What are your recommendations for a guide on film music?

[Bespin Copilot 10,512]

 

Hello, I would be interested in purchasing a guide book on film music in general. A kind of bedside book, with historical notes, composer biographies, suggested works, etc.

[karelm 3,257]

https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Vision-Motion-Picture-Soundtracks/dp/0823084272/

 

[pete 1,298]

I bought this when it came out...-- 24 years ago. Wow

Knowing The Score: Film Composers Talk About the Art, Craft, Blood, Sweat, and Tears of Writing for Cinema

 

Fascinating. I think I have it at home still. Time to give it another read. 

 

And I haven't read this -100 Great Film Scores, but I read a similar book - the exact name escapes me for now, but same idea: About a page on I think at least 100 film scores. The one I remember is also about 20 years old, but the one in the link was published in 2018. The Kindle is much more expensive than the hardcover. I really hate that!

[Bespin Copilot 10,512]

9 hours ago, karelm said:

https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Vision-Motion-Picture-Soundtracks/dp/0823084272/

 

 

This book interests me, but it needs a new edition. The year 2000 is too old.

[karelm 3,257]

13 hours ago, Bespin said:

 

This book interests me, but it needs a new edition. The year 2000 is too old.

Then read this one.  Also good and newer.  Burlingame's is more about history which is actually very interesting and Scoring the Screen is more about how various impactful composers approach the craft. 

Scoring the Screen: The Secret Language of Film Music (Music Pro Guides): Hill, Andy: 9781495073731: Amazon.com: Books

 

The Score.  What I don't like about it is hearing what composers do is very uninteresting for lots of reasons.  Some of them won the lottery to do what they do an that's very much not transferrable to anyone else.  For example, Danny Elfman never sought to be a film composer.  It was Tim Burton who was a fan of Oingo Boingo who pushed Elfman to score his Pee Wee film.  How many people are in a very unique collage band that combines elements of art, punk, rock, pop, jazz, and world, amongst other genres in their sound and gets someone who will become a very significant director pushing you to score their films?  So hearing personal testimonies is far less valuable to working professionals but might be more interesting to fans.  

 

The Score: SCORE: A Film Music Documentary — The Interviews: Schrader, Matt, Thompson, Trevor: 9780692827079: Books - Amazon.ca

 

 

[Bespin Copilot 10,512]

@karelm You know what, after having seen a curriculum by Jon Burlingame about the history of film music, I am very interested in his book on 60 years of film music, even though it dates back to 2000. I believe that this book will allow me to make pleasant discoveries. I'm putting it on my wish list!

 

Here are the recommended readings of this course:

• Burlingame, Jon. Sound and Vision: 60 Years of Motion Picture Soundtracks. Billboard Books, 2000.
• Hickman, Roger. Reel Music: Exploring 100 Years of Film Music. W.W. Norton & Co., 2006.
• Karlin, Fred. Listening to Movies. Schirmer Books, 1994.
• Palmer, Christopher. The Composer in Hollywood. Marion Boyars, 1990.
• Thomas, Tony. Music for the Movies, second edition. Silman-James Press, 1997.