This is a unique period in the history of film scoring. THE GOLDEN AGE (1930-1950s) Orson Welles (L) and Bernard Herrman (standing at right) during a 1940s radio broadcast. Suddenly, composers are commissioned by Hollywood to write new material especially for the movies. But! Once the ability to synchronize music and sound to celluloid becomes possible in 1929, music quickly becomes an integral aspect of the storytelling process. In the later case, either a pianist improvises to the film or a small ensemble of musicians performs a classical piece, in the background, as the film plays. Somewhere, a pianist is inspired.ĭuring the silent era, films music is provided by each individual theater, either by phonograph or as performed live by flesh-and-blood musicians. THE SILENT ERA (1890s-1929) Silent film star Mary Pickford. My hope is that by the end of this piece you’ll be more familiar with: A) the history of film music in general, and B) the key composers who have contributed to the development of film music as an art. So I’ve decided to take an active stance in educating filmmakers about the role of music in film and the process of how a film score comes into being. There are a variety of theories that composers have as to why, and they’re mostly related to a lack of education.

Regardless of its importance to the storytelling process, film music is too often an afterthought. Special thanks to the original author of this piece, Olajide Paris.

To celebrate our Board Member matching campaign–which, your donation (and impact!) will be doubled through our Board Members and Friends Matching Challenge, available through this Thursday, September 29–we’re reposting our retrospective series The Fi Hall Of Fame featuring refreshed, expanded and updated versions of most popular blogs of all time.

Dramatic opera music used in movies