Psycho - Herrmann 0.0 / 5 ? MusicSet WorksA2/A-levelEdexcel Created by: Emma RockeCreated on: 08-01-19 16:42 Context 1960 Alfred Hitchcock - Director American - New York More varied and modernist Orchestrated his own works - unusual Psycho - classic horror/thriller Low budget b&w film '33% of effect due to music' - Hitchcock Only for strings because of low budget Strings help with stark & cold nature 40 cues written for the film cues vary from ruthless to warm Unity through LEITMOTIF 1 of 10 Resources Crucial in helping to establish mood Just string orchestra (5 part) Con sordino Lots of techniques - pizz, trem, accents, down bows, divisi, sul pont Extremes of register Lush divisi at times 2 of 10 Structure Leitmotif helps to unify cues Prelude - in 6 cues The City - in6 cues Murder - in 4 cues Madness motif is associated with Bates - in Finale Cues built up around a limeted number of ideas 3 of 10 Melody Short motifs rather than developed melody lines Lots of repetition, sequences and development Semitone movement is common Leitmotif - ideas associated with characters and moods Sometimes chromatic Prelude melody - from 2 interlocking major 3rds 4 of 10 Tonality Generally avoides tonal centres and keys Sometimes basically tonal (Marion) Sometimes atonal (Murder) Some cues use dissonant harmony with references to tonal centres 5 of 10 Rhythm, metre and tempo Crucial for mood Tempi suit psychological intention of scenes Driving rhythms - motor rhythms Syncopation Heavy accents 6 of 10 Texture Crucial in helping mood Very varied and interesting string textures Homophony, monophony, polyphony, homorhythm, fugal textures Ostinato, pedals, octave doublings, divisi Texture builds and falls 7 of 10 Harmony Chords used for sound and NOT function Crucial for mood Dissonance - 8 part chord clusters Atonal Complex chords Hitchcock chord - minor triad with major 7th Chromatic Non functional - avoids traditional tonal centres and cadence points Augmented 4ths (tritones) Extended chords Impressionistic use of diminished 7th and half diminished Parallel movement - Toys Chords a semitone apart next to each other - Prelude, Ebm then Em 8 of 10 Dynamics and articulation Varied Crucial Sfortzando 9 of 10 Wider listening Vertigo (1958) Taxi driver - Scorsese (1956) King Kong - Steiner (1933) String quartet no. 1 - Bartok Rite of spring - Stravinsky The day the Earth stood still Citizen Kane Planet of the apes - Goldsmith (1968) On the waterfront - Bernstein (1954) Pagodes - Debussy 10 of 10
Comments
No comments have yet been made