What is the importance of understanding music history, and classical, jazz, popular, and world musical traditions in film composition, and how can this knowledge be used in a practical creative way?
Understanding music history and the diverse traditions of classical, jazz, popular, and world music is of paramount importance for film composers. This knowledge provides a vast creative toolkit that enables composers to draw upon a wide range of styles, techniques, and cultural expressions, allowing them to create richer, more nuanced, and contextually appropriate scores. It goes beyond simple imitation and allows a composer to create more engaging and dynamic music that will greatly enhance the film they are working on. This knowledge is not just a theoretical understanding but a practical asset.
Firstly, a thorough understanding of music history offers a framework for comprehending the evolution of musical styles, forms, and techniques. This knowledge allows composers to understand the historical and cultural contexts of different types of music, and it gives them the ability to discern how these styles have changed and developed over time. Knowing the rules, as well as the exceptions to those rules, will allow a composer to use these elements effectively. It allows them to not just create scores in a singular style but understand the evolution of different styles. This means that they can use a wide range of musical techniques, or use them in a way that is unique and different. It will also prevent a composer from unknowingly using musical elements in a context that may not be appropriate, such as accidentally using a specific style that is out of context for that particular period or place.
Classical music provides a foundation in formal structures, orchestration, counterpoint, harmony, and melody, which are the building blocks of Western music. The study of classical music provides a deep understanding of how to create themes, variations, and develop a complex narrative structure through music. It provides knowledge of how to use the instruments of a symphony orchestra to create a wide range of textures, dynamic changes, and emotional colors. Understanding classical forms such as sonata form, concerto, or fugue, also enables composers to manipulate their musical material more effectively, creating a deeper emotional experience for the viewer. Composers can use these classical techniques as the basis for many different kinds of scores, even in styles that are not purely classical.
Jazz music offers a study of improvisation, complex harmonies, syncopation, and various rhythmic approaches. This is useful for creating a sense of spontaneity, freedom, and a more playful musical approach. The study of jazz also allows composers to understand how to add tension and release with unconventional harmonic changes. Jazz techniques such as call and response, swing rhythms, and blues tonalities can be used in a variety of genres to add complexity, energy, and a more improvisatory feel. The use of jazz techniques in many genres, allows the composer to be more flexible and creative in their approach. This is useful when a composer needs to create a score with unusual or unique harmonic structures.
Popular music provides an understanding of songwriting, hooks, melodies, and arrangements. This knowledge is useful for crafting memorable themes that connect with the audience on an emotional level. The study of pop music also gives the composer a sense of the dynamics of rhythm, and allows them to use these techniques across a wide range of genres. Pop music also provides an understanding of mixing and mastering techniques and how these can be used to make music more impactful and accessible. Understanding the elements of a catchy song allows the composer to add those same elements into their scores, making them more memorable and emotionally engaging.
World music offers a gateway to different cultural traditions, instruments, scales, and rhythmic patterns that can add unique and distinctive textures to a film score. This knowledge can give the composer a wide variety of sounds, rhythmic patterns, and timbres from cultures around the world. These elements will greatly enhance the sense of place and context, making a score more dynamic and engaging. Using sounds from a different culture also adds a feeling of authenticity, particularly if the film is based on or takes place in a particular part of the world. This creates an interesting synthesis of musical styles.
For example, if scoring a period film set in the 18th century, a composer with knowledge of classical forms might use Baroque and Classical musical styles, drawing from composers like Bach, Mozart, or Haydn, ensuring the score is authentic to the time period. They might use harpsichords, string quartets, and formal harmonic structures to evoke the sound of that time. Or, if scoring a film set in the 1920's, the composer may use jazz styles such as ragtime, swing, and blues, to create a sense of atmosphere and time. This creates a unique synthesis that combines knowledge of theory with an ability to write in many styles.
For a science fiction film, a composer might fuse elements of modern classical music, avant-garde techniques, and electronic soundscapes, using dissonant harmonies and non-traditional rhythms to create a sense of the unknown. If that score has an alien race, they may use non-Western scales or instruments to underscore the unique nature of that specific alien world. They may also use many different kinds of ethnic instruments, to create a feeling that is both familiar and very new.
In a film exploring a particular culture, using traditional instruments, scales, and rhythmic patterns will create a feeling of cultural authenticity and create a more immersive and engaging experience for the viewer. A composer may learn to perform on ethnic instruments or hire an expert who can record their instruments for the film. A composer might combine elements of a classical score with elements from folk music, creating a synthesis between traditions.
In conclusion, a deep understanding of music history and the diverse traditions of classical, jazz, popular, and world music provides film composers with a vast toolkit for creating unique and expressive scores. This knowledge is not just a theoretical concept; it's a practical tool that enables them to create contextually appropriate, emotionally resonant, and narratively powerful music for film. It will also give composers a more practical, diverse, and flexible approach. By understanding many different traditions, the composer can find new and unique ways to integrate music into the film medium.