Karlin, Fred. Wright, Rayburn. “Using Melody.” On the Track. New York: Routledge, 2003. 197-221.

 

This chapter focuses on the use of the “melody.”  The chapter begins by discussing the relationship between theatrical material and a well crafted score.  When composing the score, the thematic material provides the foundation for the music.  Often, one does not have to use long line melody.  Instead, a very short melodic fragment or motif can be used.  Also, it could be simply a rhythm such as Mark Mancia’s score for Speed.  This film’s score was simply a short rhythmic segment.  Now, the motif is an important compositional device used by film composers such as John Williams.  The beauty of a motif involves its length.  Due to the fact that motifs are short, they can be manipulated for different shots or sequences of varying lengths.  A very famous motif in contemporary film score is the motif from Jaws.  This musical score was written by John Williams and was used to represent the menacing shark.  The theme involves two bass notes that are repeated to create a theatric feel.  Due to the association between the shark and the notes, as soon as an audience member hears the notes, he or she is alerted to the danger of the monster.  The Jaws motif uses a half-step interval which allows for the creation of tension.  “In film scoring, emphasis on one or two intervals establishes those intervals as being characteristic of the sound of the score, and often enables the composer to achieve a consistency of musical texture and harmonic language while at the same time reiterating a central theme.”  Motifs are flexible and can be altered to effect the harmony and emotional implications of the music.  Learning about the use of the motif is important to understanding why the short rhythmic sequence in Jaws is so successful.

 

how to but wealth of examples.  Genres and Source Music; Using Melody; Using Harmony; Using Rhythm; Using Orchestration. Also on recording and the business.