Nick Zwar
Forumsvar Lagt Inn
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Innlegg
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I’m not sure I get what you are after… describing and interpreting what the music does on its own… but that’s what I do when I listen to music anyway already?
I don’t see how describing the actual music that I am listening to is a benefit? Describing the music could be a benefit if I cannot actually hear it, but I suppose in most cases, people who buy albums do so to hear the music, so what additional benefit would a description of what you are hearing provide?And I’m also wary of provided interpretation. Interpreting what the music does on its own, again, that’s what I do when I listen to the music. No need for someone to do that for me… in fact, that is the one thing I can do on my own without additional background information. 🙂
I don’t see how interpreting what the music does on its own actually belongs into liner notes, because interpreting what music does on its own is a highly subjective and personal matter. It can be interesting, no doubt, and you can write entire theses about it, but that’s more something that belongs to forums (such as this), or review sites, or whatever, but not necessarily liner notes, because that would make the notes drift too much into one person’s view and interpretation, and it might make the notes actually be less “timeless”, because views and interpretations may change over time. Liner notes should be a bit more neutral. At least personally I have comparatively little interest to read in liner notes how a piece of music affects the writer of the liner notes or makes him or her feel. That’s personal, I prefer the notes to remain more or less factual and objective. (I don’t mind a personal voice in liner notes at all, I don’t mind opinion either, but most important thing for me are facts. Interpretation is obviously not fact.)
I don’t think art exists without context, both how, by whom and when it was created as well how, by whom and when it is perceived. Music is not a descriptive art form, so I expect the liner notes to provide context. Context enriches art. So that’s what I look for in liner notes… context.
The composer matters, of course. But reading a short bio of Beethoven or Jerry Goldsmith is nice the first time, not the tenth. There is always the line between what is interesting context and what does the reader already know. And so it’s not possible and I don’t expect any writer of liner notes to always exactly tailor the notes to what I already know. Sometimes I read stuff I already know, but if there’s anything new in there I didn’t know, it’s already worth it. I sure learned a lot from liner notes of classical music and film music over the years. I guess what’s interesting is why this composer chose this project, how it fits into the arc of his career, and what it reveals about his creative choices. Liner notes should provide background, perhaps a glimpse into the decision making, the artistic gamble, the moment when a composer said yes to a story and began shaping sound into narrative. At least something that is specific to that particular work.
Since the music was written for a film, I expect the liner notes to tie the music to the film, or have a short summary or background of that film. Often times, I have no idea what the movie is even about, and have no inclination to actually watch it, so it’s nice to get some background information for what purpose the music was written in the first place.
Sometimes a track by track commentary makes sense, sometimes a broader overview is enough. But to treat a film score album as if it were a separate entity divorced from the film is like pretending a recording of Daphnis et Chloe has nothing to do with the ballet, or that Handel’s Water Music has nothing to do with the royal event it was composed for. Of course it does. Context enriches art. That is why liner notes should provide what is not in the music itself, the story beyond the notes. And I would say in case of Ravel’s “Daphnis et Chloe”, a track by track commentary makes perfect sense, as it helps you understand the “story” behind the music and how it progresses, whereas in Handel’s Water Music, a track by track analysis if of lesser importance, other aspects are more relevant. Same with film music, sometimes a track by track analysis makes sense, sometimes it doesn’t.
Describing the music in musical terms, as has been suggested, is not what I look for in liner notes. It actually makes no sense to me, because the one thing I have on an album is obviously the music. The music is already there on the album. So I don’t need it described in words. What I want is the information I may not have. When was it written, for what purpose, what was happening in the film or in the composer’s life that shaped it. A crash course in musical description is not the point. Of course, if there are unusual compositional techniques or instruments that are not immediately obvious, by all means, that should be mentioned. The point is to illuminate the music, to provide, as I said, context.
Doug Adams book The Music of the Lord of the Rings is exemplary in this regard. It goes far beyond standard liner notes, with score sheet excerpts, themes shown in notation, and analysis of how they are developed and tied to the narrative. It even explores how the music was designed conceptually, how it was woven into the fabric of the story. That is extraordinary, though clearly beyond what most liner notes can provide, and Doug Adams obviously had access to and many conversations with Howard Shore, so that’s quite a luxury. Still, it sets the bar for what contextual writing about film music can achieve.
From a practical perspective, liner notes are not advertising copy (people get to read them usually after they have bought the album), nor are they academic lectures. They should be entertaining, they are the bridge between the listener and the art. They should tell us why this music exists, what story/images/scenes it was meant to serve, and how it fits into the larger tapestry of the composer’s work. In short, they should set the music in the proper context and provide background information about the music, rather than being too concerned with the music itself. I don’t see how liner notes describing Beethoven’s 5th symphony would do much for me when I have a recording of it. What I do find interesting is the background of its creation, what is special about it, perhaps its impact and historical influence or significance (obviously, not relevant when the liner notes are for more current releases.)
As I said, I don’t think art, including or perhaps even especially music, exists without context. So in short, that’s what I would expect from liner notes: context.Yes, just heard the news about Lee Tamahori. Unforgettable his movie Once Were Warriors (1994), that was the one that put him on the map for me. He never quite lived up to that great movie, but of course did some other fine movies with good scores.
I was just about to post about it at FSM, but the board is so excruciatingly slow right now… I just came here.
And I’d have pretty much written the same post Thor did. 😀
I think Jerry Goldsmith’s score for ALONG CAME A SPIDER is way underrated, as it is usually seen as one of his lesser efforts, but I disagree. The opening cue “Night Talk” alone is just totally inventive, the musical equivalent of creepy things lurking in the shadows of the night.The re-use of a musical “theme”, motif or subject isn’t really anything unusual, and never has been. Composers have been recycling and re-using themes — their own or others — for as long as there is music history. So I don’t mind it either when it fits. Even Beethoven got a lot of mileage out of a theme he used and recycled in different compositions, such as in “The Creatures of Prometheus”, his third symphony, or his violin concerto, plus some piano work. So if Beethoven could do it, why not Sarde. 🙂
Yes, there are lots more wonderful Laurence Rosenthal scores besides CLASH OF THE TITANS.
Same with Basil Poledouris… there are so many great scores apart from the two CONAN scores. From his wonderfully small scale piano score for IT’S MY PARTY to the sweeping epic FAREWELL TO THE KING, Poledouris was one of the greats in my book.Not quite sure how to approach the subject… there are definitely some scores mentioned here where only one work stood out, or only one work I’m really familiar with… possibly because the people didn’t write all that much film music to begin with. Jon Brion, for example, wrote a good score for Magnolia (the score as a whole was heavily influenced by Hans Zimmer’s music for THE THIN RED LINE and Richard Wagner), but I don’t really know any other Jon Brion film scores (though I know his work with singer/songwriter Aimee Mann… I guess that’s how he came to score Magnolia in the first place?).
By Tom Tykwer I really love CLOUD ATLAS.When it comes to Philip Sainton, Daft Punk, Toto, Franglen, I basically only know (and like) the film scores mentioned here… so I fully align with you here.
Of course, I could mention Leonard Bernstein… who only wrote one film score, but a very good one.
Let’s see.. I try to look for some more composers who fit the bill… where one score really stands out for me, or one score.
So here goes.
Apart from the ones mentioned so far, for me it is:
Stanley Myers, where I absolutely love THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES. I do have some other scores by his, and I know his Cavatina is world famous, but it’s THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES that stands out for me.Then there are Andrew Belling’s WIZARDS and and Danny Zeitlin’s INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS.
I like Philipp Sarde… though he’s probably not exactly overrepresented in my collection.
I think the first Sarde album I bought was L’OURS, way back when the movie came out. I like that score. Others that come to mind right away that I really enjoy are scores like THE TENANT, LA GUERRE DU FEU, TESS, GHOST STORY…I also have the 6-Disc anthology of his work… but I don’t think I have listened to it all yet.
Philip Glass is a fascinating composer; as I said, he opened new musical doors for me. A lot of his music is void of overt emotion or drama, which may not appeal to everyone.
Sometime though he shows a more lyrical side, like in his score for SECRET AGENT.
THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST/PASSION by Peter Gabriel is another one of the scores I considered as example for “great” film scores.
