Crop Duster
1. In this course, we have seen (and will see!) a few examples of the ways in which composers have made a living over the years. In the Baroque and Classic periods, most composers were employed either by the aristocracy and royalty in Europe, or by the Church. Jobs such as these generally required composers to write music “to order,” either for social functions or religious services. Their personal musical expressions were often secondary to the practical needs of their patrons. We might recall our study of chant as an early example of this, and perhaps also consider that modern film and TV composers face similar dilemmas…after all, when McDonald’s hires a composer to write a jingle, that composer’s job is to sell burgers, not express themselves. For this discussion consider whether you find a position creating music or art “to order” satisfying? What constraints might it put on your work? Alternatively, what benefits does such a position have?
2. Much of this module is concerned with the use of instrumental music to depict something non-musical, as exemplified in the program symphonies of Berlioz. For this reflective journal, consider how you might depict something non-musical (a place, person, event, etc.) using only instrumental music. Once you have chosen your subject, describe how you would portray it. Consider your choices of instruments, harmonies, rhythms, etc and compose a 100-150 word description of the piece.
3. Messiah’s enduring popularity is driven in large part by the way in which it adapts madrigal-esque word-painting (Review Ch. 16 if needed) and the dramatic conventions of opera (aria, recitative, etc) in order to effectively convey the message of its text. For this discussion, find a contemporary setting of a sacred text (from any religious tradition). Elaborate on how the composer and/or performer have chosen to use musical devices like texture to bring out the spiritual aspects that they, or their communities, think are most important. Is the music designed to encourage participation by the community, or is it left in the hands of trained specialists? Post a link where your group may listen to the piece and a 100-word explanation of the piece and its context.
4. In this exercise you are going to create a leitmotif for a character from television or literature by finding a song or melody that you think fits his or her character. Steer clear of characters who already have generally recognizable themes (Superman, Star Wars characters, etc.) although feel free to “recycle” themes from other films for your character. Compose a 50-100 word explanation of why this music fits this character. Post a link to the song along with your explanation and a photo of the character to the discussion board.
5. In this assignment, you are going to create and share a score for one of the most famous scenes in movie history, but one which (luckily for us!) doesn’t include any music: The famous “Crop Duster” scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959). Now we aren’t going to be writing any music from scratch for this, but instead we’ll pick and choose at least three pieces of music to use as a score. Consider the kind of tone you want the scene to have….especially whether or not you want to foreshadow the way the scene ultimately unfolds. Post your musical choices with the details of when in the scene you would start and stop each piece. For each one, give a description of why you made the choices you did.
