Three uses of chromaticism in the music of Max Steiner
Main Article Content
Abstract
Recent work by transformational theorists such as Frank Lehman and Scott Murphy has dramatically improved our ability to describe and analyze harmony in modern film music (i.e., since roughly the 1980s). In this essay, I build on these advances by showing that, when combined with simple tonal analysis, neo-Riemannian theory can also yield important insights into the music of Classical Hollywood Cinema, and in particular into the music of Max Steiner, who more than any other composer exemplified the sound and practice of that era. I describe three different ways that Steiner used chromatic harmony: as a pervasive texture in some unusual cues; as a way of linking and organizing contrasting sections of tonal music; and as a way of reacting to onscreen events (as part of his broader fondness for Mickey-Mousing).
Article Details
Copyright © 2019 by the Society for Music Theory. All rights reserved.
[1] Copyrights for individual items published in Music Theory Online (MTO) are held by their authors. Items appearing in MTO may be saved and stored in electronic or paper form, and may be shared among individuals for purposes of scholarly research or discussion, but may not be republished in any form, electronic or print, without prior, written permission from the author(s), and advance notification of the editors of MTO.
[2] Any redistributed form of items published in MTO must include the following information in a form appropriate to the medium in which the items are to appear:
This item appeared in Music Theory Online in [VOLUME #, ISSUE #] on [DAY/MONTH/YEAR]. It was authored by [FULL NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS], with whose written permission it is reprinted here.
[3] Libraries may archive issues of MTO in electronic or paper form for public access so long as each issue is stored in its entirety, and no access fee is charged. Exceptions to these requirements must be approved in writing by the editors of MTO, who will act in accordance with the decisions of the Society for Music Theory.
This document and all portions thereof are protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. Material contained herein may be copied and/or distributed for research purposes only.