ABOUT PROJECT
​ I’m in the process of becoming a composer, especially for films and video games. Now is the time for my junior recital which I’m so excited to present in the theme of story telling. Inspired by the way that old fairy tales express themselves to us with their storytelling process, such as the main theme, story construction and the world they belong to.
By learning (analytically) how ‘music’ works to see what type of materials are used to compose film score (original soundtrack and music using).
Finally, to combine all the thoughts into the project, ‘Musical Re-appropriation’ (Any existing music that is adapted to new narratives) takes an important role in changing the musical context. For example, I analyzed how the ‘Musical Reappropriation’ works in an adaptation of classical music to the world of cinematography.
01
DAVID & GOLIATH
1 Samuel 17
45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
STORYTELLING
03
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK
Aesop fable
The quick-thinking Jack calls for his mother to throw down an axe for him; before the giant reaches the ground, Jack chops down the beanstalk, causing the giant to fall to his death. Jack and his mother live happily ever after, and are never poor or hungry again.
02
Inês de Castro
Medieval tales based on true story
Heartbroken and fuelled by revenge, when Pedro found out his beloved had been brutally murdered, he declared a civil war against his father and sought out the killers. Six years later, Pedro finally managed to get his vengeance on Inês’ killers. After years of searching, he managed to capture two of the assassins after exchanging them for Castilian fugitives. Pedro publicly executed them both by ripping their hearts out while they were still alive, one from the chest and the other from the back, mirroring how they had destroyed his. Pedro had her body exhumed from her grave, placed on a throne, adorned with jewelery and royal clothes, and forced all the nobles to pay homage by kissing the hem of her garments.
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
This one is the main title theme from King Kong (1933) by Max Steiner. It has a lot of low pitch and heavy instruments and very dissonant harmony and it makes people feel the mood and imagine a giant gorilla in the movie.
This is the Main title theme from Robinhood (1936) by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. It is pretty different from the previous example with higher pitch registers and a much lighter orchestration with easy listening harmony and melody to make people have a feel of heroics from Robinhood.
During the scene, it has many actions and situations happen. This scene is from Pirate of the Caribbean - Dead man's Chest while Jack Sparrow and his crew escape the cannibals. This one is different from the previous examples because the music needs to relate to the mood and the character's actions. The theme song is "He's a pirate" by Hans Zimmer. It's not only about chords and harmonies but also instrumentation and timing. When the scene is thrilled or make the viewer excited, music gets more intense. In other words, when it gets calmer or tension is about to be resolved, music is less down or stopped.
This is one of my favorite childhood movies. “Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra” by John William was composed and used in this chasing scene between Indiana with Henry Jones and the Nazi armies. At the beginning (1.54), the protagonist is flurry, so we have strings and woodwind to represent them. After that, it starts to have low brass and low string to define the armies approaching.
MUSICAL REAPPROPRIATION
Symphony no.7 by L.V.Beethoven, Beethoven began composing the 7th symphony when Napoleon was planning his campaign against Russia. After the 3rd symphony, and possibly the 5th as well, the 7th symphony seems to be another of Beethoven's musical confrontations with Napoleon.
The second movement has been used in many movies, especially a grand opening scene like "The fall." This movement starts from "Forte" on the woodwind part and then goes down to "Piano." The strings will initiate from there and then slightly crescendo and add others instruments till the end of motif.
Lacrimosa from Requiem in d minor by W.A.Mozart is a comissioned by Franz von Walsegg for a requiem service on 14 February 1792 to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of his wife Anna at the age of 20 on 14 February 1791. At present this piece has been reappropriate in many movies. Most popular for a villians.
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"Venom: Let There Be Carnage" used this piece in the marriage of the villains's scene. The artists have arranged this piece for a modern instrument and added a lead vocal.
Other references
- Bible
- 1 Samuel 17 (NIV). (2011). Bible Gateway. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2017&version=NIV
- Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2021, January 3). Inês de Castro. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ines-de-Castro
- Wikipedia contributors. (2021, November 6). Inês de Castro. Wikipedia. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In%C3%AAs_de_Castro
- annie Steel, F. (1918). Jack and the Beanstalk. American Literature. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://americanliterature.com/childrens-stories/jack-and-the-beanstalk
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