indy4 155 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Hey everyone - I recently wrote an analysis of the score to Tintin that was published in the current issue of FSM Online. Check it out if you have a subscription! Happy reading!If anybody's interested, my analysis of Super 8 was also published in the August edition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incanus 5,713 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Way to go Indy4! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indy4 155 Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 Thanks Incanus! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incanus 5,713 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I liked your thematic analysis and you brought up some interesting interpretations of the instrumentation, structure and meaning of the themes and score as a whole. I as mostly musically illiterate could still enjoy the analysis even some of the theoretical stuff went over my head.The Adventures of Tintin is a score that is at the same time quite familiar Williams for those who have listened to his music for a long time and also new as the subtle nuances and details make it sound fresh.The instrumentation with its extra colour is pitch perfect, never going overboard with the Belgian or ethnic aspects and rooting it all to a symphonic setting. The cartoon spirit is also very prevalent in the music as it changes direction and rolls along with constant sense of motion. I think that if you listen to film scores your ear should be trained to stand this kind of constant change of pace that is absent from most concert hall compositions that usually take a long line approach to exploring musical ideas. Still it does not detract from my listening experience.Williams provides action sequences with thematic story related sections but firmly keeps the ball rolling with insistent kinetic push. This emphasis on the forward motion is something of a staple that has appeared into his music more in the mid-90's and continues to this day, most likely since movie making has also changed, trends prefering propulsion over balletic thematic grace. Williams of course does not abandon the balletic scoring of Tintin's adventures since pieces like The Pursuit of the Falcon and Red Rackham's Curse and the Treasure feature delightful thematic interplay and long sequences of musical development of a single idea or use of a steady action motif. The cartoony nature of the composition is still almost operatic in how Williams spins his themes in and out of the fabric of the score, comment here, a suggestion there, a full rendition to underscore major turn of events at a climax. Williams packs the score full of ideas, although I feel they all happily fall into place to form a network of themes that has enormous clarity (one of his most enduring and strongest qualities). The basic structure of these ideas is such that he can pull them out for a fleeting moment and still their inherent core is instantly recognizable to the ear. But despite these 10+ musical ideas that inhabit the score the central ideas are never compromised and rise into prominence time and again throughout the score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indy4 155 Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 Nicely said (as always)! I agree with almost all of what you said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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