MUSIC246 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: James Newton Howard, Mark Knopfler, Henry Purcell
Document Summary
Use of period instruments including the harpsicord: lots of strings. Plot follows an urban american in a small scottish village. Knopfler developed melodies similar to anglo-celtic folk music. Follows the life of an organized crime family. Much of the instrumentation and melodies based on the folk music of sicily. Use of trumpet evokes a sense of sacrifice: family above all - sacrifice things for the good of the family, trumpet begins by itself - sense of isolation key to the character of the godfather. Alone, not sure who can be trusted. Then other instruments join that really give the italian folk feel (a waltz: begins at his daughter"s wedding - music is pragmatic and also helps to keep the idea of family at the forefront. A(cid:272)tio(cid:374), (cid:272)hara(cid:272)ters, eve(cid:374)ts, o(cid:271)je(cid:272)ts, flash(cid:271)a(cid:272)ks, et(cid:272) : altered states of mind or memory. Most films music will fall somewhere between these two extremes. Music attempts to reinforce primarily emotional elements within the narrative.
