The Soul of Cinema: An Appreciation of Film Music
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
My intent in writing this book is to fill a void for a much-needed text on film music appreciation. Although there are other fine books on film music and film composers, at the time of this writing this is the only book designed specifically as a film music appreciation text. Obviously not every person has this enthusiasm for film music that I do, but it is hoped that after traveling through this book, you will come away with an appreciation and understanding of what it takes to make the movies and how their music affects us the way it does. Because this book is meant to be used as a college level "appreciation of film music" text, it has to have limitations both in size and content. After a discussion of the functions of music in film and a general survey of the film music industry, we go back in time and show where it all started. The rest of the text becomes a chronological history of music in film from 1894 to the twenty-first century. Although foreign films and composers are mentioned and/or discussed, the major thrust of this book is centered on the Hollywood movie industry. This book also concentrates more on symphonic scores as opposed to jazz, pop, rock, or any other nonsymphonic idiom. Having taught this subject over the years, some of the well-known stories in this book are sometimes paraphrased, because the author hopes to put a fresh new slant on some well-worn tales of yore. Note to Teachers Most of the films covered in this book are readily available on video for the convenience of teaching purposes. The author suggests preparing the film clips to be shown prior to the start of each class session.
From the Back Cover
The Soul of Cinema is the first film music appreciation textbook ever written. This text explains the various functions of music in film and clearly describes the roles of producers, directors, and practically everyone else in cinema, and shows how they each relate to the composer and the musical score for a given film. The Soul of Cinema traces the evolution of film music from 1895 to the present, covering many of the representative film scores, film composers, and styles and trends along the journey. Some features include:
The Soul of Cinema: An Appreciation of Film Music,Larry M. Timm,Prentice Hall,0130304654,Analysis, appreciation,General,Instruction & Study - Theory,Motion picture music,Music,Music / General
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