MUSIC 246
Lecture 6
Thursday, February 9, 2012

- 1930s: sound film develops many of the conventions that will define it
- Begins as an extension of the silent film but by the end of the decade, technical advances and aesthetic changes have developed it into its own medium

The "Emigre" Composer:

- Nazis force out many of Europe's artists and intellectuals
- Erich Korngold, Dimitri Tiomkin, Franz Waxman, Ernst Gold, Hans Salter, Bronislau Kaper, Miklos Rosza
- Most were composers trained in the tranditions of European art music and these traditions (Operatic) were transplanted into Hollywood during the 1930s
- Alfred Newman and Herbert Stothart are two of the few important American born composers of the period

Erich Wolfgang Korngold: (1897-1957)
Born in 1897 in Vienna
- childhood prodigy, son of noted music critic:
- teachers included Trauss and Mahler
- 1934, Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
- liked Hollywood, returned several time over the next few years to do scores
- Academy Award for Anthony Adverse (1936)
- In 1938 Korngold asked to do Robin Hood but refused
- Austria annexed by the Nazis and all of his family's wealth and property was seized
- remained in Hollywood, died in 1957, bitter that he was never able to regain his position as a "serious composer"
- Freelanced, composed only 19 film scores in 12 years

Wrote in a 19th century romantic style (Like Wagner and Strauss) - considered his scores to be like "little operas"
- Focus on extended melodies
- Phrased the drama
- Developed a series of approaches for battle scenes: (see textbook - page 132)
  - Loud Dynamics
  - Use of rapid scale passages
  - Irregular, aggressive accents
  - Occassional motive reference
- Also made use of the Overture at the beginning of each film presenting the main themes (A-B-A form, secondary theme of main character, theme for other character, or love theme)

The Sea Hawk (1940)
- extended themes
- fanfare / brass - heroic figure
- use of music in battle scene (see points above)

Rubato - speed up and slow down.. (stealing)


The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
- Fight between Robin Hood and Little John, playful music, no sense of danger, uses source music
Main theme is a march but is not Robin's theme, it is for the band of the merry men (no solo march)

Robin Hood has theme but it is not in opening credits
Focus of film is the work of a group, love of justice and what is right

Style of Korngold
- Romantic orchestral style operatic approach
- use of themes, often long and involved
- often phrases the drama
- allowing themes to unfold without distortions
- links hitting the action to comedy or key moments of drama

Depression era films: escapist

The Adventures of Robin Hood, Lost Horizon (1937), The Wizard of Oz (1939)
OR: films about pulling together (implicit socialist message)
- Our Daily Bread (1934): Composer, Alfred Newman (1900-1970)
- American born
- Worked on Broadway (1920-1930) before moving to Hollywood
- Composed music for over 200 films
- 45 Academy Award Nominations
- Music Director at 20th Century Fox (1940-1960)
- Composed the 20th Century Fox fanfare

Into The 1940s
- the 1940s: interest in stories that are more "realistic"
- psychological drama, complex motivations, character driven narrative
- the "dark side" of the human condition
- Film Noir
- In part driven by the cynicism brought on by World War II
- The 1940s are when we see an increase in the number of American born composers rising to prominence in Hollywood such as:
- Hugo Friedhofer, Bernard Hermann, David Raksin

