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Silent era
Film music was either provided through phonograph, or by artists or an orchestra being present at the theatre. They had to perform either by improvisation or by playing a classical piece -
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Golden age
Music written for movies started matching the artistry of the films themselves. Many composers have a backgroung working for an orchestra and mostly write orchestral pieces. -
King Kong
Max Steiner, regarded by some as the father of film music, makes extensive use of the leitmotif technique in which specific instruments or themes are assigned to individual characters or events -
A Streetcar Named Desire
This film features a hybrid symphonic jazz score, which is a big step forward for film music given that it was moving away from an exclusively European sound -
High Noon
The song "Oh My Darling" becomes crucial in the commercial promotion of the film. After this, studios began to compose original songs for their films -
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Pop, jazz and westerns
Scores for The Magnificent Seven and the Dollar Trilogy become classics for Western scores. Composers like Henry Mancini and Lalo Schrifin keep jazz relevant in the music industry. -
James Bond theme
John Barry almost single-handedly defines the sound of spy films with his symphonic-jazz hybrid scoring of the popular James Bond film franchise -
Lawrence of Arabia
Maurice Jarre’s score for Lawrence of Arabia creates the template for all future desert soundtracks, fusing of exotic Middle Eastern scales with sweeping string melodies -
The Graduate
The soundtrack for the film was created almost entierly by licensing songs and this practice would continue to influence Hollywood's approach to film usic for decades -
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Synths and John Williams
Scores go on two different paths with the introduction of synthesizers and John Williams reviving the sound of music from the Golden age -
Dark Star
John Carpenter changes the paradigm with his synthesizer score for the film. This would have major long term concequences in the long run -
Star Wars
John Williams score for Star Wars becomes one of the highest-selling non-pop records of all time. -
Star Trek
Jerry Goldsmith's work on the Star Trek series explores the posibilities of fusing orchestral sounds with electronic elements -
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The 1980s
The 80s are full of song-laden soundtracks like the ones from Flashdance and Footlose. Orchestral scores remain just as important with songs for Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, E.T, Superman and Indiana Jones -
Black Rain
Hans Zimmer makes his mark on the sound of Hollywood films with his score for Ridley Scott’s Black Rain, which soon becomes a popular temp track for action cinema -
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The present
Scores for films continue to evolve, by incorporating many kinds of generes, while orchestral music remains very popular. Musicians from non-symphonic backgrounds continue to find success in the film industry and advancements in tecnology have lowered the barrier for new talents to grow.
