Knowing the Score: How Music Makes Movies Come Alive

Since the days of silent films, music has accompanied moving pictures in theaters. Whether it be a single piano or organ, band or orchestra playing on cue, music synchronized to film has been an integral part of the movie experience. With the advent of talkies and release of The Jazz Singer in 1927, a soundtrack could combine synchronous dialogue and singing with a musical score—and there was no turning back. Pianos and bands of the silent era have been replaced by film scores featuring every conceivable type of music (symphony orchestras; esoteric; indigenous; all kinds of electronic sounds and pop music). In this course, we explore the art and history of film scoring, movie musicals, animated films, composers and their fabulous film scores, as well as musical influences of classical, jazz and popular music. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to videos for the duration of the course.