Don't know what made me think of this, but do composers have a specific reason for composing any given cue in a specific key? I mean, I know that they would obviously write a cue to underscore a sad scene in a minor key, and a happy scene would more than likely get a major key. But, and I'm just throwing this cue out there for no particular reason... "The Finals" from Hoosiers... was there a reason why Goldsmith used the key he chose? Or, another example.... the main title from Obsession... again, was it just a random choice of key that Herrmann decided on, or was there a SPECIFIC REASON he chose to use the key he did? Thoughts? I suspect I'll hear nothing but crickets!
There are certain historical associations between particular keys and moods, and individual composers may also adopt/form such links in their own minds. If you observe or form an association between G minor and sadness, for example, that may become your go-to key to express grief. If you're looking for a more objective reason, there's a case for choosing a key that will be a good fit for the instruments you want to highlight (different instruments have different tonal qualities in different ranges) and what you plan to do with them. Should the cellos be humming comfortably in the middle of their range? Should the high brass be shrill and bracing? It's not an exact science, but a good knowledge of each instrument's range and capabilities can definitely help inform the choice of key.
I *really* doubt there's much film music written with any regards to "historical association". Most of that has to do with how keys sounded in older tuning systems when intervals were slightly different and thus different keys actually sounded a bit different from each other as opposed to simply up or down.
A lot of times, though, it's based on how the music itself 'lays' as it were, especially in regards to what instruments are used. Obviously if you want a melody played on, say, a flute playing low you can'y have it played belore middle C (or maybe B if your flute player has such a flute) so you need to write high enough to avoid this. Plus the key needs to give the sound you want that flute to have....too high and you might lose the quality of the color....stuff like that is always a consideration. Then when you have a lot of instruments you need to consider ALL the ranges.
And then there's also facts that sharp-heavy keys tend to work better with strings, whereas flat-heavy ones are good for winds. This isn't a hard and fast rule, but again it's one of the many things to consider.
I *really* doubt there's much film music written with any regards to "historical association". Most of that has to do with how keys sounded in older tuning systems when intervals were slightly different and thus different keys actually sounded a bit different from each other as opposed to simply up or down.
Let me clarify that I'm not suggesting historical factors like this still apply today. I was merely speculating that if you listen to a lot of Classical Composer X, and you decide you want to evoke something particular from their work, then you might wind up echoing their choice of key. I'm not prepared to make an argument about how often this might occur, relative to the persuasive factors related to instrument ranges, etc. ... only that it's a conceivable alternative to "random choice." I should perhaps have listed it second rather than first.
Now that I think about it, I wonder how often film composers in particular land on a certain key because that's the key of whatever was in the temp track!
Now that I think about it, I wonder how often film composers in particular land on a certain key because that's the key of whatever was in the temp track!
I have no formal training in music, but my simi-educated guess would be for one or a combination of 4 reasons.
1. It just sounds cool in that key. 2. Perhaps its a part of a music or sound theory where certain sounds at certain keys stimulate the brain and trigger the desired emotional responses. 3. In a film where there is dialog and other important sounds, music played in specific keys don't drown them out, or draw too much attention away from them. 4. Music is played at a certain key so that when there is a stinger or crescendo it has a more impactful effect.
I have no formal training in music, but my simi-educated guess would be for one or a combination of 4 reasons.
1. It just sounds cool in that key. 2. Perhaps its a part of a music or sound theory where certain sounds at certain keys stimulate the brain and trigger the desired emotional responses. 3. In a film where there is dialog and other important sounds, music played in specific keys don't drown them out, or draw too much attention away from them. 4. Music is played at a certain key so that when there is a stinger or crescendo it has a more impactful effect.
Well the whole point of the equal temperament tuning system that's been used since the late 18th century is that all intervals are exactly the same, thus keys don't have any different sound. For the most part something isn't going to sound any more "cool" or stimulate the brain in one key over another -- outside of the color the instruments themselves make. Point 3 is basically the same, it's more the instruments themselves that would make a difference here but for the most part, not at all. Point 4 makes no sense, at all.
Music has to be in certain keys to accommodate the range of the instruments being used. I just did an arrangement of "Baia" that I had planned to do in Eb, the typical key, but I needed to transpose it to F so that the instruments could play what I wanted them to play.
