280
ii. reflects journey of life
iii. subtext of personal grief
b. program provides evocative images
4. large orchestra, many percussion instruments
a. tintinnabulation: bell– like timbres
b. “chiming” draws on Asian soundscapes
5. continual expansion, several stirring climaxes
D. LG 61: Higdon: blue cathedral (2000)
1. sectional, rondo– like structure
2. languorous, ascending lyrical lines
3. A section:
a. bell- like timbres over muted strings
b. solo flute, rising line, muted string chords, no
sense of pulse
c. solo clarinet answers, harp and string
accompaniment
4. B section: wavering horn chords, open high strings
5. C section:
a. plaintive En glish horn, harmonics on harp
b. solo instruments enter one at a time
c. builds to gentle climax
d. broad “flying theme”
e. return to duet in slower tempo, full orchestra
6. pitched glasses and “chiming” (prepared piano)
OVERVIEW
The subject of Chapter67 is the con temporary style of con-
cert music dubbed neo– Romanticism, a recent trend that
embraces the sound and spirit of nineteenth- century orches-
tral music. Jennifer Higdon is a composer whose program-
matic orchestral works embody the characteristics of the
neo- Romantic style.
OUTLINE
I. A New Romanticism?
A. Neo– Romanticism: postmodern composers update
the Romantic style
1. built on luxuriant orchestral tradition
2. prominent exponent: Samuel Barber (1910–1981)
3. re spect, nostalgia for Romantic style
4. favor late– Romantic harmonic language
a. mostly tonal, chromatic, highly virtuosic
b. innovative timbral combinations
5. program music: biographical and cultural
experiences
6. popu lar with modern audiences
B. Jennifer Higdon (b. 1962)
1. Brooklyn- born, widely performed living Amer–
ican composer
2. education: Bowling Green State; University of
Pennsylvania, student of George Crumb
3. teaches at Curtis Institute of Music
4. many prestigious awards: 2010 Pulitzer Prize
5. style: “American” sound, rooted in tonality,
innovative sound palette, dense textures, wide-
ranging dynamics
6. extensive output: orchestral music, concertos,
chamber music, choral works, vocal works
C. Jennifer Higdon and blue cathedral
1. orchestral tone poem
2. written to commemorate anniversary of Curtis
Institute of Music
3. tradition of program music
a. biographical ele ments
i. title refers to her brother, Andrew Blue
Higdon
Neo- Romantic Evocations: Higdon and
Program Music into the Twenty- First Century
CHAPTERfi67
do you see a connection between her ability to see color
in sound and the musical values of nineteenth- century
Romanticism?
TEACHING CHALLENGES
Review the characteristics of nineteenth- century Romanti–
cism in Part 5 to help your students become familiar with
the new Romantic aesthetic explored in this chapter.
SUPPLEMENTAL REPERTORY
SUPPLEMENTAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
Rifkin, Deborah. “Musical Stories: Gesture and Texture in Jenni-
YOUR TURN TO EXPLORE
Find a recent instrumental work that has an evocative title
and/or a specific program. What musical ele ments does the
composer use to convey that title or program? How does
theavailability of increasingly diverse musical styles in the
MODEL RESPONSE
Paula Diehl: In Hand
In Hand is a single- movement piece for chamber orchestra
by Paula Diehl. Although the title of the piece is somewhat
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. To understand the neo- Romantic style of con temporary
concert music as a modern adaptation of Romantic
nineteenth- century orchestral music, most notably the
program– music tradition
2. To understand Jennifer Higdon’s blue cathedral as a neo-
Romantic work that recalls the lush harmony and color–
ful musical imagery of the Romantic era tone poem
LECTURE SUGGESTIONS
the ways in which the three main sections of the excerpt
(labeled A, B, and C in Listening Guide 61) correspond
to Higdon’s programmatic explanation of the piece. Does
pro cess hark back to the same pro cess in a programmatic
orchestral work of the Romantic era, Berlioz’s Sym–
phonie fantastique?
ASSIGNMENT SUGGESTIONS
posers and their music? What do you imagine “intel-
lectual” music might sound like, or how would one go
about composing it? Do you feel that approaching music
intellectually pres ents certain limitations? Why or why
not?
282 | Chapterfi67
283
ogy, E.T.: The Extra- Terrestrial, Home Alone,
Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, first three
Harry Potter films, War Horse, Lincoln
6. style: revival of grand symphonic film score,
Wagnerian ideas, highly lyrical, unforgettable
themes, accessible neo– Romantic idiom
7. classical works: fanfares for the Olympics, Presi-
dent Barack Obama inaugural music
B. Star Wars multifilm score
1. musical unity
a. multiple leitmotifs, sequels and prequels
b. leitmotifs support nature of the characters
c. musical motives can transform, reflect dif fer–
ent events
2. Imperial March
a. first appearance of ominous Darth Vader theme
b. dark character: minor tonality, chromati–
cism, low- instrument timbres
c. full orchestra, brass featured
C. LG 62: Williams: Imperial March, from The
Empire Strikes Back (1980)
1. form: theme and variations
2. regular qua dru ple meter
3. power ful brass melody recurs
4. middle section: lighter, disjunct ostinato, unpre–
dictable French horn statements
5. closes with fortissimo pounding ostinato
OVERVIEW
This chapter provides an introduction to music in film. Dis–
cussed here are the two main types of film music: source music
and underscoring, the second of which is exemplified in John
Willia m s’s Imperial March from The Empire Strikes Back.
OUTLINE
I. Sound and Film
A. Music sets the mood
1. reflects emotions of a scene
2. “ running counter to the action”: music contra–
dicts the scene
a. The Godfather baptism scene: Bach’s organ
music
b. Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2:
graphic vio lence, lighthearted rock music
3. place and time: instruments suggest a time period
a. Braveheart: bagpipes
b. Brokeback Mountain: guitar
c. Avatar: “Na’vi”
B. Underscoring and source music
1. underscoring: unseen source
2. source music: functions as part of the drama
a. Rear Win dow, only source music
b. Boyz n the Hood, defines figures of the story
C. Tendencies observed in film composition
1. Wagnerian princi ples, leitmotifs
2. assimilation of popu lar music trends
3. search for new sounds
II. John Williams: Star Wars and Beyond
A. John Williams (b. 1932)
1. award- winning composer, conductor; native of
Long Island
2. education: UCLA, New York’s Juilliard School
3. tele vi sion series and themes, including Gilligan’s
Island; 1950s
4. conducted Boston Pops Orchestra, 1980–93
5. more than 90 film scores include: Jaws, Star
Wars, Star Wars sequels, Close Encounters of
the Third Kind, Superman, Indiana Jones tril–
Underscoring Meaning: Williams
and Music for Film
CHAPTERfi68
284 | Chapterfi68
ASSIGNMENT SUGGESTIONS
1. Consider a few of your favorite films in dif fer ent genres
(drama, comedy, romantic comedy, documentary, etc.).
How does the film music function in each context? Do
you hear differences in the types of film music in these
vari ous films (underscoring, source music, running
counter to the action)? If so, do you find these dif fer ent
types of film music to be consistent in other films from
the same genre? As you survey these other films, can you
find any examples of films using types of music (under-
scoring, source music, running counter to the action)
unexpectedly or in ways that seem unusual?
2. Popu lar TV series such as The Sopranos, True Blood,
Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and video games such as the
Final Fantasy series, Elder Scrolls (see “Encounter,”
pp.432–33), and many others have incorporated many
features and characteristics of traditional cinema, includ–
ing the elaborate use of underscoring, source music, and
music running counter to the action. Choose a recent
popu lar TV series or video game. How does music func–
tion in its traditional cinematic roles? Do leitmotifs
emerge? Do the composers supply underscoring? Is
source music prominent? Does the music suggest a time
or place? Do any aspects of the music diverge from the
traditional roles of film, TV, or video game music?
TEACHING CHALLENGES
Teaching the terminology of Chapter68 is challenging in that
underscoring and source music don’t necessarily constitute
a complete soundtrack, which can also include music previ-
ously composed (and not originally for the film). This is a
small issue, but one that can arise in associating underscor–
ing with composed film scores (as emphasized in the chap-
ter). A notable example is Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction
(1994), whose underscore is not composed, but rather is
entirely made up of previously recorded pop songs.
SUPPLEMENTAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. To understand music’s ability to enhance the meaning
and expression of film through the techniques of source
music, underscoring, and running counter to the action
2. To understand the film music of John Williams (exem-
plified in his music for The Empire Strikes Back) as
effectively employing orchestral resources and leitmotifs
that enhance the film’s dramatic and emotional impact
3. To understand the impor tant role that music and sound
play in the video game experience
LECTURE SUGGESTIONS
1. Share with your class a series of film scenes that explore
the techniques of underscoring, source music, and
running counter to the action. The textbook lists a num-
ber of well- known examples: Williams’s score at the end
of E.T. (underscoring); in Hitchcock’s Rear Win dow, the
music heard from Jeff Jeffries’s (James Stewart’s char–
acter) neighbors’ apartments (source music); and the bap–
tism scene from The Godfather ( running counter to the
action). Discuss with your class how each example con-
tributes to shaping the effect and meaning of these
scenes.
2. Discuss the thematic content and structure of John Wil-
lia m s’s Imperial March with your class, addressing the
extent to which the music establishes not only the char–
acter of Darth Vader but also the menacing threat of the
Galactic Empire. Next, to illustrate Williams’s use of the
Imperial March theme as a leitmotif, play a number of
scenes from The Empire Strikes Back where Williams’s
score employs the march theme to “underscore” the nar–
rative and/or emotions of the characters. As in the lec-
ture suggestion above, discuss with your class how each
example contributes to shaping the effect and meaning
of these scenes. Have the class note the dif fer ent ways
in which the leitmotif functions dramatically (e.g., rein-
forcing the on- screen action, recalling an absent charac–
over, how does the march function dramatically at the
end of the film, when the credits roll and it is heard in
Underscoring Meaning: Williams and Music for Film | 285
both as source music (e.g., on the radio in a car) and as under–
scoring (while Sam is on his way to meet Suzy when they
first decide to run away). Britten’s music plays a much more
central role in the film’s musical world: the innocence con-
veyed by much of this music allows the listener to enjoy and
nity for Sam and Suzy to meet and as a backdrop for the cata–
strophic storm at the end of the film. Britten wrote a
remarkable amount of music for children, and Anderson’s
clever use of this music (including Young Person’s Guide to
the Orchestra, Simple Symphony, and Songs for Friday After-
YOUR TURN TO EXPLORE
Choose a favorite film and watch it a couple of times, paying
MODEL RESPONSE
The soundtrack to Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
includes extensive use of both underscoring and source music,