A History of Film Music

From silent cinema to the modern Hollywood blockbuster - a lively and international perspective on the history of film music.

This book provides a comprehensive and lively introduction to the major trends in film scoring from the silent era to the present day, focussing not only on dominant Hollywood practices but also offering an international perspective by including case studies of the national cinemas of the UK, France, India, Italy, Japan and the early Soviet Union. The book balances wide-ranging overviews of film genres, modes of production and critical reception with detailed non-technical descriptions of the interaction between image track and soundtrack in representative individual films. In addition to the central focus on narrative cinema, separate sections are also devoted to music in documentary and animated films, film musicals and the uses of popular and classical music in the cinema. The author analyses the varying technological and aesthetic issues that have shaped the history of film music, and concludes with an account of the modern film composer's working practices.

List of illustrations; Preface and acknowledgements; 1. The 'silent' cinema; 2. Sound on track; 3. Hollywood's Golden Age: narrative cinema and the classical film score; 4. Stage and screen; 5. The mainstream divides: postwar horizons in Hollywood; 6. 'Never let it be mediocre': film music in the United Kingdom; 7. Defectors to television; 8. Film music in France; 9. Global highlights; 10. Popular music in the cinema; 11. Classical music in the cinema; 12. State of the art: film music since the New Hollywood; Bibliography; Index of film titles; General index.

From silent cinema to the modern Hollywood blockbuster, this volume provides a comprehensive and engaging overview of the major trends in the history of film music. The first study of film scoring to present a genuinely international perspective, it is ideal for both students and film enthusiasts alike.

Mervyn Cooke is Professor of Music at the University of Nottingham.