Film music books
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We’re all waiting for Tim Greiving’s John Williams book to come out (well, I am, anyway).
Meanwhile, let’s do a topic on what film music books you have in your collection. Presumably, one can’t be a film music fan without having at least ONE film music book in one’s collection.
I have the Adventures of Robin Hood and the Batman film score guides from Scarecrow Press. It’s kind of arbitrary that I got these two specific titles, as I stumbled over them quite discounted. Haven’t read much in them yet.
My two favourite film music books are probably Torn Music and Audissino’s book on John Williams’ music. Even though I have to confess in the latter I never read the chapter about the Dracula score.
And I have a little Reclam book by Peter Moormann called “Klassiker der Filmmusik”, my only film music book in German with a lot of essays on famous scores.
But that’s about it.
I have two books only actually (besides having some magazines from the old times, although no FSM):
– Tony Thomas: Filmmusik (German version of the book “Film score”)
– Fred Karlin: Listening to MoviesI did read some more some decades ago like the “famous” polemic Eisler/Adorno “Komponieren für den Film” and the two “Handbuch Filmmusik” parts by German film composer and professor Enjott Schneider as far as I recall.
As a youngster I pretty much wore out the school library copy of the late Roy Prendergast’s “Film Music: A Neglected Art”. As I understand it, it was the only comprehensive book on film music for many years after its publication (1977). I have a lot of great memories marveling at the details in the craft of the Golden Age masters, as presented by Prendergast. It has been too many years since I last opened the book. Perhaps it is finally time to order my own copy!
The book I actually own myself is not one I could recommend, although I’d be happy to hear from someone who might have found the book useful? Only in Norwegian, the book approaches the subject of film music from a strictly theoretical perspective. It felt awkward and artificial, and the author’s limited experience with the actual “mechanics” of making music, as it seemed to me at least, made the book unrealistic. However, the publisher claims the book is “internationally recognized”, so it might be me there’s something wrong with. Open for the possibility!
The Prendergast is a classic, Mark! It’s also a cornerstone of my own academic years. Not my favourite, but a reference point. I agree that the Larsen is hit/miss, but it’s the only Norwegian book of its kind.
Here’s a pic with some of my own, on my shelf:
Would be fun to flip through some of those pages some time. A few of them familiar (Randall Meyers, Adorno/Eisler). Of course I am also hugely anticipating the Grieving book in a few short months. Friends and family who are already tired of me bringing up little Williams anecdotes from time to time don’t know what’s coming their way…
Here’s my film music bookshelf.
Not sure if Norwegian composer Ragnar Bjerkreim’s master thesis from the University of Oslo counts as a book, but it’s in there anyway. 🙂
Seems to be at least some overlap with your shelf, Thor!
Edit: Umm, OK, so you can’t load pictures stored on your local PC here, but they have to be stored on a website? Then maybe I’ll post a “text version” of my collection later. 🙂
Theses count!
You can use https://imgbb.com/, Nils.
Tried imgbb now – created an account, uploaded the picture there and copied the link and used it in the < img > tag here, but it doesn’t seem to work. But I guess I’m doing something wrong. Maybe I’ll try again tomorrow. Bedtime now. 🙂
Well, now my posts (including the one Thor replied to above) are disappearing altogether, when I try to get the picture posted using imgbb…
But here it finally is – I hope! :
As I tried to post earlier: There seems to be at least some overlap with your shelf, Thor. 🙂
Well, now my posts (including the one Thor replied to above) are disappearing altogether, when I try to get the picture posted using imgbb…
The posts are there, and restored. As mentioned earlier, sometimes until the board «knows» a new member, certain posts with images or links are put in «pending» until approved.
Anyways, great collection of books, Nils!
I remember finding ON THE TRACK at a book sale and considering buying it, but then opting not to because it was too technical and geared at actual composers.
The posts are there, and restored. As mentioned earlier, sometimes until the board «knows» a new member, certain posts with images or links are put in «pending» until approved.
Ah, OK, thanks. Yes, I see they’re all back now, with pictures. And looking kinda messy… I’ve tried to clean them up a little.
Which one of these would you recommend the most?
As Sigbjørn says, what is your favourite of those, Nils?
Probably a tie between Tony Thomas’ books MUSIC FOR THE MOVIES and FILM SCORE, and Charles Bernstein’s FILM MUSIC – AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
There are probably partly nostalgic reasons for Thomas’ books being among my favorites, as these were (as far as I can remember) the first film music books I owned – and the first time I could read anything of any length about John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith. And Thomas knows his stuff, of course.
Not sure if Bernstein’s book is very well known? It’s a collection of essays, mostly about the creative process, that he wrote for The Score, which was the quarterly newsletter of the Society of Composers and Lyricists. He’s a great writer, and the book is very entertaining, sometimes downright humorous.
I wonder if my bookshelf will ever contain Jeff Bond’s THE JERRY GOLDSMITH COMPANION, which I Kickstarter-supported with a fair sum of money? I’m not holding my breath… 🙁
I wonder if my bookshelf will ever contain Jeff Bond’s THE JERRY GOLDSMITH COMPANION, which I Kickstarter-supported with a fair sum of money? I’m not holding my breath… 🙁
Only if you print out the PDF 😉
Probably a tie between Tony Thomas’ books MUSIC FOR THE MOVIES and FILM SCORE, and Charles Bernstein’s FILM MUSIC – AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
Thanks for the recommendations. Are these focused on music theory?
Thor, don’t you have all the John Williams family tree background to have started on an exhaustive biography? Has Tim Grieving nipped that venture in the bud?
Let me think… Books on the shelf beside me –
MÚSICA PARA LA IMÁGEN by composer Jose Nieto
JAMES BERNARD: COMPOSER TO COUNT DRACULA by David Huckvale (he’s a great writer)
JAZZ IN THE MOVIES by David Meeker (invaluable before the days of online clickery)
EL LEGADO MUSICAL DE LA HAMMER by Antonio Piñeira
ALEX NORTH: EL VIAJERO IMPENITENTE by Frederic Torres
KNOWING THE SCORE by Irwin Bazelon (I stole this from the library when I was a kid, and they haven’t caught me yet)
THE ART OF FILM MUSIC by George Burt (excellent)
ENCICLOPEDIA DE LAS BANDAS SONORAS by Conrado Xalabarder
LA MÚSICA EN EL CINE by Russell Lack (I have the Spanish translation – it’s actually “Twenty Four Frames Under” I think)
U.S. SOUNDTRACKS ON CD by Robert L. Smith (these things go out of date immediately, but it’s interesting to look at in retrospect)
THE MUSIC OF STAR TREK by Jeff Bond (great, and there’s a new one due)
MUSIC FOR PRIME TIME by John Burlingame
FILM SCORE by Tony Thomas (looking quaint and square nowadays)
GRAMOPHONE: FILM MUSIC: GOOD CD GUIDE (just seen the spine of this. What on Earth is it?)
LA MÚSICA EN EL CINE by Michel Chion (translated from the original French)
HAMMER FILM SCORES AND THE MUSICAL AVANT-GARDE by David Huckvale (superb)
MUSIC FROM THE HOUSE OF HAMMER by Randall Larson
INTRODUCCIÓN A LA HISTORIA DE LA MÚSICA EN EL CINE by Carlos Colón Perales
SOUNDTRACK: THE MUSIC OF THE MOVIES by Mark Evans (another one which now seems old, quaint and square)
TV COMPOSER GUIDE by John Williams (not THE John Williams, and not even the guitarist)
CIEN BANDAS SONORAS EN LA HISTORIA DEL CINE by Roberto Cueto
PENTAGRAMAS DE PELICULA by Juan Padrol
NOMBRES DE LA BANDA SONORA by Jose Maria Benitez and Luis Miguel Carmona)I had no idea I had so many.
Better get the upcoming John Williams biography. 😉
Yes, looking forward to that, of course! 🙂
Thanks for the recommendations. Are these focused on music theory?
Not really. Thomas’ books are mostly about the life and work of a selection of composers, as well as the studios and music departments they worked for. FILM SCORE has 25 chapters, 10-20 pages each, devoted to a specific composer, while MUSIC FROM THE MOVIES is a more general history of film music (from the 30s to the 70s), but still with a focus on the most important composers of each period.
I would say most of the books I have are aimed at the general film music enthusiast (and collector :)), and only ON THE TRACK has some music theory in it, being, as Thor mentioned earlier, intended for the composers themselves. It has chapters on things like harmony, rhythm and orchestration, but it’s really mostly focused on the more practical and technical issues a composer has to deal with. Since it was written in the 90s it’s probably a bit outdated, with all the digital tools available now that has changed the way many composers work.
THE MUSIC OF STAR TREK by Jeff Bond (great, and there’s a new one due)
Oh yeah – this Trekkie is definitely looking forward to that one, too!
Thor, don’t you have all the John Williams family tree background to have started on an exhaustive biography? Has Tim Grieving nipped that venture in the bud?
Yes!
But great collection of books! How is the Nieto? An overlooked Spanish composer.
Thor, the Nieto book seemed VERY heavy-going back in the day. Full of diagrams and the philosophy of colours. I was initally against the idea of reading the book, because there are actually NO film composers mentioned throughout. Now, skimming through it, it seems absolutely fascinating.
I do have some music film music related books, such as Steven Smith’s biographies “The Epic Life of Max Steiner” and “A Heart at Fire’s Center: The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann”.
Also, Jeff Bond’s book on STAR TREK music, and Doug Adams “The Music of The Lord of the Rings Films”. The latter is probably the most in depth analysis I have ever read about any film score ever, as it examines all the motifs, themes and developments in the Lord of the Rings music, many of which are highly illuminating if you are particularly interested in the aesthetics and underlying concepts of music (not just film music) in relation to drama and narrative. Just fascinating explorations how Howard Shore developed ideas and concepts for the music for the Lord of the Rings to cover the vast landscape and inhabitants of Middle Earth. (To give just a couple of memorable examples, such things as the aleatoric music within the music for the “Watcher in the Water”, as that is a creature that is always only partially visible and flexible and therefore had to fight without getting a handle on it, so the music reflects that in containing random elements, or the eight-note motif for the spider Shelob, which gets then developed, fitting for a spider that has eight legs, eight eyes, etc. Or how the different music for various tribes of Elbes both differ but share some things in common, just like the culture/race has a common “root”.)
I also have a few “full scores” from the likes of Omni Publishing and Chris Siddall. I am not really a musician or even an expert score reader, but these are a dream come true because I always wanted to see how certain things are notated. I was especially always interested in how some Goldsmith scores were written, as some of his music is highly complex and features unususal instruments, such as synthesizers, yet when he comes to the recording studio, the musicians have to perform all that stuff basically from sight reading, so the scores have to be very clear… and they are. It was a real revelation for me to have the chance to take a look at some of these scores in full (years ago, in the 90s, I had the opportunity to see some actual Goldsmith sketches for some scores (like THE RIVER WILD and BASIC INSTINCT) and notes from which the orchestrator worked… so I had a good idea how detailed these sketches were.)
So these full scores, some of them with annotations, allow an in depth look at the blueprint of these works.Ah, yes, of course, there are also two books by Tony Thomas, and the book “Screencraft: Film Music” — this one I have in a German issue called “Filmkünste: Filmmusik”. An interesting book for anyone who is looking for a “introductory work”, it features introductions to about a dozen or so then current — the original book is 25 years old or so — film composers, and mostly each film composer then explains in more detail their thoughts on about three of their film scores, how they came to compose it the way they composed it.
And lest I forget: Fred Karlin’s giant “On The Track”; that one features lots of examples and discussed the various approaches from different film composers, but also how they navigate the Hollywood landscape and talk to directors, producers etc. That book is somewhat targeted at aspiring Hollywood film composers who want an insight look. (As it was then… I mean, I have the book for over thirty years now.)
Great stories!
But what about yourselves? Have YOU ever been published in some form or fashion (not necessarily about film music)?
Although the new JOHN WILLIAMS biography isn’t formally released until early next month, I finished reading my copy a few days ago in a thoroughly, thoroughly enriching experience. In the acknowledgments chapter Thor’s name is mentioned, so I presume you have also read the book, Thor?
Concerning other books related to film music, I have just purchased the autobiography of Robert Russell Bennett – the unbelievably brilliant Broadway orchestrator and composer – who’s music I only recently discovered having spent some of my summer re-watching movie musicals from the 50s and 60s. It is striking how little information there is to be found online about a man whose art and craft surely belongs among the better musical minds of the previous century.
I haven’t read or even acquired the book yet, no. I’m hoping to either find it via some European vendor to save on shipping, or buy it on Amazon when it comes out, maybe with a couple of CDs to get the free shipping after $50. I don’t know, finances will decide. But I’m very much looking forward to it! I helped Tim out with some information in his research phase, that’s probably why I’m in the acknowledgements.
Robert Russell Bennett….I always keep confusing him with Richard Rodney Bennett. But sounds like an interesting book.
The Bennett book is a bit expensive, so had to think carefully about it. But the preview I read was too good to pass on. Detailed, honest and informative, with refreshing doses of humor and self-irony. About the Grieving book, I’d be happy to lend you my copy. I’ve been in a bit of “composer-biography-frenzy” as of late, with bios of Prokofiev (Jaffé) and Beethoven (Nettl) in addition to the Williams.
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