09. Music for TV

Transcription

09. Music for TV

How Film & TV Music Communicate – Vol.1 Text © Brian Morrell 2013
Chapter 9
MUSIC FOR TELEVISION
In this chapter I would like to examine some notable music for television dramas and documentaries. Key
to the chapter is how music serves and enhances the narrative of the film and in particular how specific
compositional styles, contexts, harmonies, textures and production methods work.
Music analysed includes: 24 (Sean Callery) Waking the Dead (Paul Hart) Spooks (Jennie Musket)
Torchwood (Ben Foster and Murray Gold) Survivors (Edmund Butt) Six Feet Under (Thomas Newman)
Band of Brothers (Michael Kamen) Police Squad (Ira Newborn) This Is Your Life (Laurie Johnson) Vincent
(Rob Lane) Sherlock (Michael Price and David Arnold) Rubicon (Peter Nashell) Walking with Dinosaurs
(Ben Bartlett) Batman (Neil Hefti) Click (Kevin Leavy) Who wants to be a Millionaire? (Keith Strachan
and Mathew Strachan) Frost (John Hiseman and Barbara Thompson) Golapogas Documentary (Paul
Leonard Morgan) The Onedin Line (Aram Ilyich Khachaturian) GBH (Richard Harvey and Elvis Costello)
In every successful composer’s work there is a consistency of stylisation, approach or method. Even within
the most seemingly eclectic and varied music for television and film there is a consistency; a recognisable
thread running through it. This consistency is usually the reason for a composer’s success. It’s not just that
they are ‘good’ (because, in the final analysis, what is ‘good’?) it’s that they have a style which is effective,
works and which is recognisable. Often a specific and identifiable harmonic approach is embedded in the
score, and this can leave a composer relatively free to explore and utilise a different instrumental textures
and sounds. Similarly if the recognisable aspect of the music is the ‘sound’ the composer might be free to
explore a range of different harmonies. Listen to any television score and you’ll notice a defining identity,
which is probably one of the following:
•
•
•
A style of instrumentation or ‘sound’ / density of textures
A specific type of production and/or use of technology
A specific and identifiable harmonic approach
What often qualifies as being ‘recognisable’ sometimes goes beyond the music itself. Often the
recognisable feature relates to how, and in way, aspects of a film are being dealt with by the music, e.g. the
function of the music. Sometimes what’s important is not what the music is but what it represents; what it
means in context of the film. This is its function. Sometimes when people refer to film or TV music being
‘good’ what they mean is that the function the music provided was good. Decisions about where to score
music and what the music is actually supposed to be doing are as important as the music itself. As an
example, the music for the television show Lost (which we examine in detail elsewhere) mainly plays the
humanity and intrigue and not so much the science fiction. The show is science fiction only on surface
level. Underneath it is about people and situations. This is what the music plays. This means the music is
rarely guilty of needless italicisation and duplication. By contrast, the music to 24 mimics the show’s tense,
real-time narrative.
24 Sean Callery
Sean Callery spent his first post-degree working life as a product support specialist for Synclavier, which
brought him into close contact with some major names in the music industry and film music industry such
as Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Alan Silvestri and Mark Snow, for whom he worked as an arranger,
programmer and assistant. Often part of his specialist skills enabled him to develop hybrid sounds,
something which came in useful on 24. To work on the show, Callery converted part of his property into a
home studio, from which the music was created and recorded. At the core of Callery’s setup is a collection
of mostly analog synths and samplers. While he uses dedicated high-end software such as Symphobia, it is
in his analog gear that comes in most useful for 24.
Callery is usually asked to write 41 minutes for typical 44-minute episode of 24.
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Between receiving the episode to delivery to the dubbing stage, Callery has only about five days to work.
He says “If you have a three-minute scene, you cannot just continue the same idea for the whole three
minutes; you have to contrast it, introduce new sounds. It’s a matter of finding the right textures and using
them sparingly, and not fatiguing the ear.” Callery’s distinctive musical style lies in his integration of
instruments and sound effects, some of which are created through elaborate sample manipulation. There are
also elements of electro acoustic music. One of the most profound characteristics of the show is its realtime narrative. The musical solution to the ‘real-time’ nature and rapidly shifting narrative, which often
comes with a split screen showing two simultaneous scenes, is to create a constant linear score throughout
the pivotal scenes with few rises and falls. Music is therefore not impaled on a strict visual accompaniment
and instead functions almost as generic ‘mood music’. The music on 24 was used almost as an extra level
of sound design. It combines traditional harmony and melody with more abstract sounds, processed by
samples and synths. The ‘time’ and ‘clock’ idea defined the show from an audio perspective. This was
Callery’s idea; instead of a theme at the start we have a ticking clock. Some of the show’s music contains a
great sense of propulsion and urgency. How does it do this?
24 – Season 1 - Episode 1 – 00.14.55
Fig. 1
This motif comes in during a
visual edit around 00.05.50 in
episode 1 of series 1. The idea
comes numerous times in 24 and
functions almost as a sonic logo.
It is typical of the music which often accompanies the frantic dual-screen narrative of 24. The anticipatory nature of
some of the phrase underpins its effectiveness in this kind of scene and yet there is more in terms of understanding the
harmonies which accompany the rhythmic elements
Fig. 2
F#m chord implied
9th
11th
The main notes in the phrase are transcribed as simple
crotchets in fig.2. The intervals that bring colour and
therefore context to the phrase are the 9th and 11th. Without
these the rapid, urgent rhythmic nature of the phrase would
be fairly lost. The rather mesmerising and repetitive phrase
begins on the 9th.
The example below, 32 minutes into episode 1 of season 2, displays Callery’s writing style for a scene in
which explores a subdued, reflective and evolving narrative. The only hit point is on bar five, where the
Horn arrives at the same time as Jack Bauer arrives in the room. The music displays Callery’s more abstract
writing and the harmonies used to evoke and stimulate listeners whilst not distracting them. Look closely
and you’ll see there are no actual ‘tunes’ or passages that could be rationalised or digested as complete.
Instead we have small bite-sized statements which glide in and out.
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Fig. 3
24 – Episode 1 – 00.10.00
1
Jack Bauer walks into CTU situation room
Horn line (cont)
Low strings
If we look closely we can see the piece contains many compositional devices and approaches which can be
rationalised, understood and evaluated. I have analysed several aspects of this short transcription to expose
and highlight various reasons this piece communicates so well. Below I have isolated the string / synth line
which utilises bare, almost parallel writing. The two-note line lacks formal harmonic identifiers (3rds)
which prevents the piece becoming too ‘musical’ and distracting.
Fig. 4
(nc) (nc)
C#
E
(nc) (nc)
D#
B
(nc) (nc) (nc) (nc)
C#
E
G#
F#
(nc)
A
(nc) (nc)
C#
B
(nc)
G#
The piano line underneath which accompanies the string parts, again, does not settle on any particularly
identifiable melodic pattern. It stays clear of notes which would create (combined with strings) a clear
chord.
Fig. 5
The first actual ‘chord’ doesn’t appear until bars six, seven & eight.
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Fig. 6
C#
F#
A
F#m
The chord on beat 1 of bar nine (fig.7) is an F#m but beyond that the harmonies are more ambiguous both
theoretically and in terms of how we hear them aurally. Beat 2 features what could be the 9th and 11th of the
F# chord minus its 3rd. Or the same two notes (G# and B) could simply be the major 3rd and 5th of an E
chord over the F# chord minus its 3rd. This potential ‘duality of perception’ isn’t just an idle theoretical
debating point – it blurs our actual aural perception.
Fig. 7
D E
C#m D
In bar eleven the bare 4th interval
(C# - F#) forms the basis of what we
rationalise as an F#-based chord,
over which we then hear chords of
D, E, C#m and D. This subtle poly
harmony is as effective here as it is
in Thomas Newman scores such as
American Beauty
Horn line (cont)
Low strings
WAKING THE DEAD Paul Hart
The theme from Waking the Dead is one of the most recognisable and communicative music themes in
recent British television history. Below we have a transcription of the basic theme plus harmonic context.
As always the question is, why does this piece communicate? What are the emotive factors? How do the
melody, harmony, instrumentation and production capture the imagination of the viewer and give a sense of
urgency, excitement and drama?
From a purely structural perspective, we can see the piece is divided up into two ideas, the first of which is
the frantic dramatic semiquaver motif highlighted by perforated brackets. The second, different, motif is in
bars six and seven and features dissonant harmony (bracketed). The original idea returns on bar nine and on
bar thirteen we have both ideas simultaneously.
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Audio – Waking the Dead theme
Fig. 8
Idea 1
Idea 2
Idea 1 again
Idea 1 and 2 together
On a surface level there are two significant ideas/motifs, which I have imaginatively titled ‘idea 1’ and
‘idea 2’. On a basic level we can see how they evolve, culminating in both ideas being played
simultaneously in bar 13.
As we will see when the theme is analysed in greater detail, there is much more to this theme than two
simple motifs; I have highlighted the simplicity of the initial ideas simply to show how thematic music can
communicate on different levels simultaneously. The simple structure in fig.8 is what dominates the
landscape of what we hear. It also acts as a template on which to craft more intricate harmonic patterns
which also communicate but in a much more subtle way. We hear the melody but sometimes ‘the stuff
underneath’ is what we listen to.
When a melody line is going as fast as this, sometimes all you hear is the suggestion, the hint; a few salient
points where the line penetrates. With this in mind let’s look at the notes in the melodic line, and
specifically, which ones penetrate. As we can see, each entry has a melodic contour; a consistent recurring
pattern (highlighted by lines above the melody).
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Fig. 9
The first and third notes (boxed) in the first bar are the G (min3). On bar four and five the first and third
notes are the A (4th). Notes one and three of bars nine and ten (when the melody reappears) are both Bb,
which represent the m7 interval. The important points here are twofold: the melodic line initially begins on
a 3rd – a descriptive interval easy to digest and understand. The second time the phrase is played the salient
notes are the 4th – not as obvious, less easy and sounding edgy and skewed. The third time the motif
appears in bar nine and ten the first and third notes are the 7th. The overriding point is that beyond the
surface-level melody, there is an overarching melodic arc which takes the first and third notes of each
phrase gradually upward from the min3 through the 4th and to the 7th.
Fig. 10
7th
3
rd
4th
6
So, although the phrase is perceived as identical to the ‘naked ear’, in fact it has an arc and also it never
states the same first and third opening notes twice. These factors are what give it a unique harmonic
character, together with the rough ‘edgy’ sound, instrumentation and production. As is nearly always the
case, TV music subverts; the kinds of melodic patterns we find in TV and film are often not the kind of
ideas we’d find in song. The music below is a transcription of a scene from a Waking the Dead episode
called A Simple Sacrifice, where the team reopens the 25-year-old case of a woman who was convicted of
double murder on the basis of her own confession but who may be innocent. This specific scene is where
the Annie Keel (the prisoner) receives a visit from her solicitor. The opening bars feature the solicitor
walking to the reception area of the prison. As there is no dialogue the music is quite ‘busy’. The music
remains static as the solicitor arrives at the reception desk and says “Reece Dixon, solicitor for Annie Keel”
(the empty ‘bar three’, below). The movement returns when he stops talking (bar four) until the point at
which, becoming impatient, he says “is she in?” (where it pauses, bar six). In bar seven, with no dialogue,
the movement begins again.
Fig. 11 Waking the Dead – A Simple Sacrifice – 00.12.34
“Reece
Dixon,
solicitor
for Annie
Keel”
“Is she in?”
Dialogue forms part of the music just as music forms part of the Drama
This is an excellent example which proves the rule that in general composers don’t need to write busy
music over dialogue, especially in television drama, which perhaps lacks the visual spectacle of a darkened
cinema theatre. The section in fig.11 shows how, on a very real and practical level, dialogue forms part of
the music just as much as your music forms part of the drama. The actor’s words have become melodic just
as surely as if it were an oboe or a clarinet.
Looking now at how the intervals work to shape the music and define its character, take a look at the
intervals contained in the harmonized melody of the same cue (intervals written underneath the notes). The
intervals move from the 2nd & 7th (which are not strong primary intervals and essentially blur the chord
slightly) to the min3 and 1st (strong and defining intervals). The notes move too fast for them to be
rationalised and digested coherently. All we hear is a faint blur; a mixture of the two sets of harmonies.
This lends the music a slightly skewed, introspective air and, when put to specific images, lends the scene a
faintly ethereal and troubling context. Without music the scene is just a guy asking if someone’s in; but
with the music it is subtle and dramatic. If the music had been more obvious and dramatic it would be
‘melodramatic’ - something entirely different.
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Fig. 12
2 m3 2 m3 2 m3
2 m3 2 m3 2 m3
7 1
7
7 1 7 1
2
m3 2 m3 2 m3
2
m3 2
m3
7
1
7
1 7
1
7 1
7 1
1
7 1 7 1
In the same film there is a scene where the son of the imprisoned killer (now grown up, working as a
nursery teacher) is visited by a social worker he hasn’t seen in many years. As he looks up and sees the
woman, the first chord in bar one (below, fig.13) begins. The cold characterless dissonant chords work well
in underscoring the scene and play the man’s fear and apprehension at seeing someone from his distant
past. The b5 interval between the D and Ab causes most of the dissonant feel, but also the chord possesses
no 3rd, which heightens and italicises the dissonance and exposes the interval. Right at the end of bar three /
beginning of bar four the scene cuts to a prison cell to show the man’s mother, killer Annie Keel, writing a
letter she has written to the social worker. The music from bar four-seven has a more poignant, reflective
and unthreatening feel.
Film - Waking the Dead (A Simple Sacrifice) 00.21.13
Grown-up son sees social worker
for first time in many years
Fig. 13
(b9)
rd
G (no 3 )
Scene cut to prisoner writing a
letter to social worker
(nc)
(b9)
Gm
(nc)
G Gm Abmaj7
G
Strings
Synths
Piano /
string
(b9)
Fm7
Fm6
Fm7
G (no 3rd)
Fm6
8
(b9)
Gm
F Fm Eb
G
The G melody line at the beginning of bar four, as a single note, would represent a root in the mind of the
listener, in absence of anything to contextualise it. In absence of a chord we default to an assumption that a
single note is the root note. By the 2nd beat of the same bar this presumption is confirmed but by beat three
the G has become a major 7th of the Abmaj7 chord. This drip-fed, evolving harmonic context is key to the
success because it delivers the harmonic character not as an absolute statement but as a ‘moving target’.
Fig. 14
The unexpected
context change
The harmony we
expected
Beat 3 on bar four and five are crucial points of
communication, emotionally. The G note becomes the major 7th
in bar four and the F note becomes the 9th in bar five. These are
both intervals which evoke emotion. These were not initially
stated, but were ‘arrived at’.
Single note
The fact that the ‘killer in the cell’ generated reflective, sad and poignant music whilst the playground
scene (between the man and his former social worker, for whom he has much affection) was accompanied
by fearful and apprehensive music is important. In both cases the music, on face value, appears to play
contrary to the scene. In fact if you examine the narrative for the episode and the scene more closely the
music plays what the characters feel, which is not always obvious visually. That’s why music is so crucially
important. Its not always simply a case of providing music that ‘works’ in an obvious visual sense or
simply ‘sounds appropriate’; the relationship between moving pictures, narrative, dialogue and music is
deeper than most realise. Sometimes the music can essentially tell you how to feel. The music can guide
your intuition and inform your perspective.
Finally on this excerpt, although the relationship between the ‘reflective and poignant’ music seems to be
unrelated to the darker ‘fearful and apprehensive’ music, the link is from the Ab note (minor 3rd of the Fm
chord) to the Ab (flattened 9th) in bar three of the excerpt below. It is worth mentioning because this is a
great example of how music binds together, harmonically and how that binding agent helps the scene itself
become more emotional.
Fig. 15
(b9)
Fm7
Fm6
Fm7
G (no 3
Fm6
rd
)
The next section of music from Waking the Dead is a regular feature in the show, and features in scenes ‘in
the lab’ where the forensic pathologists and scientists pour over the minutiae of biological and DNA detail
in a bid to uncover wrongdoings and expose the guilty. Lab scenes are inevitably tense and often solitary,
with one person examining bones and body tissues searching for clues. Where one person is featured in the
lab there is by definition no dialogue. The music is all the more important for these scenes. The
transcription below is the most widely used musical accompaniment to the lab scenes.
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Fig. 16
Am
Fm
Am
Piano /
synth
Pad
sounds
From an obvious perspective the note
of C unifies the Am and Fm chords,
evolving from a min3 (of the Am) to a
5th (of the Fm).
Fm
But in a much more subtle way there are ‘note-bleeds’, where the ‘ghost’ of one note is
still heard in context of the chord in the next bar (in which it doesn’t physically feature).
The memory of the G melody from bar 2 ‘bleeds’ into bar 3 where, even though it is physically not there
anymore, it ‘functions’ as a 9th of the Fm. This tiny extra harmonic context is enough to inject tension into
this piece, especially given the soft dream-like sound textures created by synths and samples. The harmonic
tension between bars six and seven is greater because the predominant note that ‘bleeds’ from bar 6 into 7
is the A (root note of the Am chord but major 3rd against the minor 3rd Ab in the chord of Fm).
Fig. 17Am
Fm
Am
Fm
Although on ‘first listen’ there appears to be nothing to compare the ‘Lab’ piece above with dramatic, hardedged intro to the show, if we examine the melodic contour of the ‘Lab’ music and liken it to the intro
music, we can see a consistent pattern.
Fig. 18
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Spooks Jennie Musket
Spooks is a BBC TV drama series, the title being a popular colloquialism for spies. The series follows the
work of a group of MI5 officers. The show is fast-paced and exciting but the underlying narrative is often
sinister and dark. The series has sparked controversy during its run for a portrayal of explicit violence.
Musically the approach centres round the careful use of a small number of samples and distinctive textures
which are used consistently in a series of stylistically different dramatic and evocative musical contexts.
Indeed this show, just like Waking the Dead and other notable television dramas, contains finely crafted
musical templates which function like brands. By this I mean that although the music cues are varied,
basically the same harmonic raw material is present in nearly all of them.
Incidental
Poignant
Fig. 19
The
Spooks
Brand
Fearful &
Apprehensive
Rhythmic
Dark
This need for music to have a palpable textural and/or identity is nothing new but it is certainly now much
more obviously part of the overall ‘brand identity’ of a show and the narrative. Music is much more high
profile now but with the added importance has come a certain degree of homogenisation. Some TV dramas
feature a small number of ideas which can be revisited in specific styles. So when you compose a theme
you have to be aware that it may be required to function in a multitude of different ways, as the diagram in
fig.19 shows.
If we look firstly at the central theme for Spooks, which is as iconic as the show itself, we can distil
structures and characteristics which are effective in promoting the quicksilver narrative and style of the
show.
Fig. 20
Audio – Spooks Theme
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The first thing we notice is the lack of any absolute defining harmonic accompaniment. Most of the
harmonic context is buried in the movement; harmonies are essentially implied and inferred; none are
actual. Most of the definable harmonies are contained in the melody so essentially the harmony is
horizontal not vertical. The melodic lines are fast and prone to being rhythmically off-beat and disorienting.
This combined with the harmony being delivered horizontally rather than vertically is what lends the music
its tremendous sense of pace and urgency. The ‘harmony’ centres round F#m with the min6 playing a
prominent role. The sequence of notes which creates the F#m in bar one (F#, G#, A, D, C#) are delivered,
bullet-like, by layered string samples, but the sequence and its effect are nothing new. Numerous film
scores have made use of the harmonic minor oriented melodic figure, perhaps most notably in recent times
Danny Elfman’s Batman theme (below)
Fig. 21
Fig. 22
Moving onto the intensely rhythmical melodic figure in the intro as a whole, we can see by looking at the
transcription and listening to the audio just how anticipatory and disorienting it is. The urgency of the
theme is embedded not just in the fact that the notes are semiquavers or that they subscribe to the
aforementioned harmonic minor scale, but mainly because of the curious and peculiarly anticipatory nature
of how the notes fall in relation to the four beats in the bar. In the transcription below I have highlighted
(with arrows) where the silent beat falls on each entry. The arrows in fig.22 denote (in bars one, two and
three) where beat 3 is. In bar four the arrow denotes where the 4th beat in the bar is and on bars five and
seven the arrow denotes where ‘1’ is.
Each semiquaver entry is on a semiquaver off-beat. This makes ‘feeling it’ incredibly challenging and thus
exciting. It is almost unnerving. As musicians trying to ‘count it’, upon first listening we hear the initial two
bass crotchets on beats 1 and 2 of bar one and naturally assume the semiquavers land on beat 3 of the bar,
as transcribed below.
Fig. 23
Our assumptions are guided by tradition, precedent and knowledge, but on assuming this, the rest of the
sequence then doesn’t ‘add up’ or seem to ‘sit right’. It seems as if there aren’t enough beats in the bar or
that we’re not counting it right. Then maybe we assume the first semiquaver comes after a quaver rest
(fig.24) but again this doesn’t seem to add up.
Fig. 24
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One reason why we don’t automatically assume the first semiquaver comes after a semiquaver rest is
because of the contour of the line itself; the predominant note, the apex of the phrase, is the D, which falls
square on the 4th beat of the bar. Any semiquaver oriented phrase which started after a semiquaver rest
would normally continue to be rhythmically anticipatory or unsettling, hitting off-beats. This line doesn’t; it
begins on a semiquaver upbeat but the fourth note of the phrase lands square ‘on the nose’ of beat 4
(below). The emphasis seems to be all wrong. These factors conspire to ensure that this is a rhythmically
uncomfortable and, in context of the textures which deliver it, exciting phrase.
Fig. 25
The anticipatory context continues on bars five, seven, nine and eleven (highlighted). Again, the arrows
show the main (but unstated) beats.
Fig. 26
Returning briefly to harmony; if we observe the top string line on bar nine (fig.22 and fig26) we can see it
plays the same F# harmonic minor scale as the melody does in the main theme, but in reverse, thus
reinforcing the scale as a major harmonic identifier.
Fig. 27
Having examined both the harmonic context and the rhythmical interplay, we can understand precisely
which elements combined and singularly, are responsible specifically for the sense of urgency in the piece.
The benefits of writing a melodic figure using scalic elements are obvious when you examine how easily
the Spooks phrase works with other chords (fig.27).
1 2 3 b6 5
3 #4 5 1 maj7
5 6 7 10 9
6 maj7 1
4 3
The same scalic phrase can be played over all the chords above, each time producing a subtly different
character because of the different intervals the notes strike each time.
Spooks episode 3 of series 2 has some particularly interesting incidental composing.
In the episode MI5’s computer systems are under attack, threatening the safety of virtually all classified
information. A scene in the ‘grid’ features a meeting between boss Harry Pearce and main operatives Tom,
Danny, Zoe and Ruth, in which the infiltration is discussed. The scene is tense and features some wellcrafted evocative and emotive music which evolves as an accompaniment to a part of the scene.
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I have featured it because it is a classic example of how composers of music for the moving image tend to
evolve chords rather than move from one whole chord to another whole chord. Definite, absolute chord
changes may work in ‘normal’ music, but often such conclusive harmonic shifts italicize and highlight
complex scenes too much, especially where dialogue is present. Such music, because it is so similar to the
way in which ‘normal’ music is constructed, is something that we’ve heard a thousand times before and
doesn’t engage us or surprise us or create an emotion that binds us closer to the visual experience.
Spooks, Series 2, Episode 3 – 00.06.27
Fig. 28
A
(nc)
rd
A (no3 )
rd
A (no3 )
rd
A (no3 )
Am
rd
A (no3 )
Strings
This piece is effective not just because the chord ‘evolves’ and changes but because it gradually becomes
more obscure and densely harmonic. The only actual perceived dissonance is between the E and the F (a
flattened 9th above) in bar six. If you were to play that bar alone, or first, the dissonance might be too brutal,
but coming as it does in bar six after a few bars of gradual harmonic growth, it is more effective. It has
created a journey which mirrors the drama unfolding on screen.
The other thing to mention here is that by the time this excerpt gets to bar six the chord is ‘extension heavy’
so its initial harmonic identifiers (the root and 5th) are somewhat buried under the B, D and F (9th, 11th and
b13th). This density causes some ambiguity because those same three notes (B, D and F) also function
polyharmonically as a Bm (b5) chord. This means that there is almost a ‘duality of perception’ for listeners.
Listeners do not need to be aware of the names we give to groupings of harmonies in order to be the
recipients of the effect they create. A great way of changing key midway through a scene to add drama and
gravitas and ensure harmonic momentum is displayed in the transcription below which comes from the
same episode of Spooks. The speed and pulse of this excerpt is aurally a little nebulous so the transcription
is not rhythmically completely accurate. What binds this piece together and allows the link from Am to
C#m to sound more natural is the linking note of E.
Spooks, Series 2, Episode 3 - 00.07.50
Fig. 29
(E = 5th)
(E = min3rd)
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On bar eight we ‘expect’ the F note to resolve to an E note over an Am chord because this is what it did last
time. But the E note in bar eight actually constitutes the min3rd of a C#m chord, representing a modulation.
On bar thirteen we would expect the B note to be the 5th of the Em – this is what it seems to be clearly
leading to. If that had happened it would pretty much tie the phrase up and ‘normalise’ it. That this doesn’t
happen is, again, what propels it harmonically. If the chords in this excerpt (e.g. Am, C#m, G#m) were
unsupported by the particular melodic figure they would sound more chromatic and/or odd. The natural
scalic characteristics are what normalise the sequence and make it more musical.
This melodic idea is carried on in another scene a few minutes later. This is worth taking a look at because
it is a classic example of the benefits of contrary motion, when used to enhance or italicise a harmonic
passage. The viola sample (top line) moves upwards whereas the cello sample (middle) moves downwards.
The bass stays on the F.
Fig. 30 Spooks – Series 2, Episode 3 – 00.10.49
The way in which the chord evolves from the
presumption of an Fm flavour (in bar one) to the
inverted Db chord (in bar 2) is achieved by the
upward and downward lines.
What also makes it more effective and emotionally communicative is, once again, the ‘duality of
perception’ in terms of the interpretation of the top line. We perceive the F and G as 1st and 2nd of the Fm
chord, which is what they are. When the notes of Ab and Eb appear in bar two, with the ‘ghost’ of the Fm
perception lingering, we can think of them as min3rd and 7th of Fm or (by virtue of the cello sample Db note
on the bottom stave) we can perceive them as 5th and 9th of the Db chord, which is what they actually are.
Because the Fm harmony evolves into Db/F so subtly by virtue of just two contrary moving lines, harmonic
definitions are not absolutely clear-cut, which can make them more ethereal and emotionally
communicative.
The following transcription is of a distinctive piece of trailer music for Spooks. It has several distinctive
features. Examine it carefully and you’ll see it has very few 3rds, which, from a harmonic perspective,
creates a stark, square, parallel feel. Regarding the rhythmical feel, the melody begins on the off-beat at the
start of each bar. Although the piece is littered with quaver triplets, the strong, plodding ascending
downbeats in the bass and the way the triplet quavers are performed very ‘laid-back’ on the recording
prevents the piece ‘feeling’ like it’s in 6/8.
15
Fig. 31
Intervals in context of the implied chord created
by the accompanying bass line
1 2 5 6 maj7 6 7 #4 3 2
1 2 5 6 maj7 6 7 #4 3 2
1 2
35
6 7 #4 3 2
1 2
35
6 7 #4 3 2
Fig. 32
1
3
1
2
4
2
5
3 maj7
6
9
1 maj7
6
4
6
1
6
5
9
2 1 maj7
9
#4 3 2
7
6 5 #4
#4 3 2
As the piece evolves we can see
more parts enter the harmonic
equation. As before the bars are
quite low on 3rds – the defining
harmonic context is stark.
The harmonic context and the
rhythmical interplay discussed
earlier are what define this piece
and make it so dramatic and
‘urgent’.
The narrative of Spooks is not all fast-paced, urgent and immediate, as the transcription below shows. In the
scene from which this piece is taken (series 9, episode 7) Harry and Ruth discuss their personal feelings and
how they have effected their professional judgment. The scene itself owes part of its power to the music
which weaves itself into the emotion of the dialogue to the extent that, without it, it is doubtful the scene
would have anything like as much power and gravitas.
Fig. 33
Strings
The soft, heavily pedalled and reverbed layered piano sound (similar to Thomas Newman’s approach in
key parts of American Beauty and Road to Perdition, Pay and others) works well in italicising the moment
16
in the scene where Harry and Ruth’s conversation is at its most emotional. The music is lead into by the Cnote string sound and even this seemingly innocuous fact is important. When Thomas Newman writes in
this style, there is often a leading note which prepares the way. This is an important observation because it
gives listeners a focal point; a point from which the rest of the piece is heard. Why does this piece, and
similar music written in this style, communicate so effectively? Why and how does it convey such a
plausible and inherent dreamlike, mystical quality? Is it just the sounds, or is it the harmonies?
When we think we hear two chords, one after the other, we almost hear three: we hear the first chord, the
‘second’ chord, but in between we hear the transition – the relationship, the sonority. It is this supposedly
nebulous harmonic X-factor, the interplay, which dictates how we perceive the actual chords. All music is
a reaction. You could almost call the ‘reaction’ between two chords a ‘third chord’. The expression pedal is
of course essential in creating this dreamlike sound in that it heightens, exaggerates and italicises the
sonorities and relationships between chords.
Fig. 34
The Bb and G still function as 7th and 5th respectively.
The chord has no 3rd but we ‘remember’ it from the first
chord. The harmonic identity of the second chord is,
therefore, implied.
Because of the lingering sense of
Cm7, the F in this chord
functions both in an obvious
sense as a 5th of the Bb chord and
in an ‘appropriated’ sense as am
11th of the original Cm7 chord
The D functions in an obvious
sense as a 3rd of the Bb chord and
in an appropriated sense as a 9th of
the original Cm chord
Torchwood Ben Foster and Murray Gold
Torchwood is a British science fiction spin-off from Russell T Davies’ successful revival of Dr Who.
Torchwood deals mainly with fighting extraterrestrials. Its main character is Captain Jack Harkness, an
immortal from the distant future who lived on Earth since the 19th century. Much of the show features a
fast-paced action oriented narrative but there are also important and occasionally subtle moral and ethical
overtones. Much of the music for many small-screen dramas makes great use of filmic-sounding
soundtracks; Torchwood is no exception. Ben Foster and Murray Gold have provided some memorable
moments of high drama and emotion which helped Torchwood become a cult show.
17
The chord sequence below, the type of which we have examined before in other chapters, features the
common note of Eb / D#.
Fig. 35
Cm
Fig. 36
C
B
One of the reasons it communicates so well as a sequence is down to the evolving
context of the Eb / D#, which moves from functioning as a min3rd (within the Cm
chord, bar one) to functioning as a maj3rd (within the B chord, bar two). The ‘note’
stays the same; the sound remains constant, but what it represents switches from
min3rd to maj3rd. Aurally this creates a slightly skewed harmonic feel not least
because the manouvre depends on our aural cognitive involvement.
Cm
B
The sequence in fig.36 shows this type of chord transition in action, in an abbreviated memorable cue from
the film Signs, which we look at in much more detail elsewhere in the book. The music from Torchwood
makes use of this type of harmonic interplay in the first episode of series 1. This is a scene where the
Torchwood team are introduced to the viewer for the first time, racing to the scene of a death in order to
test alien technology which supposedly brings dead people temporarily back to life. As Police are hastily
side-lined, the famous Torchwood vehicle (Range Rover) arrives dramatically on the scene, accompanied
by pulsating, dramatic and urgent music (transcribed below).
Fig. 37
Torchwood, Episode 1, Series 1 - 00.01.44
18
As I have highlighted in bars one-four and nine-twelve the chords fluctuate between F#m and F. The
perforated line represents the note of ‘A’ which is common to both and which ‘functions’ as a minor 3rd and
major 3rd despite not actually moving (displayed by the up-and-down lines).
How to create ‘urgency’ in music: melody and syncopation as punctuation
The following transcription (fig.38) displays how rhythmic and syncopated writing can create a strong
sense of urgency. There are no accompanying chords in this sequence; however, the melody infers a G#m
harmony by virtue of the note of D# note (which would be the 5th) and particularly the E note (min6th,
which would be in the G# harmonic minor scale but not in the G# major scale).
The harmony is inferred, implied, which is something we encounter several times during the course of this
book; getting the maximum music with the fewest notes by the power of association. From a rhythmic
perspective, although virtually the entire sequence is syncopated and nothing falls square on the first beat of
any bar, the urgency is specifically articulated in the highlighted section (boxed). We ‘feel’ the beats that
aren’t stated but the melody instead highlights the off-beats.
Fig. 38
Torchwood, Episode 1, Series 1
00.02.22
In keeping with the fertile and progressive imagination of Torchwood creator Russell T Davis, the series
explores many issues normally underrepresented or taboo in much mainstream television. As an example,
in the same episode, the alien device which briefly reawakens the dead is used on a victim of crime (the
idea being that, in future, victims would be able to identify their killers). As the confused man comes
briefly back to life, Captain Jack Harkness asks him at one point “what was it like when you died?”, adding
“what did you see?” The clear subtext is, what lies beyond death, which potentially strays into deep
conceptual / religious territory. The man eventually realises he’d died, been brought back, and that there
was ‘nothing’ after death. He panics and says “oh my God, there’s nothing”. This poignant scene is scored
deftly and sensitively.
Fig. 39
MAN:
Nothing; I
saw nothing”
HARKNESS:
What was it like when
you died? What did you
see?
C#m/G#
C#/G#
F#m
MAN: “Oh my
God, there’s
nothing”
C
Em
Emotional contour of the
scene / drama / dialogue
19
D#m
The C#m to C# chord definitely raises the drama; the 3rd is the most descriptive and exposed interval in a
chord in that it literally determines the colour. Raising a min3 to a maj3 transforms the sequence in a much
more obvious and exciting way that, for example, a C#m to relative major E sequence would have done.
The chord of C# is outside the key centre of C#m, which makes the manoeuvre sound ‘surprising’. The
chord of F#m represents the conclusion of the first three bars; the chord change from F#m to C is one of
only two points in which every note changes.
This absolute, definite chord change has a ‘freshness’ to it but is also quite dramatic, because the memory
of the F# note from bar three lingers into bar four, where it would have, and therefore slightly does,
function as a #4th. This drama is mirrored by the emotional contour of the dialogue / scene, which can be
seen by looking at the line underneath the transcription in fig.39.
Are specific Chord Extensions implicit of specific genres?
Most of the really potent chord changes, extensions and tensions in music are genre-less; they can often
communicate subtly different meanings dependent on stylistic and contextual surroundings but their power
to communicate something is a product of the way in which we interpret what harmony is, thus according it
a kind of meaning.
(maj7)
Fig. 40
Am
Looking at fig.41 we can see the ‘minor chord
with major 7th’ in what might be considered its
generic environment – a Latin-flavoured chord
sequence. The chord sequence of Am, Am(maj7),
Am7 and Am6 is one of the most instantly
recognisable, especially when contextualised
within a Latin performance and articulation
environment.
As an example if we look at the chords in fig.40 (the same
chord voiced three ways), we see the obvious harmonic
tension in the major 7th interval in context of the minor chord
which frames it. There are two tensions that create the
distinctive sound of this chord: the first one is the obvious A
to G# (root to major 7th) interval, although this is largely
secondary to the tensions created by the C and the G# (min3rd
and maj7th). The reason for this tension is that the interval
between the min3rd and maj7th is itself an augmented 5th. This
is one of the reasons why the Am(maj7) sounds odd but the
Amaj7 doesn’t.
Fig. 41
Oct
maj7
7
maj6
Perhaps one of the most recent television uses of the minor
chord with maj7 is Douglas Cuomo’s iconic theme to
HBO’s television series Sex and the City (below)
Fig. 42
Audio - Sex and the City theme
20
However, the minor chord with
maj7 extension is not only limited
to a Latin environment. Given the
right harmonic surroundings and
instrumental context, the chord
possesses an entirely different
dramatic effect.
In this scene from the first episode of Torchwood, in which PC Gwen Cooper walks towards the reception
area of Torchwood, posing as a Pizza delivery woman, the music (transcribed below, fig.43) manages to
articulate the mystery, fear, intrigue and apprehension of the main character. Crucially the music addresses
these emotions before they are entirely visually apparent in the scene.
Fig. 43
High
strings
She enters the ‘reception area’
High
strings
There are two areas of interest in fig.43; firstly the filmic orchestration (Celeste, high strings) and the
success of the minor chord with the maj7th extension. This chord is made even more acute by the careful
use of inversions. These things combined make it quite Danny Elfman in style. The B over the G#m (maj7)
in bar one ‘lifts’ the sequence and compliments the chord. The reason the minor chord with a major 7th
extension works so well in both the radically different environments we’ve analysed is because dramatic
harmony lends itself to dramatic or acute environments; the major 7th interval over a minor chord creates a
harmonic feel which can be interpreted dramatically in different ways. In order to fully realise and interpret
the music specifically we need the dramatic context of the visuals. Thus a specific image can interpret the
music in a specific way.
21
The second thing to mention appears in the second section (bar five, fig.43). This is the ‘James Newton
Howard moment’ (separately transcribed below) where:
•
•
•
The chord lowers from F#m to F
The note of A stays the same
Intervallically what the A represents moves upward from representing the minor 3rd (of the F#m
chord) to the major 3rd (of the F chord).
Fig. 44
If you listen to the phrase above or any of the moments in film music which make use of this specific
harmonic event, and wonder precisely why it possesses such a strangeness, this is why: What fig.45
(below) is a visual representation of what you’re listening to in this complex chord manoeuvre. In this
harmonic context your senses have three realities; the note, the chord and what the note represents as an
interval in each of the chords. It sounds strange because in many ways it is almost akin to an aural version
of an optical illusion.
Fig. 45
Chords
F#m
The ‘A’ note
The ‘A’ as
an interval
Fig. 46
F#m
maj3
maj3
F
F
min3
min3
One of Elfman’s (and his orchestrator, Steve Bartek’s) trademarks is the careful use of inversions for
dramatic effect. This is nothing new but the context and the use in a modern filmic context is new to a
different generation of listeners.
Am
B
Am
B
Am
B
The chord sequence to the left is
simple but effective. However, by
the third bar it sounds predictable
and limiting
The sequence below features the same chords but with inversions added to bars two and three which allow
for a gradual ascending bass line. Although the chords (Am to B) still go up and down, their inverted state
causes an upward bass contour, which creates a feeling of consistent and inevitable ‘climb’, which can
create real drama. Musical drama is created by inversions because they reframe chords, altering their
natural dynamic. We are very subtly used to hearing chords in their natural state so any kind of
rearrangement of the basic order of harmony can create a feeling of drama or ‘lift’.
22
In the example below even the type of inversion itself climbs from 1st inversion to 2nd inversion.
Fig. 47
1st Inv
Am
B
1st Inv
Am
C
B
D#
2nd Inv
2nd Inv
Am
E
B
F#
The transcription below is from the continuation of the scene in episode 1 where PC Gwen Cooper enters
the Torchwood complex, posing as a Pizza delivery woman. This music and the preceding transcriptions
from this scene are heavily reminiscent of Elfman’s Edward Scissorhands for precisely reasons outlined.
1st inversion
Fig. 48
Continuing on to the theme tune itself, if we first examine the three chords below (from the theme) we can
see they evolve upward in a seemingly stark, chromatic ascending fashion from Gm through Bbm to C#m.
Closer scrutiny tells us there are common notes between chord one and two, and between two and three.
When we listen to ‘normal’ music we are much more attuned not just to relating notes between two
successive chords, but to a wider sense of key centre in which one note from the chord in bar one might
feature in a few of the successive chords; that is, after all, how music engenders a feeling of relationship
and key centre. In the case below although there is a ‘local’ note connection between the chords in bar one
and two and then between bar two and three, there is no connection between bar one and three. This is why
the piece manages to retain a skewed feeling of unnatural oddness. There is also a curious sense of contrary
motion between the chord and the intervals; although the overall ‘feel’ is of chords rising (highlighted with
bold lines), the common notes between chord one and two and then two and three from an intervallic
context represent in each case a min3 dropping to a root.
Fig. 49
Gm
Minor 3rd of Gm becomes
Bbm
C#m
Minor 3rd of Bbm becomes
Root of Bbm
23
Root of C#m
When we look at how these chords are delivered horizontally like bullets out of a gun in the actual theme
itself (fig.50) if these chords hadn’t possessed any commonalities (if, for the sake of argument, they were
Gm, Am and Bm, or Gm, Abm and Am), the sequence would not work as well.
Fig. 50
The transcription below (fig.51) is from a scene from Torchwood (episode 2 of series 1) in which a woman,
unknowingly infected by alien life forms, kills people by stealing the ‘life force’ from them whilst having
sex. Following a sexual encounter the victims simply disappear, leaving behind only a pile of dust on the
floor. Torchwood catches the woman and takes her into custody. The woman herself knows nothing about
her killings and is bewildered and distressed by her incarceration. The music below plays lightly as the
woman scans her cell and asks why she is being held. The music highlights the vulnerability of the woman
extremely well by virtue of this simple motif
Fig. 51
Piano
There is no accompaniment or harmonic support because the melody is harmonically self-supporting, or as
we sometimes call such melodies, ‘bullet proof’. Each of the notes hits crucial key intervals in the chords of
Bbm then Ebm (see fig.52). The use of pedal accentuates the sonorities; the harmonies appear like falling
snowdrops. As we allude to elsewhere there is always more than one way to deliver harmony. Stating a
chord conventionally, vertically, is just one way. When harmony is implied rather than stated, inferred
rather than unambiguous, implicit rather than explicit, sometimes the results can be more refined and
subtle. Like an impressionist painting whose visual clarity is not immediate, so harmony that communicates
shape, form and function horizontally can be understated. Things which are implied rather than stated can
often communicate on a deeper level because they depend on our interpretation.
Fig. 52
1 3 3 5 9
1 3 3 5 9
1 3 3 5 9
24
1 3 3 5 9
1 3 3 5 9
1 3 3 5 9
Motion and Movement
The previous theme is expanded and varied in the piece below, which comes a few moments later in the
same episode.
Fig. 53
Celeste
Synth
The beauty and effectiveness of this section is its subtlety. The minimal and contrary lines of harmony are
key to the success of the cue. Harmonies are created by a few lines, and when there are fewer lines, they
can often be disproportionately more important.
Fig. 54
Bar 1
Bar 2
Bar 3
Bar 4
Up then down
Up then down
Upward
Upward
Top line
Middle line
Bottom line
Static
Static
Survivors Edmund Butt
Survivors is a 2008 science fiction television drama; a reimagining of a series of the same name from the
late 1970s – both loosely based on a novel by Terry Nation. The series dramatises the lives of a handful of
people who survive a type of flu which has wiped out most of the human race. The opening visual and
musical sequence is perhaps one of the best examples of music to picture in recent sci-fi television. The
pictures and images in the 1.10’ intro sequence are emotionally varied, being initially grand and majestic
(showing pictures of the earth from Space – bars one-three in the music) before becoming more rapid,
quick-fire, eliciting apprehension, fear and paranoia (bars four-ten). Eventually the music breaks out into a
more emotional, thematic, dramatic and uplifting section (bars eleven-nineteen) before returning to the
apprehensive and dramatic feel (bars twenty-twenty two) which closes the intro.
25
Musically underscoring these varied visually emotional images with suitable music is not easy. There is no
dialogue on which to ‘hang’ the music. The sequence is too quick and the emotions too visually embedded
for the composer to be able to tread an alternative narrative path. So how do you write music which
dramatically (but not melodramatically) italicises the visuals, weaving in and out of different emotional
narratives following fast-moving pictures without a) missing the target or b) overemphasising and
overplaying?
Fig. 55
Survivors opening theme
Looking at and listening to the opening music, it’s plain that producers clearly wanted the ‘Hollywood
sound’ and Edmund Butt delivers it extremely well, recontextualising it for the small screen. But how?
What exactly is the Hollywood sound in a modern context? Two characteristics of the modern sound of
Hans Zimmer are, firstly, the use of semiquavers strings to heighten the drama and also the use of low
voiced brass harmonies (both in the example below, from a small section of music from The Dark Knight).
26
Fig. 56
Audio, 01.34 ‘A Dark Knight’
This abbreviated example from the beginning of the theme from Survivors shows not just the prominent use
of Hans Zimmer’s ‘dancing semiquavers’ but also the employment of low voicing in the brass. Specifically
the low major 3rd (G#) in the E chord (bar two) and the low major 3rd (B) in the G chord (bar three) work
well in appropriating and highlighting the ‘crunchy’ crisp trombone sound so popular in modern
blockbuster scoring. The crisp low voicings are a particular Hollywood favourite because they lay at the
very edge of what will work sonically. If the brass (and the 3rd in particular) were scored any lower the
sound would become difficult. The specific sonic characteristics of the Zimmer sound and Survivors too,
draws the attention of the listener.
Fig. 57
The crisp low trombones are aided also by the beautifully dissonant chord in bar four (transcribed
separately in fig.58, below) in which the Cmaj chord is built over the #4 in the bass of the chord. Although
at first glance and on first listen this may seem a needlessly dissonant chord to employ, it works well
because it references the #4, of which there are plenty later on in the piece.
maj7
5th
Fig. 58
maj3
root
#4
27
The abbreviated transcription below highlights generally the propensity of #4s on strings.
Fig. 59
The ‘middle bit’ of the theme (reflective, emotional, dramatic and uplifting) features a melodic line (bars
one-four of fig.59 below) the first bar of which is referenced again in bar five. The first time the A note
appears (in bar one) it comes on the third beat of the bar whereas the second time the line appears (bar five)
the A note comes on the first beat of the bar and the melodic phrase takes up less space. This is classic
motif development and evolution where an idea reappears for a second time, slightly changed and
abbreviated, which represents the necessary juxtaposition between stability and variation; familiarity and
development. The other notable feature of this middle section (and another beautifully voiced chord) is in
bar seven of the transcription, where the melodic lines on beat 1 and 2 states the 2nd and 4th of the D chord.
Normally the surrounding harmonies would also reference the sus 4 by omitting the 3rd. However, the chord
on the bottom stave of bar seven is a straight D, complete with major 3rd. This doesn’t clash with the 4th in
the melody due to the rich voicing of the D chord, but the ever-so-slight almost inaudible harmonic tension
is still there. This is not dissonance as such; more subtle tension, eased by the careful and brushstrokes of
orchestration.
Fig. 59
Abbreviated version of the
melody in bar 1
The 4th causes almost
inaudible tension
between itself and the
3rd in the chord
28
Let’s look finally at the sync points between the visual edits and the music. The picture edit points
are denoted with black arrows.
Fig. 60
The picture edits stack-up with the beginning of each bar (apart from bar eight where there are two sync
points and bar nine where there are none) until bar eleven. The pictures and the music are both so busy in
this theme that if there weren’t any obvious sync points between music and picture it would make the
music intro slightly harder to navigate as a viewer. In the reflective/motional/dramatic and uplifting section,
however, the sync points change. In bar eleven there are two sync points (beats 1 and 3) but in bars twelve,
thirteen, fourteen and fifteen the sync points fall on beat 3. The reason I mention this is because in the same
way music affects the way we perceive the pictures, the pictures affect the way we listen to the music. The
two are essentially one given that their ultimate function is as one. With this in mind the uplifting nature of
the music from bar eleven is aided by the change in ‘pulse’ of where the pictures fall, musically.
Six Feet Under Thomas Newman
Six Feet Under is an award-winning American comedy drama surrounding the lives of several characters
that run and work in a funeral home. The drama deals with relationships, infidelity, religion and death in a
fresh, enlightening and original way. It explores the issue of death through prisms of philosophy and
religion, with characters reflecting on their current adventures, tribulations, fortunes and misfortunes. Dark
humour and surrealism pervades the show’s narrative throughout. This show has, perhaps, one of the most
instantly recognisable theme tunes in modern US television which means essentially that there is a separate
musical dimension to its existence; a harmonic context which with which people associate the show.
29
People have two ways of remembering it. The music is from the fertile musical mind of Thomas Newman,
whose subtle yet distinctive touches of harmonic distortion has been responsible for numerous defining
film soundtracks, some of which are addressed elsewhere in this book.
How exactly does Newman find the right abstract musical sound for a show like Six Feet Under? –
because, when you think about it, it can’t be easy. One would imagine it is quite hard trying to find a
musical voice for a show which essentially dramatizes and parodies death through abstraction and dark
humour. Where would you start? Comedic writing risks cheapening the drama; serious music risks missing
the abstract black humour. As is nearly always the case, you would need an instantly recognisable
harmonic flavour, for it is this more than anything else that truly characterises music and makes it
either unforgettable or forgettable.
Fig. 61
The two opening chords at the top of the show opening are the most
instantly communicating aspect of the music. The top stave piano chord is
stark, severe and austere, because firstly it lacks the defining interval of the
3rd. But also it contains a (barely audible in the mix) #4 just underneath the
top Bb (5th). The combination of the lack of any 3rd, plus the #4, plus the
percussive sound of the piano and the actual tuned percussion that copy the
line, is what makes this chord work immediately. On the bottom stave there
is a soft sample sound which does hit the 3rd but which is barely audible. It
acts as a kind of musical ‘glow’ which only becomes noticeable when the
percussive piano sound has dissipated; thus the whole and complete
harmonic flavour is gradual.
One of Newman’s most instantly communicable and recognisable characteristics therefore is that his music
leaves so much to the imagination. So much of it is interpretative and understated. And yet, ironically, it is
an instantly recognisable style. Looking at (and listening to) a section of the introduction music (fig.62), it
is interesting to see and hear, in retrospect, which bits communicate. The chords that we already discussed
are present throughout punctuating the beginning of every other bar. The second stave ‘glowing’ synth pad
chord in particular gives a minimal and subtle harmonic flavour to every two-bar sequence. Newman
makes a virtue of the relationship between the #4, 5th and maj3rd by placing them in each plucked string
motif (3rd stave -bar three). The alternate plucked violin motif in bars eight, ten and fourteen are subtly
different and feature, amongst other, the Db (7th) and A (#4); these two notes, which appear regularly, are
key to the success of the music.
Fig. 62
Audio – Theme from Six Feet Under
30
English Horn
The first plucked motif starts on the #4 (note of A, bar three) and the main English Horn melody starts on
the 7th (Db, bar 13). The harmonic constituents which are so effective in the theme are the 7th and the #4. In
this abbreviated consolidated transcription below (fig.63) we can firstly the initial ‘Six Feet Under chord,
followed by a bar containing an example of the melody, after which, in bar three we distil just the #4 and
the 7th. In bar four we show the #4 (A) again, and underneath the Db as a C#. Enharmonic adjustment
shows most an A chord. Thus one of the best aspects of this piece is the subtle polytonality, not delivered
within the same chord in the same bar, but gradually, subtly and horizontally.
I suppose it could be said you could conjure up any theoretical possibility by cherry-picking notes from a
piece to prove a particular point, but these two notes (the A and the Db) come regularly throughout and
form major parts of the melody and harmony. They are thus responsible for much of the colour within this
piece.
Fig. 63
A note (#4)
note (#4)
A A(#4)
A note (1st)
Db note (7th)
Db note (7th)
C# note (3rd)
There is almost a manic quality to Newman’s theme music for this show, using a variety of quirky off-beat
rhythms and phraseology. Clear textures permeate throughout but the colourful harmonic clarity speaks the
loudest. These are precisely the kinds of subtle, polytonal harmonies which conspire to create the Thomas
Newman ‘sound’ – a sound which is open, see-through and communicates in a whole manner of different
ways.
31
Band of Brothers Michael Kamen
Band of Brothers was a 10-part miniseries chronicling the real-life exploits of several key characters. The
shared experiences of the soldiers and the moral and physical hurdles they face are central to the story.
Produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, inevitably comparisons are drawn between Band of
Brothers and Saving Private Ryan. With this in mind, Kamen’s music for Band of Brothers was bound to
be compared with John Williams’ score for Saving Private Ryan. That said, although there are a few
inevitable similarities (war films do tend to attract similar traditional and reverential musical approaches)
Kamen provides some memorable and emotive music; certainly the thematic music which bookends Band
of Brothers is more simple and more obviously and quickly communicative than Williams’ thematic music
for Saving Private Ryan.
There are, as ever, several reasons why Kamen’s theme is so effective. It is serene, tranquil, soothing and
has a notable hymn-like simplicity.
Fig. 64
Audio – Theme from Band of Brothers
One of the most
notable
characteristics
is
how the music and
orchestration work
together effortlessly
to bring the theme
to life.
I say this because
too many themes
tend to be tunes
‘bolted
onto’
instrumentation and
orchestration.
Good orchestration embellishes the melody and makes the ‘tune’ sound as if it was always part of the
orchestration; as if it were conceived that way. The melodic contour line over the top of the first few bars
displays how the theme is whole of its orchestration and counterpoint. Without the arpegiated cellos in bars
2 and 4 the theme would be far more static. The ‘melody’, after all, is simply a function. It is not implicitly
an instrument or a stave or a sound – it is simply a role. In Kamen’s theme the melody is not confined to
one instrument or to one stave. Similar to John Barry’s theme for Chaplin - discussed in chapter seven,
‘The Harmonic Power of Music’ -it is everywhere. Another thing to observe is how the romance manifests
itself in the major 3rds. Nothing penetrates and communicates like a 3rd. I have highlighted where the 3rds
fall ( ) to draw attention to how they bookend some of the two-bar phrases. It is also notable that most
3rds fall on the first beat of the bar for maximum emotional impact.
32
The counterpoint in bars nine and ten is particularly effective as the F/A resolves to the Bb; the last quaver
harmony of bar nine / first harmony of bar ten contain the Eb and C harmony. The relationship between the
F/A and Bb chords is all the more hymn-like because of the C-Eb harmony passing between them. In fig.65
I have transcribed two possible outcomes for bar ten; the first is the one used, and the other one is an
alternative which often gets used, containing the E-C harmony.
Bb
Fig. 65
The E functions as the #4 in the secon
example. The #4 would not function as well
as the 4th because it doesn’t fit as comfortably
with the traditional Hymn-like harmonic
setting Kamen has established. The #4 has
many uses, but it safe to say it isn’t found in
many Hymns.
Bb
The appropriation of harmonic devices
The following transcription is from the opening of Kraftwerk’s Trans Europe Express. There are many
songs, film themes, big band pieces and other musical environments which have made great use of the type
of harmony displayed here. Trans Europe Express is probably one of the better examples. The reason why
this harmonic approach is so successful is because it is dramatic, striking and almost theatrical. It has an
unresolved feel. The top intervals rise in fourths which gives is a ‘square’ unresolved feel.
Fig. 64 Audio – Trans Europe Express – Kraftwerk
1st
4th
7th
b10th
#13th
comp. b9th
The reason this sequence sounds so
dramatic and striking it that as the
harmonies compound and stack up,
all the intervals are a fourth apart.
The chord never really resolves
itself and arrives anywhere.
This is precisely the pulling power of the sequence; it avoids resolution.
Fig. 65
4th
4th
4th
4th
4th
4th
4th
4th
4th
4th
4th
4th
4th
4th
33
The main reason this kind of sequence is so distinctive is precisely because the intervals are not easy to
rationalise or place. This makes it seem a little odd, ‘square’ and ‘quirky’ but not dissonant. It is interesting
and quite abstract but not so much that it would be completely baffling. Harmonies identical to the ones
above from Trans Europe Express were used at the beginning of spoof cop show Police Squad.
Police Squad Ira Newborn
Police Squad was a spoof American cop show, made by some of the team that brought us Kentucky Fried
Movie and Airplane. Although Police Squad was cancelled after just six episodes (allegedly and bizarrely
because the public had to ‘watch too hard’ to ‘get’ much of the humour), it did spawn a series of successful
Naked Gun films.
The show was a parody and so, in context of the show and the images contained in the show’s intro, was
the music. The distinctive approach in the first few bars (as we can see in the transcription below) sets up
the Big Band piece perfectly. The theatricality and melodrama work well. Although the music, when heard
alone and independent of the show, can be rationalised and enjoyed as Big Band music, when it is
performed alongside the opening segment of the show it takes on a completely different context and
meaning. This is the inherent beauty of music for film; that the pictures become part of the music. It is the
situation which is comic, the context, not the music.
Fig. 71
Audio – Theme from Police Squad
Saxes
Trpts
Tbones
Saxes
Trpts
Tbones
34
Saxes
Trpts
Tbones
Saxes
Trpts
Tbones
Looking beyond the intro now and into the slightly exaggerated and caricatured Big Band sound contained
in this piece, there are, as always, several harmonic and rhythmic identifiers which are worth knowing in
case you’re ever required to provide this kind of exaggerated pastiche of a Big Band. The sax lines are
constantly anticipated throughout which lends the piece a wonderful ‘shuffle’ feel which compliments the
rhythm. Also the sax voicing is quite explicit and deliberate. Close-part voicing with the 3rd on top and
underneath (on the Bb9 chords) is designed to exaggerate the effect of the 3rd interval, add a little harmonic
colour and avoid root-position voicing. The voicing of the Eb9 chord expands a little with the baritone sax
playing the root, for variation.
The caricatured and exaggerated contours of the brass
The main ‘tune’ is carried in harmony by trumpets and trombones. The chromatic quaver passing chord to
the main chord at the beginning of bars four-eleven is an exaggeration of a classic big band stylisation
which involves the employment of a sliding passing chord built a semitone under or over the main chord. In
this context what the passing chord does is ensure that the ‘main chord’ in each of the bars between bars
four and eleven always comes on the off-beat. This, with the off-beat Saxes we have already seen, adds to
the rhythmic stylisation.
If we look closely at the voicing we can see the trumpets are stacked with the 9th extension on the top and
the 3rd on the bottom of the chord i.e. 3, 5, 7, 9. The trombones are stacked (from bottom to top) 5, 7, 9
and10th). This is an important point because it ensures the voicings are not identical from section to section
and are not simply duplicates an octave higher or lower.
35
It also ensures the top note of the trombones and bottom note of the trumpets are both thirds, which brings
out the colour and radiates through the chord. This simple trick ensures you extract maximum colour from
the instruments and makes sure they penetrate and are heard. One section which is deliberately designed to
sound a little too elaborate and ‘rushed’ is the line in bar five, specifically the semiquavers followed by
quaver triplets, played as they are by eight instruments (4 trumpets, 4 trombones). This hurried and slightly
untidy articulation is part of the great plan. In arranging and orchestrations things are rarely accidental or
the result of good luck.
Fig. 72
This is your Life Laurie Johnson
One theme which, again, was instantly identifiable was Laurie Johnson’s theme to This is your Life. The
show involved famous or successful people being surprised by the show’s host and subsequently being
brought into a studio with a live audience, where the guest’s life was condensed into a half-hour show.
During the show people in the guest’s life would appear from behind a famous sliding door. The British
show was imported from the successful American format.
36
Laurie Johnson’s theme (like his Avengers theme and others) could be sung to the title of the show. The
first two bars were the most musically communicative and were delivered in fanfare style but using classic
‘light entertainment jazz’ harmonies and voicings.
Fig. 73
Audio – Theme from This is your Life
Dm7
But for the spectacular harmonies in bar two on brass and strings this might be a fairly ordinary ‘easy
listening’ piece. It is these chords which define and shape our perception of this theme and so defined the
show. Who doesn’t remember the show without also remembering (and being able to hum, to a degree) the
theme tune. The chord in bar two is key to the success of the theme because it provides an exciting centre
of gravity for the listener. Why is this chord so effective?
Fig. 74
b5th
b 9th
13th
3rd
7th
1st
The main factor that makes this chord so colourful is that it is
massively ‘extension heavy’. Extensions bring colour and
harmonic vitality and variation but they sound effective
because they create internal dynamics between each other
within the chord. Colourful extensions rely on the existence of
the regular harmonic building blocks. Too many extensions
mean the chord can become abstract and confusing. A C7
chord has three main components and one extension whereas
a C13(#11) chord has three core components and four
extensions; so it sounds more colourful and involved.
37
If we look at the chord itself (fig.74) we can see the extensions heavily outnumber the basic components.
The lack of the 5th ensures various extensions like the b5 and 13 are freer than they would otherwise be.
The 5th would, harmonically and sonically ‘get in the way’ of these extensions. However, the lack of a 5th
means the only two ‘normal’ notes in the chord are the low A (the root) and, a tenth above, the C# (maj3rd).
There are two basic components and four extensions. Even one more extension or addition would render
the chord virtually aurally impossible to rationalise. This is as close as the chord can get before it becomes
abstract aural and sonic gibberish. And this is, of course, its great strength.
Although we have looked at harmony in this way in another chapter, below is the ‘This is Your Life’ chord,
turned from vertical to horizontal, spread over as many bars as there are notes in the original chord.
Fig. 75
7th
3rd
13
b9th
th
#11
Root
Fig. 76
maj7
min3rd
th
b13th
#4
To the left we see
the harmonic events
purely in context of
how they relate to
the first note of the
chord – the A (root)
in bar one.
This time (fig.76)
we see the harmonic
events
resulting
purely from the
second note of the
chord – the G - in
bar two.
Fig. 77
Root
4th
6th
9th
In fig.77 we now see
the harmonic events
resulting
purely
from the third note
of the chord – the
C# (3rd) in bar three.
Fig. 78
3rd
38
6th
In fig.78 we now see
the harmonic events
resulting
purely
from the fourth note
of the chord – the F#
in bar four.
Fig. 79
6th
The
last
single
harmonic event comes
from the relationship
between the fifth note
of the chord – the Bb in
bar four, and the final
note – the Eb
In fig.80 we see a
cumulative analysis of the
harmonic events which are
at work in this chord. There
are
fifteen
separate
harmonic relationships at
work in this one chord.
This in itself is not
particularly odd, but the
fact that none of the notes
are octave duplicates of
any of the other notes is
worthy of mention. This
means that each of the
harmonic events are unique
one-offs.
Fig. 80
I use these seemingly abstract and theoretical examples in order to show that in fact they are far from
theoretical; when people listen to a chord like this, the reason it speaks as it does is because has exquisite
and specific harmonic colours and characteristics which are almost, but not quite, baffling. The fact that the
overwhelming majority of people are happily unaware of these issues does not lessen their effect; it just
means they’re being affected by something they don’t understand in a way they can’t fathom. And this is
music’s great strength, its great charm; people are in their element and out of their depth.
Sherlock David Arnold and Michael Price
Sherlock is a contemporary update of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, taking place in 21st Century
London. The music is by Bond composer David Arnold with much of the incidental writing being done by
Michael Price. One of the most interesting features of the theme music is how immobile the melody is,
featuring a succession of semibreves. The melody almost functions as a sonic ident on which to impale the
main driving propulsion in the music; the effective cross rhythmical writing. In this piece we hear the
melody but we listen to the rhythmic elements, which consist of the almost constant, relentless interplay
between crotchet triplets and quaver triplets.
39
Fig. 81
Audio – Theme from Sherlock
Strings
Keys / Gtr
Strings
Harmony plays its part too; the A pedal throughout is effective in that, although the note remains constant,
what it constitutes from an intervallic context changes. This is something we’ve look at many times.
40
G
F#
Fig. 83
E
D
A note (bass)
5th
If we look at the intervallic context
of the bass, we see a contrary
motion between it and the melodic
line. The A note starts out as the
root of the A chord and becomes
the 5th of the D/A chord.
A as an interval
1st
Once again this highlights the importance and relevance of the intervallic context. Looking at music purely
in terms of its notes will only ever tell you half the story and therefore it may only explain half of why any
given phrase sounds the way it does. Looking now to the first televised episode of Sherlock, one of the first
scenes is interesting from a harmonic perspective. The scene where Dr Watson, an injured war veteran
(suffering from post-war stress) wakes up in a cold sweat in his apartment is made much more sombre and
evocative by the music. Are there any characteristics about this music which subtly create emotional
meaning of the scene and wider narrative; and if so, how and why is this happening?
Fig. 84
Sherlock Episode 1 (A Study in Pink) 00.00.30 – ‘War’ (soundtrack album) 00.30
Once again we turn to Thomas Newman’s influence to explain the ‘sound’, which constitutes part of the
success of this cue; the light-touch heavily reverbed piano does its job admirably. But the sounds are
nothing without the music, and this piece speaks loudest when it speaks harmonically: the first circled
chord features the 6th and maj7th together. Such a seemingly innocuous fact explains a lot.
41
You would never normally see a 6th and maj7th in the same chord. They are both extensions but they have
fundamentally different functions and provide different harmonic characteristics and effects. Although you
might regularly have chords which have two or more extensions simultaneously, their groupings are quite
traditional and predictable. You might get a 6th and a 9th in the same chord because they ‘go’ together.
Equally you might get a 9th in the same chord as a 7th or maj7th. It’s highly unlikely you would see a b10th
in a chord without a 7th; the stark gap of a 4th between the 7th and b10th draws out the harmonic quality of
the 7th and the b10th - it italicises the moment. If we heard a C7(b10) we would be forgiven for attributing
the colour to the 7th and the flattened 10th and how they relate to the root without for a moment attributing
some of the credit to the gap between the two intervals.
With all this in mind, although the 6th and 7th work okay together, it is not traditional or ‘usual’ to see or
hear it. In a final subtlety the composer places the chord over the inverted bass (Bb). This creates a further
change in the harmonic dynamic which constitutes the finishing touch to an exquisite chord. Delivered
softly with the deft touch of the reverbed piano, the oddness of this combination (6th and maj7th) is
forgotten. The chord does its job without people even being aware it has happened. The chord is not
dissonant and yet is odd enough to tickle our senses and make us reflect, which is what the scene needs us
to do. This is how harmony does its job. The scene itself is quite slow and languid; the lack of dialogue
gives extra strength to the subtleties of the music. The second chord circled contains the maj7th (D) and the
root (Eb) side by side. This slight dissonance is partially extinguished and made more subtle, once again,
by the inversion.
The last chord I have highlighted is interesting because it contains elements of two chords. The melodic
line which has characterised the piece thus far (Bb, D, C and G) is altered this time to simply Bb, D and C
with the C landing as the 5th of the partial Fm chord (right hand). Underneath this partial Fm chord is a low
G, D and G underneath. This exquisite tension really underscores the scene and the angst of the narrative.
The Bb, D, C motif comes in several places in the show, normally to underscore the vulnerability /
emotional state of the Dr Watson character. It is of course a restatement of the show’s main theme tune.
The transcription below (fig.85) is from a lighter scene where Sherlock introduces Holmes to his landlady.
The music finishes on an incomplete sustained chord as Sherlock and Watson climb the stairs and enter
Sherlock’s apartment. This is an important point because it highlights how a great deal of music for TV
drama is used as edit music to smooth over scenic transitions. Such chords frequently need to dissipate and
digest into the scene. Sus chords or non-chords are used heavily in these environments. ‘Complete’ or
absolute chords can often draw attention to the music and occasionally appear awkward.
Fig. 85
Sherlock Episode 1 (A Study in Pink) 00.13.29
42
Vincent Rob Lane
Vincent is an ITV drama series starring Ray Winstone as an ex-cop-turned Private Investigator hired to spy
on people. The music for this show really sets the scene and underscores perfectly the tough, solitary and
forlorn existence of the lead character. The music manages to convey a shady, introverted and depressing
narrative and, with its laid-back feel, guitar lines and jazz piano chords, sounds almost like ‘twisted’
cocktail music.
Fig. 86
Audio – Theme from Vincent
a
Guitar
The first thing that’s worth noting, as with many other shows we have examined, is how the music
possesses an excellent sense of architecture, placement and economy in terms of its instrumentation and
arrangement; if we examine the interaction between the bass, guitar and piano (below) we can and hear
how both have space to breathe. The guitar, piano and bass don’t overly crowd each other. The
arrangement has space.
43
Fig. 87
Fig. 88
Also, within the actual melody line (guitar)
between bars one and two there is a link.
The chords of G and Abadd2 have no
common notes but the melody makes a
virtue out of the brief passing note of C
(which functions as a sus4 over the G
chord and a maj3rd over the Ab chord).
add2
G
Ab
sus4
maj3rd
This link is a lot more important than might be thought; it is the highest note in both bars and really helps
prevent the chords sounding more chromatic and ‘square’.
Turning now to the middle section (below, fig.89), it’s interesting to observe how it evolves. Essentially
there are two contexts; the one we assume is solely responsible for creating the interest and the other one
which we probably don’t hear but we listen to. In other words, as discussed elsewhere in this book, the
reasons we think music communicates are sometimes not always the great communicating factors we
imagine, whereas the aspects of music which do affect us are sometimes not things we can easily
understand, rationalise or in some cases even realise. As an example we always assume melody is the
biggest communicator because it’s the one thing we can quite easily rationalise; we can hum it or sing it. It
exists as a separate stand-alone entity. If we were told that an inversion could articulate and communicate
emotion in some situations more profoundly than melody we would find that hard to believe because most
people don’t know what inversions are, can’t hear them and certainly don’t walk down the street humming
them. Even most musicians who do know what inversions are would find it hard to believe its importance
was as great as it is.
The middle section of this piece has two contexts; the obvious one - guitar theme – and the less obvious
and much more subtle one – the inversion. The inversion literally lifts the piece and injects a sense of
drama and gravitas. Also if we look at the salient hit points of the melody (highlighted with arrows, below)
we see that the overall thrust of the melody is downward. In contrast the bass line is upwards, which causes
a delightful sense of barely perceptible contrary motion. We hear the melody line in an obvious way but
listen to the bass line in a much subtler way. In one respect you don’t even have to ‘hear’ the contrary
motion; it is not something we neccasarily hear anyway. It is something we experience as part of what
music is. As I have stated elsewhere, contrary motion can be described as the ‘way music breathes’. We
find it easy to see a sense of forward momentum and trajectory in music but horizontal movement is often
less easy to see and certain less easy to appreciate aurally. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not there or that it
doesn’t matter.
44
We can’t possibly hope to digest all the notes; we
digest the salient points – the ones which have
identity, purpose, direction
Fig. 89
Guitar
Rubicon Peter Nashel
Rubicon is an American ‘conspiracy thriller’ style television series, which centres on the concept of a secret
society which manipulates world events on a grand scale. The theme music, by Peter Nashel, was described
as ‘abstract and edgy’. Listening to and looking at the transcription below, how is it edgy or abstract?
Fig. 90
Audio – Theme from Rubicon
45
F#m
Am
The first thing to note is that the initial chord change from C to Eb is not an entirely easy transition unless
you italicise the G note (common to both chords). When a common note between chords constitutes the 3rd
in either the destination or original chord the link will always ‘ring through’ more clearly. The G note runs
through both chords but what it represents from an intervallic perspective, changes. This makes the
transition easier, less square; the G note becomes the maj3rd which transports aurally better than any other
interval because it is the component that defines the chord as major. The G note doesn’t just feature in both
the first two chords; it also features as a ‘throbbing’ off-beat quaver note in both chords.
Fig. 91
In the case of the theme from Rubicon (bar three to four) the Eb chord also takes the C note from the
previous chord which becomes the 6th of the Eb chord. This means that although the two chords sound
different and come from different key centres they contain two of the same notes. Essentially a completely
different chord has been achieved in the manouvre between C and Eb6 but maximising the potential of
minimum musical note movement (below) has made it all the more interesting and subtle. This represents
good smooth chord voicing; good arranging, both of which are essential components in composing.
C 6th
G 3rd
Bb 5th
Eb 1st
G 5th
C 1st
G 5th
C 1st
46
F maj3rd
C maj7th
F maj3rd
Ab 5th
Db 1st
The C note (which constituted a root in bar one, two and three and a 6th in bar four and five, continues on
into bar six and seven as a maj7th of the Db chord. This forges an important link between the Eb and Db
sequence. The other important aspect is that although the chord manoeuvre from Eb to Db is downward,
what the linking note represents from an intervallic perspective (6th to maj7th) is upward. That the vast
majority of listeners are happily oblivious to this doesn’t mean they’re not the beneficiaries of the inner
contrary motion created by the harmonies/intervals. Even some composers who create the link to foster a
better harmonic relationship and harness an easier transition between chords might be unaware of the
‘contrary motion’ aspects between sound and interval. Regardless this is an important point to observe. It
proves that it isn’t just the ‘linking note’ which makes the transition easier; it’s what it represents.
As we can see in the transcription in fig.92, which is
of bars six and seven, the #4 of the Db chord paves the
way for the subsequent drop to the chord of C in the
next bar, where the same note will constitute the 5th.
Fig. 92
I make all these seemingly small observations because together they show that Nashell’s attempts to make
potentially odd chord sequences gel better is extremely effective in making the abstract work; in making the
implausible plausible. The one really obvious (but equally compelling and captivating) section of
dissonance is the melody line from bar eight of the piece (transcribed separately below). The melody in bar
eight and nine navigates an interesting but harmonically safe path through the chords. Exactly the same
melody line comes again in bars eleven and twelve, but with bar twelve featuring an F# chord, the effect is
dissonant and unsettling. Granted it does sound strange but the extreme dissonance it should have created is
offset by the context; because the melody is a repetition of bars eight and nine, we know it - we understand
it and we’ve heard it already. The dissonance is still there but not to the degree it would be if this were
literally a melody line from nowhere.
Fig. 93
1st
8th
5th
maj3rd
1st
8th
maj3rd b9th
8
The kind of effortless abstraction and dissonance this theme creates is extremely effective, but more so
because it is delivered with the velvet gloves of great arranging and voicing and sympathetic production.
The very end of the theme features an urgent, manic-sounding string/synth line which is quite distracting
but very effective. If we look at the detail of the arrangement we can see and hear the effect of the contrary
motion between the direction of the chords and arrangement and the melodic line.
Fig. 94
47
The abbreviated transcription in fig.95 is from a scene in episode 2, series 1 of Rubicon. The same
harmonic idea comes several times during the show and is one of a number of filmic harmonic approaches
featured in the series. This particular scene is where one of the characters is looking round a house for
clues. Visually the scene is simply shot but the music adds a definite and palpable extra attractive and
compelling dimension of mystery, intrigue and plot.
Fig. 95
Rubicon Series 1, Episode 2 00.05.18
The reason the piece communicates so well is similar to something we’ve looked at numerous times; how
the changing intervallic context of one key note can create a strange effect. The notes in fig.95 are scored
out as vertical chords below (fig.96).
Fig. 96
Gm
The note of Bb goes from being a min 3rd of
a Gm to being a 5th of an Ebm.
Ebm
On face value and in root position the chords of Gm to Ebm have a downward direction. But because the
first chord is scored in root position and the Ebm chord is inverted over its Gb the overriding harmonic feel
is expansive, e.g. ‘outward’ creating contrary motion.
Similar devices are used by many composers, perhaps most notably Hans Zimmer in the film The Ring
(below), which bares strong resemblance to Fig 95 from Rubicon.
Audio - ‘The Well’ from ‘The Ring’ (Hans Zimmer)
Fig. 97
Dm
(maj7)
Bbm
Db
Typical of Zimmer’s style, bars four and five are ‘skewed’ in that the lower arpegiated line features the A
note (maj7) over an inverted minor arpeggio. There is some friction between the A note and the Bb melody
note in bar four; also there is a whiff of polytonality in that the E melody note in bar five, together with the
A (maj7) in the arpegiated piano line and the Db in the same arpegiated line, creates a feel of the chord of
A. If this is the case it is the F note which is the ‘fly in the ointment’. This duality of perception is key to
the dreamy feel of the cue.
48
Walking with Dinosaurs Ben Bartlett
Walking with Dinosaurs was a six-part BBC documentary series. Capitalising on the interest created
fictionally by Jurassic Park it initially aired in Britain and was eventually shown all over the world; it was
one of the most successful TV documentaries ever made. It used the type of CGI which had previously only
been available in high budget feature films. The documentary didn’t feature ‘talking heads’ style interviews
but made excellent use of top scientists and palaeontologists. The transcription below is from the episode
entitled ‘Giants of the Skies’ and comes in just after the main 30 second introduction theme.
Fig. 98
Walking with Dinosaurs – Giants of the Skies – 00.00.30
Interplay and interaction is the key to almost every example of successful and effective music. Specifically
the relationships that exist between different harmonies are responsible for a great deal of what we then
interpret as colour and emotion in music. Spending hours looking for the elusive ‘great chord’ is, in the
final analysis, a worthless pursuit unless that chord has something to relate to. And if it does have
something to relate to, it won’t be either chord that is ‘great’ but the relationship and interaction between
them. In the opening of Ben Bartlett’s music for this episode we see a classic emotional relationship
between two types of chords; one ‘normal’ and the other skewed. The first harmonised bar (bar two)
features an F#m whereas bar three features a more captivating and intriguing chord, conveying mystery and
foreboding: this is a minor chord with a maj7th extension and is a classic James Bond chord. This pattern is
then repeated in bars five and six.
(maj7)
Fig. 99
NORMAL
SKEWED
(NO CHORD)
NORMAL
49
SKEWED
SKEWED
NORMAL
Neither of the two chords used is spectacular. Even the ‘Bond’ chord needs an antidote. If one were to play
nothing but minor chords with maj7th extensions they would become firstly tedious and then irritating, very
quickly. It is the light and shade that creates the dynamic. At the beginning of the new phrase (bar seven)
the relationship between normal and skewed is reversed. Normally two skewed chords (bars six and seven)
in a row would be too much, but the chord change (Am to Fm) alters this dynamic. If we now look at a
transcription of the accompanying harmonies, concentrating on the chord voicing, we can see and hear to
what degree they smooth these transitions between ‘normal’ and ‘skewed’. Although F#m and Am are a
minor 3rd apart the voicing does not move a minor 3rd. It moves in varied degrees.
Fig. 100
C 3rd
A 1st
E 5th
A 1st
C# 5th
A 3rd
C# 5th
F# 1st
Although the chordal move is a minor 3rd the top note moves a semitone down (C# to C) and the second
note stays the same (A to A). It is the bottom two notes (F# to A and C# to E) which make the minor 3rd
adjustment. This is a simple but important observation about how accompanying harmony needs to be fluid
and not chromatic in its movement. The note of A once again plays two roles (min3rd and 1st).
The other thing to observe about fig 100 is that the accompaniment creates contrary motion. The
manoeuvre from Fm to Am (below, fig.101) again features the same approach to voicing where, although
the chordal manoeuvre from Fm to Am this time constitutes a major3rd, the individual intervallic
movements of each accompanying voice are varied.
Fm
Fig. 101
Am
th
C 3rd
A 1st
E 5th
A 1st
C5
Ab 3rd
F 1st
C 5th
F 1st
This time there is no contrary motion because the top note remains the same. There are more notes in the
first chord than the second, but the top note (C) stays static (although what it ‘represents’ moves downward
from a 5th to a 3rd). The Ab moves to the A, the F moves to the E, the C to the E and the bottom F up to the
A.
What’s interesting about analysing the movement of notes in chords is that the voicing is absolutely crucial
to how the chord sounds. Too many writers look at what they perceive to be arranging issues after the event
(of composing) not during it. Arranging, in particular, voicing, is a crucial component of composition.
Looking at the chord sequence between the Fm and Am (fig.101) there are several contexts to examine.
The overriding context is obviously how the sequence sounds. It sounds as if it is moving upward. But if
we look at the notes as music (fig.102, left) we can see that not all the notes move upward. If we look then
to the right of fig.102 and to the notes as intervals relative to the chords they are in, movements are
different again, with only two intervals moving up as intervals. This is important because the disparity
between what notes do and what intervals do represents the main reason chordal harmony sounds fluid and
not parallel.
50
Fig. 102
Take another look at the melodic passage (taken from bar fifteen-eighteen of the piece). Below we have the
notation, under which we have the physical musical direction of the notes. Underneath that we have the
intervallic context (what interval is being played in context of the chord which accompanies it). Melody
itself has two contexts; one is the obvious physical context and the other is the intervallic context of how
the notes relate to the chords that accompanies them.
Fig. 103
Physical
Musical
Direction
8 (octave)
Intervallic
movement
maj7
6
5
5
5
3
#4
#4
3
3
2
I say all this to make the point that what we hear is a mixture of all these subtleties. Most people are
blissfully unaware of all but the most obvious contexts in which music exists but, as I have stated before,
they’re still the recipients and beneficiaries of all of them.
Batman Neil Hefti
Neil Hefti’s wonderfully captivating music to the original Batman television series is as iconic as the show
itself. Even now, in 2013, if you were to play the themes of Danny Elfman, Elliot Goldenthal and Hans
Zimmer (composers of the various Batman films over the past twenty years) none of the themes, fabulous
as they are, would be as instantly recognisable as Neil Hefti’s theme for the 1960s television show. Indeed
the music for the television show in general has some iconic names attached to it with much of the
incidental music being created by legendary arrangers Billy May and Nelson Riddle. The theme itself is
built around a guitar hook, punctuated with the only lyric – “Batman” – sung alongside unison trumpets.
51
3
Fig. 104 Audio – Theme from Batman
(no 3rd)
(no 3rd)
G7
5
C7
b5
4
#4
5
(no 3rd)
G7
b5
4
#4
5
b5
4
#4
5
(no 3rd)
D7
b5
4
#4
(no 3rd)
C7
5
b5
4
(no 3rd)
G7
Which components or aspects of the simple theme above are so distinctive and pivotal that they make it
stand out from the rest? There is, as ever, more than one single reason. Although the guitar riff is
prominent, fluctuating as it does between 5th, flat 5th and 4th you will see and hear that none of the chords
possess 3rds of any description. This lends the music a stark harshness which highlights and exposes the
5ths, flattened 5ths and 4ths. The repetitive nature of the guitar riff, set as it is against only three chords,
lends the piece a relentless air. Few people who analyse this piece reference the importance of the
vocal/trumpet line.
Forgetting the lyric, if we look at the close 2-part harmony we can see it features the octave note (8) and the
7. There are hardly any circumstances where you would normally see melody (or, for that matter, harmony)
articulated in this way, with the octave and 7th side by side. If a 7th was present alongside the octave it
would almost invariably have other notes too – the 3rd, 5th etc – to the break the rather harsh maj2nd interval.
Click Kevin Leavy
Every piece of music has emotional contours, contours created by the melodic journey and supportive
harmonies. Different chords or combinations of chords and melody possess different harmonic dynamics
which in turn can provoke different emotional outcomes in listeners. In order to highlight how this complex
process works I have deliberately chosen a short piece used by the BBC’s popular Click show, composed
by Kevin Leavy. The music has been described by listeners as ‘original’, ‘captivating’ and ‘quirky’. Why?
Quirky how? Let’s examine the piece in its full 7-bar entirety: if we listen to it first in terms of ‘impact’, we
can see that the piece is designed to have a ‘big’ opening 2 bars (featuring a Cm chord and notes from the
Cm scale (highlighted) and an exciting, strong finish featuring a run-up of quavers in the penultimate bar.
52
#4
Fig. 105
Audio – Theme from Click
3 1
4 2
5
The chords in bars three and four are the main part in which to place any kind of surprise which will define,
evolve and direct the piece. The chords in bars five and six return us eventually to the tonic chord. So, in a
way, the piece is defined emotionally by its ‘middle’.
Fig. 106
Fig. 107
Strong
Climactic inevitable
Development, evolution, surprise
Any minor-to-major chord sequence is, to varying degrees, uplifting by simple virtue of the different
harmonic flavours of both types of chord. The chords in bar three and four are ‘soft chords’ - Abmaj7 and
Ab6 (with the melody italicising the softness by hitting the maj7, 6th and maj3rd) followed by Gm7 in bars
five and six, which is also ‘soft’ by virtue of the 7th. This natural warmth acts as an effective balance both
to the initial Cm chords and the eventual last chord.
6
maj7
6
Because we hear music in a linear and sequential way, we often presume that if a certain bar or musical
note makes an emotional impact, the reason for this impact is to be found only in the bar or note in
question. In fact music often sounds the way it does because of dynamics, relationships and reactions
between different elements within a composition which may fall at different points throughout the piece. I
make this point because although most musicians and composers realise the reason an Abmaj7 chord
possesses the characteristics it does is because of the dynamics created by the G note reacting to the rest of
the notes in the chord, few realise that similarly the only reason the chord works as it does within a piece of
music is because of the surrounding harmonic terrain; what feeds a chord and what comes subsequently
defines how that chord ‘works’.
53
There is no such thing as a ‘great’ chord. In many ways because the effect of music is such a cumulative
thing, with the overall character of a piece being decided by various transitory and fluid factors, there is, in
a sense, no such thing as ‘now’, just as in a very practical sense within time itself, now is almost a concept,
not a reality. If you have a ‘wow’ / ‘now’ moment when listening to a piece, in all probability the reason for
that moment is tied up in several contributory factors, the culmination of which happens at some point
during the piece.
Who wants to be a Millionaire? Keith Strachan and Mathew Strachan
The music for Who Wants to be a Millionaire was composed by father and son team Keith Strachan and
Matthew Strachan. They were brought in with a brief to ‘create mood and tension’. Consequently they
decided to approach it like a film score with music playing almost throughout the whole show - a unique
approach for a game show at the time. Although the production values and the sounds were sometimes
lacking in real quality, the writing itself works brilliantly well with the show. Like much of the themes we
have analysed, the music is as popular as the show; it’s almost impossible to visualize the show
independent of its music. The transcription below is slow, dark, almost sinister sounding and is played
during the more pensive and stressful moments of the show.
Fig. 108 Who wants to be a Millionaire incidental music
The way the hypnotic mesmerizing melodic line interacts with the harmonies which support it is probably
the most important reason for the success. We have looked at this issue before, and here it is again: the
melody itself as a stand-alone line is repetitive but the intervallic context changes every two bars. We
therefore have the simultaneous sensation of a line that manages to remain physically static but change
what it means, not what it is.
54
Fig. 109
1 3 2 3 1 3 2 3
1
3 2 3 1 3 2 3
3 5 #4 5 3 5 #4 5
7 b9 8 b9 7 b9 8 b9 7 b9 8 b9 7 b9 8 b9 1 3 2 3 1 3 2 3
Fig. 110
3 5 #4 5 3 5 #4 5
1 3 2 3 1 3 2 3
To the left we have the physical melodic
contour of the line, which is constant
To the left we have the intervallic contour,
which is a different story. That we hear both
of these realities together is part of what
defines how we hear, listen to and experience
music, and it certainly explains how and why
we find this encapsulating rather than simply
tedious
Looking now at the transcription below (fig.111) we again see the different layers of music: on the top
stave we have the urgent and frantic semiquaver counterpoint which we hear more rhythmically than
harmonically. Underneath this there are the rather cheap-sounding synth choir chords, and underneath that
lies probably the most harmonically potent and communicative aspect – the bass. Of the sixteen-bar phrase,
nine of those bars have inverted bass lines. The drama caused by inverted chords used in this context
cannot be overstated. Although the bass note of C states the same phrase for the first three bars, in each bar
it constitutes a different interval of the chord it supports (as highlighted under the bass line). The inversions
also allow for a smooth downward bass line for the first few bars.
Fig. 111
Who wants to be a Millionaire? - incidental / thematic music
C = 1st
C = maj3rd
C = 7th
55
If we examine whether the chords of Cm, Ab/C and D have any naturally in-built dramatic emotive
characteristics we find that they have; in fact we find them in Danny Elfman’s main hook from Batman.
Fig. 112
If we look at the beginning of the ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’ phrase from bar nine (of fig. 111) we can
see and hear that once again the dramatic inversion plays a large part with the first four bars of this section
being inverted. Not only that; the bass line of this crucial four bar phrase lurches up and down from the C
to the F (down a 5th) up to a B (up a #4) back down to an F (down a #4). This intensifies and italicises the
inversions, making them ‘stick out’.
Perhaps the other great communicative section is to be found in bar eleven of fig.111 (featured separately
below, fig.113) where you can literally sing the title of the show to the theme. There is also drama in the
penultimate bar which features a melodic run-down featuring the notes Db, C, G, Db, C, G, Db, C, G, Db,
C, G and C. This is enormously effective and spine-tingling for two quite distinct but different reasons.
Firstly the scalic manoeuvre includes flat 9s which are quite theatrical melodramatic intervals. There are no
thirds on the way down which would have helped identify the chord and ‘normalise’ it. Without the thirds
the line remains stark and dramatic. Secondly, although the piece as a whole has been rhythmically and
percussively characterised and identified throughout by a kind of ‘sixteens’ quasi disco rhythm, the
penultimate bar features quaver triplets which has the effect of suddenly interrupting the flow and pulling
the piece to a grinding halt, but dramatically so. If the run down had been semiquavers it would have been
too fast and frantic; if it had been straight quavers the half-time feel would have been too pedestrian. The
quaver triplets spectacularly bring the piece down to its dramatic pause.
Fig. 113
56
When listeners and television game show viewers hear the famous theme, it draws them into the world of
‘Who wants to be a millionaire’. Musicologists tend not to discuss a piece like this; because of the massmarket appeal of the show (and therefore the music) and because it is not high art or intellectual, they
assume it is not clever. In fact the music for this show is extremely cleverly and expertly put together and
succeeds fantastically well in its primary objective; people remember it and they associate it with the show.
The show has a musical dimension that it clearly now could not do without. In the same way that Match of
the Day is absolutely, indelibly and forever the only real lasting musical context for football, this music is
now embedded in the public consciousness as the ultimate quiz show music.
A Touch of Frost Barbara Thompson
A Touch of Frost is a popular television detective drama series produced by Yorkshire Television which ran
for nearly 20 years. It features Detective ‘Jack Frost’, another television cop who clashes with superiors,
has alternative opinions but is, as is nearly always the case, proved right in the end. The theme music,
featuring the sax playing of Barbara Thompson, is particularly distinctive, featuring a driving, heavily
reverbed rhythm section. It has an unpolished rough-edged sound, similar to Waking the Dead.
Harmonically the theme is quite distinctive in many ways. The initial motif is played ‘A capella’
(unaccompanied). As eluded to elsewhere in this book, even when a melody is played unaccompanied it
will be suggestive of a specific harmonic context and colour, by simple virtue of the notes collectively
implying a certain scale or chord. The overall harmonic feel of the intro is Dm (highlighted below)
Fig. 114
Audio – Theme from A Touch of Frost
1
min3
4
5
7
8
7
57
8
7 min3
5
m6 4 min3
1 3 4
When the introduction line stops on the note of F in bar five, by now this note is rationalised by the listener
as the min3rd of the Dm chord, even if, in most cases, people wouldn’t know it or even care.
It is not just musicians or people who can understand harmony that experience the fact that it ‘feels’ a
certain way (like a minor 3rd); people who don’t have the faintest clue about music or musical terminology
are also aware of the suggestive harmony leading them in that they benefit from the feeling of a harmonic
colour. There is a feeling that it makes sense. They too know the sax has stopped on what appears to the
minor 3rd. They just don’t know they know. What they and all listeners are all beneficiaries of is the false
trail that the intro leads us down. When the intro lands on the note of F on bar five, this note has two
harmonic identities; it sounds like the min3rd for the end of the intro phrase, but it actually constitutes the
root note of the new chord which, when the thumping bass enters with the root-min2nd-root motif, implies
Fm. Two bars later the piece starts properly with the whole band plus sax. One interesting thing to note in
this piece is the effective architecture and placement of the melody line and accompaniment; both giving
the other space to breathe. These are highlighted by the grey boxes.
Another interesting aspect to note is the distinct ‘busy’ performance oriented style of the melody. The line
has all the character and articulation of a melody which is performance-lead with real hints of on-the-spot
improvisation. If you look at the notes which come after the first G melody note (bar eight) to where the
line settles on the C note briefly (bar nine), it really comes across more as a ‘journey’ than a melody. It has
a loose, rugged organic feel to it.
GOLAPOGAS Paul Leonard Morgan
Golapogas is a three-part BBC nature documentary series which explores the history of the Golapogas
Islands, referencing the relevance of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. It was one of the first
documentary series to be filmed in HD and included impressive and breath-taking photography. The theme
music was by Paul Leonard Morgan and itself is a beautiful example of musical architecture, for several
reasons. The following section of the opening theme comes 0.43 second in. One of the main structural
devices in music (particularly Moving Image) is repetition of melody over different chords. Listeners and
viewers get the same melody but differently. This can create a slightly mesmerising emotion which is ideal
for music in which picture is a major component of the music. It creates familiarity and is easy to digest.
The 14-bar excerpt below essentially makes great use of the repetition of a two-bar hook over evolving
harmonies.
Fig. 116
‘Golapogas Islands’ intro 00.00.43
Strings
4
m6
4
2
4
58
m6
4
2
6
9
6
7
6
#4
6
9
The piece features some subtle tensions by virtue of the use of the 2nd, 4th and 6th intervals in bars one-four.
Such intervals in the melodic line raise the tension because they are a little different to what we’re used to
in ‘normal’ music. The fact that the melody manages to touch this many intervals/extensions whilst simply
repeating the same melody three times is essentially testament to the ability of the supporting chords to ‘do
the talking’ and contextualise the melody differently each time the phrase comes in. This is where the
conventional wisdom of melody being of more importance than harmony is turned on its head. Harmony
will nearly always be the reason for melodic success; in this piece it is simply more obvious. Melody is a
wonderful thing, but it is also a very limiting device. It helps us engage with a piece of music but it is not
always the only reason for music’s potent ability to communicate on a deep level.
Also, once again in this piece we see the power of melody and counterpoint; melody is simply a function in
music, and as such this function can be spread wherever it is needed. In the Golapogas theme the melody is
split between the top strings and the cellos underneath (highlighted below).
Fig. 117
Melody and counterpoint – how music breathes and keeps momentum
59
THE ONEDIN LINE Aram Ilyich Khachaturian
The Onedin Line was a British historical TV drama set in Liverpool in the 1860s. Although fictional, it
deals with the rise of the shipping lanes and associated historical issues such as the change from sailing
ships to steam ships and the role ships played in international politics. The title music is taken from the
ballet Spartacus by 20th Century Russian composer Aram Khachaturian, and features some memorable
romantic orchestral writing and lush harmonies which reflect the romance and high emotional drama
contained in the narrative, pictures and story.
Fig. 118
Audio – The Onedin Line - 2.06
(Violins/Violas)
(Violas/Cellos)
60
The ‘intro’ to the TV show version of this famous piece begins with this quaver run-up which is enticing,
captivating and delivers the listener to the first bar of the melody in bar three in a climactic burst of
emotional energy. The line begins with cellos/violas with violins joining in unison before the line breaks
into octaves during bar two in the final lead-up. However, in order to locate the emotional impact we have
to look at the harmonies created by the quaver run-up, particularly the first three notes (7th, octave and b9th).
The 7th and b9th give the line a diminished feel. The flattened 9th – a very potent, emotional, theatrical
interval – is particularly crucial to the specific colour and emotion of the run-up. Similarly the b9th happens
again in bar 2, as does the theatrical (in this context at least) #5 (E).
Fig. 119
7
8 b9 3
4
5
6
7
8
b9
5 #5 6
Looking beyond the intro, the Db, Dbmaj7 and Db7 sequence (bars three-eight) is particularly emotionally
captivating because when the Dbmaj7 appears after the Db, there is a tremendous rush of expectation that
the next two chords (and four bars) will be Db7 and Gb, which of course they are. This delicious selffulfilling prophecy which harmony sometimes delivers – that a listener knows the answer before it’s given
– is kind of a speeded-up version of the experience a reader has when they gradually understand the plot of
a detective novel before it’s finally revealed.
Fig. 120
Everybody will feel this inevitability irrespective of musical knowledge or understanding. Although as a
composer it’s unthinkable that you would fail to learn and understand the vast complexity of harmony, the
wonderful thing about music is that, as a listener, you don’t necessarily have to understand music to benefit
from the harmonic interplay and dynamics it creates.
61
From where the melody begins (fig.118, bar three) there is an almost constant pedal note of Db. This helps
particularly when the chord reaches Gb6/Db because it prevents the harmonies becoming too predictable
and adds a little extra inverted harmonic dynamism into the chord.
As we can see below (fig.121) in the boxes highlighted, another great piece of harmonic interplay is the
enharmonically intervallic change in the notes in bars nine/ten and eleven/twelve. In bar nine the melody
notes of Ab and Gb are copied straight to bar eleven, where they appear as G# and F# because the harmony
underneath has shifted. If you played the chords of Gb/Db followed by D/F# there is not a great deal of
natural bonding excepting the Gb-F# relationship; however the composer has not only capitalised on that
enharmonic relationship, he has also used the Ab (add9) in bar nine, which, as a G# in bar eleven becomes
the #4 of the D chord.
Fig. 121
C#m7 to Eb/Db
Exciting
Mesmerising
A similar event happens in the final few bars of the cue (fig 118, bar 15 and fig.122 below) a chord of
C#m7(b5) appears. The following bar is an Eb/Db so the same bass note can work with both chords. What
they represent as intervals of the chord they belong to, moves from root to 7th. Moving the 7th of a chord to
the bass always creates gravity and drama but when the previous chord featured the same note as a root, the
harmonic change is palpable and effective.
Fig. 122
62
GBH Richard Harvey and Elvis Costello
GBH was a British television drama series centring round the brutal and bizarre antics of borderline
psycopathic political leader Michael Murray. The character was allegedly based on the then leader of
Liverpool City Council, Derek Hatton. The music for the show is often dark and abstract but the opening
theme glides effortlessly through several styles and is set to still photographic images, graphics and a credit
roll. Without the accompanying music the pictures are visually quite ornate; the music, moving through
three definite but different stages, offers variation, drama, darkness and light.
GBH intro sequence – Audio - ‘The life and times of Michael Murray’.
Fig. 123
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
63
The piece starts on an inverted Eb/G chord, moving to Dm. The inversion is a great dramatic device; a
‘straight’ root positioned Eb chord to Dm manoeuvre would sound a little obvious and clinical. The bass
movement from the Eb/G chord to the root positioned Dm (i.e. G to D) makes the sequence a little more
interesting. Similarly the move down from Db/F to Cm (bar three to four) is helped and made more
dramatic for the same reason. The move (from bar four) from Cm to Eb to G to Am again lifts, highlights,
italicises and dramatizes; normally listeners are used quick chord changes featuring related chords – chords
that fit together easily and require little mental agility to decode and interpret. ‘Difficult’ or out-of-keycentre manoeuvres normally feature chords that sound for longer, so the change can be established and
digested. This move from Cm to Eb to G to Am is rapid and slightly disorientating.
The second section (bar six) consists of a slightly melodramatic preamble on horns and trombones which
leads to a completely different main theme – a delightful and catchy tune on glockenspiel and piano.
In bar nine (the bar before section 3) the two octave notes of Bb and F# are worth mentioning; we hear and
see the first note as a Bb due to the bar before containing Bb harmony, but in harmonic reality the lone Bb
in bar nine, in all-but name, actually functions as an A# - maj3rd of an F# root note, to which it moves
before navigating logically to the Bm key.
The constant and rapid juxtaposing of styles creates a tangible quirky unsettling sense of dramatic emotion.
If the piece had accompanied actual moving pictures the subtle interplay and dramatic tensions between the
three sections would not have worked as well but working with a simple selection of still images and
graphics, the music brings real context to the sequence.
64

09. Music for TV

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