In a world where popular music is more handily classified as ‘noise,’ and where the louder an amplifier is, the ‘better’ the music is, it is hard to believe that there once existed a time where a single violinist could captivate an audience on his own for upwards of two hours. Such is the case for acclaimed violin virtuoso, Paul Foray, in the film Humoresque. The story follows Paul from childhood, when he struggled to get his parents to buy him a violin, to adulthood, where he made his name with the help of some influential friends, to his seeming retirement from the instrument after a tragic incident in his personal life. The movie follows the protagonist, Paul Foray, through his personal and professional life, and every ounce of energy in the movie is devoted to telling his story. Not only is the cinematography taken in such a way that is very “Foray-centric,” but the film score plays into his life very deliberately. The film, Humoresque, uses music in a very direct way, using popular pieces of music from early 20th century popular music and from 19th century opera and orchestra to allude to the characters’ experiences. Every piece played by Foray and every song sung in the background of a parlor has a very intentional place in the movie, as they either foreshadow what a character will do, or play to their inner-monologue.
The film’s music largely consists of famous pieces from the 19th century, from either romantic orchestral composers or from operas. Also, there is always a pianist playing in any scenes involving a restaurant, and this pianist sings popular songs of the early 20th century that happen to fit into the storyline lyrically almost too well. The score, then, has a two-fold purpose. The most obvious reason ...
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...ut also to help clue us in the any ambiguities we may have with the plot.
Musically, Humoresque is a masterpiece. There is so much art to be found in putting individual pieces together to create a new, bigger piece of art. In this film, the scorer picks meaningful music that will certainly resonate for the viewers in order to not only provide music for the film, but also to convey the story in spite of the dialogue. I think the music is so strongly tied to the storyline that it could potentially stand on its own and still tell as compelling of a story as with the dialogue. Foray’s music penetrates the minds of the characters, and the viewer gets to see it all weave together through beautiful transitions and beautiful music. This film is as interesting musically as it is in its story, and that shows a true mastery of film scoring and how music induces emotion.
In the film the music is very important. At the beginning it is set at
Putman, D. (1990). THE AESTHETIC RELATION OF MUSICAL PERFORMER AND AUDIENCE. British Journal of Aesthetics. 30 (4), 1-2.
with that of the rest of the story. It gives us a taste of what the
Western Music has developed in many ways since the middle ages through its form, sound, and message. Throughout these different periods in western music one thing has remained constant, the true essence of music, a way to communicate with someone on a much more divine level than be by rudimentary conversation. Though Ludwig Van Beethoven and Paul McCartney may seem completely opposite they have one in common through their music they changed the world’s perception of its self
Music can decipher a narrative event by indicating a perspective. To unify a set of diverse images and provide rhythmic and formal continuity and momentum, a film’s structure is more often than not, directly articulated by a musical structure. Music can assist the dialogue and visuals of film and often is inaudible (e.g. music is meant to be heard unconsciously, not consciously). Music has been used by directors to reinforce or strengthen certain weak scenes in film and then on the other hand when music is not needed to reinforce a scene
Overall, the score was beautiful and appropriate, adding suspense and mystery at all the right times. The sound effects added psychological flavor to the story without drawing too much attention to it.
If you ask the average young adult what comes to mind when they hear the term “music” they are likely to respond with a fresh singer, band, or genre of “pop” music. Often times society places their opinion of classical music and popular music on completely different wavelengths of importance in the world. The modern perception of classical vs. popular music has led to a heavily decreasing audience for classical groups and performances, a desire for repetitive and simple melodies, and a negative stigma against classical music’s importance.
What would the world be like without music? The world would be a very silent place. Music is in many ways the material of our lives and the meaning of society. It is a reminder of how things were in the old days, a suggestion of how things are, and a view of where society is leading to. Music is the direct reflection of the picture of art, music, and literature. Music can be a way to deliver messages, being poetic, a fine art, or it can just be for entertainment. No matter what it is used for, music is the perfect art there is and there are various types of music; such as classical and romantic. This paper will discuss how classical music and romantic music had a turning point in humanity’s social or cultural development, and how they have
...tical songs like Strange Fruit and Fables of Faubus because of the political issues they discuss. It’s good to hear songs that tell events of the past. They can be very informative and enhance the musical by telling a story. I believe giving the music a political subject enhanced the musical style because the music can illustrate a narrate or tell a story, encourage a certain emotional reaction in the audience, and even communicate something that is not being shown.
As the piano started to sound in the Four Season Theater, the crowd would turn silence in just a second. That was the impression that piano gave me when I attended to Richard Clayderman’s concert last month. The power of the piano is not just shown by the sound itself but also the unshakable social standing as the “King of the instruments”.
In the article “Pearls Before Breakfast”, Gene Weingarten creates a social experiment at a busy Washington subway station to determine if people would recognize Joshua Bell, as a world famous violin player. Or would they disregard him as just another street performer? Weingarten journey’s through the events of the day with Bell and his 3.5 million dollar violin. We see throughout the article a contrast between the music and the people passing by. People effortlessly ignore Bell’s music to catch their train or purchase lottery tickets, while back a few nights ago Bell’s playing leaves the audience in silent awe. While illustrating the several different reactions of the people passing by Weingarten intrigues us in “Pearls Before Breakfast” by exposing how our busy lives and preoccupations keep us from seeing the extraordinary that can be found in the most mundane situations.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is perhaps the most well-known composer of all time. Countless accounts of his life have been created through the years, and all of them approach the topic of his life with a slightly different perspective. Amadeus provides a humorous and insightful look into the life of Mozart through the flashbacks of an elderly Italian man named Salieri. In his old age, Salieri confesses to a priest that he felt God taunting him throughout life because he always had a profound appreciation for Mozart’s music, but yet could never produce anything like it. Therefore, he turned bitter and spent his life trying to ruin Mozart and his career. Through Salieri’s lense, the audience learns about Mozart’s unique personality. Mozart is shown in the movie as a musical prodigy with an impeccable ability to play and compose. However, Mozart also has a childish, socially awkward side that causes him to be misunderstood by many adults. He lacks practicality and appreciation for social graces, instead preferring to make inappropriate jokes and attend wild parties. Our class’s textbook, The Enjoyment of Music, also
Throughout this semester we have discussed an array of musical periods ranging from the Middle Ages and Renaissance to more recent modern times. As music progressed through time certain concepts such as melody, harmony, and texture changed along with the introduction of different instruments. In the early phases of music it was more directed toward religious ceremonies, but as time went on it became integrated into everyday life. Even though musical dynamics seem to change as the years go on, it has never failed to create some form of emotional response such as laughter or sadness.
Music has been many different things to people, an escape, a revolution, an experience, a feeling, a message, a memory, a single moment, peace, class, etc. Music has played a large role in the lives of many. The story of music and it’s evolution is beautiful, from ancient melodies being plucked on a harp, to the british invasion and the popular revolution. Music has changed, and it has effected so much. In the recent decades popular music has manipulated humanity into acting inappropriately.
In William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the art of music appears in the opening of the speech as the unhappy and lovesick Orsino tells his musicians, “If music be the food of love, play on” (I.i.1) In the speech that follows, Orsino asks the musicians to give him so much musical love i.e. food that will “surfeit” and cease to yearn for love any longer. Shakespeare uses music in opening line of play and at the end by Feste singing his song. It reveals that Shakespeare has presented on stage a romantic comedy which is not detached from our everyday reality. Thus songs are used by Shakespeare with surfeiting desire not only for the purpose of entertaining the audience but also closely linked to the play’s theme.