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golfboy
Cadet 3
Joined: Mar 15, 2006
Member#: 13738
Posts: 14
Location: Raleigh, NC
   
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 Posted:
Fri Apr 14, 2006 11:28 pm Post subject: film scores and classical music |
 
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How many soundtrack fans out there think that our favorite scores deserve a place among history's greatest pieces of music? Does the "Raiders" march get mentioned in the same breath with "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" 100 years from now (  just an example), or does John Williams/Jerry Goldsmith/Danny Elfman become just another Salieri?
My own thoughts: speaking as an equal fan of classical music and movie scores, I think that there's a lot of trash on the soundtrack scene today that won't be remembered five minutes from now, much less five years or a hundred (of course  one man's trash is always another's treasure).
However quantity is not necessarily mutually exlusive from quality. Movies are a stage, just as opera or ballet have been the stages of the past for composers to showcase their talent. If today's composers are more prolific then their counterparts of centuries past ever were, and the ratio of trash to treasure is by extension higher than it ever has been, that does not mean that there aren't still timeless pieces that will live on, perhaps even longer than the composers that wrote them or the films for which they were written.
Thoughts...  |
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Hurr78
Commander
Joined: Feb 12, 2004
Member#: 5061
Posts: 739
Location: Toronto
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Posted:
Sat Apr 15, 2006 12:54 am Post subject: |
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Well, it's pretty hard to say... but I'd agree with you to a certain extent, golfboy. I expect that there are Williams or Goldsmith or Elfman themes that will stand the test of time, but much of their work will probably fade into obscurity.
To some extent, I think it has to do with format. This music will be more likely to remain in memory if it's arranged into suites, or other forms. For example, Howard Shore is currently working on creating an opera from his music for "The Fly." A hundred years from now, my bet is that an orchestra is much more likely to play that than they are to play some random track from a ST album. |
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 mellowman
Captain
Joined: Sep 02, 2003
Member#: 2939
Posts: 1119
Location: UK
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Posted:
Sat Apr 15, 2006 4:55 pm Post subject: |
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Interesting topic for a thread, golf.
The majority of film music is from, what, the last 50-60 years? Does that in and of itself preclude it from the term 'classical'? Will the music have to be older to be considered 'classical' music in the future anyway?
The thing is what makes classical music classical? It's like most generic musical terms they tend to encompass a huge array of music. In that sense I consider a lot of modern soundtracks to be classical music. I see no reason why soundtrack composers shouldn' be thought of along side composers of classical music.
In the UK we have a radio station called Classic FM and every Saturday there is a show called 'Music from the Movies'. Says a lot: we label movie music as classical but only enough to play it for 2 hours in a 168 hour week. Interesting. |
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OptimisprimalX
Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined: Mar 02, 2006
Member#: 13611
Posts: 59
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Posted:
Sun Apr 16, 2006 10:02 am Post subject: |
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Film music isn't classical music and should never be called classical music, just as the music of Bach should never be called classical. I consider film music to be an important part of the 20th century music style, which includes bizarre composers such as John Cage and Steve Reich. I think in the future some film music will be remembered as the beginning of a genre and as some of the more tasteful music of the 20th century.
A lot of 20th century music (atonality) may be regarded as a bad phase in music history (or maybe not, who knows?). If that's the case, film music will probably be remembered in a positive light, and I'd say certain works of the largest composers of today will be remembered in a positive light.
I know in 50 years when I'm getting old, I could easily find myself listening to some of the film music I listen to today. It will be interesting to see if I do, and if other people do.
Hopefully some of that made sense. |
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 molossus 
Admiral (Administrator)
Joined: Aug 09, 2005
Member#: 11167
Posts: 3308
Location: Warsaw & once in a blue moon Szczecin (Poland)
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Posted:
Sun Apr 16, 2006 10:14 am Post subject: |
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Interesting topic indeed.
I think that soundtracks are various (diverse). Some of threm can be concidered classical music and some of them not.
And I'm pretty sure that some of them (and probably more than today) will be described as classical music in the far future.
And for me some of soundtrack cues deserve a place among history's greatest pieces of music too.
| golfboy wrote: |
| I think that there's a lot of trash on the soundtrack scene today that won't be remembered five minutes from now, much less five years or a hundred (of course one man's trash is always another's treasure). |
I expect that the same could be said about classical music today. There are great classical works that are widely known and remembered and there is big number of those that are totally forgotten - having no chance of being one of the greatest pieces of history (but should we call it a trash?).
| mellowman wrote: |
| In the UK we have a radio station called Classic FM and every Saturday there is a show called 'Music from the Movies'. Says a lot: we label movie music as classical but only enough to play it for 2 hours in a 168 hour week. Interesting. |
In Poland there is radio called 'RMF Classic'. And they also play music from movies but in bigger amount. Usually they play 3 'classical' pieces and then 3 cues from movie soundtracks and so on. So soundtrack music makes nearly 1/3 of every hour.
BTW: Could it be a proof that in some countries soundracks are regarded more classical and in other countries less classical?
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