Music for Prime Time: A History of American Television Themes and Scoring
Soft / Music Magazines
18-02-2023
Music composed for television had, until recently, never been taken seriously by scholars or critics. Catchy TV themes, often for popular weekly series, were fondly remembered but not considered much more culturally significant than commercial jingles. Yet noted composers like John Williams, Henry Mancini, Jerry Goldsmith and Lalo Schifrin learned and/or honed their craft in television before going on to major success in feature films.
Oscar-winning film composers like Bernard Herrmann, Franz Waxman and Maurice Jarre wrote hours of music for television projects, and such high-profile jazz figures as Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck and Quincy Jones also contributed music to TV series. Concert-hall luminaries from Aaron Copland to Leonard Bernstein, and theater writers from Jerome Moross to Richard Rodgers, penned memorable scores for TV.
Music for Prime Time is the first serious, journalistic history of music for American television. It is the product of 35 years of research and more than 450 interviews with composers, orchestrators, producers, editors and musicians active in the field. Based on, but vastly expanded and revised from, an earlier book by the same author, this wide-ranging narrative not only tells the backstory of every great TV theme but also examines the many neglected and frequently underrated orchestral and jazz compositions for television dating back to the late 1940s.
Covering every series genre (crime, comedy, drama, westerns, action-adventure, fantasy and sci-fi), it also looks at music for animated series, news and documentary programming, TV-movies and miniseries, and how music for television has evolved in the era of cable and streaming options. It is the most comprehensive history of television scoring ever published.
home page:
https://amzn.to/415RV0i
Related articles
The Reel World: Scoring for Pictures Television and Video Games (Music Pro Guides)
Soft / Music Magazines
2-01-2023
This fully updated and complete guide takes you inside the world of creating music for film, television, and—unique to this third edition—video games. Industry expert Jeff Rona addresses a wide range of topics including musical aesthetics, cutting-edge technology and techniques, and current business aspects.
It is packed with interviews with the most influential film, television, and video game composers, along with music editors, music supervisors, agents, contractors and studio executives. Packed with insider’s tips, the book also advises on how to nurture positive relationships within your creative team and business contacts.
Includes interviews with John Williams, Carter Burwell, James Newton Howard, Hans Zimmer, Mark Isham, Basil Poledouris, Ludwig Göransson, Marc Shaiman, John Powell, Wendy and Lisa, Joseph Trapanese, and Michael Giacchino. The book addresses:
Music in Twin Peaks: Listen to the Sounds
Soft / Music Magazines
10-06-2021
In this edited volume, contributors explore an essential element of the influential television series Twin Peaks: the role of music and sound. From its debut in 1990 to its return to television in 2017, Twin Peaks has amassed a cult following, and inspired myriad scholarly studies. This collection considers how the music and sound design not only create the ambience of this ground-breaking series, but function in the narrative, encouraging multiple interpretations.