Music, Sound, and the Moving Image

Musical Wallpaper?

Towards an Appreciation of Non-narrating Music in Film

Music, Sound, and the Moving Image (2012), 6, (1), 39–54.

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3828/msmi.2012.5
Language
English
Pages
16

Abstract

In this article, I suggest that the narratological model of film music offered by Claudia Gorbman's seminal work Unheard Melodies (1987) becomes problematic when we consider more closely a distinction made by narratologist Gérard Genette between narrating and narrative - between the signifier and the narrating act that produces it. Arguing that most music encountered in film ‘unscrolls’ (to use a term offered by Carolyn Abbate [1991]) as part of a narrative rather than constituting a narrating act, I highlight older conceptions of film music that may be in line for a reappraisal, namely those offered by Stravinsky (Dahl 2010) and Copland (1949). Though not always complimentary about the music's aesthetic value, they offer us the possibility of an alternative perspective - one that encourages us to think of film music's expressive qualities and its ability to shape environments from within the narrative, rather than considering it the external bearer of the narrating act itself. I explore this new-old notion using a scene from Hugo Friedhofer's score to The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946).

Access Token

FormatArticle

£25.00
READ THIS ARTICLE
References
Full Text
PDF
If you have private access to this content, please log in with your username and password here

Abbate, Carolyn (1991) Unsung Voices: Opera and Musical Narrative in the Nineteenth Century, Princeton: Princeton University Press Unsung Voices: Opera and Musical Narrative in the Nineteenth Century Google Scholar

Abbate, Carolyn (2004) ‘Music: Drastic or Gnostic?’, Critical Inquiry, 30: 505-36 ‘Music: Drastic or Gnostic?’ Critical Inquiry 30 505 36 Google Scholar

Burt, Georges (1994) The Art of Film Music: Special Emphasis on Hugo Friedhofer, Alex North, David Raksin, Leonard Rosenman, Boston: Northeastern University Press The Art of Film Music: Special Emphasis on Hugo Friedhofer, Alex North, David Raksin, Leonard Rosenman Google Scholar

Chatman, Seymour (1978) Story and Discourse: Narrative Structure in Fiction and Film, Ithaca: Cornell University Press Story and Discourse: Narrative Structure in Fiction and Film Google Scholar

Chion, Michel (1994) Audio-Vision: Sound on Screen, ed. and trans. Claudia Gorbman, foreword Walter Murch, New York: Columbia University Press Audio-Vision: Sound on Screen Google Scholar

Copland, Aaron (1949) ‘Tip to Moviegoers: Take Off Those Ear-Muffs’, New York Times, 6 November: 28-32 ‘Tip to Moviegoers: Take Off Those Ear-Muffs’ New York Times 28 32 Google Scholar

Currie, Gregory (1995) Image and Mind: Film, Philosophy, and Cognitive Science, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Image and Mind: Film, Philosophy, and Cognitive Science Google Scholar

Dahl, Ingolf (2010) [1946] ‘Igor Stravinsky on Film Music’ in Mervyn Cooke (ed.) The Hollywood Film Music Reader, Oxford: Oxford University Press The Hollywood Film Music Reader Google Scholar

DeNora, Tia (2000) Music in Everyday Life, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Music in Everyday Life Google Scholar

Eisler, Hanns & Adorno, Theodor (1994) [1947] Composing for the Films, London: Athlone Press Composing for the Films Google Scholar

Franklin, Peter (2011) Seeing Through Music: Gender and Modernism in Classic Hollywood Film Scores, Oxford: Oxford University Press Seeing Through Music: Gender and Modernism in Classic Hollywood Film Scores Google Scholar

Genette, Gérard (1980) Narrative Discourse, trans. Jane E. Lewin, Oxford: Basil Blackwell Narrative Discourse Google Scholar

Gorbman, Claudia (1987) Unheard Melodies: Narrative Film Music, Bloomington: Indiana University Press Unheard Melodies: Narrative Film Music Google Scholar

Kozloff, Sarah (2011) The Best Years of Our Lives, London: Palgrave Macmillan The Best Years of Our Lives Google Scholar

Levinson, Jerrold (1996) ‘Film Music and Narrative Agency’ in David Bordwell and Noël Carroll (eds) Post-Theory: Reconstructing Film Studies, Madison: University of Wisconsin Press Post-Theory: Reconstructing Film Studies Google Scholar

Long, Michael (2008) Beautiful Monsters: Imagining the Classic in Musical Media, Berkeley: University of California Press Beautiful Monsters: Imagining the Classic in Musical Media Google Scholar

Nattiez, Jean-Jacques (1990) ‘Can One Speak of Narrativity in Music?’, trans. Katharine Ellis, Journal of the Royal Musical Association, 115:2: 240-57 ‘Can One Speak of Narrativity in Music?’ Journal of the Royal Musical Association 115 240 57 Google Scholar

Newcomb, Anthony (1984) ‘Once More ‘Between Absolute and Program Music’: Schumann's Second Symphony’, 19th-Century Music, 7:3: 233-50 ‘Once More ‘Between Absolute and Program Music’: Schumann's Second Symphony’ 19th-Century Music 7 233 50 Google Scholar

Newcomb, Anthony (1992) ‘Narrative Archetypes and Mahler's Ninth Symphony’ in Steven Paul Scher (ed.) Music and Text: Critical Inquiries, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Music and Text: Critical Inquiries Google Scholar

Sternfeld, Frederick W. (1947) ‘Music and the Feature Films’, Musical Quarterly, 33:4: 517-32 ‘Music and the Feature Films’ Musical Quarterly 33 517 32 Google Scholar

Winters, Ben (2008) ‘Corporeality, Musical Heartbeats, and Cinematic Emotion’, Music, Sound, and the Moving Image, 2:1: 3-25 ‘Corporeality, Musical Heartbeats, and Cinematic Emotion’ Music, Sound, and the Moving Image 2 3 25 Google Scholar

Winters, Ben (2010) ‘The Non-diegetic Fallacy: Film, Music, and Narrative Space’, Music & Letters, 91:2: 224-44 ‘The Non-diegetic Fallacy: Film, Music, and Narrative Space’ Music & Letters 91 224 44 Google Scholar

If you have private access to this content, please log in with your username and password here

Details

Author details

Winters, Ben