Hitting the Right Notes
Film Directors and Composers in Harmony
Will be published approx. on 10. November 2026
Book
Hardback
242 pages
978-1-9788-3349-4 (ISBN)
Description
Hitting the Right Notes: Film Directors and Composers in Harmony is a unique, multi-disciplinary volume co-authored by scholars from both media studies and music theory. The book features a chronological and systematic approach that concentrates on analyzing representative scenes from a broad spectrum of mainstream movies as exemplars. With a distinctive focus on versatile analytical tools from film studies, music cognition, and music theory, each chapter supplies background on the time period, director, composer, and their working relationship, then a close reading incorporates both visual analysis and musical elements beyond pitch and harmony. Robust yet accessible, Hitting the Right Notes highlights up-to-date ways of understanding film music, directly demonstrates their application across eras and genres, and displays the artistic magic directors and composers create together. It is essential reading for those interested in film and music.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New Brunswick NJ
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Laminated cover
Illustrations
37 B-W images
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-9788-3349-4 (9781978833494)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Lester D. Friedman is an emeritus professor and former chair of the Media and Society Program at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. He is the author, co-author, and editor of over 20 books on film genres, American cinema of the 1970s, American Jewish cinema, British film of the 1980s, and Health and Humanities including most recently Citizen Spielberg, 2nd Edition.
CHARITY LOFTHOUSE is an associate professor of music at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
CHARITY LOFTHOUSE is an associate professor of music at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Content
Preface: What to Expect in This Book
Foreword: "The Magic of Music" by Mark Watters
Introduction: See Me, Hear Me, Feel Me
1 The Sounds of Silents
2 "Welcome to Sherwood Forest": The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
3 "Think I Might Go on a Piece": Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
4 "Round Up the Usual Suspects": Casablanca (1942)
5 "It's the Pictures that Got Small": Sunset Boulevard (1950)
6 "I Led Too Dull a Life": North by Northwest (1959)
7 "We Always Lose": The Magnificent Seven (1960)
8 "You Don't Sell the Dream of a Lifetime": Once Upon A Time in The West (1968)
9 "Forget It Jake; It's Chinatown": Chinatown (1974)
10 "He's Coming Back For His Noon Feeding": Jaws (1975)
11 "This is What It Means to Be a Slave": Blade Runner (1982)
12 "You Sho' is Ugly": The Color Purple (1985)
13 "The Most Beautiful Thing in the World is a Match Well Made": Emma (1986)
14 "Where Does He Get Those Wonderful Toys": Batman (1989)
15 "God Bless White America": BlacKkKlansman (2018)
16 "Is It Getting Crazier Out There": Joker (2019)
17 Directors Who Compose and Compilation Scores
18 Making the Magic: Concluding Comments
Acknowledgements
Appendix: Director/Composer Combinations for Further Studies
Index
Foreword: "The Magic of Music" by Mark Watters
Introduction: See Me, Hear Me, Feel Me
1 The Sounds of Silents
2 "Welcome to Sherwood Forest": The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
3 "Think I Might Go on a Piece": Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
4 "Round Up the Usual Suspects": Casablanca (1942)
5 "It's the Pictures that Got Small": Sunset Boulevard (1950)
6 "I Led Too Dull a Life": North by Northwest (1959)
7 "We Always Lose": The Magnificent Seven (1960)
8 "You Don't Sell the Dream of a Lifetime": Once Upon A Time in The West (1968)
9 "Forget It Jake; It's Chinatown": Chinatown (1974)
10 "He's Coming Back For His Noon Feeding": Jaws (1975)
11 "This is What It Means to Be a Slave": Blade Runner (1982)
12 "You Sho' is Ugly": The Color Purple (1985)
13 "The Most Beautiful Thing in the World is a Match Well Made": Emma (1986)
14 "Where Does He Get Those Wonderful Toys": Batman (1989)
15 "God Bless White America": BlacKkKlansman (2018)
16 "Is It Getting Crazier Out There": Joker (2019)
17 Directors Who Compose and Compilation Scores
18 Making the Magic: Concluding Comments
Acknowledgements
Appendix: Director/Composer Combinations for Further Studies
Index