Classic FM at the Movies: The Friendly Guide to Film Music

Paperback

Published: 26/06/2009

Extent: 240 pages

Series: Classic FM

 

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Summary:

The soundtrack to a film is just as important to its success as its pictures, and the best films have great music chosen, or specially written, for them. Not only have many classical masterpieces become more famous and better loved as a result of their use in films, but many pieces of film music have become classics in their own right.

People love listening to film music - nearly half a million listeners a week tune in to 'Classic FM at the Movies' with Simon Bates, and film music compilations sell in their millions.

'Classic FM At The Movies: The Friendly Guide to Film Music' gives a friendly, jargon-free overview of film music, from the early days of the music that accompanied the 'silent' movies through to the bright young composers of today. It contains descriptions, analyses, lists, trivia, quotes and easy-to-use timelines to create a picture of the development of a century of film music. The book is accompanied by a CD of 20 essential movie tracks - 10 written especially for the cinema and 10 popular classics that have been used in films.

The author, Rob Weinberg, produced 'Classic FM at the Movies' for its first ten years. He also writes the monthly film music page in Classic FM Magazine.

• In association with Classic FM - 9 million listeners per month

• Completely up to date, with sections on the film music of the late 20th and early 21st centuries

• For film music buffs and novices alike

• Includes CD of 20 essential film tracks

• Companion to the weekly 'Classic FM at the Movies' show (nearly half a million listeners) and Classic FM's series of movies CDs

• Contains historical overview, and facts, figures, quotations, stories and trivia about film music

Table of Contents:
A Friendly Word before we get started
- an introduction on why film music is an important genre, both in itself and as an access point into classical music, why Classic FM considers it part of the repertoire, and how to use the Friendly Guide
1 The Friendly Guide to who was composing when
- a chronology showing the major landmarks in cinema against other musical developments, and which composers were working and innovating at various times in film
2 Pioneering Days
- why music was important to the silent era and how great composers got involved (Saint-Saens, Shostakovich), how Charles Chaplin became the outstanding composer of the silents and the arrival of Max Steiner in Hollywood.
3 The Golden Age
- The 1930s-1940s, covering the careers of Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Alfred Newman, Victor Young, Hugo Friedhofer, Franz Waxman, Miklos Rozsa, David Raksin, Bernard Herrmann, and in Britain: William Walton, Sir Arthur Bliss; and in Russia, Prokofiev, and France: Honegger.
4 That's all folks!
- The rise of animated films and the central role played by the likes of Frank Churchill, Carl Stalling, Leigh Harline, Oliver Wallace – and how animation continues to inspire composers – Alan Menken, The Sherman Brothers and Harry Gregson-Williams, Michael Giacchino.
5 The 1950s and 1960s
- The biblical epic, jazz in the movies, the birth of the 'cool' – Alex North, Elmer Bernstein, Leonard Rosenman, Jerry Goldsmith, David Lean and Maurice Jarre
- The B-movie – the arrival of Hammer movies and science-fiction
- Herrmann and Hitchcock
6 International scene – cinema's swinging sixties and seventies
- Nino Rota, Ennio Morricone, Georges Delerue, French new-wave cinema, Henry Mancini and Mikis Theodarakis, Lalo Schifrin and the cross-over with pop, John Barry and Bond, the triumph of Jerry Goldsmith
7 May the force be with you
- the 1970s and the rise of the science fiction, disco and horror blockbuster; John Williams and Spielberg; the 80s and the arrival of James Horner, etc.
8 The 90s and beyond
Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore and the next generation, David Arnold, the newcomers and the burgeoning international influence on Hollywood.
9 Quotes from film composers
A selection of quotes from film composers about the process of writing film music, and about each other.
10 Classics at the movies
- How classical composers got involved in the movies, including Prokofiev, Arthur Bliss, Walton etc. The use of continental composers in Ealing films, for example.
- How cinema took to classical music – the lives of great composers, the appearance of opera and classical stars in movies, the use of classical music in films – including list of famous use of classical music in movies.
- A-Z section of major classical composers and their work for film
11 The Oscar and BAFTA winners
Year-by-year listing of the major soundtrack winners at the Oscars and BAFTAs
12 The Masters of Movie Music
A-Z section of the most successful movie composers and their major works
11 Film music in the Classic FM Hall of Fame
List of the pieces of film music that made it into the Classic FM Hall of Fame 2008
12 Have a listen for yourself
CD containing 20 tracks of essential film music and classics from the movies
Film scores
Gone with the Wind, Max Steiner
The Adventures of Robin Hood, Korngold
Captain from Castile, Alfred Newman
Dangerous Moonlight – (Warsaw Concerto, Richard Adinsell)
Lawrence of Arabia, Maurice Jarre
Dances with Wolves, John Barry
Schindler's List, John Williams
Titanic, James Horner
Gladiator, Hans Zimmer
Lord of the Rings, Howard Shore
Classical
2001 – A Space Odyssey (Also Sprach Zarathustra, Richard Strauss)
Out of Africa – (Clarinet Concerto 2nd movement, Mozart)
Raging Bull – (Intermezzo, Cavalleria Rusticana, Mascagni)
Elvira Madigan – (Piano Concerto No.21, 2nd movement, Mozart)
Fantasia – (The Sorceror's Apprentice, Dukas)
Brief Encounter (Piano Concerto No.2, 1st movement – Rachmaninov)
Death in Venice – (Adagietto, Symphony No.5, Mahler)
Apocalypse Now – (Ride of the Valkyries, Wagner)
Life is Beautiful – (Barcarolle, Offenbach)
Babe – (Organ Symphony, Saint-Saens)
16 Where to find out more
- list of further reading, websites, fanzines, radio shows
Index
Acknowledgements
About the author

About the Author(s):

Rob Weinberg is a freelance writer, editor and radio producer. His weekly radio show, The Opera Show with Lesley Garrett is enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of listeners every Saturday night. With Simon Bates, Rob created Classic FM at the Movies and produced it from 1997 to 2007. Rob also writes the monthly "At the Movies" page for Classic FM magazine.

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