Midterm 1: Short Essays
1. Describe the three basic types of music heard in original scores during the silent film era and cite specific examples from The Birth of a Nation. Music alone can become a powerful source that affects our daily lives also playing a huge role in regards to art, film, and everywhere we go in general. In movies, music foreshadow scenes for viewers and builds up our emotions which increases our feeling of happiness, sorrow, hilarity, fear, and much more. During the silent film era there were three basic types of music heard in original scores; consisting of adaptions of classics, arrangements of tunes, and newly composed music which can also found in the silent film Birth of a Nation. Adaption to classical music indicates a dramatic scene that is about to be played out, Birth of a Nation used music by Mozart to indicate the tension and violence during the assassination of Lincoln and the ending of the movie. Arrangements of tunes are used to set and brighten the mood, for example “My Maryland, My Maryland” and “Dixie” were used to lessen the tension bringing a brighter atmosphere into play. Newly composed music being the third basic type of score was used to change the theme of a story as Birth of a Nation has done with D.W Griffith’s music.
2. What is the role of source music in Casablanca? The role of source music in Casablanca is used to introduce a famous melody, complimenting a character or mood, and describing scenes. Being a film build around a war caused scenes to jump back and forth between America and Middle East. Cheerful popular American music was used to establish Rick’s Café which was meant to compliment the desperate refugees. However, The Blue Parrot Café was identified when Arabian music was played. Tension is built when the French catch Germans singing their national song viewing it as competition causing them to sing in order to drown out the annoying Germans. The theme of the movie is represented by the famous song “As Time Goes By” which shows up often as a source of music, communicating the love between the two characters Rick and Isla.
3. The music for Gone with the Wind is the paradigm of the Classic Hollywood film score, and the music for Citizen Kane represents, like the film as a whole, a departure. Describe the basic characteristics of the Classic Hollywood film score using Gone with the Wind and other films from this period (1933-43) for examples. Then discuss the new qualities found in the music for Citizen Kane. The classic Hollywood film score was conceived as a way to help viewers
