A musical score of Citizen Kane utilizing Gorbman methodology - Essay Example

A musical score of Citizen Kane utilizing Gorbman methodology The notion that music in films usually has a powerful effects on its viewers in undisputable. However, the careful examination of the reason behind the effects are greatly ignored. People tend to correlate previously unassociated pieces of drama to what is heard in a film music. Basically, any kind of music played in a film has to have a purpose. Every spontaneous melody or pre- composed piece is a potential option for a cinematic soundtrack (Patrik 45). One has to ask how and why people are so interested in combining drama and music in a film. While it is evident that the full emotional effect of a movie scene is carried through the successful interpretation of audio and visual information, the music in the movie still carries a significant effect for the interpretation if the director’s intent and style. The objective of this paper is to provide an analysis of the musical score of the movie Citizen Kane by utilizing Gobrman and Kassabian methodologies. To clearly understand how to do a music analysis, it is important to understand the history of music in cinema. The origin of music in film is dated back to the Greek melodrams. This is the precursor in both literal language to current melodramas that are being used. A cross in between a play, a fledging opera was always accompanied by music (Patrik 23). As time passed, the melodrams evolved to opera and this eventually gave rise to different types of opera. One of them was number opera which is regarded as a collection of close pieces. The other is continuous opera which includes non stop music. The divisions in continuous opera include the division of the film soundtracks that will later echo. The full fledge support of program music during this time resulted in the invention of leitmotifs as opposed to absolute music. Citizen Kane is designed to evoke emotion through the careful manipulation of audio and visual imagery. Music in a movie carries an inherent sense of mood whose interpretation is generally left to the listener. Nonetheless, in film scores, music is designed to target specific moods that will enhance the Intention of of the director at a particular set of scenes. For example, a dreadful scene will use music with dark overtones intended to convey a sense of fear or suspense. Conversely, a romantic scene will utilize sweeping movement and shift towards a light tone that bears a sense of love. The best way to analyze the film Citizen Kane music content is by combining the audiovisual cues for analysis. In some cases, the audio effect which is composed of gunfire, explosions, high energy profiles will play an important part in determining the certain type of emotional events in the visual scene. A significant challenge for every computational approach is the determination of a domain of features that will carry important information for analysis and modelling. In the film Citizen Kane, the most meaningful characterization of music is done by genre, emotion, style and similarity. The concept of genre and emotion are combined and represented by the director Bernard Herrmann’s soundtrack. The film directors have a myriad of options: They can use music in the background constantly or in different scenarios that evoke emotion. Within the early moments of Citizen Kane, there are static shots of Xanadu (Patrik 32). This is a place that once stood as a physical manifestation of Charles Kane portraying his achievements has now eroded against the murky stillness. There is a shadow of death looming throughout the film and the brazenness is quite evident. The visual and audio effects are carefully used and this is evident from the haunting tones that are used to by Bernard Herrmann. His “prelude” is known to serve as a warning. There is an omnious exhortation that retreats back into daylight.This is an indication that there is a lot of regret to a life that was wasted inside the stone walls. Near the master’s window, the sound of horns becomes much louder and the light the penetrates Kane’s room is smothered in. In the slight darkness, the viewer’s eyes and ears try to look for any form of life. Once again, there is a soft moan of the horns that are able to fill the room just like a thick fog. When the screen fills with the white flakes, the “prelude” changes briefly “Rosebud’s “ theme suggesting a person who is dying and is saying his last words. As the Prelude fades away, it goes back into the room where a nurse has just entered. The next theme is “rosebud”. This scene is about the race in which there is a mysterious lament of a person who is suffering. This theme can be understood much better towards the end of the film. It is during this period that Kane’s childhood was much happier. However, he has turned out to be a failure. Mr. Herrmann spoiled the closure of the movie well before it ended. The Rosebud theme that depicts Citizen Kane is taking his last breath and twenty minutes later we see a young man playing with his sled right (Patrik 69). The more concern to both the listener and the viewer is being able to pick up Mr . Herrmann’s witty film score and carefully assume that it was the identity of “rosebud”. It is quite difficult to pick up the subtle storytelling cues. Herrmann is able to impose the two theme “ prelude and rosebud” in the initial scenes of the film Citizen Kane. These two themes are spectacular and similar in tone as they can be characteristically dissected when a person is what the movie. However, the Sled theme may seem a bit underrated to provoke much thought in the movie. The motif of snow is to create much significant that the use of music. The collaboration of Welles and Herrmann to employ the two important themes was spectacular. While Herrmann’s musical score is carefully engaged in certain scenes of the film Citizen Kane, there numerous instances where the music compliment the images on the screen. This is evident in the scene “ Breakfast Montage” which has quick illustrations that showcase the rapidly diminish portraying the relationship between Kane and his wife, Emily Norton.The composer is able to use cunning editing of a marriage that has lasted for nine years and putting in six concise shots. There are several conspicuous clues in the film more than those that allude the distressed marriage. The lighting becomes much harsher and the dialogue unfriendly. The choice of music throughout the film and the montage depicts the chronicles the of disbanding the couple. Herrmann’s score is to unify the couple while carefully narrating the actions as it unfolds. The music in the film begins in a major mode. The is an elegant waltz that describes the love Kane is so desperately hoping for his new bride. As time passes by, the viewer can hear the stressed of life that affect both the teams. The suspense and tension seen on the screen is also heard. The sound of the waltz is growing louder and much faster thus becoming a mockery of its origin. There is a loveless tune that depicts Kane is a pitful and sad mode. At the end of the montage, it is quite evident that the marriage has not worked. This is evident in Kane’s fast attempt at securing the honesty s reciprocated thus the marriage is unsuccessful. Claudia Gorban methodologies in relation to Citizen Kane Claudia Gorban is a music maestro. He offers a wide range of options to composers who want to choose a specific genre of music for a movie. His pseudo wagnerain orchestration and harmonies that are able to draw well established reservoir of emotive signification. Gorban claims that a musical score explicates, imitates and emphasizes the narrative actions and moods wherever possible. The type of music in a film should be able to fit the given setting of the film. Music creates a sense of tension as it sets up anticipated actions or can either help in prolonging scenes. For example, the minor chords that are used in the variation of the “montage” is intrinsic and unsettling. This is in addition to the fact that it occurs in upbeat dance forms. It is quite disturbing when the voice of this scene is used to clearly explain what Kane is going through(Patrik42). It is used to portray the emotion of the main character in the film. The overtones that are produced in the film do not overlap the major chords. The intonation and rhythm in the songs used in Citizen Kane play a vital role to create emotional effects to its audience. This is evident in the waltz that is a reflection for the Westerners who make the scene much more appealing. In conclusion, the music in the film Citizen Kane triggers an emotional response to its viewers. The musical score employs many techniques that enhance emotions and mood that is correlated with visual effects. The emotional effect is the score of the film on its audience. Hermmann did wonderful job with the music in the film. Work cited Patrik N. Juslin and John A. Sloboda, Music and Emotion: Theory and Research (New York: Read More