电影音乐(Movie Music)

accustomedthoughwearetospeakingofthefilmsmadebefore1927as"silent",thefilmhasneverbeen,inthefullsenseoftheword,silent.fromtheverybeginning,musicwasregardedasanindispensableaccompaniment;whenthelumierefilmswereshownatthefirstpublicfilmexhibitionintheunitedstatesinfebruary1896,theywereaccompaniedbypianoimprovisationsonpopulartunes.atfirst,themusicplayedborenospecialrelationshiptothefilms;anaccompanimentofanykindwassufficient.withinaveryshorttime,however,theincongruityofplayinglivelymusictoasolemnfilmbecameapparent,andfilmpianistsbegantotakesomecareinmatchingtheirpiecestothemoodofthefilm.

asmovietheatersgrewinnumberandimportance,aviolinist,andperhapsacellist,wouldbeaddedtothepianistincertaincases,andinthelargermovietheaterssmallorchestraswereformed.foranumberofyearstheselectionofmusicforeachfilmprogramrestedentirelyinthehandsoftheconductororleaderoftheorchestra,andveryoftentheprincipalqualificationforholdingsuchapositionwasnotskillortastesomuchastheownershipofalargepersonallibraryofmusicalpieces.sincetheconductorseldomsawthefilmsuntilthenightbeforetheyweretobeshown(ifindeed,theconductorwasluckyenoughtoseethemthen),themusicalarrangementwasnormallyimprovisedinthegreatesthurry.

tohelpmeetthisdifficulty,filmdistributingcompaniesstartedthepracticeofpublishingsuggestionsformusicalaccompaniments.in1909,forexample,theedisoncompanybeganissuingwiththeirfilmssuchindicationsofmoodas"pleasant","sad","lively".thesuggestionsbecamemoreexplicit,andsoemergedthemusicalcuesheetcontainingindicationsofmood,thetitlesofsuitablepiecesofmusic,andprecisedirectionstoshowwhereonepieceledintothenext.

certainfilmshadmusicespeciallycomposedforthem.themostfamousoftheseearlyspecialscoreswasthatcomposedandarrangedford.wgriffithsfilmbirthofanation,whichwasreleasedin1915.