A. Preliminary Research
Part I: The Intolerance Project
Contents
1. Introduction / Research perspectives
Silent film has always been an area of interest from a composer’s point of view. Given the fact that the film has no sound puts the composer into a different perspective of writing music. Composition and instrumentation have fewer restrictions therefore the imagination in music scoring could be virtually limitless. As Larsen (2007) states:
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"The music of the silent films is not film music in the modern sense – it is cinema music; an external addition to the moving pictures, part of the total performance more than part of the film and its narrative" (p.26).
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At the beginning of my research studies, I had the chance of watching and observing a number of films in the Hollywood silent era. I was always intrigued by movies like Metropolis, A Trip to the Moon, Nosferatu, et al. The film which I found to be most motivating in view of the plot, production, and most importantly music and visual geographic location was Intolerance by D.W. Griffith. Intolerance is a movie divided into four separate stories; the modern story set in California (1914 A.D.), the Judean story set in Judea (27 A.D.) the French story set in Paris (1572 A.D.), and the Babylonian story set in ancient Babylonia (539 B.C.). Ancient Babylonia has been chosen for this specific research as it was the most compatible set in order to start experimenting with music based on the traditions and instruments of the particular region. Middle Eastern scales and instrumentation have always been subjects of personal interest in view of their history and overall aesthetic.
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Furthermore, I have always had the feeling that something is missing from the scores of many different Hollywood films in the silent era and across the greater spectrum of Hollywood productions throughout time. The sense of repetition was always present, to a certain degree, and as musicologist, film and TV composer Fred Steiner (cited in Rosar, 2002) observed “the changes in film music style are somehow superficial resulting in new wine in old bottles” (p.4).
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Authenticity, particularly in terms of traditional Middle Eastern related instrumentation and composition, was a key element that I felt the need of investigating, constructing, and demonstrating in this practical research. In his discussion considering film music, Aaron Copland states that the purpose of music is to "create a more convincing atmosphere of time and place” (as cited in Prendergast, 1990). Queries of comparing contrasting and blending instruments and sounds inspired my search for cultural diversity and genuineness. Researching relevant literature and discovering opinions that agreed with my argument of what is ethnic in film music “is what Hollywood has made ethnic” (Goldsmith cited in Kassabian, 2001) increased my appetite for further investigation and practical experimentation. Consequently, Intolerance became the core of my project, my primary source of writing music and exploring the possibilities of presenting a diverse aesthetic experience.
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The original score for Intolerance was written by Joseph Carl Breil, one of the earliest American composers in the motion picture industry. Unfortunately, the remaining scores kept by the New York’s Museum of Modern Art were only used in the film’s reconstruction in 1989 with the collaboration of Gillian Anderson, a musicologist and conductor who worked in the music department of the Library of Congress, and Peter Williamson who was the museum’s film curator. Anderson describes the score transcripts condition as ‘very brittle; the paper quality was bad. It wasn't meant to last, it was meant to be used and thrown away’ (cited in Harrison, 1989).
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The construction of the new score was assigned to Carl Davis, who used what was left from the original transcripts of J.C. Breil in combination with his own original music. To this day Davis’ score of Intolerance is considered to be the most successful in terms of authenticity and coherency, as an extention of Breil's work. A quite interesting article from the Washington Post’s archives (dated back to 1989) considering the reconstruction of Intolerance can be found here:
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This official reconstructive version is going to be used in this research as a basis for the analysis, comparative process, and original scoring presentation that will follow. Below is a link demonstrating Carl Davis approach to Intolerance:
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Apart from J.C. Breil and Carl Davis', there are two more music published works of Intolerance. The most widely known version is that of the composer Gaylord Carter who composed a score for the pipe organ:
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The second published work was composed by Joseph Turrin and contains a synth orchestral score:
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2. Preliminary compositional survey
Rationale
Comparative analysis in a number of different films was the first step in order to obtain a spherical view of the silent film era to the rest of the 20th century. This particular subject has its meaning in observing other people’s work and drawing a map of characteristics demonstrating their similarities and variations whilst preserving the initial angle searching for ethnic implementations and Eastern music aspects in general.
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Out of the list of films that have been studied, there was a certain number that was finally chosen due to its agreeing with the pre-selected Intolerance segments. Furthermore, the appropriate sections of these films could be examined considering their semiotic process presenting the findings in corresponding tables and video examples. In this way, there could be a direct comparison with Intolerance exploring the initial argument of Eastern music implementation and/or experimentation. This would be a practical way to confirm the validity of the results as well as to help shape any potential problems and their proposed solutions. Additionally, it is an effective method in sculpting creative ideas feeding the next chapter of scoring approaches in relation to the previous outcomes.
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According to Stevens (2006), ‘No composer has ever achieved complete freedom of expression without first learning to control the progression and development of his work so that it will sound effectively within prescribed limits. Film scoring provides this discipline in its most demanding form’.
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Starting from a time period of early 1900 until the mid-60s the following set of motion pictures was used as a primal introduction to the analysis:
Analysis
The Birth of a Nation (1915) Score by Joseph Carl Breil
Film Trailer
Video Scene
The Thief of Bagdad (1924) Score by Mortimer Wilson
The King of Kings (1927)
Score by Hugo Riesenfeld / Josiah Zuro
Napoleon (1927)
Score by Arthur Honegger
The Thief of Bagdad (1940) Score by Miklós Rózsa
Rome Open City (1945) Score by Renzo Rosellini
The African Queen (1951) Score by Allan Gray
Gengis Khan (1965) Score by Dušan Radić
Film Trailer
Video Scene
Film Trailer
Video Scene
Film Trailer
Video Scene
Film Trailer
Video Scene
Film Trailer
Video Scene
Film Trailer
Video Scene
Film Trailer
Video Scene
After watching these films and paying attention to the compositional structure certain key elements were noted and presented in the table below:
An interesting point is that music scores, moving through time, begin to fade away from classical harmony structure and overall use of orchestra introducing a greater variety of textures, dissonance, and the use of specific music tools for increasing immersion such as vocals, choir et al.
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Additionally, instrumentation complexity together with specific leitmotifs for characters and scenes seem to be less apparent as music for films evolves. Instead, repeated patterns take place using the classical orchestra closer in creating certain effects and building an overall atmosphere inside the movie. In his discussion considering tonality and the Hollywood scoring practice through the 20th century Lehman (2012) states that ‘other differences include; a greater tolerance for repetition or thematic inactivity (or, indeed, athematicism); relative contrapuntal and orchestrational simplicity’.
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The use of ethnic instruments, and furthermore experimentation in view of Eastern harmonic construction, seems to be absent or rarely used, in terms of mimicking instruments as well, in combination with the classical orchestra. Though it is worth noting that in some cases composers make use of certain Eastern coloured scales but this is an exception to the rule. Also, rhythmic patterns seem to be specific, with no major alteration or introduction of ethnic percussion.
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After watching Intolerance and drawing the film’s timeline (see table.1) the first two clips were chosen based on the inspiration and the controversy that re-arranged music could produce. Clip 1 begins with the title ‘Cyrus Moves upon Babylon’ and describes the marching of Cyrus’ army towards the Babylonian king Belshazzar. Clip 2 has the title ‘The Feast of Belshazzar’ and is set on the great feast in Belshazzar’s palace. Below you can watch those two clips with the original music of Carl Davis:
Intolerance Clip 1 - 'Cyrus Moves upon Babylon'
Intolerance Clip 2 - 'The Feast of Belshazzar'
Table.1
Clip 1 - ' Cyrus moves ypon Babylon '
These two video clips of offered the opportunity to examine closer the harmonic progression and the overall aesthetic of music, always in conjunction with the visual progression. In order to compare and contrast with other film composers’ stylistic approaches, the next logical step was to separate the scenes into smaller parts based on the characters and overall plot development of the visual. Therefore, clip 1 (‘Cyrus Moves upon Babylon’) was divided into three smaller sections:
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Scene 1 – Duration 22 seconds (0:00:00 – 0:00:22)
This is the opening scene of this film’s chapter, starting with the book title, signifying the beginning of a military attack.
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Scene 2 – Duration 14 seconds (0:00:22 – 0:00:36)
This scene demonstrates the following of Cyrus’ orders and the preparation of his army going to attack the Babylonian king Belshazzar.
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Scene 3 – Duration 46 seconds (0:00:36 – 0:01:22 / end of clip 1)
The last scene starts with the presentation of the other side, King Belshazzar and his preparation for defence against Cyrus’ attack, as the title suggests. This is a more contradictory and dramatic scene showing Belshazzar’s emotional state of having to leave his beloved queen in order to go and defend his city. It demonstrates his inner struggle between emotion and responsibility.
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In this clip, the main instruments used for building up the tension in Carl Davis’ score are the woodwinds, brass and percussion. The music begins with woodwinds and high brass phrases (grace notes reflecting the book page flipping), followed by the introduction of lower brass (French horns, trombones) and dynamics variation from piano to forte especially noted in the trumpets and tremolo strings. Strings also play the role of connecting this scene with the next one by adding the note C, using it as a seventh interval of a D major, in order to resolve into the next scene which begins in G minor.
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Scenes from other films were examined and presented further on in an attempt to discover other composers’ stylistic approaches. These are:
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The Ten Commandments (1956 – Music by Elmer Bernstein)
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Lawrence of Arabia (1962 – Music by Maurice Jarre)
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The Mummy (1999 - music by Jerry Goldsmith)
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300 (2006 - Music by Tyler Bates)
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A general map of the video analysis that will take place can be seen from the table below:
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Starting with The Ten Commandments the part of the film that was found to be based on a similar foundation as scene 1 from Intolerance is the following:
Scene 1
In the case of The Ten Commandments one can observe a more simplistic arrangement approach. Minimalistic orchestration with trumpets and supporting horns are performing a theme introducing the character and creating a dynamic sense of superiority. One observation could well be that the specific motif is less complex, in comparison with the majority of the film’s score, forming in such way a stronger connection with the visual. This connection of course is not to be examined in musicological terms nor in terms of sound authenticity.
Additionally, if someone pays specific attention to the scene’s characters can observe that the specific cue is balancing between diegetic and non-diegetic sound. Music is synchronized with one guard holding a brass instrument although the film could imply that others are off the camera's perspective, even though they do not appear further on while the viewing perspective expands covering almost all the characters of the scene.
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To a certain extent, a different approach was observed in the film Lawrence of Arabia:
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Though one could argue that this edited video clip would be better suited in combination with the next Intolerance scene because of its visual characteristics (Scene 2), instead it was used here purely for describing a different approach to a somewhat compatible section development. Maurice Jarre’s approach here contains more string elements and phrases that reach and demonstrate the unknown, the camel's march in the chaotic desert in conjunction with the camera’s wider/distant angle. Moreover, one could argue that the overall atmosphere of the score contributes greatly to the geolocation the film is based in projecting a sense of mystery with its dissonant structure in combination with the Eastern-flavour scales performed by the orchestral strings.
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Moving forward in time, the next example comes from Tyler Bates’ score of the 300 film (2006):
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In this example, the composer is using a similar approach as the one observed in both Intolerance and The Ten Commandments by making use of the brass instruments to build a certain climax. The scene begins with a diegetic sound of a low wind ethnic instrument, possibly a didgeridoo, which signifies the beginning of the attack. What is also worth noting is the use of a vocal choir, an element that radically became to be apparent in the evolution of epic war films in Hollywood cinema. Nevertheless, there seems to be no sense of instrumentation relevancy, other than the ethnic woodwind instrument, considering the time and place of the film.
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Moving into the next scene of Intolerance (scene 2), the first aspect that can be noted is the introduction of a new theme performed by the bass trombones and tubas in conjunction with a slow pace rhythmic structure supported by the timpani. The overall compositional procedure attempts to focus on the main theme by leaving a certain space in the audio spectrum without enabling other instruments to be involved. One could argue that this is the main reason why the composer has chosen not to use instruments like orchestral strings or woodwinds.
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A first analogous example was taken again from a segment of the film The Ten Commandments:
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This example follows the same pattern as the one used in scene 1, only this time as the music develops one can detect the introduction of more instruments, thematic changes, and blending of the Eastern-colour scales. As it progresses, the score’s character becomes more apparent from being diegetic to non-diegetic. Also one could notice the rhythmic structure scored for high-pitched strings and woodwinds in order to unite with the film's movement (horse and carriages).
Moving forward, the next example was drawn from Lawrence of Arabia:
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What is common here with the above, and with the Intolerance clip as well (Scene 2), is the apparent use of rhythmic structure. Maurice Jarre following a more exotic approach throughout the entire film distinguishes here from the rest by using a combination of the classical orchestra timpani together with such as toms, bongos, tambourine, etc. Although the rhythmic synthesis is not based on something Middle Eastern exotic like the Arabic ciftetelli, whade, halay etc., the sound of these instruments are quite close in implementing the desired ethnic touch; after all these specific percussions have a lot of common roots found in several different geolocations through time and especially in the Middle Eastern region. What is also common with the music in the The Ten Commandments is the reintroduction of the main theme and the buildup of the entire arrangement based on it; a theme that has been composed in an Eastern-flavour Hijaz (Phrygian dominant) and Hijaskar mode.
Scene 2
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The last example was taken again from the film 300:
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Again, here one can observe that the main thematic lines have been scored for the vocal choir. The simplistic structure followed by the low pitched timpani and toms performing in a slow pace rhythmic structure (also in Intolerance scene 2) contributes in building a dramatic atmosphere and creates a sense of anxiety and expectation to the viewer.
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In the third and last scene of Intolerance (Scene 3) Carl Davis’ intention is to keep the uniformity of the previous arrangement such as the percussive rhythmic structure, without introducing any new elements to the score. Instead, he decides to reinstate the woodwinds and give them the central role as the picture dictates a more delicate approach based on the characters' emotional state. Overall tension is lowered here, moving from the previous dynamic low brass theme into the subtler instrumentation of woodwinds. The preservation of the same rhythmic patterns contributes to the continuity of the film’s plot; there is war ahead and the Babylonian king must stand in his place and execute his duties.
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As a first example, a video segment has been chosen from the film The Ten Commandments:
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In this example, Elmer Bernstein is using a quite distinctive approach in describing this emotional scene. Instead of using a vibrant rhythmic structure, like in Intolerance, to imply the overall dramatic sense of slavery and war, he relies on romanticism by using the orchestral strings to achieve a more sentimental ‘Hollywood' moment of two people that used to be in love. Therefore, the legato violins are moving continuously performing with a distinctive expressivity contributing to the scene’s romantic character. Music scales that have been used here have an apparent angle towards Western harmony and no attempts have been noticed considering moving into, or blending in, any Middle Eastern music idioms.
The second example comes from the mini-series film Jesus of Nazareth:
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Maurice Jarre composed an emblematic score for the Jesus of Nazareth with aspects of great experimentation based on the location and thematic content of the film. In the specific scene, he makes use of symphonic strings performing a dramatic motif. This minimalistic approach enhances the scene and makes room for the viewer to focus more on the dialogue between the two characters. Western harmony approach can be found here emphasizing the use of minor thirds.
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Further on the last example for this scene (scene 3) comes from the film The Mummy scored by Jerry Goldsmith:
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Scene 3
Again in this situation, one can observe the protagonistic role of the strings. Followed by a more grandeur arrangement the orchestral strings signify and reinforce the scene’s dramatic atmosphere. In this example, the motif moves in various keys in a harmonic minor scale indicating in that way an Eastern music flavour based on the film’s narrative and geographic location. In terms of performance and arrangement, there is no ethnic instrument that supports or enhances the previous statement.
Clip 2 - ' The Feast of Belshazzar'
The second clip chosen for comparative analysis was divided into four sections:
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Scene 1 – Duration 1:19 minutes (0:00:00 – 0:01:19)
This is the opening scene of this film’s chapter, starting with the introduction of a great feast in the Babylonian palace. It demonstrates King Belshazzar’s gloriousness by celebrating Babylon’s victory.
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Scene 2 – Duration 21 seconds (0:01:20 – 0:01:41)
This scene illustrates the king’s and princess’s marching towards the centre of the feast. It is a ceremonial moment implied also by the raised left hand of the king.
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Scene 3 – Duration 46 seconds (0:01:42 – 0:01:51)
The soldier/guard in this scene is fondling a white bird signifying peacefulness. During the last seconds of the scene, the guard straightens his body while his king is approaching.
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Scene 4 – Duration 56 seconds (0:01:52 – 0:02:15 / end of clip 2)
The last scene is similar to the first; the camera is moving towards the centre of the feast, where the king and the princess are. It is an immersive scene that concludes the ceremonial celebration.
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Once again scenes from other films were examined and presented further on. These are:
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The Ten Commandments (1956 – Music by Elmer Bernstein)
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Spartacus (1960 – Music by Alex North)
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Star Wars IV: A New Hope (1977 - Music by John Williams)
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Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi (1983 - Music by John Williams)
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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003 – Music by Howard Shore)
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A general map of the video analysis that will take place for this scene can be seen from the table below:
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In this clip, Carl Davis is building the arrangement around a certain theme scored for the violins. Gloriousness is described here with a rich symphonic instrumentation. The rhythmic structure has been built by using the timpani and low brass performing in intervals of an eighth sharing relevance with certain compositional approaches like the one found in ‘Pomp and circumstance’ by Sir Edward Elgar (see video link below – starting from 1:51"). High pitched woodwinds and harp in conjunction with the solo violin are also used when needed according to the visual. The scene before the king's and princess's appearance (A golden moment for Belshazzar and the princess's beloved) in combination with the soldier and the white pigeon suggests a more romantic approach. In this way, the composer reflects a dreamier atmosphere of pureness and peacefulness.
‘Pomp and circumstance’ by Sir Edward Elgar
Scene 1
As a first comparative example of scene 1, the following video clip from the film The Ten Commandments has been selected and presented below:
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In this example, Elmer Bernstein’s score has been used to demonstrate Moses’ arrival in the palace returning from a successful conquest. One can observe the composer’s minimal approach by using only a rhythmic structure describing the character’s movement towards the king. It is worth mentioning that the stylistic approach, in this case, is moving towards a superficial idea of Eastern-related music with the use of the tambourine and timpani contributing to the overall exotic atmosphere in the palace. In the scene’s end, where Moses approaches the king of Egypt there is a commonly used music motif of trumpets performing in intervals of a fifth, wavering between diegetic and non-diegetic sound.
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A second example has been used from the film Star Wars IV: A New Hope:
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In this example, John Williams’ score embodies the heroic award ceremony celebrating the alliance’s victory and peace perseverance. The scoring approach is presented by a rather dynamic theme; French horns and trombones are starting to build up the structure and viewer’s expectation for the scene, followed by the trumpets performing the main thematic session.
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As a first example of comparing Intolerance scene 2, a scene has been chosen once more from the film Star Wars IV: A New Hope:
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This is basically the continuation of the previous scene's example. It was used separately here, and always in comparison with Intolerance scene 2, in order to demonstrate a more personal and emotional moment. When the angle of the camera changes and captures the interaction between the three characters (Luke Skywalker, Hans Solo, and Princess Leia), the music changes from being heroic, with the dominant use of brass, into more sentimental, by using mainly the orchestral strings forming a stronger connection with the characters’ leitmotifs. Also, the rhythmic structure has not been changed, since it is a heroic moment after all, and new instruments as well as expanded dynamic variations are added as the arrangement builds up so it can reach a certain peak moment at the end of the scene (applause).
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A similar process has also been found in the film Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King:
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In this example, Howard Shore is developing the main theme used for describing the Hobbits and the Shire. It is an emotional scene where the composer is using romanticism with the key role addressed to the orchestral strings in order to describe the king’s bowing, and the rest of the people gathered, in relationship with the four Hobbits and especially Frodo since the camera is zooming in focusing in his facial expressions.
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Moving into the next scene (Scene 3) the following example has been taken from the movie Spartacus:
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As with the Intolerance scene 3, one can observe the noticeable minimal orchestration so as to describe the nostalgia for peace and humanity. Elmer Bernstein is using the harp and oboe as his main tools to accompany the character’s poetic scene. What is also interesting is the movement between major and minor chords to contrast romanticism and war tragedy.
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An additional example can be found in the film Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi:
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In this example, John Williams keeps the background festive score and adds romanticism with the use of strings and a vocal choir. The sentiment is being described in this situation with a grander orchestral arrangement, as it is best suited to the scene which reaches the end of the film. The harmony is moving again between major and minor chords following the character’s mixed emotional state (Luke Skywalker).
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Considering the fourth and last edited scene from Intolerance the following example from the film Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King has been used for comparative purposes:
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In this example, and as the film reaches the end, the sense of romanticism is described with a legato expressive theme for the orchestral strings. It is worth noting that the movement between the fourth and fifth chords of the scale contributes to the unexpected and pleasing emotion of the king’s character based on the plot (realizing that Arwen is alive). The music, therefore, as well as the picture, concentrates on these two characters’ emotional scene.
Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 4
3. Complementary information
Additionally, and in order to start experimenting with film music scoring combining traditional Eastern elements from the specific region, there was a need for researching a number of music examples that would provide me with a cornerstone of the overall compositional aesthetic. Furthermore, it would also enrich my current view on how particular ethnic instruments are performed in real life, an aspect which in my opinion is crucial in understanding music itself and mastering the art of orchestration.
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Examples of the audio/visual material that was used for this purpose, and will be discussed further on, are presented below:
'Ancient Mesopotamian Music - Babylon' (Music by Derek & Brandon Fiechter)
'The Oldest Known Melody (Hurrian Hymn no.6 - c.1400 B.C.) ' (Music by Michael Levy)
'Music of the Ancient World - Sumerian Music V'
'Echoes of Ancient Mesopotamia / Canaan - _The Lyre of Megiddo'
'Ancient Visions - New Compositions For An Ancient Lyre' (Music by Michael Levy)
'Ancient Babylonian Music Played on Replica 3000 Year Old Lyre' (Music by Michael Levy)
'Hurrian Hymn - Ancient Mesopotamian Musical Fragment c1400BCE'
'Echoes from Ugarit: Oldest Melody in History'
(example of ethnic melody in classical orchestra arrangement)
As a first comment of the above examples, one can observe the simplicity in terms of harmonic structure. Especially in the above compositions for the ancient lyre, there is a significant tendency in the poetic substance of music.
Supplementary to the above, there is a clear presentation of themes emphasising the similitude between music compositions and songs/hymns. This observation resembles the scoring approach of Alex North in the film Spartacus in certain parts such as the poetic scene demonstrated previously.
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Additionally, the use of the lute, also widely known as oud, has been found to make a significant contribution not only as a soloist instrument but also in terms of rhythmic structure. It is worth mentioning that the lute, and its constructive variations, was a very important and frequently used instrument in almost every Middle Eastern tradition. In his discussion considering the musical traditions in Ancient Egypt Kolyada (2009, p.146) states:
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“Lutes had indeed once been very popular in Ancient Egypt (from the eighteenth dynasty on) and occupied a prestigious position in the instrumental hierarchy. This is obvious even from its name; in ancient Egyptian also means “beauty”, “good”, “nice”.
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What is also worth mentioning is the importance of the lute as an accompaniment instrument for vocal soloists. Its distinctive and transformational sound, in terms of performance, was found to be most appropriate on several occasions. An interesting quote, demonstrating the above argument, is presented in Ribera’s research considering the music in Ancient Arabia and Spain:
“Its rhythmic vibrations, sweet, smooth, and mysterious, permitted various shadings according to whether the strings were plucked with the ball of the finger, or with a plectrum, or with or without a tremolo in the fretting. All these qualities made it the irreplaceable companion for the human voice in intimate concerts of chamber music. The lute, moreover, could be easily manipulated by the singer himself, marking not only the rhythm but also the harmony, without drowning the voice, with which it could never compete, although it sometimes imitated it in the gracile smoothness of its tone” (2014, p.189).
4. Synopsis
Music research provided a further grasp on how composers implement their music ideas and aesthetic angles in a variety of films. More specifically, it has revealed some of the scoring techniques used to articulate specific moments in films similar to those that have been selected for demonstration purposes and further development of the selected Intolerance extracted clips. Discovering these qualities in films also contributed in creating a larger picture of how scoring inclinations sculpt through time as well as how composers react to these inclinations and adapt their music angles accordingly.
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Additionally, it seems to prove the initial argument of Eastern ethnic music implementation acted as a minor segment inside an overall Western music philosophy, used sporadically and merely as an essence of exoticism without providing enough depth in terms of Eastern-related physiognomies. Relationship bonds with music traditions and instrumentations also seem rather vague as most of the times this is being translated to a superficial use of Middle Eastern flavours in terms of music scales and modes performed by a Western symphonic orchestra.
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Therefore, the next chapter will present music propositions answering the above issues in a work in progress formula as there will be a demonstration and discussion of all the stages realised in the overall scoring experiment.