44. Jerry Goldsmith. Planet of the Apes: The Hunt (opening)

Transcription

1 44. Jerry Gldsmith Planet f the Apes: The Hunt (pening) (Fr Unit 6: Further Musical Understanding) Backgrund infrmatin and perfrmance circumstances Jerry Gldsmith ( ) was a prlific American cmpser f scres fr films and televisin series. Three f his mst successful cllabratins were with the directr Franklin J. Schaffner with whm he wrked n Planet f the Apes (1968). Gldsmith was particularly nted fr his experiments with instrumental sund. In his scre fr Alien he used a shfar (a ram s hrn used in Jewish services), as well as a steel drum and serpent (a large curved type f bass crnett). He als enthusiastically embraced the use f new electrnic instruments, thugh he liked t use a full symphny rchestra where pssible, ften in cnjunctin with ethnic and electrnic instruments. This can be seen in his scre fr Planet f the Apes, thugh electrnics in music were nt yet at a very advanced stage. In the hunt scene f the film, armed apes n hrseback are chasing a grup f stranded humans. Gldsmith uses a variety f devices t emphasise a sense f terrr, including: uncnventinal instruments and techniques; prminent use f percussin instruments (see sectin n perfrming frces ) dissnance (see sectin n harmny ) avidance f traditinal tnality with suggestins f serialism harsh driving, ften syncpated rhythms (see sectin n rhythm and metre ) All these features are frequently fund in twentieth-century music as a whle. Perfrming frces and their handling Large symphny rchestra with a number f additins. Triple wdwind including bass clarinet and duble bassn. Uncnventinally, all be players are required t play cr anglais at times, e.g. bar 1. Similarly, all flute players are required t play piccl at bars and elsewhere. Usually there wuld be nly ne cr anglais and piccl in a large rchestra. There is a standard brass sectin f 4 hrns, 3 trumpets and 3 trmbnes, but n tuba. Uncnventinal additinal ethnic instruments include a Ram s hrn and a Tibetan hrn bth used t suggest primitive/therwrldly aspects f the apes. Percussin includes ethnic instruments, including b-bams, bar 10. Electrnic instruments include an electric harp essentially a nrmal harp using a micrphne. There is als an electric bass clarinet in bar 52. Strings play a relatively minr rle, thugh the lng ntes in the vilin are imprtant e.g. bar 11.

2 The pian is ne f the mst imprtant f all the instruments, with its wn sl mtif in bar 4, etc. as well as having driving stinati based n the same figure at e.g. bar 11. Brass use a variety f mutes, fr example: wd mute fr hrn in bar 10 straight mutes fr trmbnes at bar 23 plunger mutes fr trumpets at bar 55 Vilins have false (stpped) harmnics bars 68-69, played by pressing dwn the string n the fingerbard with ne finger, then lightly tuching the same string with the little finger while the string is bwed. This prduces a nte f very high pitch. Percussin instruments are particularly imprtant in this piece: they reinfrce the sense f terrr timpani are used n 1st beat f the bar at the beginning, dubled by pian t give pwerful rhythmic impetus. ethnic instruments cnvey a sense f the strangeness f the apes, e.g. b bams (bar 10) unusual instruments e.g. vibra slap pian used fr stinati/riffs (bar 11) fragmentary xylphne mtifs imprtant (bars 13-14) side drum rll crescends t build climaxes (bars 84-91). Texture Frequently cmplex textures built ver riffs. Begins hmphnically with a hmrhythmic theme in the wdwind with rhythmic reinfrcement in timpani, pian and lwer strings. Heterphnic texture at bar 10 with vilas and cells having a mre elabrate versin f the duble bass and Bassn 2 and 3 music. These instruments in turn have a mre elabrate versin f the minims in the Bassn 1, bass clarinet and hrn parts. The texture frm bar 11 is typical f the texture f much f the extract: a riff in the pian accmpanies lng held ntes (here in the vilins), leading t a dissnant chrd and fragmentary meldy (here a 3-nte mtif in xylphne, flutes and piccl). At bar 23 the wdwind take ver the stinat (riff). There is a tutti climax at bar 42 with pwerful crss-rhythms, but essentially a hmphnic texture accmpanying a 3-nte figure in the trumpets. Plyphny begins t build as we apprach the next climax. Frm bar 52, there is a 2- nte chrmatic rising figure in the bass, with a rising 5th figure in the Ram s Hrn and additinal rhythms in the percussin. There is plyrhythm (multiple simultaneus rhythms) frm bar 55. This is the plyphnic climax f the piece. There is a slight change in the riff texture frm bar 59, where there are nw rapid repeated ntes in thirds in the vilas.

3 There is a new 2-part cntrapuntal texture in the strings frm bar 74 featuring free imitatin between upper and lwer strings. The extract ends with several simultaneus stinati (frm bar 84). Structure Bar Cmment 1-10 Dramatic intrductin f tw f the main mtifs. The first ccurs in bar 1 with C in pian and timpani, then C-C#-C#-F# in wdwind. (Remember the cr anglais sunds a perfect 5 th lwer than written.) This bar f music ccurs n fewer than 6 times in the first 7 bars. The secnd mtif in bar 4 is a chrmatic pian idea in 8ves (extended in bars 8-9 t cver all 12 chrmatic ntes f the scale). A single link bar featuring heterphny (bar 10) leads t the next sectin Here the pian mtif returns as a riff, nw n G instead f C. Tw mre imprtant mtifs are intrduced fr the first time: a lng sustained vilin nte with a crescend t a discrd (bar 13) and a rapid 3-nte figure n xylphne, flutes and piccl. The ideas are repeated ver the same riff frm bar 15, with varying lng vilin ntes. A new crss-rhythm is intrduced n the cnga drum at bar 16. The 3-nte mtif is fund in a freely inverted frm at the end f bar 17 and then in a new triplet frm at the end f bar The riff is nw taken ver by wdwind, while the lng ntes mve t trmbnes. Here the tnal centre is E flat. There is a new bass line in lwer wdwind and duble bass. The pening mtif returns at bar 26, nw n the strings, with the initial timpani nte reinfrced by the snare drum. All these ideas are repeated The music nw rapidly builds up t the first main climax. The riff is treated t a rising sequence in bars A wide-leaping descending chrmatic quaver line (bars 40-41) leads t the climax at bar 42. The high pitched trumpet music here is anther variatin f the rapid three nte figure, nw starting n the beat instead f n the up-beat The riff nw returns t the C tnal centre frm the beginning f the piece. The lng held ntes are n the hrns fr the first time. Islated, fragmentary ntes n xylphne, etc. create an almst pintillist texture The music then builds rapidly t the secnd climax. A repeated 2-nte, rising semitne phrase in the bass is cmbined with rising and falling fifths in the ram s hrn. There are new percussin figures and a pedal E flat in the harp. The climax at bars emplys the whle rchestra in a number f simultaneus stinat phrases The riff returns again, nw based n G, with a new semiquaver repeated nte accmpanying mtif in the vilas. The lng ntes return n muted trumpet at bar 63. The rapid 3-nte figure returns much as it ccurred first, but nw n the trumpet as well (bar 64-5). The lng nte thus ends n the 3-nte mtif, instead f the discrd. Nte the stpped (false) harmnics in the vilin A new passage fr strings in dissnant 2-part imitative cunterpint fllws with vibra-slap, the nly ther instrument. The music alternates between rapid rising scales, lng ntes and wide leaps.

4 84- end The final climax pint f the extract. There is a new insistent stinat in the bass with jarring repeated ntes in the upper strings and wdwind, accmpanied by side drum rll. The bass stinat is finally dubled in lng ntes by the lwer wdwind, creating a heterphnic effect (bars 88-end). Meldy The piece is built up frm a number f shrt, fragmentary ideas, mst f which d nt last lnger than a bar. The pening mtif cnsists f 5 ntes nly. Nte the imprtance f the rising semitne and then a leap. Repetitin is imprtant the phrase is played 6 times in the first 7 bars. The secnd mtif in the pian, bar 4, is derived frm the main theme f the film. The mtif cmbines wide leaps with semitnes. Mtif frm bar 4 The pian mtif f bar 4 is extended t encmpass all twelve chrmatic ntes f the scale in bars 8-9, leading back t the starting nte C. It is subsequently treated in a serialist manner. The mtif returns as a riff, nw n G at bar 11 (see the ntes n structure fr infrmatin n ther transfrmatins). The next main ideas are gruped tgether: the lng held vilin nte beginning at bar 11 leads t a lud discrd and a grup f three rapid ntes (C-E flat-d), i.e. rising minr 3rd and falling semitne (nte again the imprtance f this latter interval). The mtif is an exact inversin f the first three-nte figure f the film music. The figure is then transfrmed twice. In bars there is a free inversin (a falling majr 2nd fllwed by a falling majr 6th). In bars 21-2 it is made int a triplet figure with an extra nte added in frnt and transpsed up a perfect 4th. At bar 23, the riff is hear in be, clarinet and harp in E flat, the lng nte mtif is heard in trmbnes, and the bass line is a retrgrade f the 12-nte idea heard in bars 8-9. At bar 27, the bass line f bar 23 is inverted (i.e. retrgrade inversin f bars 8-9). Bar 32: bars 8-9 heard in inversin (see duble bass). There is a further transfrmatin in bar 42 where the riginal rhythm is retained but there are nw tw cnsecutive semitne intervals, nw beginning n the beat, instead f befre the beat.

5 Tnality The music is nt tnal in the standard sense. Nevertheless it uses a system f tnal centres in which the central nte is repeated frequently at the beginning f a bar, ften as an articulated pedal, e.g. C bars 1-4. The tnal centre mves t G in bar 11, then E flat in bar 23. The mdulatin f a 3rd frm G t E flat and later frm E flat t C (called a tertiary mdulatin) is cmmn in film music and was first used extensively in the nineteenth century frm Beethven and Schubert nwards. The emphasis n semitnes (see the sectin n meldy ) helps destabilise any sense f tnality. One f the mst chrmatic passages ccurs in bars 8-9 when all twelve ntes f the scale are used. This theme is treated using sme serial methds, thugh it isn t serial music in the manner f Schönberg. Gldsmith uses verticalisatin f the rw t destabilise any sense f tnality (see belw). Harmny The harmny is dissnant thrugh mst f the extract. The pening chrd n beat 2 f bar 1 has an A in the vila clashing against a B flat in the cell. Where there is nt dissnance there are ften bare ctaves, e.g. bar 1, beat 1. Verticalisatin f the chrmatic meldic ntes f bars 8-9 frming the series adds t the dissnance. Fr instance, in bar 1 the tw string chrds cntain ntes 1-4 and then 5-8 f the 12-nte mtif, while the final fur ntes appear n the final quaver in the wind parts. The chrd n beat 3 f the first bar culd be described as a 13th chrd. The harmnic interval f a semitne is as imprtant as the meldic interval. The climax f the lng held vilin nte at bar 13 and elsewhere ends with a lud semitne clash. At bar 26 this interval is expanded t frm a 3-nte chrd, including a diminished 5th (C t G flat) in the trmbnes. The diminished 5th is again a harmnically destabilising interval. The interval f a semitne is inverted t frm a majr 7th in the pian part in bar 84, etc. Sme f the mst dissnant harmny f all is fund in the first climax at bar 42. The chrd at the end f the bar includes all twelve chrmatic ntes. The ntes f this chrd are intrduced ne by ne frm bar 40 in the rder f the retrgrade f bars 8-9. Rhythm and metre Hard, driving rhythm is an essential ingredient in chase music. There is an almst cntinuus quaver rhythm in the pening 7 bars, with strng emphasis n the first beat f the bar prvided by timpani and pian in ctaves. This rhythm becmes cntinuus semiquavers in bar 11 in the pian riff.

6 There is then a quaver n every single beat frm bar 23 t bar 41. There is a crss-rhythm in the cnga drum at bar 16 which is effectively playing first and secnd beats in 6/8 time ver the 3/4 riff. Syncpatin is frequent, e.g. bars in bassns. Crss-rhythms becme mre intense at the first climax at bar 42 when there is a triplet crtchet mtif in the strings set against repeated quavers in the wdwind and a semiquaver phrase in the trumpets. The islated ntes and fragmentary phrases in the xylphne at bar 46 nwards create a pintillist effect. The mst cmplex rhythm ccurs at the climax at bar 55 with septuplet scales against triplet crtchets, semiquaver and quaver percussin, etc. There are sextuplet scales in the strings at bar 74. Meanwhile, the time signature changes frequently. This helps create the sense f unease required by the film drama at this pint. The music begins in triple time (3/4) but changes t quintuple time (5/4) fr the link bar (10) at the end f the first brief sectin. Further Reading Stanley Sadie (ed.), The New Grve Dictinary f Music and Musicians, (Oxfrd, 2001), Vl. 10, pp