Kleidonopoulos 1 FILM + MUSIC music for silent films VS music for sound films Despite the fact that music, or sound, was not part of the creation of cinema, it was nevertheless an integral part of the film-watching experience. Even from the beginning, towards the end of the 19 th century, music had to be present; building a certain atmosphere or mood, completing the visual narrative. Since silent films could not incorporate those features, other creative solutions had to be applied in order to have the results needed. The music used for silent films though has various differences from the musical score of a sound film. The main difference, as far as the technical means of the time, is that music used for silent films was being performed live, during the film. Small theaters would usually have a pianist, whereas theaters in large cities would have an organist, or even a whole orchestra. Besides providing music, they would also provide certain sound effects, to enrich the visuals and help the audience immerse into the film. The fact that music for silent films had to be performed live during the film undoubtedly influenced its nature, leading to more substantial ways in which music for silent films can be distinguished from sound film musical scores. The key differences can rather be found in the content, and not in the way the audience would listen to the music. Music for silent films, also known as photoplay music, was divided into three categories; improvised, compiled and original. Improvised music would be typically played on the piano,
Kleidonopoulos 2 or the organ; a soloist would follow the film s narrative by improvising and playing what they thought was required. That was more difficult though for an ensemble of musicians or an orchestra, who would usually play compiled music. Compiled music would be a combination of classical and popular pieces of music that already existed; organized and put together in a way that reflected the film s needs. Compiled music would sometimes include parts of original music too, but very rarely a silent film had completely original music - with a few exceptions, of course. On the other hand, the musical score of a sound film is primarily -if not always- original music; music that is written specifically for the film and is part of a much more elaborate and detailed process that takes place along the production of the film itself. It is a custommade, indispensable aspect of the final result and its goal is to compliment the director s vision. Music for silent films could not play such an important role though, since it was part of a film s post-production - whether it was improvised or compiled. Concluding, what distinguishes musical scores of sound films from music for silent films the most is that the latter was frequently not a part of the artistic procedure. Photoplay music might have been engaging the audience while accompanying the film, but it did not advance the film s storytelling neither its creation was an essential part of the film s creation. leitmotif and its use in The Sea Hawk and King Kong A leitmotif is an idea; a certain concept that is being manifested. Either in theater, literature or music, a leitmotif is a recurring theme; a short phrase that appears several times in a text. It represents a specific character, place, situation, feeling, or other idea. In music, heavily
Kleidonopoulos 3 used by Richard Wagner, a leitmotif is a musical phrase that repeats itself, this time in a musical text. A musical leitmotif has to have two basic traits; it needs to be expressively distinct, in order for the listener to point it out, and malleable enough for it to develop numerous variations. More specifically in film music, leitmotifs are very popular, usually being a vital part of the film narrative. A composer, by using leitmotifs, signifies certain key notions and uses them as reference points throughout the score. Ideally, the intertwining of different leitmotifs in the film score would create an intricate arrangement of all those signified ideas in correlation with the film s visual and/or plot narrative, avoiding common faults, like mickey-mousing. Max Steiner and Erich Wolfgang Korngold were two major film score composers that used leitmotifs extensively; each one with a different approach. More precisely, in Merian C. Cooper s King Kong, Steiner is using three basic leitmotifs which appear throughout the duration of the score. The first one is for Kong; the second one is for Ann and the third one is a versatile leitmotif which is used in several moments that involve courage or bravery. Along with these three basic leitmotifs, Steiner deploys a few other sub-leitmotifs which appear as the story unfolds; additionally, the tones of the whole score are influenced by Kong s leitmotif, giving it a certain overall character. Besides that, Kong s leitmotif appears repeatedly, in various forms, along with Ann s leitmotif, which also reappears; ultimately, the two basic leitmotifs are juxtaposed. Respectively, Korngold uses leitmotifs too, maybe in an even more extravagant way. In his score for Michael Curtiz s The Sea Hawk, almost everyone and everything is assigned to a leitmotif. All of the basic characters have one [some even have two, like Dona Maria], as do a few secondary characters, places, circumstances, or animals. The Sea Hawk s score is a
Kleidonopoulos 4 complex blend of numerous leitmotifs appearing and reappearing, transformed in countless ways, combining many different ideas. The density in which all those leitmotifs are intertwined is impressive; Korngold scored almost the entirety of the film uniting a diverse group of recurring themes, creating a big, exhaustive score. He did have an economic aspect in his approach though; since he managed to create an extended musical score by linking a particular collection of leitmotifs. Even though his score is almost continuous, it is economic in its structure. Steiner s approach on leitmotifs was economic too, in an alternative way. He was [limitedly] focused on three leitmotifs; more precisely, two of them are repeating, evolving and interacting till the end of the film and one of them can be found throughout the film s score, under alternate surroundings. The score is completed with some additional [secondary] leitmotifs and the relationship between the two principal themes Kong s and Ann s. Moreover, I believe that Steiner s economic approach is also expressed by his selective use of music, compared to Korngold s relative artistic garrulity. Despite their dissimilar ways, both composers based their scores on the notion of leitmotif and developed several ways to use it in enhancing the film s narrative. Nevertheless, neither of those two scores is a purely leitmotif score. The recurring themes -in both scores- did not always signify one particular character, or idea; a specific leitmotif could have for than one uses. Moreover, certain leitmotifs did not always play when the concept they were associated with was present. In conclusion, both Steiner and Korngold created partially -or mainly- leitmotific scores, sharing many common factors and attributes and at the same time following an alternate approach.
Kleidonopoulos 5 vertical montage and its use from Eisenstein to Hitchcock The concept of vertical montage is a theoretical idea developed by filmmaker and film theorist Sergei Eisenstein. Being a pioneer in his field, Eisenstein explored the different aspects of narration and suggested that arranging the various film shots into sequences - horizontal montage- was not enough; the goal was to create a synchronized arrangement of all the aspects within the frame, including its composition, its music and their movements, accordingly. More specifically, Eisenstein proposed that there should be an intricate correspondence between all of the layers that form the sequence; the vertical movement of the objects that compose the scene should be the same. Every upward or downward movement of the visuals should be accompanied by a similar movement of the music; if the music remains steady, the composition of the shot should be horizontal, etc. Ultimate objective is the simultaneous triggering of the senses under a clear correlation of the stimulants. Eisenstein, being the inventor of vertical montage, was the first director to deploy this technique and actually use it in his films. Undoubtedly, a notion like vertical montage can only be accomplished if the director collaborates completely with the composer; this way, not only the relationship between image and sound is more coherent, but it also works on more layers, collecting all of the film s artistic components. In this case, Eisenstein and Prokofiev worked very closely on Alexander Nevsky and both parts of Ivan the Terrible, perfect examples of vertical montage. In Alexander Nevsky, the film that led him to the concrete formulation of the idea, there are numerous sequences where specific graphic rhythms correlate to specific musical rhythms. Alexander Nevsky was one of the most ground-breaking films, offering the opportunity to perceive the film on multiple levels,
Kleidonopoulos 6 combining photography, music and vertical movement. In Ivan the Terrible vertical montage is even more evident. In particular, all the sequences of the film are extensively organized and set; assembling all the pieces of a multilayered work of art. One of the devices that Eisenstein uses to advocate a more vertical approach to the connection between his visual and musical arrangements is by disorienting the audience as far as the diegetic music. By doing that, he differentiates the viewer from the listener and at the same time he blurs the boundaries between diegetic and non-diegetic music. Finally, the scene where Eisenstein s expertise shines is the death bed sequence, where he employs a wide variety of means in order to achieve the vertical layering of plot narrative, photography, sound, music and graphic movements. Several years later, another director who helped in the development of narration methods and applied the principles of vertical montage into his own proficient artistry was Alfred Hitchcock. Along with his close collaborator Bernard Herrmann, Hitchcock managed to advance the concept of vertical montage even more, creating some of the most iconic multidimensional cinematic images. Not only he established a correspondence between the visual and the aural fragments of his films, but he integrated even more nether aspects, like the plot storyline and the main characters feelings, hopes and fears, adding a psychological layer to the vertical movement. More specifically, in Vertigo, even the opening credits work on many levels; the Vertigo prelude is an endless musical spiral, coinciding with the endless upward and downward lines of the graphic design. Likewise, the vertical [or is it horizontal, again?] montage is evident in all the sequences where the main character is somewhere high up and looks down; the simultaneous upward and downward motion of the camera concurs with Herrmann s musical spirals and, ultimately, with the main
Kleidonopoulos 7 character s own psychological downward journey. Hitchcock truly transcends the cinematic art and creates a precious amalgam where he juxtaposes every facet of Vertigo, literally and metaphorically. Closing, I feel that this filmmaking technique certainly has a substantial effect on the audience, challenging the spectator to function on various levels and perceive the film as a viewer, a listener and a psychologically sensitive human being. The number of different designs, images or [musical] patterns that our brain can apprehend and react to at the same time is surprisingly impressive and if all that can be triggered just by watching a film, that makes the film a true work of art.