"Courtyard Apocalypse"

Duration:

·         The tempo is moderately fast but still legato. The tempo sounds a lot slower than it actually is because of the longer sustained notes being played particularly by the string section

·         The tempo is 4/4; simple time

·         The melody is straight but the timpani plays a syncopated rhythm on beats 2& and 3. This rhythm is a continuous rhythmic ostinato.

·         In general, both the melody and accompaniment are straight with exception to the timpani.

·         The melody is played by both the strings and brass, each at separate times. In a way, it kind of acted as a call and response, with the strings playing the melody and then the brass.

·         The timpani’s rhythm uses accents and is quite short and punchy. This is in comparison to the very legato melody of the strings and the brass.

·         At 1.33 the brass section in particular, plays a descending line to end the song. This line also decreases in dynamics to create a soft end to the piece. The strings don’t play a descending line, instead they hold a sustained note that fades out toward the end.

Pitch:

·         Major key

·         The melody moves mostly in steps as does the accompaniment.

·         The range of the melody is in a comfortable range for both the brass and the string instruments

·         The main melody is repeated several times in the piece, with the timpani playing a constant ostinato underneath the melody

Texture:

·         The texture is homophonic-melody and accompaniment

·         There are 2 layers of sound; hence the piece being of homophonic texture

·         The timpani play the accompaniment as does the brass when the strings have the melody and vice versa.

·         The texture is quite dense for the entire piece. The use of timpani, brass and string instruments is a cause for this as these families consist of very full and strong sounds, in particular brass and the lower stringed instruments.

·         Towards the end of the piece, however, the texture does get thinner as the subtraction of instruments becomes apparent. This allows the piece to fade out softly and with a sense of lightness

Tone Colour:

·         Orchestra; brass, strings and percussion.

o   Double Bass (melody)-bowed (arco)

o   Cello-arco

o   Viola-arco

o   Violin-arco

o   Tuba (melody)-blown using mouthpiece

o   Trombone-blown

o   Trumpet-blown

o   French Horn-blown

o   Timpani (accompaniment)-hit using mallets

o   Cymbals-hit with mallets

·         The use of all these instruments creates a soft, warm feeling/mood in the song and also a very strong and punchy rhythm when the dynamics are increased and the mood is much more intense.

·         The tone colour does vary but only at the beginning and end of the piece. The piece starts off with just the timpani and deep sounding drums playing. The strings come in shortly after as does the brass section. This can be term additive entry of instruments. The opposite happens at the end of piece as instruments fade out and just the tuba is left playing. A decrease in dynamics also affects this change in tone colour.

Dynamics and Expressive Techniques:

·         Generally, the dynamics are fairly loud but they do significantly decrescendo towards and at the end of the piece. The timpani begins the piece very strongly as it plays an accentuated rhythm with a small dynamic increase each time.

·         The melody is played using the technique of legato (smooth, flowing rhythms). Tenuto and slurs are also used in the melody and accompaniment. (brass and strings)

·         At 1.13 the dynamics increase (crescendo); particularly the strings. This leads up to the decrescendo and end of the piece

·         At 1.35 the decrescendo starts as the descending line is played

Structure:

·         Introduction-just timpani

·         A-strings and brass

·         B-slight variation within the melody

·         A-repeated A section again

·         C-new unheard rhythm, dynamics also increased

·         Outro-descending line and ‘fade out’ of instruments.

"The Painted Veil"

Duration:

·         The tempo is set straight away with the piano and the lower electronic sounding instrument playing semiquavers

·         The tempo of the piano accompaniment is quite fast but it contrasts to the very slow rhythm of the melodic strings. When the woodwind and percussion is added the tempo still remains the same but seemingly gets faster because their rhythms are quick.

·         The time signature is 4/4 (common time), simple time signature

·         The time signature remains the same throughout the piece

·         The piano plays a rhythmic repeated ostinato underneath the melody for majority of the piece.  This rhythm consists of semiquavers; hence why it sounds quite quick.

·         The piece is relatively straight rhythm-wise, however the piano at the start does accent the off beats (accompaniment). The muted trumpet does this as well at about 1 minute

·         There are many different rhythmic layers due to the vast array of instruments playing. there are approximately 8 rhythmic layers.

·         the piano continues its ostinato basically throughout the whole piece which provides a constant contrast between rhythmic values of the melody and accompaniment. The accompaniment plays faster more full rhythms and the melody plays legato rhythms

Pitch:

·         The piece is minor

·         The accompaniment (piano) moves in steps as does the melody (strings, brass and woodwind)

·         There are counter melodies as well as the main melody. The strings have the main melody while the brass and woodwind (flute) also play a melody in parts of the piece.

·         The range for the flute is a comfortable range for a flute as is the piano pitch range. Similar for the strings as they play fairly narrow rhythms. The brass is also in a comfortable range, however some brass parts are played high pitched.

·         At 0.17 the melody is played by the string section. This rhythm is repeated again at 1.36 again by the string section.

·         The high pitch of the piano at the beginning contrasts with the very low pitch of the lower brass section. At 0.48 the general pitch becomes quite high as the flute takes the melody and a muted trumpet comes in.

Texture:

·         There are multiple layers of sound in this piece therefore making it polyphonic. This means that there are many layers of equal importance.

·         The strings are the predominant melody players, however the woodwind and brass do also have an important role. The percussion also helps to maintain an underlying pulse and also add different tone colours to the piece.

·         The texture is quite dense majority of the way through the piece. This is due to the amount of instruments playing; an orchestra.

·         The texture becomes a little thinner at 1.15 as some instruments drop out and the flute takes the melody which creates a much lighter feel. At 1.38 the texture resumes its original thickness as the brass re-enters. At 2.20 the texture thins once more. The piece ends with a thinner texture than what it started with due to the soft dynamics and the subtraction of instruments.

Tone Colour:

·         The ensemble playing is an orchestra. There are strings, brass, woodwind and percussion.

o   Piano

o   Violin (smooth (legato), tension creating due to the long sustained notes)

o   Viola

o   Cello

o   Harp

o   Double bass

o   Trombone

o   Trumpet (tension creating)

o   Tuba

o   French Horn

o   Flute (airy and light sounding)

o   Timpani (heavy, low and dull sounding)

o   Wood block (high)

o   Glockenspiel (metallic and high pitched)

o   Electronic sounding, low pitched instrument possibly plucked (at the beginning)

o   Low pitched, woody glockenspiel sounding

·         The strings are bowed (arco) but the double bass is plucked (pizzicato). The brass is blown using a mouthpiece as is the woodwind. The timpani is hit with mallets as is the other percussion instruments.

Dynamics & Expressive Techniques:

·         The dynamics are moderately loud throughout the piece but vary here and there.

·         Dynamics begin moderately soft and then build as more instruments are added. At 1.10 the dynamics increase (crescendo). At 1.34 the brass play a long sforzando. At 2.04 there is another crescendo that is played but then the dynamics soften afterwards. The dynamics are now soft (piano) and remain at this level through to the end of the piece.

·         The electronic sound at the start plays using staccato and pizzicato. The piano here plays using accents mainly on beats 1 and 3.

·         The strings play predominantly sing the technique of legato

·         The trumpet plays using a mute to differ the tone colour and 1.00

·         The flute also plays small turns and 1.10

·         At 1.27 the brass play a sforzandoto heighten the tension

Structure:

·         Introduction (electronic sound and piano at first; other instruments begin adding; texture)

·         A  (strings play melody)

·         B (flute takes over along  with muted trumpet and wood block)

·         A (strings with melody again)

·         C (glockenspiel, timpani and brass; this section is very slow)

Alexandre Desplat

·         He is a professional composer, orchestrator and conductor.

·         His father was Greek and his mother French. Desplat was born in Paris on 23^rd of August 1961. He is the younger of two boys. At the age of five, Alexandre began playing the piano and soon after he became highly skilled on the trumpet and flute.

·         He has written the score for The Painted Veil, The King’s Speech, The Queen, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Golden Compass, New Moon, Fantastic Mr. Fox and  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and 2 and many other movies.

·         Although trained in classical music, Desplat grew up with American jazz and Hollywood movie scores. These styles have influenced his music and it has resulted in a fresh and unique movie music style.

·         Alexandre first came onto the movie music scene after his work on the 2003 film, Girl with the Pearl Earring. This score earned him Golden Globe, BAFTA and European Film Award nominations.

·         His name in movie music was cemented after his composition work on the films, Birth, The Upside of Anger, Hostage and Syriana (earned him another Golden Globe nomination).

·         In 2007, he won his first Academy Award nomination for the film, Queen and in the same year he won his first Golden Globe Award for his work on The Painted Veil.

·         Although, his name is well-known for scoring Hollywood films, Desplat still finds time to compose the score for many European films. His most recent being De Battre Mon Coeur S’est Arrete (The Beat that My Heart Skipped).

·         He has received 4 academy award nominations, 5 BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television) nominations and 5 Golden Globe nominations, one of which he won for his work on The Painted Veil in 2006.

·         In 2011, he won his first BAFTA Award for The King’s Speech score.

Awards:

• "Prix de la Meilleure Musique de Film" at 22nd Lourdes Art & Cinema Festival (France) for "The King's Speech" 2011
• Etoiles d'Or du Cinéma Français: "Film Music Composer": Alexandre Desplat for "The Ghost Writer"
• International Film Music Critics' 2010 Awards: Alexandre Desplat "Film Composer Of The Year", "Best Original Score For a Drama Film" for "The King's Speech" and "Best Original Score For an Action/Adventure/Thriller Film" for "The Ghost Writer"
• 2011 César Award (France), "Best Music Written for a Film" for "The Ghost Writer"
• Sammy Award for film music CD of 2010, "Best New Film Score CD: The King's Speech, Music by Alexandre Desplat (Decca)"
• "Best Film Music" at 2011 British Academy Film Award (BAFTA), for "The King's Speech"
• Best Original Score of the Year for "Fantastic Mr Fox", and Soundtrack Composer of the Year for "The Ghost Writer", "Fantastic Mr Fox", "The Twilight Saga - New Moon" and "Julie and Julia" at 2010 World Soundtrack Awards
• Etoile D'Or du Compositeur de Musique Originale de Films Français 2010, Académie de la Presse du Cinéma Français (France), for "A Prophet", "The Army Of Crime", "Afterwards", "Coco Before Chanel" and "Chéri"
• Best Music Score for "The Ghost Writer" at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 2010
• Best European Composer at 2010 European Film Awards for "The Ghost Writer"
• Alexandre Desplat receives the Golden Alexander for his career in film music at 2009 Thessaloniki International Film Festival (Greece)
• 2009 BMI Film Music Award for "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
• Hollywood Film Composer Award at 13th Annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Awards
• Alexandre Desplat Film Composer of the Year and Best Film Score of the Year for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" at the 2009 World Soundtrack Academy Awards
• Best New Film Score for "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button" at the 21st Annual Sammy Awards
• Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing at 20th Palm Springs International Film Festival
• Best Original Score for "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button" at the 7th Annual Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards
• 2008 Best Original Score for "The Curious Case Of Benjamion Button", Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards
• 2008 Grand Prix de la musique pour l'audiovisuel, SACEM (France)
• 2007 Film Composer of the Year, Movie Music UK Awards
• 2007 Score of the Year and Best Original Score Fantasy/Science Fiction for "The Golden Compass", Movie Music UK Awards
• 2007 Film Composer of the Year and Best Original Score for Fantasy-Science Fiction for "The Golden Compass" Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA)
• 2007 Best Film Music by Soundtracks.pl for "Lust, Caution"
• 2007 Best Original Film Score at the 44e Golden Horse Awards Competition (Taiwan) for "Lust, Caution"
• 2007 European Composer by European Film Academy (EFA) for "The Queen"
• 2007 Film Composer of the Year at the Ghent Film Festival for "The Queen" and "The Painted Veil"
• 2007 BMI London Film Music Awards for "The Queen" and "The Painted Veil"
• 2007 Golden Globe Award, Best Original Score for "The Painted Veil"
• 2006 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, Best Music for "The Queen" and "The Painted Veil"
• 2006 César (France) for "The Beat My Heart Skipped"
• Etoile D'Or du Compositeur de Musique Originale de Films Français 2006, Académie de la Presse du Cinéma Français, (France) for "The Beat My Heart Skipped"
• 2005 Silver Bear for Best Score at the Berlin Film Festival for "The Beat My Heart Skipped"

"Hard to Handle" from the Committments

Duration:

• Strong and apparent pulse
• Relatively fast tempo
• Simple time signature-4/4
• Many layers of sound:
• piano
• drum kit
• backing vocals
• brass section
• main male vocals
• congas
• tambourine
• electric guitar
• bass guitar
• woodwind-saxophone
• There are many accompanying rhythmic layers where repitition is a feature. The drums, piano, tambourine, drum kit, bass guitar, guitar and congas are all examples of this.
• Short and syncopated rhythmic values are very prominant and constant.
• There is syncopation in both the melody and the accompaniment.

Texture:

• Homophonic texture
• Male lead vocals has the melody while all remaining instruments and backing vocals have the accompaniment
• The texture does not remain the same; it varies with the addition and subtraction on instruments and vocals
• The texture is very thick due to the many layers of sound and also due to the rough, harsh tone colour of the main male vocals.
• Silences are also used. In this extract there is a silence starting on the lyrics 'pretty little thing let me light your candle...'. This causes the texture to become monophonic as all instruments drop out and lead vocals sing solo. This is the main textural change within the piece.

Happy Days

Tone Colour:

-Main vocals (male)-main melody the whole of the theme song except for when the flute takes over

-Drum kit-accompaniment

-Backup singers (male)-counter melody

-Keyboard-accompaniment

-Bass guitar-accompaniment

-Flute-main melody in the small time it plays (0.33)

Texture:

-The texture is homphonic; melody and accompaniment

-The texture begins quite thick with all singers, drums and bass guitar in straight away

-As the dynamics increase, the texture thickens with the keyboard in

-In the chorus, the texture changes a little as all the instruments stop for a few seconds while all singers keep singing. this happens 8 times. 

-After this variation the flute is added which again thickens the texture

-The texture variation occurs again but this time the bass and the keyboard  continue to play with the singers. again this pattern is repeated 8 times, with slight difference on the 3rd, 5th and 7th bars

-All instruments and singers are then in for the ending with a small crescendo being played. the common pattern, a.k.a the chorus is also the rhythmic pattern used as the outro of the theme

Duration:

-The tempo is quite fast

-The time signature is common time (4/4)

-At 0.13 the backup singers sing the main theme for the TV show and at 0.32 the flute plays this same rhythm

-At 0.34 clapping hands is apparent. they clap twice on beat 2-& and once on beat 4. 

-Although the drums are accompanying the main melody, they still play many of the rhythms that the vocals play, example at 0.50; it hits the drums on the same beat as the singers sing

Coca-Cola Commercials

Coca-Cola Seige

·          The ad is introduced with percussion (timpani) and brass. The playing is very strong, heavy, short, detached and accentuated. The timpani provides a steady pulse for the other rhythms to work off. This pulse is played throughout the whole ad.

·         The brass (trombone) plays a very low and heavy rhythm to emphasise the strong battle that is happening. Its rhythm is greatly accentuated, repeated and descending to create tension. The lower pitch range of the brass section creates this nervous feel for the ad, which is inevitably, a war.

·         The suspense builds as the opposition get closer and the music creates this feel through the strings. The string family, mainly violin, plays this rhythm and due to the pitch being minor, the suspense is hence created.

·         The music slows in tempo and a decrescendo is used as the ice dragon is brought out. As the real dragon breathes fire onto the ice dragon the ice melts and as this happens the violin plays a descending line which imitates the disappearance of the ice as it melts. All instruments then cease playing except for the lower strings who play the drone; this provides suspense and also a link into the next scene.

·         The French horn then takes the melody for a lighter and brighter feel to the atmosphere. The dragon is happy now after drinking coke so the lightness of the French horn is well suited to this section of the commercial. The key also changes from minor to major which ensures the ‘happy’ feeling that the dragon gets from drinking coke.

·         In the final scene, the violins take the melody. The play in their upper register, however, the brass still continues to play underneath to provide stability. This is contrasting between the higher pitch of the violin and the lower pitch of the brass. A crescendo is also played leading into this final scene and cymbals are added to thicken the texture. This use of dynamics and a denser texture creates a lighter and happier atmosphere, which is what coca-cola apparently does to you.

Hard Times

·         Dixieland Jazz Band is used; muted trumpet, banjo, whistling, clappers, temple blocks, bass guitar, harmonica, brushes and rim clicks on snare drum, tuba and drum kit.

·         Steady tempo remains throughout the commercials. However, the tempo at the beginning is quite fast and then it slows down as Mr Burns is walking through the park. The key changes from major to minor here as the tempo slows and instruments are dropped. The harmonica plays this scene and it plays a very smooth and connected rhythm that incorporates many pitch bends and slides.

·          Then, as Mr Burns drinks the coke, the tuba plays an ascending rhythmic line and the texture thickens once more as does the dynamics increase. Then, it goes back into the rhythmic feel we were shown at the beginning because Mr Burns is no longer sad and lonely; he’s happy after drinking coke.

·         The use of the muted trumpet helps to create that isolated feel, as it is quite dry and highly contrasts to the use of whistling.

·         The use of whistling in the song is quite good as whistling is commonly associated with happiness, which is the main motive of the ad.  

·         The song is played in a major key which provides that ‘happy’ feel.

Sleepwalker

·         The famous piece ‘Bolero’ is played in this commercial

·         Maracas=accompaniment

·         The instruments used help to create an airy and light sort of feeling which is suitable because the man is sleepwalking. In the beginning the flute (possibly bamboo) has the melody which allows for that airy feel as the flute has a very light and open tone. Then, as he walks through the elephant stampede the dynamics increase and the texture thickens as the whole orchestra begins to come in. This emphasises the danger that the elephants pose.

o   The flute melody is very legato, repetitive and soft in dynamics. This creates a lullaby feel. The tempo of this melody is also slow

o   The pitch is in the lower register of the flute.

·         After the elephant stampede, the orchestra gradually comes in and a small crescendo is played. The music is quite edgy which suits the ad as he walks on the edge of a massive cliff, gets eaten by a hippo and gets trampled by elephants.

o   The elephants are also the extra musical sounds; diagetic

o   Texture dramatically increase which creates interest and draws the audience back to the music and the ad.

·         Walking along the edge of the precipice

o   Slightly faster tempo

o   Increased dynamics

o   Pitch range has expanded; full orchestra

·         The music is made to sound ‘edgy’ through the use of instruments and the different style of music that is played; it’s not the normal. The expressive techniques used also help to create this atmosphere. Some of these include: staccato, pizzicato, smooth and connected rhythms by the orchestra in contrast to the short and accented percussion.

·         The background noises at the beginning also help to create the atmosphere as they are sounds that one would usually hear in the night; they are diagetic sounds

·         As he finds the coke in the fridge, the music thins out for a very short amount of time until the strings play an ascending rhythmic pattern to bring all the instruments back in once more; this creates a denser texture. The main melody is also re-introduced.

o   The accompanying line is picked up by the trumpets and the piccolos.

·         The flute has the melody in the beginning and then the string family takes over and it remains that way for the rest of the commercial.

Music for Film, Radio and TV - 'Eye of the Tiger'

Listen to the two versions of ‘Eye of the Tiger’ and comment on the atmosphere created in each example, refer to Tone Colour, Dynamic and Expressive Techniques in your answer.

Rocky

·         Typical rock band

o   Drum Kit (accompaniment)

o   Keyboard (accompaniment)

o   Vocals (main melody)

§  Tenor vocals but still quite high pitched

o   Electric guitar (accompaniment)

o   Bass guitar (accompaniment)

o   Tambourine (accompaniment)

o   Cheering and fireworks heard in the background (underscoring)

·         The song is very punchy and accentuated especially the drums and guitar at the beginning. This demonstrates the hard punches of the boxers. The lyrics of the song ‘rising up to the challenge of our rivals’ also demonstrates the boxing and the rivalry between the two athletes. The elevating and punchy style of music also creates the perfect atmosphere for a boxing match as it is representing the challenge of the match and the excitement of the audience watching. The ascension of the music (pitch-wise) also represents the athletes striving to reach their goals and win the match. Dynamics increase in the chorus to create energy and excitement and also to create the atmosphere.

·         Overall the atmosphere created can be described as:

o   High- energy

o   Serious

o   Accentuation

o   Intensity that comes from the short explosive sounds played by the band

o   Melodic line is quite contrasted to the rest of the band who play staccato rhythms, whereas, the melodic line is actually fairly melodic.

Starbucks

·         Typical rock band

·         What makes it funny?

o   Replacing the lyrics to suit Glens life and aspirations

o   Taken it out of context; it’s not normal to have a rock band follow you to work

o   Just chosen ordinary people for the song (Glen)

·         Melodic word painting used; the idea of reaching your goals, Glens aspirations

·         All in all though it is the same piece of music as used in Rocky, the context has just changed from a boxing match to an ordinary mans morning of going to work.

·         The use of the song in this context is a similar story as that in Rocky but is just more realistic.