Key Constellations

Interpreting Tonality in Film

Táhirih Motazedian

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English

University of California Press
22 December 2023

Films, movies & cinema; Film movie production: technical skills; Theory of music & musicology; Musicals; Techniques of music & music tutorials; Acoustic & sound engineering

Series: California Studies in Music, Sound, and Media

Key is one of the simplest building blocks of music and is among the foundational properties of a work’s musical identity—so why isn’t it a standard parameter in discussing film music? Key Constellations: Interpreting Tonality in Film is the first book to investigate film soundtracks—including original scoring, preexisting music, and sound effects—through the lens of large-scale tonality. Exploring compelling analytical examples from numerous popular films, Táhirih Motazedian shows how key and pitch analysis of film music can reveal hidden layers of narrative meaning, giving readers exciting new ways to engage with their favorite films and soundtracks.

By: Táhirih Motazedian
Imprint: University of California Press
Country of Publication: United States
Volume: 4
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 15mm
Weight: 272g
ISBN: 9780520382169
ISBN 10: 0520382161
Series: California Studies in Music, Sound, and Media
Pages: 198
Publication Date: 22 December 2023
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Contents List of Figures and Tables Acknowledgments Preface—The Scope of This Book 1 The Theoretical Groundwork for Film Tonality 2 Tonal Analysis of the Soundtrack 3 Filmic Characters Rising Up and Settling Down 4 A Tale of Two (Tonally Symmetrical) Films 5 Unheard Sound Effects 6 Happy Accidents: Intentionality and Other Closing Thoughts Appendix—Working Method for Creating a “Tonal Score” Glossary Bibliography Index

Táhirih Motazedian is Assistant Professor of Music at Vassar College. Before her career in music theory, she worked for NASA as a planetary scientist and mission operations specialist.

Reviews for Key Constellations: Interpreting Tonality in Film

""Film music scholarship has welcomed an abundance of new methodologies in the last decade, offering researchers fresh tools to study audiovisual media. Táhirih Motazedian is an inspired addition to this mix. Motazedian breaks new ground by demonstrating how keys, pitch centers, and large-scale tonality – long neglected as irrelevant in film music analysis– can reveal and reinforce narrative meaning."" * Journal of Musicological Research *