Film Music: A Neglected Art

Prendergast, Roy M.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 039330874X ISBN 13: 9780393308747

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 1992

"That Mr. Prendergast is unusually well-equipped to discuss both the technology and the aesthetics of film music is revealed once more in this second edition, particularly in the new section on synthesizers. And in this discussion he is disarmingly frank and perceptive. The hands-on experience he has had as one of Hollywood's leading music editors has allowed him to make comments and judgments that serve the history of film music." ? William Kraft, composer, from the Foreword In addition to the new material on the synthesizer mentioned above, the author has completely reviewed the four parts of the book and integrated new material where appropriate: History (an overview from the silent films to the present); Aesthetics (the artistic purposes film music serves and the forms it takes); Technique (how to synchronize music to picture and the special demands of television); and Contemporary Techniques and Tools (comprising video post-production, digital audio, and other innovations). A completely updated bibliography rounds out this informative study.

Synopsis:

"Film Music" brings together the concerns of the professional musicologist and the interests of the film critic and historian. The author analyzes film music as composition and as an integral element of cinematic expression. He examines all aspects of film music, from the early techniques of synchronization and the early sound films of the 1930s, to the unique demands made by cartoon and animated films. He also looks at the problems of film music composition in the context of the complex machinery of filmmaking, the pressures of schedules, and current inventions in sound reproduction and projection. This new edition has been brought up-to-date by the inclusion of a chapter about music for television, a section on the latest technological advances and an extended bibliography.