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Getting hold of full orchestral film scores

euanatkinson

New Member
I'm looking for some orchestral film scores to study from, but can't really rake out $75 for a few pieces which seems to be a fairly normal price for some John Williams scores

Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks
 
You can get scores on scribd.com. If you want to download anything you have to pay for the membership, but it's not that expensive. There are a ton of scores on the site.
 
I highly recommend grabbing this book. It's less expensive, and there are a ton of applicable things to be learned from it.

51M8rW8Em1L._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg


I doubt there's a film composer alive who would deny the influence Wagner had on the art form. If you want perhaps the most strikingly Epic, heaviest Metal ever, study Tannhauser, Overture to Act One.



Unbelievable, transcendant beauty:



John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith are incredible masters. But Wagner was there first, and he's just as pertinent today.
 
I highly recommend grabbing this book. It's less expensive, a terrific reference and study guide, and there's plenty to learn about the craft here:

Amazon product ASIN 0486292010

I doubt there's a film composer alive who would deny the influence Wagner had on the art form. If you want perhaps the most strikingly Epic, heaviest Metal ever, study Tannhauser, Overture to Act One.



Unbelievable, transcendant beauty:



John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith are incredible masters. But Wagner was there first, and he's just as pertinent today.


Which book is that, not sure you included the link?
 
what is your primary interest in studying these scores. What is it that you want to pick up from them ?

e
just a general wider understanding, my aim is to be as versatile as I can be within reason, so I guess the primary things are the subconscious effect it has on my writing/ understanding idioms/ ability to skim read, I've started with Holst's Mars and trying to do 5-10 bars a day if possible. (can only manage this as I'm studying a film scoring course full time) but I've picked up a lot in a few days
 
There is some Erich Korngold on Imslp , it's rather old-fashioned film music but then again very close to Williams. You could check out the sea hawk suite (it's not very readable though but a nice direct view on the rich 40s Hollywood sound).
 
If you're able to identify the (non public domain) composers who influenced the composers you're trying to learn, you can get tons and tons of published scores through libraries (particularly interlibrary loan). Lots of non-PD 20th century music that influenced Hollywood composers can be had this way.
 
If you happen to live in a large(ish) city, remember to check your local libraries, they are an invaluable resource. Especially the main libraries of big cities, hundreds or thousands of scores archived in those, depending on the location you live in.

Similarly, if there's a university nearby, the department of musicology is bound to have a comprehensive archive ;)

(Edit: hah, didn't notice Dan Drebing mentioned libraries already. Indeed, a great resource, with tons of content. Definitely also the academic libraries, if there are some nearby.)
 
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