Film Score

Theodore Shapiro’s “Severance” Theme: Haunting and Hypnotic

by

In a recent post at his Youtube channel, Everything Music, Rick Beato analyzes the title theme from the hit television series, Severance, composed by Theodore Shapiro. Built on modal harmony, the theme is at once haunting, hypnotic, satisfying, and unsettling. Developing from a small fragment, its tension-filled melodic line is filled with wrenching, exotic intervals. Shapiro drew subtle inspiration from David Shire’s theme for the 1974 film noir thriller, The Conversation, which similarly features …

Read more

William Walton’s “Henry V” Film Score: Two Pieces for Strings

by

Laurence Olivier’s Technicolor film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry V resonated powerfully with a war-weary public at the time of its release in November of 1944. Shakespeare’s 1599 history play includes the stirring St. Crispin’s Day speech, in which King Henry rallies his outnumbered troops to triumphant victory against all odds at the Battle of Agincourt. (“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers…”) The film was originally “dedicated to the Commandos and …

Read more

David Raksin’s “The Bad and the Beautiful” Suite: A Classic Film Score

by

David Raksin (1912-2004) was widely regarded as the “Grandfather of Film Music.” He composed over 100 film scores and 300 television scores, including the iconic main theme of the 1944 film noir drama, Laura. Throughout Laura, the theme recurs as a haunting idée fixe as the protagonist, a detective investigating a murder, becomes increasingly obsessed with the victim. Born in Philadelphia, Raksin studied composition in Los Angeles with Arnold Schoenberg. One of his earliest …

Read more

Perlman Plays Morricone: The Love Theme from “Cinema Paradiso”

by

Itzhak Perlman joins the Richmond Symphony this weekend. The program includes music from Perlman’s Cinema Serenade albums, both of which feature solo violin adaptations of classic film music. The first Cinema Serenade volume, released in 1996, concludes with the love theme from the 1988 coming-of-age drama, Cinema Paradiso. The film was scored by the late Academy Award-winning Italian composer, Ennio Morricone, who worked in collaboration with his son, Andrea Morricone. It was Andrea …

Read more

Duke Ellington’s “Paris Blues”: Music from the 1961 Film Score

by

The 1961 film Paris Blues, starring Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier, tells the story of two expatriate American jazz musicians who are living in 1960s Paris. Dedicated to their artistry, the two are confronted with difficult choices when they meet and fall in love with two American female tourists. The film’s score, written by Duke Ellington, features performances by Ellington’s Orchestra, with Louis Armstrong appearing on two tracks. At the 34th Academy …

Read more

Remembering David Cripps, the Horn Player who Created Princess Leia

by

David Cripps, the legendary British horn player, passed away last week following a battle with cancer. Cripps served as principal horn of the London Symphony Orchestra between 1974 and 1983. During that time, he performed and recorded under such conductors as André Previn and Claudio Abbado. Perhaps he will be remembered most for his original soundtrack performances of Princess Leia‘s Theme, and other horn solos throughout John Williams’ iconic film scores for Star Wars …

Read more

“Sorry, Wrong Number”: An Excerpt from Franz Waxman’s Film Noir Score

by

Released in the autumn of 1948, Sorry, Wrong Number is a classic film noir thriller, filled with shadowy, atmospheric shots, and gradually building tension. The film’s plot centers around Leona Stevenson (Barbara Stanwyck), a spoiled hypochondriac and heiress who is bedridden in her New York apartment, and who relies on the telephone for all communication with the outside world. Leona’s husband Henry (Burt Lancaster), a businessman employed by Leona’s father’s company, becomes increasingly …

Read more