WAS TCHAIKOVSKY THE ORIGINAL FILM SCORE COMPOSER?
Before there was film, there was programmatic music. Tchaikovsky’s ballets and operas have a clear visual content to follow, but not his beloved fantasy overtures such as Romeo and Juliet, and the 1812 Overture. Clearly he had a visual content that he was following, (a film that was playing in his mind’s eye.) There is a distinct “program” in Romeo and Juliet to follow in his composition, that brings the visions to listener, as we follow every blow of the sword fight where Romeo kills Tybalt to his tragic death with Juliet. Or the attack of Napoleon’s French soldiers in the 1812 Overture to their retreat and defeat as the triumphant Russians bells ring out. The same can be said of Tchaikovsky’s other programmatic works such as: The Tempest, The Storm, Hamlet, Festival Overture on the Danish National Anthem, Sleeping Beauty, etc.
Music has always had a tendency to “borrow” from preceding great composers, whether credit was given, (such as Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini), or not. The current use of “temping” in film scores brings forth such criticisms such as John Williams is ripping off Korngold in Stars Wars, but who was Korngold ripping off? Until recently I thought the 1938 score to “The Adventures of Robin Hood” was using Tchaikovsky’s 4th and 6th symphonies as the score, until I discovered it was Korngold’s score. So where does it all begin?
Certainly we all stand on the shoulders of giants. Tchaikovsky himself was groomed by the “Russian Five” of whom both Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov are renowned for the programmatic tone poem “A Night on Bald Mountain.” There is always more to be gained by going to the source of something than by imitating an imitation. So where does it all begin? Do we stop at the very earliest films or should programmatic music count as “films” before there was even celluloid? If we do, then who was the best example of this type of composition? Who would be the original?
So I ask again: “WAS TCHAIKOVSKY THE ORIGINAL FILM SCORE COMPOSER?”
I agree Linwood, music is a gift meant to be shared, and it is one of my life’s greatest joys. I highly recommend getting Note Performer. They let you use two copies and it’s only a little over $100,...
Expand commentI agree Linwood, music is a gift meant to be shared, and it is one of my life’s greatest joys. I highly recommend getting Note Performer. They let you use two copies and it’s only a little over $100, (so maybe you could share that with your son, lol.) My son Ryan used to use Pro Tools, (which he got certification on in college), and I found it too steep a learning curve. Dillon began with Pro Tools but switched to Cube Base, and now Ryan has also switched because Pro Tools kept crashing his system.
I totally agree with Joanna about Dorico. It’s a great idea, but it’s just not ready yet. I bought Sibelius when it first came out, and chose it over Finale, (which at the time was the preferred notation program.) Dillon grew up with it. If that’s the consensus, then maybe I’m not as out of the loop as I thought. Here’s what I keep bringing up with my sons. What the DAW’s are missing is the complexity of what happens in a live concert hall. If the instrument samples are taken in a sterile environment, it leaves out all of the harmonic overtones that occur in an orchestra. When a trumpet sounds the strings in the orchestra vibrate, even when they are not playing, (as do all the other instruments.) This is not just the reverberation of the hall. I’m sure this would be an extremely complex algorithm to factor, but until it is addressed, there can’t be a truly realistic recreation of the orchestra.
My son's name is Ryan, as well. I saw it was on sale this month for $78. Maybe today I pull the plug!! There's so much stuff I want to get and I've already got too much. Here the Silvestri clips I was...
Expand commentMy son's name is Ryan, as well. I saw it was on sale this month for $78. Maybe today I pull the plug!! There's so much stuff I want to get and I've already got too much. Here the Silvestri clips I was talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrDqGEQux7g
Joel's music I was already hip to from being a member for a while, ...but I just listened to Michael, Joanna, and Dillon. Wow! You are all so great. Wonderful music. Bravo!! So nice to have you here.
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Thank you for the compliments Linwood, but you are quite accomplished, yourself. I had always dreamed of writing jingles, but never found my way into the field. I was chatting on the phone with the he...
Expand commentThank you for the compliments Linwood, but you are quite accomplished, yourself. I had always dreamed of writing jingles, but never found my way into the field. I was chatting on the phone with the head of the composition department at Berklee School of music, when Dillon won a scholarship there. He asked me if I was still composing, and told him that I was still writing but wasn't making any money at it. He said, "Oh, I see you're familiar with music composition." Anyone who can manage to make a living out of composing music of any application, has only to be proud of it. My compliments. Dillon has seen the Silvestri clips before and told me about them.
Yes Sir, if the pencil is in your hand it's all serious music.