The Spectre of Sound : Music in Film and Television

This book is a major new study - dealing with notions of film music as a device that desires to control its audience, using a most powerful thing: emotion. The author emphasises the manipulative and ephemeral character of film music dealing not only with traditional orchestral film music, but also looks at film music's colonisation of television, and discusses pop music in relation to films, and the historical dimensions to ability to possess audiences that have so many important cultural and aesthetic effects. It challenges the dominant but limited conception of film music as restricted to film by looking at its use in television and influence in the world of pop music and the traditional restriction of analysis to 'valued' film music, either from 'name' composers' or from the 'golden era' of Classical Hollywood. Focusing on areas as diverse as horror, pop music in film, ethnic signposting, television drama and the soundtrack without a film- this is an original study which expands the range of writing on the subject. This book is a major new study - dealing with notions of film music as a device that desires to control its audience, using that most powerful thing: emotion. The author emphasises the manipulative and ephemeral character of film music looking not only at traditional orchestral film music, but also examining film music's colonisation of television; he discusses pop music in relation to film and the historical dimensions to the ability to possess audiences that have so many important cultural and aesthetic effects.The Spectre of Sound challenges the dominant but limited conception of film music by looking at its use in television and its influence in the world of pop music, and extends the range of analysis beyond a traditional focus on 'valued' film music, either from 'name' composers or from the 'golden era' of Classical Hollywood.Focusing on areas as diverse as horror, pop music in film, ethnic signposting, television drama and the soundtrack without a film - this is an original study which expands the range of writing on the subject.
This major new study focuses on film music as a device that controls its audience by using emotion as a powerful tool. Kevin Donnelly emphasizes the manipulative and ephemeral character of film music. He discusses not only traditional orchestral film music but also film music's colonization of television and the relation of pop music and film.

Film and Television Music challenges accepted notions of film music as restricted to film by looking at its use in television and its influence in the world of pop music. It questions traditional assumptions about "valued" film music, either from "name" composers or from the golden era of classical Hollywood.

Focusing on topics as diverse as horror, pop music in film, ethnic signposting, television drama, and the soundtrack without a film, this original study introduces a range of new perspectives on one of the most complex and fascinating aspects of filmmaking.

Contents 6 Acknowledgments 7 1. Overview - ‘Birdie Sings, Music Sings’ 10 2. The Demon of Film Music 28 3. The Anti-Matter of Film Music: The Shining 45 4. The Accented Voice: Ethnic Signposts of English, Irish and American Film Music 64 5. Demonic Possession: Horror Film Music 97 6. Music on Television 1: Music for Television Drama 119 7. Music on Television 2: Pop Music’s Colonisation of Television 143 8. Soundtracks without Films 159 9. Loose Ends and Last Words 181 Bibliography 187 Index 196 "The Spectre of Sound', by Kevin Donnelly, contains a historical discussion of film music. The broad survey, embraces not only film music, but pop music and film, and television music. The films covered include 'The Fog' and 'A Clockwork Orange."