Alan J Moore's Film Music Chat

The next time you’re sitting in a theatre watching the latest Hollywood blockbuster or sitting on your couch zoning out to your favourite TV show, try for a second to ignore the good looking actors, the well written dialogue and the expensive sets and zero in on the underlying element which completes the scene, yet so often goes ignored by the conscious mind, the musical score.

Read about one of Hollywood’s master film composers, James L. Venable on Attack of the Blog!

Don’t forget to use your ears the next time you’re watching a film

Here’s a haunting piece of music from James Newton Howard:

The Village Soundtrack – The Gravel Road

The Main Theme to the film “The Village” by James Newton Howard

Sends tingles down the old spine!  Great music.  Simple but effective.

What do you think?  Any James Newton Howard fans out there?

Alan

Just came across this interesting little ditty about one of my favourite composers, Bernard Herrmann.  I hadn’t realised that lots of his music was originally intended as ‘stock library’ music for filmmakers to buy and use in their latest productions.

The internet has certainly made ‘library music’ prolific today, but I hadn’t realised it was prevalent in the 1930′s.  You live and learn!

Click the link below to read the article:

OUTER SPACE SUITE

Herrmann is most famous for his Alfred Hitchcock scores – those shrieking strings in “Psycho” are certainly among the most famous minutes in film soundtrack history. But this stuff was library music – not available to the general public …

Then, have a look at: The Outer Space Suite

Any thoughts?

Alan

Sad, but beautiful, music to accompany images of Auschwitz.  I went to the concentration camp many years ago – makes you appreciate life, loved ones and simply being alive.

Alan

Gorecki Symphony No. 3 “Sorrowful Songs” – Lento e Largo

Soprano: Isabel Bayrakdaraian, Sinfonietta Cracovia, conducted by John Axelrod.
Taken from “HOLOCAUST – A Music Memorial Film from Auschwitz”. For the first time since its liberation, permission was granted for music to be
heard in Auschwitz and a number of leading musicians were brought there to
perform music for the film.