Film Music: Books

Timeline -- Introduction -- The not-so-silent era -- Max Steiner and the first generation -- Spotlight : spotting and the click track -- Mysteries, thrillers, and film noir -- Spotlight : orchestrators -- The epic, the exotic, and war -- Cowboys and superheroes -- Drama -- Spotlight : jazz in film music -- Theme songs, comedies, and romantic comedies -- Spotlight : animation -- Science fiction and fantasy -- Ambient music, no music, and ready-mades -- Trends, forecasts, and innovations.

Introduction -- Books on film and television music -- Academic dissertations and theses -- Composer biographies -- Songwriter and lyricist biographies -- Books with material on film and television music -- Music for the accompaniment of silent films -- Film music periodicals -- Composer society journals and newsletters -- Film and media periodicals -- Music periodicals -- General interest and other periodicals.

The first of three volumes investigating film music, this innovative book shows that there was much more to silent film music than generally recognized--it often was planned from the start as an integral part of the film. This volume covers the music of such films as L'Assassinat du Duc de Guise (1908), D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915), and René Clair's Entr'acte (1924).

With more than two thousand entries, this illustrated guide offers a wealth of information on musicals, performers, composers, lyricists, producers, choreographers, and much more. The Companion also includes cross references, a comprehensive listing of recommended recordings and further reading, a useful chronology of all the musicals described in the book, plus a complete index of Tony Award and Academy Award winners.

In this volume, Jeannie Gayle Pool and H. Stephen Wright address the difficulties scholars encounter when conducting research on film and television music. Intended as a guide for scholars and researchers in navigating the complex world of film and television music, this book provides a detailed taxonomy of film music primary sources and explains how to find and interpret them. The authors tackle the problems of determining film score authorship and working with recordings of film music. A bibliographic essay summarizes the major works and trends in film music research and provides clear pointers to the most important resources in the field. An up-to-date guide to important collections of film music sources and other research materials is also included.

The Sounds of Commerce is the first book to present a detailed historical analysis of popular music in American film, from the era of sheet music sales, to that of orchestrated pop records by Henry Mancini and Ennio Morricone in the 1960s to the MTV-ready pop songs that occupy soundtrack CDs of today. Jeff Smith's landmark exploration of film and music cross-promotion investigates the combination of historical, economic, and aesthetic factors that brought about the rise of popular music in the movies. Smith employs a sophisticated yet accessible fusion of musicology, film theory, and social history. Throughout the text, Smith persuasively argues that the popular film score has been as successful as its classical predecessor at enhancing emotions and moods, cueing characters and settings, and signifying psychological states and points of view.