From the neighborhood pianist of silent movie days to the synthesized effects and music video sequences of the 1980s: the great and not-so-great moments in film scoring. Scores from countless films, from Birth of a Nation (1915) through Top Gun (1986), are painstakingly analyzed: how does the score relate to onscreen activity? How does it follow or depart from tradition? How does it represent the strengths and foibles of its composer? The book includes discussion of trend-setting work such as Max Steiner's King Kong (1933--an early instance of music carrying a significant portion of onscreen action), Bernard Herrmann's Psycho (1960, with its unusual, high, scraping strings-only support of the famous shower scene), and Alex North's A Streetcar Named Desire (1951--the first essentially jazz-oriented score), as well as remarks on the work that followed within the resulting trends. Discussions are enhanced by musical reproductions of significant themes and motives. Chapters on 14 individual composers working largely within the United States are given perspective by summary chapters on the silent and early sound years, the decades 1930-1980, and the work of composers outside the United States.

"... a model of genre criticism and probably the best overall analysis of the film musical to date." Journal of Popular Films and Television "The American Film Musical is a truly admirable book which is well worth making a song and dance about. It will immediately assume biblical authority for all who are seriously interested in the dream-factory's most lavish fantasies, and it may even come to stand as a landmark in our understanding of Hollywood as a whole.... Altman's book is thorough, well informed and warmly good-humored. It has brought the study of musical films out of the dark ages." Times Literary Supplement "... an important addition to both literature and film collections.... a landmark study." Library Journal "Altman's important study of the American film musical combines genre theory with film criticism and history.... Recommended... " Choice The American Film Musical is at once the most advanced statement on genre theory and the most complete treatment of the American musical. Altman's unique interweaving of theory, history, and criticism represents an original and challenging contribution to film studies. Illustrated with over 200 frame enlargements and production stills.

Through film composer Henry Mancini, mere background music in movies became part of pop culture--an expression of sophistication and wit with a modern sense of cool and a lasting lyricism that has not dated. The first comprehensive study of Mancini's music, Henry Mancini: Reinventing Film Music describes how the composer served as a bridge between the Big Band period of World War II and the impatient eclecticism of the Baby Boomer generation, between the grand formal orchestral film scores of the past and a modern American minimalist approach. Mancini's sound seemed to capture the bright, confident, welcoming voice of the middle class's new efficient life: interested in pop songs and jazz, in movie and television, in outreach politics but also conventional stay-at-home comforts. As John Caps shows, Mancini easily combined it all in his music. Mancini wielded influence in Hollywood and around the world with his iconic scores: dynamic jazz for the noirish detective TV show Peter Gunn, the sly theme from The Pink Panther, and his wistful folk song "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's. Through insightful close readings of key films, Caps traces Mancini's collaborations with important directors and shows how he homed in on specific dramatic or comic aspects of the film to create musical effects through clever instrumentation, eloquent musical gestures, and meaningful resonances and continuities in his scores. Accessible and engaging, this fresh view of Mancini's oeuvre and influence will delight and inform fans of film and popular music. John Caps is an award-winning writer and producer of documentaries. He served as producer, writer, and host for four seasons of the National Public Radio syndicated series The Cinema Soundtrack, featuring interviews with and music of film composers. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland. A volume in the series Music in American Life

Film music is as old as cinema itself. Years before synchronized sound became the norm, projected moving images were shown to musical accompaniment, whether performed by a lone piano player or a hundred-piece orchestra. Today film music has become its own industry, indispensable to the marketability of movies around the world. Film Music: A Very Short Introduction is a compact, lucid, and thoroughly engaging overview written by one of the leading authorities on the subject. After opening with a fascinating analysis of the music from a key sequence in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, Kathryn Kalinak introduces readers not only to important composers and musical styles but also to modern theoretical concepts about how and why film music works. Throughout the book she embraces a global perspective, examining film music in Asia and the Middle East as well as in Europe and the United States. Key collaborations between directors and composers--Alfred Hitchcock and Bernard Herrmann, Akira Kurosawa and Fumio Hayasaka, Federico Fellini and Nino Rota, to name only a few--come under scrutiny, as do the oft-neglected practices of the silent film era. She also explores differences between original film scores and compilation soundtracks that cull music from pre-existing sources. As Kalinak points out, film music can do many things, from establishing mood and setting to clarifying plot points and creating emotions that are only dimly realized in the images. This book illuminates the many ways it accomplishes those tasks and will have its readers thinking a bit more deeply and critically the next time they sit in a darkened movie theater and music suddenly swells as the action unfolds onscreen. About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.

The Grove Music Guide to American Film Music documents the lives and works of many of the individuals responsible for writing music for some of the most popular and well-known films, television shows, video games, and music videos ever created. Its 150 articles and 30 images, updated and expanded from The Grove Dictionary of American Music by film scholar Daniel Goldmark, cover key composers, sound engineers, and other figures in American film music history, and include in-depth articles on film music, musical film, production music, video game music, television music, television musicals, and music videos. This book is intended first and foremost as a musical primer for the student of American film, television, and video, whether you're a casual fan, a longtime listener, or someone wanting to gain a deeper understanding of those who have shaped the modern media soundtrack. Bibliographies are curated, not comprehensive, and are most detailed for the subject areas and composers who have been especially popular with historians.

The Insider's Guide to Making Money in the Music Industry. Millions dream of attaining glamour and wealth through music. This book reveals the secrets of the music business that have made fortunes for the superstars. A must-have for every songwriter, performer and musician.

Film has shaped modern society in part by changing its cultures of memory. Film, Music, Memory reveals that this change has rested in no small measure on the mnemonic powers of music. As films were consumed by growing American and European audiences, their soundtracks became an integral part of individual and collective memory. Berthold Hoeckner analyzes three critical processes through which music influenced this new culture of memory: storage, retrieval, and affect. Films store memory through an archive of cinematic scores. In turn, a few bars from a soundtrack instantly recall the image that accompanied them, and along with it, the affective experience of the movie. Hoeckner examines films that reflect directly on memory, whether by featuring an amnesic character, a traumatic event, or a surge of nostalgia. As the history of cinema unfolded, movies even began to recall their own history through quotations, remakes, and stories about how cinema contributed to the soundtrack of people’s lives. Ultimately, Film, Music, Memory demonstrates that music has transformed not only what we remember about the cinematic experience, but also how we relate to memory itself.

Presents a songbook featuring one hundred classic movie songs chosen by a jury of 1500 leaders from the creative industry, including such favorites as "Moon River," "New York, New York," and Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend."

"In this collection, contributors employ diverse critical methods and perspectives to explore the role of music in American film and television of the 1950s and 1960s, as well as in films from more recent years that allude to, reflect back upon, or recreate those decades. Particular attention is given to uncovering how motion picture culture and its music treated anxieties about suburbanization, conformity, the family, and gender" -- Provided by publisher.

Music Rights Unveiled provides an inside look at the complex world of music rights for film and video and includes step-by-step guidance to navigate these tricky waters. Authors Brooke Wentz and Maryam Battaglia share their decades of expertise in this user-friendly guide, designed specifically with filmmakers and producers in mind. The book provides a brief history of the pricing of music in film, television and digital media markets, and explains the process by which music is licensed or acquired for films, highlighting pitfalls to avoid and strategies for success. Further features include: A discussion of new media platforms and the intricacies of the rights needed to use music on those platforms; Tips for working with key music staff on a production – the Composer, the Music Supervisor and the Music Editor; An in-depth explanation of building a budget for the music component of your media project.