by Paul Tonks
score -- n. / Pron. “skôr”
1. The notation of a musical work.
2. The written form of a composition for orchestral or vocal parts.
3. The music written for a film, play, or other viewed entertainment.
4. The resounding cheer that accompanies the ‘high-fives’ of Producers when they get what they want sounding close enough to the Temp Track, without fear of being sued.
THE GREAT FILM MUSIC EXPERIMENT
I can’t recall when I first learned that unborn babies can be influenced and affected by the music they hear. It occurs to me it’s the sort of thing that the t-shirt phrase “Everything I Know I Learned From The Movies” was quipped to cover. I do specifically remember Nicole Kidman playing “Some Enchanted Evening” to her tummy in MY LIFE. I remember because that movie happened to be the first unofficial date with my wife. But that was 1993; I’m sure I knew about the idea long before that.
However, the cosmic wisdom was instilled in me, on August 2nd 2001 when my wife and I watched the pregnancy test stick go from one blue line to two. I knew what I had to do. A few minutes later we were in my office with her stomach pressed against a speaker as the “Theme from” SUPERMAN began.
After we knew we had a bun in the oven, books and handy hints started filling up our lives. The greater percentage of information expectant parents receive concentrates on pregnancy. I soon lost count of the references on how to bond with baby. Here is a typical extract on the part music can play in bonding: “Babies like the rhythmic sounds of music, (like a heartbeat, or breathing), as it is very calming. If you put a tape player with headphones on your belly while lying down, and play a lullaby or classical music, most babies, in the third trimester, will respond by kicking or moving. A baby will also respond to his mother's voice, whether you are humming or singing, your baby can hear you and knows you are with him.”
I started keeping note of references I found on the theory. And soon came to stop referring to it as a “theory.” Everything I learned seemed to not only validate and enrich my belief that our child should and would appreciate music, but all my years spent obsessing on aspects of the film music industry too. Phew.
In 1996 US and Canadian scientists issued a report after a study of infants that stated: “the human ear, not to mention the human soul, is biologically attuned to appreciate harmonious music.” Earlier this year, a UK study stated: “We know that the foetus in the womb is able to hear fully only 20 weeks after conception. Now we have discovered that babies can remember and prefer music that they heard before they were born over 12 months later.”
The third trimester –- months seven to nine–- are cited as when to begin introducing music. Dutifully diarised, I purchased a set of super-stretch headphones at the beginning of February 2002, and then spent the month piping favourite pieces of music into the wife’s belly. We didn’t know he was a he, but in addition to numerous classical, pop and miscellaneous music choices, here is the film music playlist he was subjected to during February:
THE BEYONDNESS OF THINGS – John Barry
SUPERMAN – John Williams
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK– John Williams
HENRY V – Patrick Doyle
DON JUAN DE MARCO – Michael Kamen
LEGENDS OF THE FALL – James Horner
STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN – James Horner
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL – Nicola Piovani
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS – Danny Elfman
THE GHOST & MRS MUIR – Bernard Herrmann
BATMAN – Danny Elfman
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON – Tan Dun
THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS – Trevor Jones
MY LIFE – John Barry
SOMEWHERE IN TIME – John Barry
BODY HEAT – John Barry
HANOVER STREET – John Barry
TWIN PEAKS – Angelo Badalamenti
WILDE – Debbie Wiseman
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION – Thomas Newman
THE THIN RED LINE – Hans Zimmer
STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE – Jerry Goldsmith
E.T. – John Williams
THE PHANTOM MENACE – John Williams
These selections are guilty pleasures in one way or another for both my wife and I. And now, a year-and-a-half later, the experiment bears ample proof of being a success. Most days of the week, my son enjoys time in Daddy’s Library, where he bops to selected film music tracks while belting hell out of the furniture with a lightsabre. I play him many of the tracks repeatedly; ones from before and after he was born. And yes – he does react very strongly to the SUPERMAN “Theme.”
The arguments continue as to whether exposure to music makes children smarter or aids in their language development. At only 17 months, it’s too soon to see the lasting effects of what I have put the little fellow through! Incredibly, there exists an element of backlash to the idea of how music affects and stimulates a baby. I’ve read these comments with bemusement and some disappointment. When I see my sons’ face light up in recognising a piece of film music he knows, or something new that excites him, there’s no greater reward for the time I’ve spent championing the industry.
REVIEWS:
KILL BILL VOL. 1 - Various, WEA / Maverick
Tarantino soundtrack = eclectic mish-mash + dialogue. You know the formula now, thanks to so many others ripping it off. I’ll say this for Tarantino and his Music Supervisory team though – he still has the power to surprise. Surprise # 1 is that we get nothing from Ennio Morricone’s additional music score. We do, however, get tracks from Luis Bacalov (“The Grand Duel”), Bernard Herrmann (“Twisted Nerve”), Isaac Hayes (“Run Fay Run”) and Charles Bernstein (“Crane / White Lightning”). Add to that THE GREEN HORNET “Theme” by Al Hirt and this at least references the screen in significant proportion. Then there are the songs. At three-ish minutes, you just know they’re outstaying the welcome Mr. Chin intends for them in truncated fashion on film. The weirdness features two dialogue tracks, and ends with a few Kung Fu Stings and SFX. Presumably when VOL. 2 is out there’ll be a combo set of two albums. Hopefully it’ll all make a bit more sense then.
CALENDAR GIRLS - Patrick Doyle, Hollywood Records 5050466-8703-2 2
Fluffy, pink and girly. Lots of piano. Lots of softly-does-it short cues. Lots of reminiscing about the type of projects Doyle excelled at pre-BRIDGET JONES’S DIARY.
LARA CROFT – TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE - Alan Silvestri, Varèse Sarabande VSD-6502
Here’s where Silvestri landed after jumping ship from PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL. I guess he wanted to work on something with a shorter title … and he may well have made the right choice. The movie may be pants, but Silvestri’s definitely the one wearing the trousers in the relationship. Some drum looping and overlays will date a few of the cues before lone, but for the most part this features the sort of strong action writing folks enjoy from MUMMY RETURNS or JUDGE DREDD.
S.W.A.T. - Elliot Goldenthal, Varèse Sarabande VSD-6501
Thrashing guitars, dense orchestral mayhem and moments of intense voluminous punctuation. Yep – it’s Goldenthal. I can see this being a score to grow on me intensely over time. I need to rouse the interest to see the movie to appreciate it better, but so far… And Goldenthal still holds the crown for the most creative and witty cue titles in the soundtrack world: “The Fascist Shuffle”, “AK-47 Scherzo” and “My Big Black Assault Weapon” all gotta make you smile!
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INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS - Denny Zeitlin, Perseverance Records PRD 003
Again, I’m proud to be able to blow my own trumpet. This release features my liner notes on what has always been a very exciting project. It’s a Ltd. Edition for a movie in its 25th Anniversary, and it’s for a composer who never pursued a Hollywood career. Instead, he continued his dual careers as a jazz composer and practicing Psychiatrist! Not only do you get all this value for money, but audio tracks of an interview with the composer too. Oh yeah – and the music is extraordinary, too.
THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD - Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Marco Polo 8.225268
Gasp. Pant. It’s here! 78-½ minutes of genius. The progenitor of much that was talked about in the last Column. Marco Polo keeps rolling out these sumptuous presentations, and God bless John Morgan and William Stromburg for their tireless efforts in reconstructing these masterpieces. Were I still awarding stars to these reviews, I’d be giving this 6 out of 5.
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