Hollywood Harmony, Musical Wonder and the Sound of Cinema
Franck LEHMAN

Applies music theory to popular music, Includes persepctives from aesthetics, music psychology, film theory, and cognitive science, Provides insight not only into film, but also other visual multimedia, Includes many musical examples, playable through the Companion Website. Film music often tells us how to feel, but it also guides us how to hear. Hollywood Harmony explores the inner workings of film music, bringing together tools from music theory, musicology, and music psychology. Harmony, and especially chromaticism, is emblematic of what we commonly recognize as film music sound and it is often used to evoke wonder, that most cinematic of feelings. To help parse this familiar but complex musical style, Hollywood Harmony offers a first-of-its kind introduction to neo-Riemannian theory, a recently developed and versatile method of understanding music as a dynamic and transformational process, rather than a series of inert notes on a page. This application of neo-Riemannian theory to film music is perfect way in for curious newcomers, while also constituting significant scholarly contribution to the larger discipline of music theory. Author Frank Lehman draws from his extensive knowledge of cinematic history with case-studies that range from classics of Golden Age Hollywood to massive contemporary franchises to obscure cult-films. Special emphasis is placed on scores for major blockbusters such as Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Inception. With over a hundred meticulously transcribed music examples and more than two hundred individual movies discussed, Hollywood Harmony will fascinate any fan of film and music. Table of Contents : Chapter 1: Tonal Practices Chapter 2: Expression and Transformation Chapter 3: Neo-Riemannian Theory at the Movies Chapter 4: Analyzing Chromaticism in Film Chapter 5: Pantriadic Aesthetics Chapter 6: Harmonious Interactions