythms.
Whether the scenario is as simple as a grandfather taking his grandchild for a walk in the park or the scene of a
kidnapping the addition of music can be used by the director to transform the setting and give the scene an extra
dimension. A film score can play a very important role in helping to communicate the true meaning of a scene
and greatly enhance the impact of the film.
In the days of the silent movies, in the early decades of the twentieth century, musical accompaniment to set
the scene, define the characters, or heighten the tension was provided “live” by piano, organ or even by an
orchestra. This music was either improvised or adapted from existing composed pieces. Since the 1930s film
composers have been conveying ideas to the audience by means of specially composed music, usually written
for orchestra.
The four main functions that a musical score can fulfil are:

To depict the time and place of the setting;

To convey character or ideas;

To highlight the mood or atmosphere;

To express emotion.
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Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
Music and Film
EVOKING A TIME AND PLACE
A term frequently used to describe an effective film score is the word evocative. This means
that the music evokes, or calls up for the viewer, a feeling, a memory or thought. The film
composer aims to use their music to reinforce and enhance the scene being watched.
Your teacher will now play four soundtracks which in some way help to set the film in a
particular historical era in an identifiable country or location.
As you listen to the music jot down any characteristics of the music that you can identify.
Eg. Are there any distinctive rhythms or instruments that you can hear? Is there anything
special or recognisable about the melody? Does the music conjure up any specific thoughts for
you?
Soundtrack One
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Soundtrack Two
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Soundtrack Three
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Soundtrack Four
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Read through the synopses on the following page and see which of them you think match with
the music that you have heard. Write down in the space provided the reason for your decision.
Section One – Music and Film
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Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
Synopsis One - Blade Runner (1982)
Deckard is a Blade Runner, a policeman of the future, who hunts down and
terminates replicants (artificially created humans). He wants to get out of the force,
but is drawn back in when 5 "skin jobs", a slang term for replicants, hijack a ship
back to Earth. The city that Deckard must search for his prey is a huge, sprawling,
bleak vision of the future.
Matching Sountrack Number:
Reasons:
Synopsis Two - The Pianist (2002)
This film adaptation is based on the autobiography of the acclaimed Polish
composer Wladyslaw Szpilman. The story details his survival during World
War II and his narrow escape from a roundup that sent his family to a death
camp. A composer and pianist, Szpilman played the last live music heard over
Polish radio airwaves before Nazi artillery opened fire. The film shows how he
survives the war in Warsaw against all odds.
Matching Sountrack Number:
Reasons:
Synopsis Three – The Sting (1973)
The setting for the film is Chicago, 1936. The story revolves around two small-time con
men who tangle with a gangster, his band of thugs and a crooked policeman. They create
a fake bookie joint in order to ‘sting’ the gangster out of a fortune.
Matching Sountrack Number:
Reasons:
Synopsis Four - The Power of One (1993)
The Power of One is the story of P.K. an English boy born in South Africa. Orphaned at a
young age and sent to an Afrikaner run boarding school P.K. finds life tougher than he could
have imagined. At the outbreak of World War II life at school becomes even more cruel and
tortuous and P.K. learns that freedom, for some, is just a word.
Matching Sountrack Number:
Reasons:
Section One – Music and Film
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Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
Homework Assignment
Imagine that you have been asked to provide the music for a new film entitled The Time Machine.
The synopsis of the story, as the title suggests, is about an invention, designed by a mad professor,
which is able to transport people both forward or backwards in time.
Select a date, either from the past or in the future, and describe the music that you would use to
help evoke the period of time you have chosen. You should also explain the reasons for your
choice of music.
Check this out!!
Find out the answers to each of these questions.

What is the meaning of the word anachronistic?

Select a film of your choice and provide an example of a style of music that might be
considered to be anachronistic.

Who or what is a Foley artist?

What is the difference between a film composer and an arranger?
 Who or what is an orchestrator?
The Madness of King George (1993)
Cast: Nigel Hawthorne, Helen Mirren, Ian Holm, Amanda Donohoe, Rupert Graves,
Rupert Everett
Director: Nicholas Hytner
Producer: Stephen Evans and David Parfitt
Screenplay: Alan Bennett based on his stage play The Madness of George III
Music: G. F. Handel, arranged by George Fenton
This film is based on the reign and demise of King George III (1760-1820) and the ploys of his eldest son and heir, the
Prince of Wales, to have his father declared mad so that he could take over as regent. The film opens in 1788, more than
five years after England lost her North American colonies.
The film score for The Madness of King George is based on the music of George Frederick Handel (1685-1759).
Handel is a very famous composer from the Baroque period in music history (1600 – 1750). He was born in Germany
and by the age of twenty he was a violinist and harpsichord player at the opera house in Hamburg and had seen his first
opera performed there. His operas, church music and other compositions earned him high praise.
In 1710 Handel visited England where he found Italian opera was all the rage. In just two weeks he composed an opera
called Rinaldo which was performed with immediate success.
Returning to Germany, Handel took the post of Kapellmeister (Music Director) at the court of the Elector of Hanover.
After a year he asked permission to visit England again, promising to return “within a reasonable time”; however, his
success in England made his life in Hanover seem dull and unexciting. Handel decided to stay on and he remained in
England for the rest of his life.
In 1714 Queen Anne of England died and her successor to the throne was none other than Handel’s rightful employer,
the Elector of Hanover, who now became King George I. At first the King was upset at Handel’s long absence from
his court in Hanover but, as he was considered to be England’s leading composer of the day, the King eventually
forgave him. Handel regained favour with the King and wrote many more compositions for the palace.
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Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
Compositions written by Handel that are used in the film The Madness of King George
include his Water Music, which is a suite of twenty pieces originally written for
performance at a royal water-party on the Thames. Another piece that features on the
soundtrack is Zadok the Priest which is an anthem originally written by Handel for the
Coronation of King George II in 1727. (It is interesting to note that there has been one
or more of Handel’s anthems performed at every subsequent coronation).
Listen to this music and discover some of the qualities that helped
convince George Fenton that it would be suited for use in this film.
G. F. Handel
1.
In what ways do you think that this music helps to create a sense of time?
2.
In what ways do you think that this music evokes a sense of place?
3.
Without referring to a specific scene in the film what type of mood or atmosphere do you
think is created by the different examples from the soundtrack that you listened to in class?
4.
“With the clear strains of Handel's Water Music and Zadok the Priest in the background, The
Madness of King George ascends to a level that it might never have attained using a modern
composer. The musical selections (made by George Fenton) are so perfectly and expertly
interwoven into the film that one might easily assume the score had been specifically written
for Nicholas Hytner's production”. (James Berardinelli - 1995). If you have seen the film, do
you agree with this statement?
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Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
5.
Do you think that Handel’s music is a good choice to create a sense of time or place in a
movie on the life of King George III?
6.
Would the same music be relevant for a film on the life of Queen Elizabeth II?
7.
Can you think of any other ways a contemporary composer might achieve a sense of time
and place in a period film on the life of King George III?
What do you think??
Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice was published during the reign of King George III in
1813. It is a novel about the prejudice that occurred between the 19th century classes and the pride
which would keep lovers apart.
What type of music do you think would be appropriate for a film based on this plot?
Would the music of Handel be suitable for such a film?
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Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
ASSIGNMENT WORK
Examine the picture adjacent. You may
recognize it as being the main picture
used in the promotional posters for the
movie Titanic. It is designed in such a
way as to capture all of the important
elements of the film; ie the three main
characters (Jack, Rose, and Titanic),
AND the love between Jack and Rose. It
also suggests the ship not only bringing
them together, but perhaps tearing them
apart as well.
Look at some other examples of movie
posters and notice the way in which they
are designed to sum up the main
elements of the film.
Listen to the movie theme played by your teacher, making a list of words that come to mind as you
listen. It may suggest emotions to you; it may suggest a place or period in time; it may even
suggest a storyline. Decide what sort of movie you think this music might suit; ie. love story,
action, thriller, horror, comedy, etc.
ASSIGNMENT
• Imagine that you are an aspiring screenwriter who has just heard this piece of music and
has been inspired to write a screen play for a movie that it would be suitable for. You
therefore need to decide on a TITLE and write a SHORT SUMMARY of the plot for your
film. The summary should be an overview of the whole story of the film and not a
description of just one scene. Remember, this music will be used as the main theme for the
movie and so the story must be suited to it.
• You will also be required to design and draw a promotional poster for the film, trying to
capture all of the essential elements of the film in your design.
• Your poster will need to be AT LEAST the size of an A4 sheet of paper and the
summary should either be written on the back of the poster or, if written on a separate
sheet of paper, stapled to the poster.
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Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
CONVEYING CHARACTER OR IDEAS
In a novel, an author can easily build up a picture of
a character for the reader through words. In a film it
is not so easy.
The viewer cannot expect to fully understand what
a character is like by simply seeing him or her on
the screen. This is often where the composer comes
in, being required to write music that will give clues
as to the true nature of the various players.
Composing for film involves cleverly manipulating
such elements of music as melody, rhythm and
instrumentation to provide a character study in
sound. Similarly, a composer can use music to convey the innermost thoughts or ideas of one or
more characters.
The James Bond Theme
In 1962 Dr No burst onto movie screens, introducing a
new kind of exciting and sophisticated spy thriller and
a cool hero, "Bond.........James Bond". Played by Sean
Connery, Bond is Secret Agent 007 of Her Majesty's
Secret Service, and was unlike any hero the public had
seen before.
Dr No also introduced many of the characters and
elements that were to feature in all future Bond movies
including Bond's frustrated boss “M”; M’s secretary,
the flirtatious Miss Moneypenny, The James Bond
Theme, one of the most famous of all movie themes,
and the dramatic opening sequence in which the
camera follows Bond as if looking down the barrel of a
gun. Dr No had other elements of the Bond movie
formula as well; a ruthless villain who belonged to S.P.E.C.T.R.E. - an evil organisation scheming to take over the
world – beautiful girls, spectacular action sequences, chases and stunts, expensive cars, exotic locales and lavish
sets and costumes. Although the music for Dr No was composed by Monty Norman, the famous theme was
actually arranged by the English composer John Barry who is one of the leading film composers of the past three
decades. The James Bond Theme is a brilliant piece of music which cleverly conveys many of the aspects of
Bond’s character.
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE BOND?
Sean Connery
Section One – Music and Film
George Lazenby
Roger Moore
Timothy Dalton
Pierce Brosnan
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Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
Title:
Composer:
The James Bond Theme
Monty Norman arr. John Barry.
The diagram below represents each of the main sections in this piece of music. Listen carefully to the piece and label
each box using the letters A, B, C, etc, where A represents one section, B represents a different section, C represents
a different section again, and so on.
1.
Using any of the following terms or phrases that you think are appropriate describe the music
for each section in point form. Write your answer in the appropriate box.
OSTINATO, CRESCENDO, SWING/JAZZ STYLE, MEZZO FORTE, FORTE, CODA,
GONG, DECRESCENDO, ELECTRIC GUITAR, TRIPLE METER, QUADRUPLE
METER, ALLEGRO, MODERATO, 8 BAR MELODY, REPETITION, TRUMPETS,
TROMBONES, SAXOPHONES, INTRODUCTION.
2.
What do we call this form (or structure) in music?
3.
What instrument is the main melody performed on in the first section?
4.
In the first section we hear the familiar melody played twice. What changes are made to the
music when we hear it for the second time?
5.
The main melody in the second section is also repeated. Describe what happens to the music
when we hear the melody for the second time.
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Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
6.
This theme “cleverly conveys many of the aspects of Bond’s character”. What aspects of
Bond’s character does each section convey? What is it about the music that makes you think
of these characteristics?
7.
Listen to the theme from a movie about a 'similar' type of character. Make a list of words
that describe the aspects of this character that the music suggests to you? What is it about the
music that has made you think of these words? Be as specific as possible.
8.
What is the name of this film!?
Listen to a piece of music which is used in a scene from a James Bond movie. What do you
think is happening here? Write a detailed description of a scene that would be suitable for
this music.
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Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
JAMES BOND WILL RETURN IN…………..
CREATING A MOOD OR ATMOSPHERE
Section One – Music and Film
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Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
One of the most important functions of film music is to create a mood or atmosphere so as to prepare
an audience for what they are about to see; or, to put it another way, to create an aural frame of
reference for viewing the visual images. This means that the music must perfectly complement the
mood created by the on screen elements - the size, shape, colour, brightness and texture of the
images, their speed of movement, the physical qualities of the background, and so on. For example,
to accompany a scene set in outer space a composer may write music with a wide range of sounds from very low to very high - to match the vastness of space; on the other hand, to accompany a desert
scene the music may feature high-pitched discordant sounds to emphasise the harshness and heat of
the sun's rays.
The 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey is considered a milestone
of the science fiction genre. Based on a short story by Arthur
C. Clarke and directed by Stanley Kubrick, the film deals with
the evolution of humankind from its beginnings as an ape to the
human's final stage as an angelic cosmic being in a universe
where time has no meaning. Space travel is seen as just one
stage of this evolution or 'odyssey' to perfection, which is
controlled by an extraterrestrial intelligence whose calling card
is a mysterious monolith (a perfectly proportioned slab of black
rock). Kubrick's thought-provoking and puzzling vision of the
fate of humankind has as its central theme the struggle
between humanity and machinery.
As well as being a spectacular film visually (many of its awardwinning special effects broke new ground), the film also
features a striking use of music. Instead of having specially
composed music, Kubrick carefully chose existing pieces to
highlight the various moods and ideas throughout the film. The
piece which is used as the opening theme is the first 21 bars of
a composition entitled Also Sprach Zarathustra.
Title:
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spake Zarathustra)
Composer:
Features:
Richard Strauss
• Written in 1896 this composition is a SYMPHONIC POEM
• It is based on ideas contained in a poem by the German philosopher Friedrich
Nietzsche.
• Kubrick selected the opening 21 bar section of this piece to create a mood of
expectation and a feeling of dramatic power.
• Composed for a very large orchestra with added pipe organ.
• Very wide dynamic range.
• Changes from minor to major and vice-versa
Section One – Music and Film
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Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
Questions
1.
What is the specific name of the drum which plays a short solo passage immediately after the
opening melody?
2.
What instrument plays the opening three notes of the melody?
3.
How many times do you hear this three note motive during the piece?
4.
Name the instruments that play it each time.
5.
Describe the dynamic range of this piece.
Working in pairs devise a scene that you can act out to this music. The scene may tell a story or it
may simply be movement or dance.
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Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
JOHN WILLIAMS
Born in the USA in 1932, John Williams began his career as a Hollywood
composer by writing scores in the 1950s and 60s for episodes of the TV series
Wagon Train, Bachelor Father and Gilligan’s Island. This eventually led to work
in the 1960s and 70s with the director and producer Irwin Allen on the science
fiction shows Lost in Space and Land of the Giants. His first critical movie success
came with his terrifying score for Jaws in 1975. This score won him his first Oscar
and the movie began his successful association with director Steven Spielberg. He
has since collaborated with Spielberg on ten films so far, including Raiders of the
Lost Ark (1981), E.T. (1982), Schindler’s List (1993) and Jurassic Park (1993).
His award winning score for Star Wars (1977) influenced many other film
composers to write for large symphony orchestras.
Williams, who has written for over 100 television shows and films, is considered
by many to be the leading film composer writing today.
STAR WARS: MAIN TITLE THEME
1.
The form of this piece is TERNARY; ie A B A with an introduction at the beginning and a
coda at the end. Using the box diagram below outline in some detail the main differences
between each section. You will need to refer to elements such as melody, timbre,
dynamics, mood, tempo, rhythm, style, etc.
Intro.
Section One – Music and Film
A
B
A
Coda
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Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey are both films set in space yet the music used for each of
them is quite different. Having listened to the themes from both movies what might you expect the
differences between these two films to be? Explain what it is about the music that has led you to
this conclusion.
In light of what John Williams himself says about the music he composed for The Phantom Menace
listen now to Anakin’s Theme and compare it with Darth Vader’s Imperial March from the original
Star Wars movie. Can you hear the similarities? How does Williams achieve the “hint of evil”?
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Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
EXPRESSING EMOTIONS
Film music can also be used to express the changing emotions of the characters; through the
music their innermost thoughts and their states of mind are communicated to the audience. In
fact many people consider the primary function of any film score is to provide an emotional
backdrop for the film. The screen image can only depict characters' outside appearances while
the spoken word can tell us the emotions being experienced but cannot always adequately convey
the depth of the emotion. Sometimes characters' words and actions even mask their real feelings.
It is the music that must mirror the characters' emotional states so that we understand exactly how
they are feeling; in other words, the music tells us what to feel.
Love is in the Air (Vanda & Young)
This song featured in the 1992 film Strictly Ballroom
which is one of Australia’s most successful films, both
nationally and overseas. A colourful, funny, sad and
exuberant film full of ‘over the top’ characters and
featuring spectacular costumes and some excellent
dancing, Strictly Ballroom is set in the cocooned, glittery
and often bizarre world of ballroom dancing, a world
rigidly controlled by an establishment that tries to ensure
that no new steps are introduced into the traditional dances.
As is to be expected, the musical score is made up of songs
and musical pieces of various styles to which the
characters dance the ‘set’ steps, such as the waltz and the
rhumba. The film is basically a love story involving two
characters, Scott (Paul Mercurio) and Fran (Tara Morice),
who rebel against the strict rules of the Ballroom
Confederation and bring new steps into the set dances.
Love Is in the Air, a hit song from 1978, is sung in the film
by its original singer, Australian John Paul Young, and
occurs at the end of the film after Scott and Fran have
danced in the Pan Pacific Championships. The song,
which is in a disco style, uses an A A B C phrase structure
for the verse and an A B structure for the chorus. It
conveys a number emotions, including happiness,
exhilaration and romantic love, through the use of the
bright major key, lively rhythmic ostinatos, soaring string counter melodies, tubular bells, and backing vocalists in
the chorus sections.
1.
This song is in the key of G major and is based mostly on the primary triads of this key.
Write out the scale of G major .
Write out the primary triads of G major
2.
Listen to Love Is in the Air following the listening outline on the next page. Circle the
correct alternative for each of the words in bold type and fill in any missing words as
required.
3.
Learn to play the percussion rhythms as heard in this song.
4.
Using the “film precis” provided by your teacher write new lyrics that you could perform to
the tune of Love Is in the Air.
Section One – Music and Film
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Year 8 Classroom Music Booklet – 2004
Listening Outline – Love Is in the Air.
Introduction: In triple / quadruple meter. Ascending / Descending pitch on synthesiser,
strings and piano create a dreamy mood in preparation for the words “Love
Is in the Air”; descending / ascending piano glissando / ostinato.
Verse 1 …..
In triple / quadruple meter. Commences with voice, low-pitched
strings, cor anglais / flute melody, ascending / descending crotchet
arpeggio figure and ascending / descending melodic idea; the various
rhythms comprising the characteristic disco beat enter in turn. The
percussion instruments enter in the following order;
,
. Meanwhile the
bass guitar plays the following rhythmic ostinato.
,
Verse 2 .….. Continuation in the disco style; the new percussion sound which is heard
is
. Ends with an ascending / descending scale on
strings and tubular bells to heighten the emotional feeling.
Chorus …… Call and response between the singers and strings with tubular bells.
Verse 3 ….... As for verse 2 but with added high string counter melody / drone and
low synthesiser glissando / ostinato.
Verse 4
Chorus …… Repeated twice
Coda ……… Key phrase “Love Is in the Air” is repeated
Section One – Music and Film
times.
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