The Music of
Mark Mancina
~Aurora Casteel
Music 1010
March 25, 2013
Craig Ferrin
*Press mouse
to continue
Biography
Mark Mancina
• Born
• Early Music Study
• Graduate School
Biography
Late 1980’s-Early 1990’s
• Work with Trevor Rabin
• Work with Yes
• Work with Trevor Horn
Biography
Early to Mid 1990’s
• London
• Emerson, Lake, and Palmer
• Early Work
Biography
• Money Train (1995)
Older Work in Movies
• Speed (1994)
• Bad Boys
(1995)
• Twister (1996)
•Con Air
(1997)
• Assassins
(1995)
Biography
Work with Disney
• Work with Elton John
• Work with Phil Collins
Biography
Broadway
• The Lion King Musical
Biography
• Continued work with Movies
1. Return to Paradise (1998)
2. The Haunted Mansion
(2003)
3. August Rush (2007)
* My personal favorite
4. Imagine That (2009)
Biography
Television
• Work with Television
Shows
1. Millenium (1992)
2. Poltergeist: The
Legacy (1996)
3. Blood+ (2005) –
Anime
4. Criminal Minds
(2006 and on)
Biography
Commercials
3. Skittles
• Commercial Jingles
1. Nike
2. Verizon
4. US Army
5. American
Express
Biography
Awards
• Many Broadcast Music Inc
(BMI) TV and Movie Awards
•DVDX Award
• An Oscar
• Two Grammy’s
• A Tony
• An Ivor Novello
Biography
Random Facts
•August Rush the Musical
• Mancina’s Music
• Studio
Composition History
*Looking at You*
From the Motion Picture Return to Paradise
• First song on soundtrack
• Written to portray the
evolution of a love affair
• Performed on exotic and
traditional woodwind, string,
and percussion instruments
• The melody consists of
descending repetitive notes
consisting mostly of a
mezzo-piano dynamic
Composition History
*Looking at You*
From the Original Motion Picture Return to Paradise
• Song is mostly performed in
harmony
• Some phrases of the song
are in heterophony, where
the instruments play different
melodies while remaining in
the same rhythm
• Overall texture created by
this song paints pictures in
the mind of watching
something surreal unfold
Composition History
*Speed: The Rescue*
From the Original Motion Picture Speed
• An action song written for
a scene with a speeding bus
• This song was performed on
many different instruments
including strings, percussion,
brass, and electronic pieces
• Written in a louder dynamic,
with a very quick tempo kept
by a constant beat of the drums
most of the way through the song
Composition History
*Speed: The Rescue*
From the Original Motion Picture Speed
• Strongest melody is played by
strings with a slight dissonance
producing casual heterophony
• Musical phrases and sentences
are easy to pick out with all
the rhythmic changes occuring
• Played in a minor mode, this
piece has very distinct timbre
and a steady pitch that carries
through the entire song
Composition History
*Main Title Theme Suite One*
From the Original Motion Picture August Rush
• Performed by exotic and
traditional instruments,
including strings, wood winds,
electronic instruments, brass,
and percussion
• Song evokes a feeling of
newness, adventure, and
continuation while mastering
the cadence of each phrase
• The melody is repetitive but is
played at different volumes and
pitches by all the instruments
Composition History
*Main Title Theme Suite One*
From the Original Motion Picture August Rush
• The undertone of the song
is a continuous two note sound
with what sounds like wind
chimes and whistling
• A strong sense of intensity
and depth is created by an
average tempo kept in even
harmony with lots of dynamic
variations
• Pitch is important in this
song with strings and woodwinds carrying the higher notes
Listening Guide
*Return to Paradise*
• (0.00-0.26)- Flutes and strings play soft
repetitive descending melody in high pitch
• (0.26-0.50)- Lower pitch begins harmonizing
with higher
• (0.50-1.04)- Lower pitch strings take melody
alone
• (1.04-1.15)- Higher pitch strings join lower pitch
beginning a new phrase in harmony
• (1.15-1.35)- Original melody plays again at
higher pitch with a softer harp coming in playing
different notes over the original melody. No lower
pitch
Listening Guide
*Return to Paradise*
• (1.35-2.01)- Lower and higher pitched
instruments combine at a higher volume and
intense tone, flutes are added as the tones soften
• (2.01-2.29)- Melody changes with higher and
lower pitches playing in harmony with flutes and
strings
• (2.29-2:55)- Lower instruments play original
descending melody
• (2:55-3:20)- Higher pitched instruments join
and play in harmony, soft flute joins
Listening Guide
*Return to Paradise*
• (3.20-End)- Melody is pulled out into a
crescendo once again more intense, soft wind
instruments and flutes play in background, trills on
flute and soft drum beat end song
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continue
Listening Guide
*Speed: The Rescue*
• (0.00-0.16)- Soft drum beats and lower pitch
strings begin song
• (0.16-0.22)- Drums and triangle together pick
up quicker speed and higher volume
• (0.22-0:46)- Brass and strings pick up even
louder with a foreboding texture then dwindle
• (0.46-0.51)- Soft whispering sound and strings
instruments
• (0.51-1.23)- Music picks back up with brass,
drums, and strings playing together in harmony
• (1.23-1.45)- Melody takes higher pitch
Listening Guide
*Speed: The Rescue*
• (1.45-2.11)- Dynamic and quick tempo rush in
with strings playing high pitched underlying tone,
other instruments play a quick repetitive ascending
melody which halts to the sound of one note being
played repetitively which dwindles at the sound of a
gong, drums continue to play with a wailing sound
from a trombone
• (2.11-2.44)- Music picks back up with strings
that come and go, there is a heavy drum beat
keeping pace which turns quickly into a fast tempo
and a chase like sound
•(2.44-2.51) Keyboard begins with drums and
strings
Listening Guide
*Speed: The Rescue*
• (2.51-3.00)- Crescendo with repetitive notes that
eventually dwindle out
• (3.00-3.09)- Drum continues with siren sounds
in background, brass instruments join while sirens
fade
• (3.09-3.21)- Strings and drums keep pace while
chase sound fades away
• (3.21-3.45)- Powerful continuous notes in
repetitive pattern, three sharp chords play followed
by drums which then repeat at a higher pitch
Listening Guide
*Speed: The Rescue*
• (3.45-End)- Deep string instrument picks up
melody, then percussion ends song abruptly
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mouse to
continue
Listening Guide
*Main Title Theme Suite One*
• (0.00-0.14)- Xylophone starts with a wind like
sound and a repetitive two notes on a wind
instrument
• (0.14-0.22)- Deep toned string instrument plays
melody with percussion and whistling in
background
•(0.22-0.37)- Melody repeated at higher pitch,
hard chords ring in and fade out with continued
percussion, xylophone, and two note repetition in
background
•(0.37-0.56)- New phrase with heavy quick string
sounds louder than before
Listening Guide
*Main Title Theme Suite One*
• (0.56-1.15)- Keyboard and string instrument
come in with string picking in a descending note
sequence sounding like a sparkle and fade, at 1.09
strings begin a different underlying phrase
•(1.15-1.27)- Keyboard and flute play melody
together with continued xylophone, strings, and
two note repetition in background
•(1.27-2.03)- Deep toned strings join playing
melody, music gets louder and more intense
•(2.03-2.16)- Strings come back in with
underlying quick tone, keyboard joins playing
descending series of notes
Listening Guide
*Main Title Theme Suite One*
• (2.16-2.36)- Hand drum like percussion
instruments come in as music intensifies and gets
louder gradually
• (2.36-3.03)- Sound explosion with dup[licated
chord striking, high pitched whistle begins, all
instruments play descending melody in a round
• (3.03-3.17)- Strings and brass instruments come
in softly holding same note while melody continues
• (3.17-3.30)- From a down beat on the drums
the intensity stops, strings stop, drums, plucking,
xylophone, and whistling continue
Listening Guide
*Main Title Theme Suite One*
• (3.30- 4.31)- Keyboard and strings return with a
heavy drum beat playing a to and fro with the
descending melody, keyboard/strings come and go
letting drums have the show
• (4.31-End)- All instruments fade out leaving
xylophone and whistling to fade last
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continue
Bibliography
• Warm Butter Design. The Music of Mark Mancina.
Pitchpipe Productions. 2011
http://www.markmancina.com/
Thank you!
~Aurora Casteel