Here's my recent podcast with Coleman Hughes. Topics covered include stagnancy in popular culture, the next new thing in music, and whether musicians have an easier time getting a date on the weekend.
Interestingly, orchestral music for films became "old fashioned", was looked down upon, and was far less often used during the late 1960s and the early 1970s. More contemporary music styles became preferred for movie music (some of which sound terribly dated today). At that time Stanley Kubrick lamented the lack of "grandness" in then current movie scores when he made 2001: A Space Odyssey and insisted, against the studios wishes, upon the classical score used. Alex North even composed a more contemporary score for the film at the urging of the studio executives and Kubrick chose not to use it and go with the classical score we all know instead. Such scores had fallen into such disfavor that a great film composer like Bernard Herrmann found it difficult to find work during those years. When Brian DePalma hired him for Obsession he hadn't had a film job for a very long time and was extraordinarily grateful to get the work. I remember an interview with John Williams back when Star Wars was first being released in which he stated that when George Lucas told him what he wanted for the score of Star Wars, with Lea's theme, Luke's theme, Vader's theme and so forth, he was actually afraid people in the theaters would laugh at the score. Boy was he ever proven wrong! Such sweepingly grand orchestral scores had become so rare they were nearly unheard of by then, and a whole new generation unaccustomed to them no longer thought they were outdated and old fashioned, but ate the Star Wars score up like it was something brand new (and to them it was). After the massive success of Star Wars and its music, such scores were back in fashion big-time and their popularity hasn't waned since. Such a score connotes the massiveness of a truly BIG and massively EPIC production like nothing else can. That is certainly a big part of their appeal for films hoping to come off as truly epic in scope. But, sadly, that doesn't mean it is necessarily what people want to listen to very often at home, in their car, at work, shopping, or waiting for coffee at their local Starbucks. It would be great if it was, though.
I'd like to make a movie and the only music that would be used was when there was live music being played, or a radio or some recorded performance was being played, or in a store where there is always background music. I don't like being emotionally manipulated by a movie soundtrack. Eerie music, here comes the scary scene, big orchestral sounds, here comes the bombs, etc. Can a movie make it on it's own merits or does it always need to have a music track to help it along and set up the viewer for the next scene?
Hans Zimmer made a bold break from this formula with the soundtrack for Dune. He actually dared to extrapolate what music would be like in a human based extraterrestrial society 10,000 years in the future.
I hope other composers follow his example. This could force the producers and directors to use more innovative music and inspire audiences to appreciate it.
Love the quote in that blurb:”...the rules of harmony...were not invented by humans” ( but discovered instead). I’m down with that. Keep up the good work, Mr Quote Machine. That one made me a bit more comfortable in this universe.
Fascinating, as always. Bergman made very interesting use of classical music in his films, with a far lower death count overall. I love the Bruckner in his final film, Saraband, and of course The Magic Flute.
The Golden Record that Sagan et al sent out on Voyager is 1 of my most treasured possessions! But also interesting to reflect on how there has to be a lot of deaths in a movie for sweeping classical romantic music to succeed…I might be one of those dying if I had to sit thru Mozart at a concert! Give me Messiaen or give me death!!!
Interestingly, orchestral music for films became "old fashioned", was looked down upon, and was far less often used during the late 1960s and the early 1970s. More contemporary music styles became preferred for movie music (some of which sound terribly dated today). At that time Stanley Kubrick lamented the lack of "grandness" in then current movie scores when he made 2001: A Space Odyssey and insisted, against the studios wishes, upon the classical score used. Alex North even composed a more contemporary score for the film at the urging of the studio executives and Kubrick chose not to use it and go with the classical score we all know instead. Such scores had fallen into such disfavor that a great film composer like Bernard Herrmann found it difficult to find work during those years. When Brian DePalma hired him for Obsession he hadn't had a film job for a very long time and was extraordinarily grateful to get the work. I remember an interview with John Williams back when Star Wars was first being released in which he stated that when George Lucas told him what he wanted for the score of Star Wars, with Lea's theme, Luke's theme, Vader's theme and so forth, he was actually afraid people in the theaters would laugh at the score. Boy was he ever proven wrong! Such sweepingly grand orchestral scores had become so rare they were nearly unheard of by then, and a whole new generation unaccustomed to them no longer thought they were outdated and old fashioned, but ate the Star Wars score up like it was something brand new (and to them it was). After the massive success of Star Wars and its music, such scores were back in fashion big-time and their popularity hasn't waned since. Such a score connotes the massiveness of a truly BIG and massively EPIC production like nothing else can. That is certainly a big part of their appeal for films hoping to come off as truly epic in scope. But, sadly, that doesn't mean it is necessarily what people want to listen to very often at home, in their car, at work, shopping, or waiting for coffee at their local Starbucks. It would be great if it was, though.
I'd like to make a movie and the only music that would be used was when there was live music being played, or a radio or some recorded performance was being played, or in a store where there is always background music. I don't like being emotionally manipulated by a movie soundtrack. Eerie music, here comes the scary scene, big orchestral sounds, here comes the bombs, etc. Can a movie make it on it's own merits or does it always need to have a music track to help it along and set up the viewer for the next scene?
Hans Zimmer made a bold break from this formula with the soundtrack for Dune. He actually dared to extrapolate what music would be like in a human based extraterrestrial society 10,000 years in the future.
I hope other composers follow his example. This could force the producers and directors to use more innovative music and inspire audiences to appreciate it.
I assume it’s a friendly UFO? 😁
Love Bach, but in the realm of symphonic music there's Mozart, Beethoven and everyone else ...
Love the quote in that blurb:”...the rules of harmony...were not invented by humans” ( but discovered instead). I’m down with that. Keep up the good work, Mr Quote Machine. That one made me a bit more comfortable in this universe.
Fascinating, as always. Bergman made very interesting use of classical music in his films, with a far lower death count overall. I love the Bruckner in his final film, Saraband, and of course The Magic Flute.
The Golden Record that Sagan et al sent out on Voyager is 1 of my most treasured possessions! But also interesting to reflect on how there has to be a lot of deaths in a movie for sweeping classical romantic music to succeed…I might be one of those dying if I had to sit thru Mozart at a concert! Give me Messiaen or give me death!!!
In reference to your S3EP32 quote. Discovery in music, math, science etc. brings us great joy!