# Must Have Study Scores for the Film Composer



## billval3 (Mar 27, 2009)

I'm interested in hearing everyone's thoughts about which pieces every serious film composing student should study. I'm talking about scores that are available in print, by the way.


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## gsilbers (Mar 27, 2009)

anyone know of FILM SCORES to study? there are afew of John williams but there are soooo many movies and almos no scores available. why isnt there a "charry lane" music book/scores but for movies? its done all the time with pop songs. 
(i know there are but i think the lastest one is one that has gladiator and titanic)


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## billval3 (Mar 27, 2009)

gsilbers @ Fri Mar 27 said:


> anyone know of FILM SCORES to study? there are afew of John williams but there are soooo many movies and almos no scores available. why isnt there a "charry lane" music book/scores but for movies? its done all the time with pop songs.
> (i know there are but i think the lastest one is one that has gladiator and titanic)



The simple answer is that the studios own the scores and don't want to release them. Why not? Some others probably know better than I do.


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## billval3 (Mar 27, 2009)

IvanP @ Fri Mar 27 said:


> to name a few...



A few?!? :shock: 

How about the top five out of those? Maybe that's an impossible question to answer, but for a beginner such as myself, your list is a bit overwhelming!


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## sbkp (Mar 27, 2009)

You could go listen to all those and see which ones have a sound you like. 

I happen to have 7 of them (Stravinsky, Holst, Debussy, Respighi) and will be checking out the rest.

Now where's my Rhapsody password? ~o)


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## mikebarry (Mar 27, 2009)

Good question!!

Here is ten I have figured out:

1) Barber - Adagio 
2) Carmina Burana - Orff 
3) Daphnes et Chloe - Part I (The Bread and Butter)
4) Vespers - Rachmaninoff (Voice Leading, Chorale Writing, schindler's list style)
5) The Star Wars Suite - John Williams available in sheet music
6) Elgar - Pomp and Circumstance (Good to know for marches)
7) Festive Overture - Shostakovitch (lots of great woodwind writing)
8) Fantasy on a Theme by Thomas Tallis - RV Williams (A Masterwork of string writing)
9) Henry Mancini's Jazz Book - a ton of amazing utility stuff in here

10) Insert 20th Century Piece Collection Here - I prefer the Polish School myself


Ooh and we will assume you own the firebird and the planets off the bat


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## IvanP (Mar 27, 2009)

Added a couple more  

Most can be found on youtube, just check them out...so many different styles...


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## artsoundz (Mar 27, 2009)

FWIWI was told by a very qialified composer to start with the score to E.T


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## synthetic (Mar 27, 2009)

There aren't many film scores for sale aside from John Williams' suites. Peter Alexander's Pro Orchestration books are very good and cover many of the scores mentioned here. That would be a great place to start. I've learned a lot from those books.


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## billval3 (Mar 27, 2009)

Thanks for all the input, people.


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## billval3 (Mar 28, 2009)

mikebarry @ Fri Mar 27 said:


> 9) Henry Mancini's Jazz Book - a ton of amazing utility stuff in here



What are you referring to? A specific book?


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## JohnG (Mar 28, 2009)

I do read scores but most of the time I'm more interested in looking at short passages to uncover specific orchestration techniques -- chord voicing, register, effects created by several choirs of instruments at once that are otherwise hard to analyse strictly from the recording, and so on. I like to know how to get "that power" or "that shimmer" or recreate that "cloud" of sound. Understanding how to bring out a melody is pretty basic, but one can learn a lot from checking out one's favourite tunes in an orchestration book.

So with that in mind, I rather enjoy investing my time and money in compilations that have excerpts of pieces but especially when there is a recording available -- Peter Alexander's orchestration books have a lot of these and Adler's orchestration books with the CDs do as well. Adler's book includes examples of modern notation and works. Another compilation used to be "On the Track," which had many excerpts of film music in it.

For full scores, anyone who wants to learn how to write orchestral film music can shortcut a good bit of the process by focusing on John Williams' suites. While defending this suggestion might seem odd, some people who want to write for film overlook him, and I don't understand why. He's been nominated 40 or 50 times for Oscars and, even leaving his popularity aside, he may be the world's greatest living orchestrator and the world's greatest living "theme and variations" composer. From the Raiders score (including all the creepy stuff) to Memoirs of a Geisha, there is something diamond-like to the guy's handling of his material -- he rarely or never runs off the rails. I find his sureness of foot (so to speak) uncanny.

In the classical repertoire, one can survive with one or two Richard Strauss scores, some Debussy and Ravel pieces, any of Wagner's dramatic scores, and some of the 20th / 21st century stuff (Penderecki, Lutoslawski, etc.). If all one had were this little list, one could learn an amazing amount. Of course, the great thing about music is that there's never too much and one can never stop learning. Even Webern and Stockhausen, Berio and Berg, Gesualdo and Bach -- just about every composer can yield something interesting. But given that there's no end to it, I like to stick to excerpts and think about broader structure myself.


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## billval3 (Mar 28, 2009)

JohnG @ Sat Mar 28 said:


> I do read scores but most of the time I'm more interested in looking at short passages to uncover specific orchestration techniques -- chord voicing, register, effects created by several choirs of instruments at once that are otherwise hard to analyse strictly from the recording, and so on. I like to know how to get "that power" or "that shimmer" or recreate that "cloud" of sound. Understanding how to bring out a melody is pretty basic, but one can learn a lot from checking out one's favourite tunes in an orchestration book.
> 
> So with that in mind, I rather enjoy investing my time and money in compilations that have excerpts of pieces but especially when there is a recording available -- Peter Alexander's orchestration books have a lot of these and Adler's orchestration books with the CDs do as well. Adler's book includes examples of modern notation and works. Another compilation used to be "On the Track," which had many excerpts of film music in it.
> 
> ...



Thank you for this advice, John. Like you say, there's only so much time. And when you don't have the luxury of being a full time student (I am currently an elementary music teacher by day), you simply have to find ways to hone in on what is most essential.

I am particularly taking your advice about Williams to heart. One of my goals was to study some of the influential classics, but based on your advice (and that of a few others here), I think I will purchase some Williams suites as well. Finally, I already have Alexander's first text, so I think I need to get around to buying his mp3 package. I originally bought the book before this was available.


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## Ashermusic (Mar 28, 2009)

billval3 @ Sat Mar 28 said:


> mikebarry @ Fri Mar 27 said:
> 
> 
> > 9) Henry Mancini's Jazz Book - a ton of amazing utility stuff in here
> ...



It's called "Sounds and Scores."


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## billval3 (Mar 28, 2009)

Ashermusic @ Sat Mar 28 said:


> billval3 @ Sat Mar 28 said:
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> 
> > mikebarry @ Fri Mar 27 said:
> ...



Thanks, Jay!


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## bryla (Mar 28, 2009)

JohnG @ Sat Mar 28 said:


> Another compilation used to be "On the Track," which had many excerpts of film music in it.


On the track still has many excerpts of scores.

I don't think scores are available but Arvo Pärt's "Cantus in memory of Benjamin Britten" and Bela Bartok's "Concerto for Orchestra" - really anything Bartok, is also something I could recommend for listening.

Carl Nielsen Symphony no. 3
Rachmaninov Symphony no. 2


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## synthetic (Mar 30, 2009)

Sounds and Scores is great, but very much a "jazz score" study book. Peter Gunn, Pink Panther, etc. So if you want to study that type of score and orchestration, it's a must have. Outside of that, there are other books with more info (like On The Track or Professional Orchestration).


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## Ashermusic (Mar 30, 2009)

synthetic @ Mon Mar 30 said:


> Sounds and Scores is great, but very much a "jazz score" study book. Peter Gunn, Pink Panther, etc. So if you want to study that type of score and orchestration, it's a must have. Outside of that, there are other books with more info (like On The Track or Professional Orchestration).



Actually it is more than that. The techniques, discussions of practical ranges in the commercial world, are applicable to other genres as well. Mancini's unique approach is not really jazz, but jazz influenced.

Anyone would be well served by having it IMHO.


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## Dave Connor (Mar 31, 2009)

billval, If you look at something like Ravels orchestration of Pictures at an Exhibition you will see the piano part under the score. Ravel insisted on this so students could see how he treated the basic musical information in the piano. So it's a great eye opener.

My other suggestion is to concentrate on studying string writing. Strings are the backbone and generally what motivate the orchestra. If for example you study a Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven symphony you will naturally gravitate to the strings since they dominate so much in that period. With an understanding of the strings you can now look at whether the winds or brass are reinforcing or contrasting the strings. This will train you to see much more at a glance than trying to absorb a whole page of notes.

If it's very early for you in orchestral study it's not so much who you're studying but what. Study scores that aren't bloated with a ton of instruments like Beethoven's 5th.


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## Farkle (May 5, 2009)

I second David's stress of learning string writing. It's such a great fundamental skill to learn. 

I would add a couple more composers/compositions which really helped me nail my brass and wind writing (BTW, Riffwraith, I feel the same way about Duel of the Fates as you do. I studied that cue, and it completely kicked me up to the next level of orchestration!).

Mendelssohn (sp?) - Midsummer Night's Dream (fantastic strings and winds), Hebrides Overture

Tchaikovsky - 4th and 5th symphony, Romeo and Juliet Overture, Swan Lake, Nutcracker.

I esp. like Swan Lake and Nutcracker because it shows how T. made 4 and 8 bar phrases work with a dramatic context. Very helpful for doing those hollywood scores. Oh, and Tch. string and brass writing are beautiful in their functional power and clarity. Definitely good to study for good "bread and butter" powerful and emotional orchestration.

Mike


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## lux (May 5, 2009)

I think the typical must have for movie composers is Adventures on earth by John Williams. In general all the scores by WIlliams are of great interest because theyre so rich of orchestral colours. I personally like also watching Copland, Elgar, Holst. Bizet is another nice composer to read. In general i look for composers from the nineteenth century.


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## bryla (Sep 26, 2009)

Ashermusic @ Sat Mar 28 said:


> billval3 @ Sat Mar 28 said:
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> > mikebarry @ Fri Mar 27 said:
> ...


Just bought Sounds and Scores! It is jazz influenced and all the examples are jazzy, but the information is general and really worth it! Anyone have the Thorn Birds book? Or the Batman book about Danny Elfmans music?


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