American Film Music
Major Composers, Techniques, Trends, 1915-1990
by William Darby and Jack Du Bois
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Book Presentation:
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.
About the authors:
William Darby professes English in Detroit. Jack DuBois teaches and lives in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan.
Press Reviews:
"a major work of reference.... No one interested in film music can afford to be without this book. Recommended" -- Classic Images
"a well-researched and thoroughly documented treatise on the history and development of American movie music. Highly recommend[ed]" -- Soundtrack
"hefty survey...inclusive and nontechnical...necessary" -- Library Journal
"recommended for comprehensive film or music collections" -- Preview
"useful filmographies" -- Choice
> From the same authors:
John Ford's Westerns (2006)
A Thematic Analysis, with a Filmography
> On a related topic:
Springsteen as Soundtrack (2020)
The Sound of the Boss in Film and Television
The Struggle Behind the Soundtrack (2019)
Inside the Discordant New World of Film Scoring
Saturday Night at the Movies (2018)
The Extraordinary Partnerships Behind Cinema's Greatest Scores
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