How Film & TV Music Communicate – Vol.1 Text © Brian ... · PDF file& Diagon Ally...

How Film & TV Music Communicate – Vol.1 Text © Brian Morrell 2013

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H O W H A R M O N Y S P E A K S

This chapter deals with modern and traditional techniques of using harmony and chord voicing to extort

specific emotions. The chapter addresses a combination of fairly simple observations regarding how

harmonies ‘speak’ to create a feeling of mood and feeling, through to more complex and deeper types of

analysis. Central to the study, as always, is the issue of how music communicates meaning and how that

meaning works in the film.

The films and music analysed in this chapter are: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone - Main Theme

& Diagon Ally (John Williams) The English Patient (Gabriel Yared) Atonement (Dario Marianelli) Catch

me if you can (John Williams) Knowing (Marco Beltrami) Sixth Sense & The Village (James Newton

Howard) Wolf (Ennio Morricone) Panic Room (Howard Shore) The Reaping (John Frizzell) Passengers

(Edward Shearmur)

HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE John Williams

Let us first turn to one of the more recent and iconic movie franchises - Harry Potter. The first film was

scored by John Williams and one of the most enduring motifs was ‘Hedwig’s Theme’ which is referenced

numerous times in all the films in the series. The piece contains a heady mixture of childlike innocence and

charm, together with slightly intimidating, frightening and menacing characteristics.

The first thing I have highlighted in the transcribed score is the 11

th and 9

th in bar three. Because of the lack

of any contextual harmony between the melody and what is, in effect, the counter melody underneath, the

listener is deprived of the normal chordal ‘filler’ which guides their listening. But the melody in bar two

contains all the usual harmonic signposts (root, minor 3rd

and 5th

) which help us rationalise the bar as Em.

Chapter 4

Audio – ‘Hedwig’s Theme’ (Harry Potter)

What unique

characteristics

does this music

contain and how

do they create

exactly the right

emotion within

us?

Fig.1


2

There is, in most circumstances, no such thing as unaccompanied melody; the concept is a myth. When we

listen to solos which are unaccompanied, we simply fill in the harmony according to what the melodic

notes suggest, using intuition, knowledge and intellect. An infant child hearing this tune would probably

listen to it completely without context but anyone who’s listened to music for any amount of time builds up

a database of information which guides their listening; thus we listen according to previous listening

experiences. If the harmonies aren’t there, we subconsciously fill them in. We are usually blissfully

unaware of this process. Therefore bar two gives us the information we want but bar three only contains the

11th

and the 9th

. Because we heard the bar before we know in what context we’re hearing the A and the F#

but because they’re not ‘normal’ intervals this tests our aural cognition, causing brief surprise, which

engages us because of the extent to which it differs from ‘normal’ music. The notes are not dissonant but

are sufficiently ‘off the beaten track’.

The second ‘surprising’ element, which I have highlighted below are the D# and F natural, which in context

of Em function as maj7 and flattened 9th

. This is enough to ‘throw us’ but if we go a step further and look at

how those two notes might function taken out of this context, we get this:

Of course we are effectively prevented from rationalising the two notes like this due to the accompaniment,

which alludes to the Em presumption. But regardless there is a slight ‘duality of aural perception’ which is

what offers us the polytonal characteristic. Perhaps the bar which communicates the most in terms of its

mesmeric and enticing appeal is bar seven (the second bar of the abbreviated transcription below) which

features a melody of D (5th

of the Gm), Db (b5th

of the Gm) and C (5th

of the Fm). The absolutely key thing

here is the 2nd

inversions of the Gm chord and the Fm chord; building the Gm chord over the D shines a

light on the melodic line, also a D. Inversions always dramatise chords, but when the inversion is copied in

the melody, producing an octave line, it can be more effective. The same happens with the Fm chord

(melody on a C; chord inverted over a C bass).

Put simply, when a chord is inverted the harmonic dynamic is subtly altered. This is like placing an object a

different way up. It’s the same object but it looks different and causes a slightly different reaction. In this

case an inversion alters our perception by distorting the harmonic balance. This makes this listening

experience slightly more acute. Try playing the bar over root-positioned chords and again with the

inversions. There is a difference. With John Williams everything is deliberate. Nothing is accidental.

Perhaps more than any other film composer he has the ability to extort any emotion he chooses by the

skilful harnessing and manipulation of the virtually limitless possibilities music offers. He knows which

specific harmonic or textural alterations cause tiny, almost imperceptibly different emotional reactions in

listeners. Turning now to a scene in the film where Harry Potter is taken to ‘Diagon Alley’ we examine

again how Williams manipulates our perceptions.

Root, 2nd

The Harry Potter context of the two notes places them

as maj7 and flattened 9th

A more rational interpretation, on face value would be

root and 2nd

of an Eb chord

Fig.2

Fig.3


3

In the films Diagon Alley is reached on foot by passing through The Leaky Cauldron, a pub visible to

‘Muggles’ which lies somewhere along London’s Charring Cross Road. Diagon Alley is only accessible by

Wizards and Witches. Therefore when Harry is taken from the ‘real’ world and into the magical world

which will occupy the rest of the film, the moment represents the start of a whole new life. It is also a major

turning point in the movie. None of the buildings are straight; the dimensions seem a little odd and skewed.

This important part of the film is scored brilliantly by Williams. Below I have transcribed a reduced version

of the piece which displays all the salient harmonies which play such an enormous part in crafting the

musical version of Diagon Alley. Williams’ skill here is making the musically complex, intricate and

multifarious sound completely plausible, rational and effortless.

If we are looking for harmonic or rhythmic elements which ‘skew’ a listener’s reality then the two opening

bars do just this; once again we have no harmonic context offered – no chords. The counterpoint offers two

lines which are a 9th

apart.

This is virtually impossible to rationalise because that’s precisely the point – it should be beyond rational

comprehension. If we rationalise we normalise and then we zone-out. What Williams has written in bars

one and two isn’t absolute dissonance but it functions by politely displacing our expectations. If we look

below we can see that there is an abrupt time change from 6/8 to 4/4. This time change might not have

worked as well had the first two bars not been so difficult to rationalise harmonically. Given the lack of

harmony we concentrate instead on the rhythm, which we can rationalise. This piece may sound and look

confusing but the crucial thing is that it isn’t cluttered. There is great economy here.

Movie, 00.20.54 – Cue: “Harry, welcome to Diagon Alley”

Low strings / woodwind / brass

Strings / woodwind / brass

Low strings / woodwind / brass

Strings / woodwind / brass Trumpets

Abrupt time change; no perceived

key centre

Fig.4

Fig.5

Db

F Db Eb Db C


4

Easily the most infectious and mesmerising section of this piece is where it breaks out into what at first

seems like a ‘tune’. On closer scrutiny however we’re aware once again that the piece is skewed

harmonically. If we simply isolate the rhythm of the melody we realise it is perfectly rational. The

harmony, however, features bitonality. The last two beats of bar four and six feature notes which belong

over a C chord but which are actually played over a Db chord. Williams has done what he’s done a

thousand times before and always to great effect; he’s placed a ‘nice tune’ in a bizarre harmonic

surrounding. We therefore experience a ‘duality of perception’; it’s a nice tune but something’s wrong. It’s

a nice tune but something’s weird

THE ENGLISH PATIENT Gabriel Yared

Turning now to something wholly more sedate, we examine one of the main themes from the movie The

English Patient, a grand and complex tale of love, loss and tragedy. Set in North Africa and Italy it is an

epic drama of two haunting love stories that unfolds against a background of WWII. Through the prism of

war, love and friendship, themes of adultery, nationality and betrayal are explored.

A track entitled ‘Rupert Bear’, by Gabriel Yared is one of the most effective pieces in the film. Given that

this piece is the most popular music cue from the film and has been performed in its own right, what are its

communicative qualities, and how does it reflect the sense of sadness, loss and emotion?

Bi-tonal; notes imply a

chord of C (over Db) Db

F Db Eb Db C

Fig.6


5

Audio – Rupert Bear

Let’s first start with a simple observation; that the piece is slow and languid; there is room for the

harmonies and subtleties to breathe. One of the main reasons that music is often prevented from reaching

its emotional potential is that often it simply goes to fast or tries to fit too much music into itself. This is

something Thomas Newman has often said. Music which is open, transparent, languid and plodding but

which contains a selection of attractive harmonies and suitable and subtle orchestration can often create

more emotion than music which is fuller, busier or more intense; listeners are given much more of an

opportunity to engage and interpret. They become part of the process, not merely the object of it. Another

basic observation is that the Harp figure penetrates better because it starts on a 3rd

(circled) – one of the

most descriptive intervals because it immediately colours the chord and determines whether it’s major or

minor. To start a melody or countermelody on the 3rd

will expose it and draw our attention.

A more subtle observation would be that the melody, when it comes, is anticipatory; it arrives early

(highlighted by a rectangular box – fig.7). This subtly wrong-foots the listener and faintly confounds what

they might have expected, given that few melody lines do this.

Another observation is that the piece is built on inversions. There are more inverted chords in the piece than

not. However, so far we have discussed inversions in terms of how they displace and redistill the harmonic

weighting.

Fig.7


6

Though most of the inversions in this piece do precisely that, there is one inversion used where, although

technically an inversion, the harmonic flavour created does not sound as if it has redistributed the intervals.

The point here is not to discuss what chords are called and how one note can alter the ‘name’ of the chord;

the point is that the success of these sequences is because in both cases the chord in the second bar has a

specific effect; we think we’re listening to a subtle major 6th

chord but what we’re actually listening to a

chord which is designed to illicit that reaction. It could be said that if we were to describe the chords in bars

two and five of the original transcription ‘phonically’ they might be called Bb6(no F). That would, after all,

be a literal explanation of what we think we hear. This also underpins the fact that a chord symbol is much

more than simply a name we give a group of notes. In many cases the name is associated with a particular

feel or emotion; when we say the Gm/Bb ‘sounds like’ a softer Bb6, we are referencing the style and

emotion associated with a chord name.

The chord in the second bar ‘sounds’

like a Bb6; it possesses the warmth

you would normally associate with

the 6th interval. And yet it is not a

Bb6 but a Gm 1st inversion. If it

actually was a Bb6 it would contain

an F note, which would make it

sound slightly more ‘jazzy’. The

reason we perceive it to be a Bb6 is

because it is preceded by a Bb

chord; our perception of one chord is

nearly always influenced, guided

and informed by what comes before.

The chord in bar two therefore

sounds like a ‘sophisticated Bb6’.

If a Gm 1st inversion is preceded by a Gm root

position chords, the 1st inversion will sound

dramatic and ‘classical’. If it is preceded by a

Bb chord it will sound like a subtle Bb6

(without the F note). To the right the piece

does a similar thing; an Eb/Bb chord is

succeeded by a Cm/Bb chord.

The second chord ‘sounds like’ a Eb6/Bb with

the C note being the 6th

, but again, because the

Eb chord itself has no Bb in it, it is actually a

Cm/Bb.

Eb Cm Bb Bb

Fig.8

Fig.9


7

ATONEMENT Dario Marianelli

I would like to turn now to the film Atonement, music by Dario Marianelli. Below is a reduced

transcription of the main theme.

When we listen to this we are drawn initially to its unusual characteristics; the piece starts with the sound of

a typewriter forming the rhythmic element. Then perhaps we are drawn to monotonous and mesmeric

repeated Bb in the first few bars, followed by the equally captivating quaver triplets which follow in bar 5. There is a constant unsettling harmonic manoeuvre between the Bb and Gb/Bb chords (boxed) but what

makes that transition work is actually the much-travelled Bb. In the transcription below I have highlighted

the sections in question and have placed the Bb in context of its intervallic meaning, i.e. what the Bb is in

context of the chord that accompanies it or the harmony being implied.

Audio - ‘Briony’ - Movie, 00.00.01

Bb nc

Bb Bb Gb Bb Gb

Bb

nc

Bb nc

Gb Bb Gb Bb Bb

Bb nc

Fig.10


8

The ‘shifting sands’ of what the Bb represents Intervallically in this chord sequence is actually a major

reason for the mesmerising, ‘skewed’ feeling it conveys when listening.

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN John Williams

Disorientation and the subtle subversion of expectation

I would like to turn briefly to the opening titles music for the film Catch me if you Can, by John Williams.

On a surface level this is a true story of Frank Abagnale, one of the greatest conmen of the 20th

century.

Essentially it is a cat-and-mouse chase between forger Abagnale and his FBI Nemesis Carl Hanratty,

played by Tom Hanks. The two rarely share screen time, but their relationship is almost one of mutual

respect and grudging admiration. Like other Spielberg films Catch Me if You Can deals with themes of

broken homes and troubled childhoods. Spielberg creates a film that sympathizes with the crook and his

pursuer equally. John Williams, like James Horner, is just as familiar with jazz as he is with the Concert

Hall and Classical repertoire. In this score, particularly in the opening theme, he creates an effortless

feeling of 60s / 70s sophisticated orchestral jazz. The orchestration leans toward the style of Neil Hefti and

Sammy Nestico, but with harmonic touches of abstraction thrown in. The eye-grabbing opening title

sequence with a cartoon figure of Hanratty in pursuit of Abagnale, set to John Williams’ jazz score is

perhaps one of the most vivid and effective movie openings in recent years. Spielberg wanted a visual

sequence in the spirit of the 60s era, in the style of Saul Bass (Pyscho, Vertigo), which offers a ‘visual

overture’, which was once a staple in Hollywood film-making.

Bb Gb Bb

Gb

Gb Gb Bb

nc nc

nc

Bb Bb

Bb Bb

1st 3rd 3

rd

1st

1st 1

st

3rd 3rd

Fig.11


9

The question for us is how does the music interact with the visuals? What extra emotion does the music

betray? Let’s look at the first few bars of the opening of the film

When listening and following the transcription in fig.12 it’s virtually impossible to ‘feel’ the piece because

the opening bars have no audible pulse. The point is that you’re not supposed to ‘feel’ it; these are bite-

sized chunks of harmony and rhythm, delivered melodically fast and loose, ala Bernard Herrmann. Let’s

take a closer look at the harmonies, because this is really how and why the piece manages to distort and

challenge our expectations and transport a distinct emotional feel.

Above (fig.13) we have two chords in bar one (Dm and Gm). In bar two I have merged them, which make

for a challenging, but not too dissonant, listening experience. As listeners our primary preoccupation is to

rationalise, to categorise, to classify; to understand. Although on a surface level we enjoy, in order to enjoy

we must attempt to understand, scrutinize and rationalise. Simply put, we have difficulty dealing with a

polychord because it throws up groups of intervals we don’t normally have to deal with.

Because we’ve taken the 3rd out of the Dm, technically it’s a D, but the combined effect is still fairly odd.

It is this precise version of harmonic distortion that is so successful in the opening credits, specifically bar

nine, two bars into the abbreviated transcription below.

Audio - ‘Catch me if you can’ - Movie, 00.00.01

3rd

1st

1st

5th

nc

Fig.12

Vibes

w/w

Fig.13

Fig.14

On the version to the left (fig.14) we have again merged the two

chords (the Gm over the Dm) but have missed the minor 3rd

out of

the Dm, leaving just the A and D, and missed out the 5th

of the Gm

(the D note). What’s left is enough of the characteristics of each

chord for the combination to sound strange.


10

Over and above the jazz instrumentation, the success of the film intro music can be distilled into one

musical trick which creates the subtle subversion of expectation

D (no 3

rd)

Gm (no 5th

) Fig.15


11

KNOWING Marco Beltrami

This film contains a blend of the kind of paranoia found in vintage sci-fi movies and new-age spirituality.

Like many science fiction movies, it is a film about the fallibility of humanity and the frailty of the human

condition. The music serves to highlight and heighten these aspects more than it plays the science fiction,

especially during key scenes displaying the introspection, paranoia and suspicion of the main adult

character. The transcription below plays during the intro credit roll.

The interesting things in this section are the varying levels of emotional intensity and corresponding

harmonic complexity. The piece essentially is split up into four sections, each 4 bars long. Each section

begins with a ‘normal’ chord and slowly progresses through a progression featuring varying degrees of

‘weirder’ chords. In the first two 4-bar sections, the peak is reached in bar 3 before returning to a ‘normal’

chord in bar 4 to tie-up the phrase.

The third 4-bar entry features an emotional contour that simply keeps growing whereas the final 4-bar

phrase reaches a peak in bar two and gradually ascends to the absolute normality of a major chord. The

example below contextualizes the emotional contour created by the relative intensity or dissonance of the

harmonies.

Movie, 00.07.43 Audio 01.03 Main Title

Fig.16

Strings

Strings /

Brass


12

When attempting to deduce and rationalise human emotional response to any given chord (how it creates a

sense of meaning within us) we must never forget that the type of reaction to a specific chord is created and

achieved partly by the preparation we receive. The first Bbm6 we hear wouldn’t have exactly the same

impact if it simply appeared from nowhere without any preamble; the fact that it comes on tha back of a

Gm(add9) chord is partly responsible for how ‘out of the blue’ it sounds.

One reason the piece works so well is because the harmonic ‘weirdness’ is dealt with in a slow,

cumbersome, plodding manner with the rising emotional tension of each entry bleeding through slowly and

in most cases dissipating. No one sequence in this piece begins on a strange chord; the sequence graduates

toward it. What comes first therefore is crucial. The strange chords are a reaction; this is why they work so

well. If they were the norm we would acclimatize to them and the effect would be lost. In a piece like this

where the music plays to graphics and not dialogue, ultimately it’s about delivering a journey which maps

across the introduction with several stop-off points where the emotion created within the listener has

chance to take a breath.

When chords become Polychords

As alluded to numerous times in this book, one of the many compositional methods that differentiates film

composers from ‘normal’ composers is that they don’t always think of complete chord changes; instead

they sometimes think in terms of evolving an existing chord, subverting harmonies and making use of the

subtle interplay between different intervallic tensions.

The first chord in the example below is an F. The second chord adds a maj7. If we think of how we might

evolve this chord further still, perhaps adding some mild dissonance, we might sharpen the 5th

. The

changing of this one note fundamentally alters the harmonic perception and complexion of this chord

because it opens up the concept of polyphony.

The chord in bar 3 is still an Fmaj7 but the top 3/5ths

of it unilaterally function as an A chord. In fact the top

four notes constitute an inverted A chord. The note that changes everything is the bass note – the F. There

is a subtle duality of perception which affects our listening experience. The original F chord has been

altered, not by simply applying absolute chord changes but by adding extensions which give the chord two

personalities.

Fmaj7 chord

A chord

(+5)

(+5)

Fig.18

Gm Gm Bbm6 Bbm Eb Eb7 A A Gm Gm Bm6 Bbm Eb Eb7 Dsus4 D

(add9) (b9)

(add9) (maj7) (#13)

Fig.17


13

The section below, again from Marco Beltrami’s score to Knowing, shows how basic chords can be

subverted, altered and evolved to offer new harmonic colours. The first chord is an F

Looking at, listening to and focusing on the top three notes, they represent most of an inverted A chord.

The low F note creates a tussle between what harmonic flavour will dominate our perception of the chord.

The voicings are mid/low and the orchestrations feature low dense brass, which adds to the abstraction.

The next chord is an E/F, an abstract chord which features most of the notes from one

chord (E) with a dissonant bass note (F).

What this analysis seeks to do is shine a light onto the multitude of different harmonic possibilities and

reveal and expose the different and complex harmonic relationships that govern how we listen to music.

If a group of notes can theoretically be given two names this leaks over from theory to practice; arguably it

can have two simultaneous aural identities. This mild confusion is what baffles the listener and creates

anxiety. The vast majority of listeners will be unaware of the chords types and characteristics involved and

how they relate but it doesn’t matter because in their own way they are the beneficiaries of the outcome. I

am not even saying that the composer himself looks at the chords used in this way or has the time to

analyse the vastness of harmonic relationships that exist; I am simply stating that, regardless of

compositional methodology or aural perception, these are part of the reason the chords work so well and

part of the reason we respond to them.

I will momentarily place this sequence in different, easier keys to rationalise in order to better understand

the harmonic dynamics at work. The first two chords of each group of four chords shows a transition

between a minor chord and a major chord a tone above.

Movie - 00.22.33 Audio 00.21 Numerology (00.52 Numerology)

00.22.33 00.22.39 00.22.49 00.23.07 00.23.13

(#5)

Inside the bracketed second bar chord of fig.20 is the same

chord as in bar one but spelled enharmonically different.

This reveals that the bottom and third note (going bottom to

top) could be described as the root and minor 3rd

of an Fm

chord.

Dbm Eb

Db

Movie, 00.23.24 Audio – 1.10 Numerology

Fig.19

Fig.20

Fig.21

( )

The last section in this film that I want to analyse

comes twenty three and a half minutes into the

film, leading on from the last section we analysed.

The two chords (Dbm and Eb/Db) work well

together.


14

This dramatic, euphoric chord sequence is used often in film and even song. Bar three and four of each four

bar sequence shows a remake of the same sequence, this time keeping the original pedal note. This is less-

emphatic and euphoric but it is dramatic and is much used in films. One of the reasons for the drama this

chord creates and the success of this type of sequence is the changing context of the root note, evolving as

it does from root to 7th

whilst remaining the same ‘note’. There is also obvious drama when one group of

notes all change but the root note remains. If it was one of the notes in the middle of the chord which had

remained, this wouldn’t have been so obvious. The top or bottom note remaining static but changing

context is much more dramatic, exposed and obvious.

The track below is from the movie The Village – by James Newton Howard. He makes a virtue out of the

same approach in bars one-four. In bars five-eight the top line stays loyal to the same idea (but in a

different key) whereas the accompanying harmony becomes more abstract and dissonant.

Gm A Dm Gm A

Dm E Ebmaj7 Dm C#m

G

Eb E E

Audio - ‘The Forbidden Line’, 00.01 Fig.24


15

PANIC ROOM Howard Shore

This brilliantly claustrophobic film is made by David Fincher, one of the foremost filmmakers at using

digital effects to enhance his stories. Most of the camera movements would not be physically possible

without digital tricks and yet one never you never get the feeling that you’re watching CGI. Virtually the

entire film takes place within the walls of one house. Fincher is great at creating dark moods in his films,

something which, in this film, is greatly supported and enhanced by the Howard Shore score.

Shore’s music builds the tension of the narrative without ever compromising it or unduly italicising it.

Shore never turns drama into melodrama. When you allow bass instruments to ‘take the tune’ you would

normally orchestrate very carefully around the sound, the register and the notes. There is obviously a very

good reason why most melodic figures are on top of, or immersed in, the accompanying harmonies and not

underneath them; it would cause sonic ambiguity and ‘lumpy’ voicings. However, composers can often get

great results when placing melody at the bottom. It can add gravity and drama to a piece, as long as you

orchestrate sensitively.

Howard Shore makes even more dramatic use of placing the melody in the lower register because the

opening to Panic Room is more abstract than tuneful. On the top two staves of fig.25 we have a consistent

harmonic approach – the Bsus4. Piano/Harp and strings provide a constant, steady harmonic base. The

lower notes cause the precise intervallic complexion of the harmonies to change by virtue a fluctuating bass

and how it impacts on the chord above. The beauty and power of the bass register notes is that they

penetrate much more than a mid-register melody and therefore fundamentally affect the context of how we

hear the passage. Below I have transcribed the opening and have notated the subtle differences in harmonic

context with chord symbols. The differences in harmonic complexion and context are subtle which makes

them all the more effective in this dark, dramatic setting.

Movie, 00.00.18 Audio - Main Title Fig.25


16

This introduction sequence is visually stunning but dark, threatening and ominous. The music has a

palpable portentous and fateful air to it. This is arguably mainly down to the exquisitely and subtly

changing harmonic context caused by the use of the dark, cumbersome and plodding melody in bass

register.

On the transcription in fig.25 I have also added grey perforated lines which display the rises in harmonic

complexity caused by the evolving bass-register melody re-contextualising the harmonies. This functions as

a kind of emotional contour. It’s interesting to note that the chords grow from being simple to complex

before returning again to simple.

PASSENGERS Edward Shearmur

Passengers is a film about a young psychologist who is assigned to deal with the survivors of a jet liner

crash. The film is largely quiet, subdued and pedestrian, but it manages to invite in the subtext, which

relates to how we deal with death; with loss. Some narrative elements of the movie lull you into a kind of

trance state, not entirely unlike the Sixth Sense. The intro music and main theme plays several times

throughout the movie and betrays a heady mixture of feelings; it feels passive and restrained but also

possesses a kind of luminous freshness. As is always the case, the music itself does not possess such

characteristics and qualities; our interpretation of the music is what creates the feelings we enjoy, and the

relative uniformity of our aural cognition and perception manages to create a similar feeling in most

listeners.

Earlier on in the book we dealt with the ‘sci-fi chord change’, which, because of the nature of the change,

can often create feelings of wonderment in the mind of the listener. By way a reminder, in the key of C the

transition was from C to Gm, as below (fig.27).

Audio, ‘The Wreckage’ - Movie, 00.00.37

Fig.26


17

In the intro to Passengers the sci-fi chord change (fig.28) is from the key centre of E and the change is

therefore between E and Bm. This is one the main reasons the piece has feelings of luminous freshness and

wonderment.

The harmonies are serviced by soft dreamy-textured layered samples and strings with the lead instrument

being quite a bright, sharp almost crystal-like sampled sound. There are some other harmonic issues which

are worth mentioning because the regularity of their use makes them function as ‘harmonic identifiers’ –

something without which the piece would not be as effective. I am principally referring to the 9th

(C#) and

the 11th

(E) in bars two-seven. Bars eight-eleven also feature the 9th

but this time it appears as the F#. These

slight subtleties help the piece communicate a consistent identity.

What also helps is that the F# which begins the phrase on bar two falling on the 5th

of the Bm chord -

becomes the 9th when the phrase changes on bar 8, creating a consistent sound but different intervallic

context. The G# (the all-powerful maj3rd

) appearing as the second note of the phrase in bar eight and nine

reinforces the chord change from Bm to E.

D G C F Bb

Bm Em Am Dm Gm

F# B E A D D#m G#m C#m F#m Bm

Fig.29

Fig.27 Fig.28


18

THE REAPING John Frizzell

In The Reaping actor Hilary Swank plays a former missionary who, having lost her faith after her family

was tragically killed, became a world expert in debunking religious phenomena. But she investigates what

appear to be the Biblical plagues and realizes that science cannot explain what is happening. There are

similarities between this film and Signs in that they both question the notions of science, God and belief.

The score was originally composed by Philip Glass, who went as far as recording. Producers were not

satisfied, however, and decided to give John Frizzell chance to write the music. The intro to the movie

features an extremely atmospheric and distinctive, dark and moody piece performed using a Fender Rhodes

keyboard sample. Transcribed below is a small section of the music which has some key areas of

importance and interest.

The most important aspect of this piece aside from its distinct Fender Rhodes texture lays in the way the

intervals cascade into place. No chord is stated ‘as one’ but rather they fall in and out of form. This is a

good example of what is often meant by ‘horizontal harmony’ – chords that ‘reveal’ rather than ‘state’.

The D on the treble clef stave has two contexts; it functions as the root of the first D chord and then

becomes the major 3rd

of the Bb/F chord. Looking at the top line and chords if we focus on the D note and

look at the perforated line underneath we can see its evolution from root to 3rd

without changing the way it

sounds; it simply changes what it is; what it means.

The voicing of the second chord in each bar (Bb/F) is effective too. The spacing of the three notes is ear-

catching featuring an 11th

between the bottom F and the Bb above and a 10th

between the Bb and the top D.

The ‘root’ of the chord is in the middle with the 5th

at the bottom and the 3rd

at the top. This odd delivery

of notes and what they constitute as intervals goes beyond being of merely theoretical interest; what

interval a note ‘speaks’ is part of its character. Listeners may be oblivious to how and why music

communicates identity, character and meaning but this doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.

When bar one starts we don’t know if the D will suggest or imply minor or major. Because the second

chord (Bb) is more akin to a key centre of Dm and in any case contains the F (which would function as a

minor 3rd

in a Dm chord), every subsequent D is heard as a Dm despite containing no 3rd

.

Movie, 00.00.03

omit3

D Bb D Bb D Bb D Bb F F F F

omit3 omit3 omit3 omit3

omit3

Fig.30

1 1 1 1

3

3

3 3

Fig.31


19

Ultimately parts of this piece are great examples of music which doesn’t necessarily ‘state’ but suggests,

implies and hints. This is often such an effective way of writing because it involves the listener’s

interpretative skills more. The listener is not passive; their interpretation has a higher level of involvement

than is the case in most music.

Finally we have the ‘leaking A’: the A note in chord 1 (the 5th

of the D chord) stops before the second

chord comes in but its ‘ghost’ functions as a distant major 7th in the Bb/F chord. This subtle interplay with

harmonies being created by innuendo and suggestion is impressive enough, but managing this with so few

notes and one instrumental texture is especially effective. The music seems to work with the style of credit

roll at the beginning, which is modern, abstract and edgy.

THE SIXTH SENSE James Newton Howard

The Sixth Sense is a landmark movie which has a thoughtful and meaningful narrative. A film of subtlety

and refinement, intricacy and detail, the movie needed an equally sensitive film score. “One of the most

important aspects of this score is that Night asked me to start composing music before he started shooting. I

went to Philadelphia and sat with him in his office while he storyboarded the entire movie for me, which is

something I've never done before.” So said James Newton Howard, composer of the music for Sixth Sense.

This is an important point and one we will return to again in this book; the notion of the composer sat down

looking at the film and ‘composing to picture’ is the way we envisage a film score composer working. But

it is only one way of writing film music.

Some composers such as Newton Howard and Zimmer occasionally provide initial material based on their

emotional commentary of the director’s concept. In some situations directors then use the ‘pre-score’ as a

temp-track for the film, which in turn affects the way they make the film. This means music really is an

integral part of the process of the film, not simply something which is added afterwards.

This situation turns the whole composer-director relationship on its head but represents a progressive

evolution of the art of film-making and film composing. Wedded as we are to the notion of music being

something that is added to a film after it is made, we have to acknowledge that the idea of a composer

providing a musical emotional commentary based on an idea or concept from a director or writer, which

then informs the making of the film itself, is an evolution of the art of film scoring and an

acknowledgement of the power of music. This book deals with conceptualisation and the vexed issue of

whether composers ‘think’ or simply ‘do’ at various points but certainly directors allowing composers to

think before they see; to compose based merely on a concept and a conversation, can do nothing but

progress the art form of film composing. It suggests the notion that composing for picture is much more

than simply the interpretation of pictures by a composer.

Christopher Nolan asked Hans Zimmer to write the music for Inception without seeing the film itself. For a

film which includes the concept of dreams within dreams it would seem entirely fitting that the composer is

allowed to conceptualise without the hindrance of the actual reality of the pictures.

The personality of the score to Sixth Sense lies in the subtleties of precise instrumentation and key shifts, as

the following examples shows.


20

The ‘rhythmic dissonance’ and interplay between 6/8 and 7/8 don’t sound as difficult or disorientating as

they look on paper. The constant quavers create a slightly mesmeric and captivating feeling. The ascending

quaver line (E, C, G) at the end of each bar offers a feeling of similarity and familiarity which bridges the

differing time signatures well.

Audio - ‘Run to the Church’ - Movie, 00.00.12.53

The two chords on the left (fig.33) represent the chords at

the end of bar nine and the beginning of bar ten. As is

common with JNW the concept of a note trading more on

its intervallic context is always present; the E note

functions firstly as the 9th

of the Dm9 chord and secondly

as the m3rd

(m10th

) of the C#m chord. The addition of the

9th

stops the transition between Dm and C#m sounding too

symmetrical.

Fig.32

Fig.33

E

C

A F

D

E

C#

G#

E C#


21

The section below is a continuation of the same piece (on single stave format) and shows once again how

overlapping one note from the bar before helps the music communicate. The C# at the top of bar one (maj

3rd

) becomes the 4th

at the start of bar two. The overhanging C# also ensures than not all the parts move

down.

As we can see from the evolution of the harmony from ‘consonance’, through ‘suspension’ to ‘resolution’

(fig.34) the C# hangover from bar one to two helps the piece have a sense of purpose and direction.

JNH uses the same methodology again in the next excerpt from the same film. He mixes the two unrelated

key centres G#m and G via the linking note of B - which in both cases represents the 3rd

(minor then

major). The 3rd

(whether minor or major) is a defining and exposed interval, as we’ve establish elsewhere

in the book. Italicizing its use in this way is extremely effective.

Audio, ‘Run to the Church’ 00.40 - Movie, 00.00.13.34

Audio - ‘De Profundis’ 00.17

C# (3rd

) C# (4th

)

Consonance

Resolution

Suspended

Fig.34

Fig.35

The chord manoeuvre and melody note therefore offer three perspectives,

contextualised by the example below. This sense of simultaneous static and

contrary movement is at the heart of why the chord sequence doesn’t sound

unduly chromatic and ‘square’

G#m G G#m G

Looking again at this chord manoeuvre we can see that the top melodic line moves from min3 to maj3 (e.g. ‘up’),

the note itself is static (B to B) whilst the chord moves from G#m to G (e.g. ‘down’).

Fig.36


22

The other reason this particular piece works is because it merges two distinctly different areas: firstly we

have the delicate chord maneuvers of G#m to G, softened up by the deft orchestration, but secondly we

have a couple of ‘Blues’ touches; the C# (b5) and the F (7th

). This lends the piece an extra dimension.

The section below plays 54 seconds into the movie over a credit roll and really helps establish the tone and

flavour of the movie.

Bar two to three contains a C which functions first as a 9

th, then a 5

th. Bar eight to nine have an F which

functions first as a minor 3rd

, then a major 3rd

. JNW utilises the slightly hypnotic and entrancing

characteristics to be found when a melodic line of a chord shift stays on the same note but changes from

major 3rd

to minor 3rd

or vice versa. We ‘feel’ the context of the note moving although the actual note itself

(the sound) stays static.

Another harmonic identifier which helps lend a sense of wonderment is the famous #4th

, which appears

twice. In addition the quaver octave piano part creates an identity which is later used in Run to the Church.

Audio, ‘Tape of Vincent’ 02.30 - Movie, 00.00.00.54

Simile strings / ww

9th 5

th #4

Fig.37

Chord

Note

Intervallic

context of

the B note

Fig.37


23

WOLF Ennio Morricone

Wolf is a Werewolf movie from director Mike Nichol in which the concept of the Wolf functions as

multiple metaphors for unleashed sexuality and the law of the corporate jungle. John Williams was

originally attached to compose the music for this film but left when the project became delayed. Ennio

Morricone plays the movie wonderfully with a selection of cues which range in style from classic 50s

horror movie genre, through to classical romanticism.

Mostly he plays the story of the betrayal of the main character, Will Randall, by his wife and work

colleague. He plays the love story between Randall and Laura Alden, played by co-star Michelle Pfeiffer.

Morricone plays love better than most composers by providing evocative but simple music that rises and

falls effortlessly through a series of clever chord changes and poignant harmonic statements. His use of

orchestra and Alto sax is entirely typical of his ability to think outside the box. Where others would have

simply used orchestra, Morricone throws something unique into the mix; certainly when one imagines a

Werewolf movie, Alto sax is not the first instrument that comes to mind.

Before examining the romantic theme properly I would like to cast an eye and ear over the chords below,

which form the harmonic basis for the theme. The orchestrated harmonies alone are used earlier in the film,

with the melody being added for scenes toward the end of the movie.

The piece highlights again the use of bass and inversion as writing tools. As I have highlighted in the

transcription, the choice of inversion allows a smooth transition at the foot of the chord which makes the

chord changes seem smoother. The boxed chords show simple examples of how inversions are used

passing chords. Inversions nearly always cause drama but their use is also tactical in allowing for a better

chordal transition. The transcription below now has the Alto sax melody added. The grey perforated lines

represent repetition of motif; not literally but where the same notes are applied to slightly different rhythms

and different harmonic support. Bars four and five feature similar figures and bars nine and ten feature a

similar contour.

Fig.38


24

In the example below, a single stave transcription of the same piece, I have mapped out the intervals being

stated by some of the notes. The manoeuvre that takes the G note at the end of bar 3 from stating a 1st (root)

to a 7th

on the first beat of the next bar is interesting; the chord moves up but the note stays the same. But

only the physical note stays the same; the intervallic context goes from 1 to 7 and then back to 1. Therefore

there are three separate movements; the chord, the note and what it represents.

1 1

5

11

1

5

7

Fig.40

Fig.36 7 7

Fig.39


25

To those who might reasonably venture to suggest that this is over-analysis, or analysis gone mad, I would

say that such abstract observations go to the heart of how and why our minds and respond to music in the

way they do. 99% of listeners will in all probability be blissfully unaware of the existence or significance of

most of the observations in this book. But they will be beneficiaries of the affects caused by most of the

points addressed.

As composers we do not necessarily have to be consciously aware of such things when we actually sit

down and compose, because to be aware at all means such knowledge will seep into your intellect and

become part of your writing. If you understand how and why harmony communicates your writing will be

indelibly affected by such knowledge. Knowledge is not something we can switch on and off. We can’t

‘un-know’ something; it is part of who we are and what we do. We are products of our genes, our

experiences and, most of all, our knowledge and understanding.

To those who might venture to suggest that too much analysis, knowledge and understanding goes against

the spirit of creating art - that ignorance is bliss - I would say that in most cases ignorance is never bliss; it

is only ever ignorance.

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