Clarity in Composition: Part Two

By Dan Hobgood

We conclude Dan's article from June 14th (and apologize for the delay!)

Finally, I should make a few other comments. For example, just because I debate that a film composer should concentrate on the dramatic implication of his musical contribution to a picture, I do not believe that the aesthetic value in a film composer's score is therefore immaterial. Even Goldsmith has implied that his music has to sound appealing -- to as universal an extent as possible -- so that an audience "will be hooked."14 Furthermore, just as a film composer cannot convey a sense of horror with C-major (generally speaking), a composer cannot convey a sense of splendor or love if his music does not evoke those emotions. Basically this means that while the aesthetic value of a film score should not be over-appreciated, it should not be under-appreciated either. A critic simply needs to make sure that any aesthetic criticism applies to a score's position within the context of a film, and he should consider and explain thoroughly any dramatic consequences that relate to the nature of his criticism.

Also, at one moment in his commentary for Hollow Man, Goldsmith mentions how important it is to him that he satisfies his personal creative and artistic desires.15 His comments in this instance initially might seem to contradict his earlier comments and my arguments, but, in actuality, they serve to reinforce the concepts discussed. Goldsmith says, "There has to be some point in filmmaking where [one is not] doing everything just for the audience (emphasis mine)."16 He says later, "[Doing everything for the audience is] not what life is about completely (emphasis mine again)."17 In making those comments, the composer actually indicates just how much he does try to communicate the story of a film in a musical language that is accessible to his listener.

In addition, Goldsmith's need to satisfy his artistic desires and his responsibility to his audience are not mutually-exclusive demands -- at least judging by the clarity in communication present in virtually all of the scores that he has composed throughout his career. When the composer describes his need to write music that satisfies his creative impulses, I speculate that he simply refers to certain artistic decisions such as his refusal to use violins in the string ensemble for his score for Tora! Tora! Tora! Thus, Goldsmith does not shortchange an audience in any way by satisfying whatever artistic urges he may have. He does seem, however, to add slight obscurities to his works in order to ensure that they appeal beyond a mass audience and in order to guarantee that his scores endure beyond one's first exposure to them; such compositional intricacy should be expected from a skilled craftsman.

On that note, however, I want to reflect upon a conversation that I had a while ago at the University of Richmond with an acquaintance of mine. During our exchange, this associate -- a classical music enthusiast -- stated her objections to the art of film music. I, of course, did my best to emphasize the credibility of the genre and its value to those pursuing greater scholarly understanding of the communicative potential of music. (Ultimately, the conversation formed the basis for my first article for Film Score Monthly, written for the publication's online website in September 1999.)

To begin with, my acquaintance criticized film music as lacking musical substance. I disagreed. Her opinion is hers, and mine is mine. Truly, there is no argument that film music aficionados can make to convince the art form's detractors that their musical tastes are bad or vice-versa.

Second, though, and most important, my associate dismissed film music because she believes that it is regressive and imitative, stylistically. Regardless of whatever her scholarship, this particular criticism is, without doubt, an unsophisticated one...although not because I think that what she said is untrue. In point of fact, I think that film music is exactly as she asserted -- but intentionally so, and that is what weakens her argument. As Goldsmith described to NBC's soon-to-be-former correspondent Jim Brown in an interview that aired on the day of his Carnegie Hall concert in 1998, film music has to be "accessible."18 This is the case because of important reasons examined all throughout this essay.

The accessible nature of film music may be elementary to a music scholar such as my acquaintance, but, given the commercial nature of the medium and the gravity of the need for clear expression, a film composer must aim his communicative effort towards the portion of his audience that is not exceptionally musically skilled or literate. By doing so, a film composer can ensure that his statement is pertinent for as much of his audience as possible. Moreover, in an economical and imperfect world, it is much better that a film composer's music slight the intelligence of a few rather than fail to register with the vast majority of his listeners. After all, even if these intelligent few feel insulted, they -- likely even better than those towards whom a film composer directs his effort -- will be able to understand that which a film composer wants to communicate. The alternative for a film composer is that he caters to the refined needs of a few at the expense of the majority of his audience. Simply put, that is unacceptable. Ultimately, a film composer -- just as Mr. Spock in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan -- must give preference to "the needs of the many" over "the needs of the few...or the one."19

Following the publication of the January 2001 issue of Film Score Monthly magazine, it is finally official: I am the last person to rave about Goldsmith's commentary for the special edition release of Hollow Man. Nonetheless, I express my wholehearted enthusiasm for the feature. In it, Goldsmith reaffirms the importance of clarity in film music composition by indicating that a film composer must 1) communicate effectively to his audience and 2) be reasonably consistent in such communication. Any potential aesthetic and creative demands, although important, should not detract from a film composer's capacity to accomplish satisfactorily these objectives. Furthermore, in a society of people where there are differing levels of musical awareness and comprehension, a film composer should not ignore the needs of the majority of his listeners for the benefit of a cultured few.

Given the criticisms that music scholars maintain in relation to film music, industry enthusiasts should perhaps be careful to avoid evaluating a score strictly on the basis of its musical quality and/or originality. Classical music devotees can recall forever that even the most progressive of film scores -- such as many works composed by Alex North or Leonard Rosenman -- still owe much to preconceived musical ideas that emanated from classical circles. Film music aficionados' fixed concentration on film scores' musical significance only fuels critics' unflattering assessment of the industry...and its fans. Additionally, one should be careful not to value too highly a score's experimentation, etc., because it is certainly possible for film music to be original or daring to a fault. In order for a film composer to communicate to an audience, he must speak in a musical language that an audience can understand. This is why it is fundamentally erroneous for one to criticize film scores for their uninspired musical value.

Filmgoers should recognize the importance of communication and compositional consistency in film music and celebrate these principles with greater fervor. It is by means of such an analytical transition -- a departure from a concentration solely on a film score's musical quality to, instead, a focus upon a score's dramatic significance -- that the art form and its most effective practitioners finally will receive proper respect. In addition, classical music admirers (hopefully) will realize that their criticism regarding the regressive tone of film music is not valid. In other words, listeners will begin to recognize that what accounts for a film score's artistic quality is not the value of the music in and of itself...but rather how clearly a film composer communicates a picture's story to his audience through the language of music.

Lastly, just as Goldsmith testifies that he sometimes does things through his artistry that he only intends to appreciate by himself, there are elements in his commentary for Hollow Man that will appeal to his listeners in a very personal way. Despite the fact that I had read so much about the commentary before listening to it, I found that my favorite moments were those that -- to the best of my knowledge -- had not received any mention (at least at the time). Thus, in closing, my advice to everyone regarding Jerry Goldsmith's commentary for Hollow Man is this: Just listen to it. The composer makes many remarks that will appeal to just about everybody, but I am confident that anyone who has not yet listened to it will find something over the course of its length that has meaning especially for him.

1 Prendergast, Roy M. Film Music -- A Neglected Art. W.W. Norton and Company: New York, 1977. 159.
2 From Jerry Goldsmith's commentary on the isolated music score audio track included in the special edition DVD presentation of Hollow Man.
3 Jerry Goldsmith's commentary for Hollow Man.
4 Prendergast 158.
5 Prendergast 158.
6 Prendergast 159.
7 Jerry Goldsmith's commentary for Hollow Man.
8 Burt, George. The Art of Film Music. Northeastern University Press: Boston, 1994. 3.
9 Burt 3.
10 From Christopher Palmer's liner notes to Bernard Herrmann's 1975 re-recording of his score for Psycho.
11 Spaceballs. Directed by Mel Brooks. Performances by Mel Brooks, John Candy, and Rick Moranis. MGM. 1987.
12 Christopher Palmer's liner notes for Psycho.
13 Raksin, David. "Raksin Raps State of Art." Variety, Vol. 275, no. 1, May 15, 1974. 59.
14 Karlin, Fred. Listening to Movies. Schirmer Books: New York, 1994. 275.
15 Jerry Goldsmith's commentary for Hollow Man.
16 Jerry Goldsmith's commentary for Hollow Man.
17 Jerry Goldsmith's commentary for Hollow Man.
18 Goldsmith, Jerry. Interview. The Today Show. October 4, 1998.
19 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Directed by Nicholas Meyer. Performances by William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and DeForest Kelley. Paramount Pictures. 1982.

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