How Film & TV Music Communicate – Vol.1 Text © Brian Morrell 2013

Chapter 8 T H E R I C H C U L T U R E A N D H I S T O R Y

O F T V M U S I C

The history of music is the history of the world through music. Music is a product of its time. If you look hard enough music tends to be littered with clues betraying the age it was created. That said, film music, especially orchestral film music, could be considered to be almost timeless; if you watched ET: The Extra Terrestrial , a film from thirty years ago, what dates it is not the music. Thirty six years after Star Wars was made, it is not the music that dates it; orchestral film music is generally speaking ageless and enduring. Music composed for TV, however, is much more a product of its age and, one might say, a victim of its age. Quite often if you play old TV themes, the music will take you back to the era in which it was written. That is because the music is usually drawn from what was culturally and stylistically popular at the time. There are other important distinctions between television and film. Movies are scaled toward big images; television is a more intimate experience. In movies the on-screen drama is a shared experience between the movie and its captive audience. Distractions are few. In television the images are smaller and TV shows suffer the disruption of ad breaks and a much smaller, less attentive audience, some of whom might get up and leave the viewing during the show. Thus, composers sometimes have the option to be more subtle in film than is possible in most television.

As TV drama budgets have grown some TV shows have become more filmic. Big budget shows like Lost and 24 tend more toward a filmic approach in music, which sometimes makes it more timeless, unique and less wedded to the age in which it was created. That said, the time given to composers of TV shows is even less than that given to film composers, with writers often expected to turn round an hour’s worth of TV music in a week; there is little time for deep conceptualization or for composers to get all their points across, so they are more wedded to stylistic, generic writing to achieve their point. Also the scale of instrumentation and time given to production is generally inferior in TV music. So despite a more filmic approach being encouraged, television will always be television. Also, whereas film music has stayed reasonably loyal to the orchestra as the main vehicle for musical expression, again, TV music is often a snapshot of our time. This chapter will analyse the compositional styles and emotional impact of music from a wide and diverse range of TV shows. The aim is to expose specific consistent stylistic and compositional methods and to analyse and interpret how music communicates in TV.

Music Analysed: Black Beauty (Dennis King) Coronation Street (Eric Spear) The Avengers (Laurie Johnson) Tomorrow’s World (1980s) (Paul Hart) Mr Benn (Don Warren) Father Ted (Neil Hannon) The Simpsons (Danny Elfman) The Life and Times of David Lloyd George (Ennio Morricone) The Sweeney (Harry South) Tales of the Unexpected , Man in a Suitcase & Dr. Who (Ron Grainer) The Persuaders (John Barry) Kojak (Billy Goldenberg) Ironside (Quincy Jones) Starsky & Hutch (Tom Scott) The Streets of San Francisco (Pat Williams) The Professionals (Laurie Johnson) Hill Street Blues (Mike Post) Harry’ Game (Ciarán Brennan and Pól Brennan) Emmerdale Farm (Tony Hatch) The X Files (Mark Snow) Soap (George Aliceson Tipton) Brookside (Dave Roylance) EastEnders (Simon May) Bouquet of Barbed Wire (Dennis Farnon) Owen MD (Johnny Pearson) The Odd Couple (Neil Hefti) Match of the Day (Barry Stoller) Dynasty (Bill Conti) Blake’s 7 (Dudley Simpson) Thriller (Laurie Johnson) Keeping up Appearances (Nick Ingham) Red Dwarf (Howard Goodall) Poirot (Christopher Gunning) ER (James Newton Howard) Zen (Adrian Johnston)

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How Film & TV Music Communicate – Vol.1 Text © Brian Morrell 2013

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DAVID LLOYD GEORGE Ennio Morricone

The Life and Times of David Lloyd George was a political drama series broadcast in 1981. Arguably it was more famous for its evocative, haunting theme, which entered the British pop charts and its cultural consciousness. Since then the theme has been used on numerous productions. It has achieved the kind of following and longevity the show itself never managed. As ever the most important aspect for us is how the music manages to create and convey the right emotion. Below is an abbreviated transcription. Fig.1 Audio - The Life and Times of David Lloyd George

High Strings

Harp

Piano

There is more than a nod toward the recognisable harmonic characteristics of Baroque, but beyond this obvious observation there are a couple of other characteristics which make it distinctive and memorable. There are two interesting melodic points where the melody line hits intervals which are crucial in articulating the emotional content of the music. First of all the first melodic note of bar five and six states the A note (the important and descriptive min3rd and 7 th respectively). The harmonic interaction between the two A notes is notable due to their changing intervallic contexts. Fig.2

th 3rd 7

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What is also notable here is the A melody note over the Bm chord dropping to the D melody note on beat two. This interval of a bare 5 th would normally sound quite stark but representing as it does the 7 th leading to the min3 rd the melody displays emotion. The A to D transition therefore sounds simultaneously both warm and striking. Also the tension and release between the C#sus4 and C# chords is particularly poignant given that the sus4 chord lasts an entire bar before it resolves. Running through all the points mentioned is the exquisite instrumentation (piano, harp and strings) which breathes life into the various harmonies. Fig.3

One of the most effective aspects of the first few bars of this piece is the cross-rhythmic piano part (lower stave, fig.3), which plays six continuous straight crotchets per bar underneath the other parts which play the more standard 12/8 oriented rhythms. Although mathematically the six crotchets ‘stack-up’ to the 12 quavers in each bar, they repeatedly create a mesmerizing sense of unease. The top two staves (piano and harp) ‘line up’ but of the six crotchets in each bar on the bottom piano stave, only two line up (underneath the first and third group of three quavers). Although these cross rhythms do not create an uncomfortable listening experience they do very subtly and slightly skew our aural perception. There are, effectively, two separately functioning rhythmic entities. One is triplet-based and has real momentum and inertia, whereas the bottom stave cross-beat piano part has an entrancing exquisite monotony.

Television as Patrons of Music

In the same way the Church was the biggest patron of music centuries ago, and illegal drinking venues were the patrons of early Jazz, so TV and Film have become and still, to a degree, remain the main commercial patrons of instrumental music. Composers of many of the 1970s TV shows had studied music academically and had a thorough knowledge of the essentials such as harmony, counterpoint, orchestration and arranging. Although many of the themes were ‘cheesy’ by today’s standards, this was simply because it mirrored the styles and approach of music popular at that time. Many of the TV composers in the 1970s wrote copiously for library music companies and some of them played with the leading big bands, groups and orchestras around at the time. The biggest single stylistic influence in film music over its history has been the classical tradition, but certainly one of the biggest influences in television music in the 60s and 70s was jazz; many of the great TV composers were jazz musicians, composers and arrangers. The excellent musical pedigree lots of them shared came to the fore in the memorable themes and incidental music they created for many of the landmark shows of the time. Music for the moving image is rationalised often not by how ‘good’ the themes sounded as music but what the function of the music was and how well it addressed and served that function. The main prerequisites in TV were, and still are to an extent, that the images and characters are brought instantly and vividly to mind by the music. Essentially music ‘functioned’ as a second way of remembering TV shows. Hearing the music would trigger a memory of the characters, pictures, context and narrative. Back in the 1970s music’s function was also largely duplicative; music sounded exactly how you might imagine it ought to sound for the scene and for the show. For this and other reasons many of them passed into public consciousness. Today music is sometimes less obvious and more oblique in its function but back then most things were ‘on the nose’.

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One important reason thematic music was remembered was partly due to the fact that it could be hummed or sung, and in some cases it could even be sung to the name of the show. Many themes from the 1970s and 80s have remained unchanged over the years, save for a few new arrangements; Dr Who being perhaps the most obvious example. But also, who doesn’t envisage Bodie and Doyle driving a Ford Capri through a plate glass window on hearing the Professionals theme? Music heightened the drama and tension of countless television shows, underscoring but essentially duplicating what was happening on screen. Television companies went to large expense to employ large orchestras, jazz orchestras and other ensembles to ensure the music was as effective as it could be. Music budgets were in most cases and in real terms, higher forty years ago then they are now. Composers, orchestrators, copyists and musicians were paid well for their services. The advent and impact of technology over the past thirty years has led inevitably to the trend of one person or only a few people being required to create music. Some have suggested that because of this music has lost a lot of its cultural and aesthetic meaning, but this could be seen as a simplistic and flawed argument based on a reluctance to change and evolve. In financial terms it makes little sense nowadays for a production company to pay for a large orchestra score when similar results can be gained with sample libraries.

Many of the television dramas and even documentaries are now lavish affairs which cost many times more to produce than their 1970s counterparts, but the music budgets often remain stubbornly low. The value people hold in music and the amount they are willing to pay for it has reduced. It remains rare for large combinations of real instruments to be used in many television shows, most of which tend to use samples instead, often to emulate an orchestra. If you were to watch many TV documentaries, they appear almost to have generated their own much-copied style of musical approach, one which is typified by the stark, garish immediacy of the music, the cheapness of the sound and production, and the duplicative nature of its function. Most science documentaries mimic games in that they are accompanied by a loud cacophony of continuous music which often bares scant resemblance to the subject or the film. Nature documentaries tend, on the whole, to be accompanied by large, lavish and loud climactic orchestral music. The music for many of the lavishly scored television dramas of the 70s which use ‘real instruments’ has an air of authenticity hard to achieve with the often sterile digital domain. That said, sequencing and digital technology has enriched music insofar as more people have access to composing. Composition is no longer a preserve of the chosen few. Technology has democratized music and perhaps history will look kindly and record this as its biggest cultural contribution. With all this in mind I would like to look at music from the television show The Sweeney.

THE SWEENEY Harry South

The Sweeney was a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad (aka ‘Sweeney Todd’), starring John Thaw and Dennis Waterman. It was an enormously popular show which was broadcast during a period of considerable upheaval and notoriety for the real life Flying Squad, during which they were accused of corruption.The arrival of The Sweeney completely overhauled TV police drama. Gone was the previously consensual cosy world of shows like Z Cars (once held up as an exemplar of realism). Harry South’s piece speaks the name of the show in its melody line. It’s a very jazz- orientated piece, but not the lush ‘international’ jazz orchestration in films; more of a rough, rock- orientated smaller front-line feel.

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Fig.3 Audio - The Sweeney opening title theme

Gtr / Synth / Sax

Gtr / Synth

Bass

Apart from the rugged orchestration there are other harmonic signifiers that help this piece function as the theme for The Sweeney : the consistent downward arc of the bass line (aided by careful use of inversions) lends the piece a kind of separate dramatic harmonic identity. These kinds of devices and approaches help give listeners almost an alternate, simpler ‘melody line’ which stretches the length of the phrase, unlike the melody itself, which exists in small statements. In this case we have the obvious ‘tune’ but a separate, less obvious counter-melodic bass line with a separate, consistent identity. Also the piece has what has often been called a ‘bulletproof melody line’; the line is bold, obvious and unambiguous and would probably transport emotionally almost as well even without the accompanying harmonies, such is its strength.

The theme traditionally came after an opening scene which lasted a couple of minutes. The contrast between the tense ending of a scene, the brief silence and the high-octane opening thematic statement worked brilliantly. The piece finishes on an incomplete non-chord which leads effectively into the next scene. Also the swung quavers in the melody and bass accompaniment lend the piece a stylish jazz feel. The melody is also bulletproof in that it is clear, defined and can be transported onto another genre with ease, as we can see from the end titles theme below.

Fig.4 Audio - The Sweeney opening title theme

Cor Anglais

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Gone are the swung quavers and the intense jazz/rock feel. In comes the delicate instrumentation of Cor Anglais and flugelhorn. This more sedate version perhaps allows us to appreciate the contrary motion movement between melody and counterpoint (highlighted). Also what’s noteworthy is how, from bar ten, the countermelody is prominent by being ‘on top’ and the actual melody is underneath. It’s worth remembering that ‘melodies’ and ‘countermelodies’ are not ‘real’; they are simply classifications, functions. In songwriting there is an obvious relationship and hierarchy between melody and accompaniment where one is dominant. But in music to picture, whose primary motivation is literary and whose function is to support a narrative, the boundaries are less obvious; melody is switched and shared between different instruments.

TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED Ron Grainer

The following three tracks are notable for many reasons, not least the fact that they’re written by the same person. This is an important point because once again it underscores the considerable dexterity and skillfulness required by TV composers. In an era when film composers are famous for possessing a specific and immediately identifiable style or ‘voice’ anyone hearing the themes from Tales of the Unexpected , Man in a Suitcase and Dr Who could be forgiven for presuming they came from three different composers. Ron Grainer’s eclectic and fertile imagination was driven by a simple Chameleon-like ability to adapt radically to different narrative or stylistic contexts. The style and approach of the music Grainer composed was often governed by quick decision-making aided with a fantastic knowledge of musical structure and pastiche, together with a meticulous ear for detail. Given that most people imagine composing to be a slow, cumbersome, pedestrian process governed by great pontification and conceptualization it’s refreshing to note that most of the greatest film and TV music is written against a backdrop of incredibly tight deadlines and ridiculous pressure. Indeed it is most probably the case that far from ruining the creative process, the lack of time creates its own dynamic; stress can inspire us.

Tales of the Unexpected was a British television series from the late 1970s. Episodes were initially based on short stories written by Roald Dahl which were usually sinister and generally had a twist ending. Two of the main aspects of Tales of the Unexpected in the opening title sequence were the James Bond imagery (a gun, playing cards and a silhouetted woman dancing) and the instantly recognisable Carousel-like theme by Ron Grainer, which simultaneously exuded the twin characteristics of childlike innocence and menacing intrigue. How? How does it do this? How is the music so precise that it conjures up such precise descriptions from people who hear it?

The piece possesses characteristics which create within listeners a mesmerizing and hypnotic feeling; these are meanings it creates within us which make it instantly memorable and make it such an emotional experience. What characteristics of a piece of music make it a memorable, mesmerizing and hypnotic experience for listeners? As always the answer lies in a combination of the sound and music; the sound lay in the specific instrumentation, orchestration, textures and timbres and the music is dictated by the specific choice of melody and harmony. The track features a simple drum kit, piano and sax but there is an underlying synth which copies the sax melody. Also the piece uses a combination of high steel pans, chimes and balalaika. This is one reason for the mesmerizing Carousel feel. The other reason for the exquisite and entrancing monotony, inevitably, is the physical melodic line juxtaposed by the varying intervallic context of the notes. As highlighted below (fig.5) the melodic line in bar five, six & seven is musically identical to bars nine, ten & eleven but has a different intervallic context.

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Fig.5 Audio – Tales of the Unexpected

7th 6th 5th 8 maj 7 th 6th

Contrary motion

7th 6th 5th 7th 6th

5 th 8 maj 7 th 6th

The melodic ‘hit point’ in the piece is each time the Ab melody hits the 7 th of the Bbm7 chord (circled). Alone this is nothing special but reacting as it does to the first Ab note (the root/8 th of the Ab chord) creates a different, less obvious, softer interpretation. The intervallic context of the melody note in the sequence moves from 8 th to 7 th (downwards), the note itself remains the same and the accompany chord underneath goes upwards from Ab to Bbm. This specific harmonic ‘dance’ of melodic reality and intervallic context creates unique harmonic qualities which affect our responses. Fig.6

Note: Ab Ab

Interval (8) 7 th

Chord: Ab Bbm

We can try this by playing any major chord with the root/8 th as a melody, then follow it with the minor chord a tone up with the same melody note, which now functions as a 7 th . The contrast between the two perspectives of the note tends to provoke a slightly dreamy emotional response. There are other small and subtle harmonic factors which combine to further create a slightly uneasy feel in the piece: the melody begins on the 9 th (Bb), accompanied by an Ab chord inverted over the Eb. This initial mild distortion of expectation gives way to a ‘normal’ Ab chord (root-positioned with Ab melody note) before repeating the chord in bar 1. The resulting contrary motion between melody and bass adds to the Carousel feel. In essence what the composer has done is take a chord and change it in two ways, firstly by inverting it and secondly by adding the 9 th by virtue of the melody line.

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From a simple, pure structural perspective the majority of the melody consists of a four bar phrase (three dotted minims followed by three crotchets). This lends the piece another of its mesmerizing Carousel-like features because although we see and hear the four-bar phrase in 3/4 it also functions almost as an entire bar of a much slower paced 12/8.

MAN IN A SUITCASE Ron Grainer

The second piece by Ron Grainer is the highly successful theme to the 1967 British crime drama series Man in a Suitcase (used more recently as the theme for the British show TGI Friday starring celebrity Chris Evans. Here Grainer taps into his big band knowledge and understanding of jazz orchestration and phraseology. This is an important example of TV music for crime drama. Written around the same time as the Avengers theme, this was a much more rugged and earthy approach and would set the tone for other crime dramas whose music followed similar orchestrations, notably The Sweeney and The Professionals.

The impact was swift, immediate and pulsating, beginning with a dramatic chromatic piano motif. If we look at the off-beat nature of the ‘tune’ from bar three right up until the ‘chorus’ at bar twenty, we can see it is extremely rhythmical and anticipated, which gives it a dramatic, panic-stricken air; in fact in bars three- six the ‘melody’ is, in effect, an answering phrase to the chord. Saxes bring in a counter melodic figure in bars seven-ten but still in essence these are lines which italicise the rhythm section instruments rather than dominate them. In addition Grainer uses the well-known #5 to heighten the drama through harmonic tension. This is all delivered via a big band sound with the Honky-tonk ‘pub piano’ sound. This precise choice of sound bought into the main character’s working class image, as opposed to the sleek sophistication of The Avengers .

Note the intensely anticipatory nature of the big-band sound leading up to the ‘chorus’ (at bar nineteen). This dramatic lead up delivers us expertly into the chorus, which is a restatement of the opening motif but with full big band brass and sax section. That this came from the pen of Ron Grainer is testament to the eclectic nature of his writing and his ability to compose and arrange music which captures the shows perfectly. The difference between this and Tales of the Unexpected couldn’t be greater.

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Audio – Man in a Suitcase Fig.7

DR WHO Ron Grainer and Delia Derbyshire

The triumph of sound over music

This third and final offering from Ron Grainer again underscores how varied and multifaceted he was. He wrote the theme from Dr Who in collaboration with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Grainer wrote the theme but it was Delia Derbyshire whose realization of it made it one of the most distinctive, memorable and haunting pieces of music in the history of television. Using technology new to the era she laboriously cut-up and used tape recordings, utilized special effects and used sine-wave oscillators. Grainer was amazed at the results and famously asked, “Did I write that?” when he heard it.

The BBC prevented Grainer from securing Derbyshire a co-composer credit and thus half the royalties for reasons which effectively amounted to BBC protocol and petty beaurocracy.

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Derbyshire’s spectacular use of ‘sound over composition’ mirrored similar experiments happening in mainstream pop at the time, where the ‘sound’ was taking over from the supposed ‘art’ of music and song structure.

Fig.8 Audio – Dr Who theme Synths

Try playing this transcription of Dr Who on a piano or any combination of ‘real’ instruments and you’ll quickly realise that this theme is a brilliant example of the triumph of sound over music. The specific textures created by Derbyshire’s evocative and wonderfully crafted sounds are absolutely pivotal to the success of this piece. That said, some of the electronic sounds themselves create harmonies which affect the overall complexion of the theme, which proves that ultimately sound and harmony are simply two sides of the same coin.

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THE PERSUADERS John Barry

The Persuaders! is a 1971 action/adventure series, once referred to as “the most ambitious and most expensive of Sir Lew Grade’s international action adventure series”. Its two main actors were Roger Moore and Tony Curtis, famous British and American actors of their generation. Moore would go on to play James Bond. Because of its exotic European locations the show was popular worldwide and appealed to a wide and eclectic demographic. The evocative and strikingly original music for the show, which spent time in the UK Top 20, was progressive for its time. Its 3/4 waltz time and instrumentation created a distinctly European feel. The harmonies and melodic line were instantly recognisable and also helped create the ‘European detective’ sound, along with the instrumentation, which included a harpsichord and balalaika. Understandably perhaps elements of the music possessed a Bond-feel.

Fig.9 Audio – The Persuaders opening title theme

If this piece conjures up a specific feel and even ‘meaning’ via the way its harmonies are interpreted by us, then how? Which chords or melodic lines give it a particular flavour? The major 7 th interval over a minor chord appears in the melody and also in the counterpoint (boxed). How does this chord create a specific flavour? The chord (transcribed below) transmits in two distinct ways. Firstly there is a dissonance created by a combination of a minor chord and a major 7 th . Each of the intervals independently is perfectly normal, but the combination is odd; if we look at the chord in bar one, below, we can see it is a polychord. The top half of the chord constitutes the root and major 3 rd of a B chord, whereas the bottom two notes represent the 1st and minor 3 rd of an Em chord.

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Fig.10 Within the chord there are several intervallic dynamics present. The ones to watch out for, the ones which offer a specific flavour and colour are between the bottom E and top D# (maj7 th ) and between the G – the min3 rd (descriptive interval) - and the D# (maj7 th ). Crucially the interval between these two is itself a #5, an interval which evokes real drama.

Fig.11

If we now look at the figure to the right (which has the original chord in bar one and a chord in bar two featuring two notes extracted from the original chord) we can see that, rd isolated, the G and D# (Eb) work as a major 3 and root of an Eb chord..

It is precisely the fact that the Em (maj7) transmits in several different ways that makes it an odd chord. This is a classic ‘Bond’ chord that John Barry used liberally in his numerous 007 scores.

The add2 melodic flavour (circled in the transcription in fig.9) creates harmonic tension which, combined with the instrumental textures, is extremely effective. The melody hits crucial intervals: firstly it regularly hits the major 7 th over the minor chord. Also the melody encompasses a 6th and potentially odd maj7 th interval (highlighted by a perforated lined box). These are particularly effective because the intervals are quick (semiquaver to dotted minim). The interval’s effect is emphasized and italicized by the distinct instrumentation.

MR BENN Don Warren

We are told that children’s music is often more about the sound (the orchestration, instrumental textures) than it is about the music. We are told that children don’t respond to subtle chord changes but they respond instead to obvious stimuli, such as comical orchestration – instruments that ‘stick out’. This is true to an extent but to believe that kids don’t respond to specific harmonies is misleading. Studies have proved that young children respond more favorably to consonant harmony than dissonant harmony. Even with no ‘baggage’ in terms of what we expect – even when listening as children we are still, to a degree, programmed to expect normality and tradition. With this in mind we now examine the theme music from the highly successful and long-running animation series Mr Benn. Mr Benn is a character who wears a black suit and bowler hat. In each episode he visits a fancy-dress costume shop where he is invited by the shopkeeper to try on a particular outfit. Through a magic door at the back of the changing room he enters a world appropriate to his costume, where he has an adventure (which usually contains a suitable morally inclined ‘message’) before the shopkeeper reappears to lead him back to the changing room, at which point the story comes to an end.

One of the best ways of listening to the development of TV music and how it seeps into the public consciousness is through the prism of children’s television. Kids’ TV music has to create emotions quickly and obviously. Because of this many kids TV themes are rather caricatured. Allegedly when foreigners first heard the music to Postman Pat they presumed the BBC was simply trying to be ironic, or that there was a hidden meaning. There was no hidden meaning; the BBC meant it. Children’s TV music themes are often performed by accomplished session musicians who would be also involved in high-profile work. As an example, the musicians on some of the ‘Mr Benn sessions’ included legendary jazz organist Harry Stoneham and famous jazz trumpeter Kenny Wheeler. When one listens to the theme from Mr Benn it’s probably one of the few times you’ll hear a bass clarinet playing the melody.

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But the bass clarinet is key to the melody being transmitted in a physical, textural way; in this context it possesses a comic quality few other instruments have. But the bigger issues are the intervals contained in the theme.

Audio – Mr Benn Fig.12

As we can clearly see and hear, the Mr Benn theme tune trades heavily on the subversive characteristics of the #4. The crucial hit points in bars one and two – the longest and most exposed notes – are impaled on the #4 interval. This, together with the playful rhythmical nature of the bass clarinet/xylophone melody, played three octaves apart, creates a very specific environment. Once again we have the ‘bulletproof melody line’, e.g. a line which communicates a specific harmonic identity without its accompanying harmonies. In this particular example the accompanying chords are brief, offbeat and low in the mix; the melody really is everything. Apart from the #4, when the theme modulates to Eb the melody line hits the 7 th hard the bar before (the Ab) to accentuate the move. The precise characteristics of the #4 are dependent on surrounding contexts. In certain environments the #4 can exude feelings of mysticism and intrigue, which is why it is so used in science fiction film music. In some situations it can appear to be merely exciting and in certain precise situations it can be comedic and childlike. Intervals themselves do not always create a precise meaning; they normally require the addition of skillful environmental treatment, such as instrumentation and orchestration.

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TOMORROW’S WORLD Paul Hart

Tomorrow's World was a program that showcased new developments in the world of science and technology. The choice of music for this show has always been effective. Producers tried to commission music which was edgy and exciting, to mirror the context and narrative of the show. For many years the show opened with a brilliant modern jazz piece written by legendary composer and musician Johnny Dankworth. His theme, an apparent homage to the textured arrangements of the Miles Davis/Bill Evans era, worked brilliantly in underscoring the show’s progressive and technological context. The theme was replaced by a piece written by Paul Hart, which is transcribed below.

This time, rather than go for something which was edgy and at the forefront of music, they went for a piece which possessed distinct filmic qualities and characteristics. The piece is less striking and innovative than the Dankworth piece but it appropriated many of the popular filmic traits of the time which gave it a kind of ‘science-fiction lite’ feel. As with Mr Benn and other shows, the #4 is critical and crucial in relaying the mystique and intrigue of technology. Its well-known science fiction qualities are being utilised.

Fig.13 Audio – Tomorrow’s World theme

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THE SIMPSONS Danny Elfman

The Simpsons was the first successful animated program in American prime time since the 1970s. Pundits had considered animated shows as only appropriate for children. They also presumed animation unsuitable for prime-time television. The Simpsons changed all that. The cultural and societal impact of the show has been far-reaching. The wonderfully crafted incidental music is written mainly by Alf Clausen but the iconic theme tune is a product of the fertile imagination of film score composer Danny Elfman. Below is a brief transcription of the opening few bars of the distinctive theme, which transmits its exuberant playful comedic characteristics effectively. In many ways the theme is a deliberately tongue-in-cheek pastiche which appropriates the distinctive style of many 60s sit-com themes. As we can see, again, the power of the #4 is fundamental to the success of this piece. Its involvement is crucial to the success of the piece in relaying the comic characteristics of the show in a similar way to the theme from Mr Benn . Both use the #4 as a central defining characteristic and also both use octave woodwind to articulate the theme.

Fig.14 Audio – The Simpsons theme (#4) C C

(#4) (#4) (#4)

(#4) (#4) B (#4)

(#4) (#4) (#4) (#4) (#4)

FATHER TED Neil Hannon

Another show whose theme music trades heavily on the potential comedic qualities of the #4 is Father Ted , music by Neil Hannon. The hilarious show follows three Roman Catholic priests on the fictitious Craggy Island, located off the west coast of Ireland. The theme tune for the series was written and performed by Hannon’s band The Divine Comedy. The band also contributed most of the show’s original music, including ‘My Lovely Horse’ used in the episode “Song for Europe”. Below is an abbreviated transcription of the theme. Once again note the crucial inclusion of the #4. The theme tune is sixteen bars long; the #4 comes in at the end of the first 8 bars, a crucial structural point linking the first and second parts of the theme. The #4 in this context highlights the show’s comedic, subversive, abstract and mysterious qualities.

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Fig.15 Audio – Theme from Father Ted

BLACK BEAUTY Dennis King

Black Beauty was not an adaptation of the book by Anna Sewell, but a ‘continuation’ featuring new characters created by TV producer Ted Willis. The theme tune, ‘Galloping Home’ was written by Dennis King, one of the most talented composers of his age. This is one of the most iconic and instantly recognisable television theme tunes in the world.

The ‘rural’ characteristics are almost entirely products of instrumentation and orchestration, particularly the use of French horn. Also the opening semiquaver string phrasing and timpani accompaniment is closely associated rhythmically with the concept of a galloping horse. The opening pictures of the show, accompanied by the semiquaver strings, featured images of a galloping horse. The music, which was described as very English and ‘pastoral’ sounding, appealed to all ages, which was also part of its charm. When people remember the television series Black Beauty , what they remember firstly is the music. Why? How and why does a piece of music so engage its listeners? The theme transmits emotions which create feelings of strength, heroism and romance. One of the best ways to analyse music is to ask yourself, how does it make you feel? Having established the emotional ‘feel’ or ‘meaning’ the music creates within you, ask yourself, how does it do it? What you’re dingo is deciding which musical conventions, harmonic tricks or other characteristics, do the job. You’re listening to the music and decoding how and why it makes you feel a certain way. In a way you’re doing what a composer does but in reverse order; the composer structures the music to illicit general, and in some cases, specific reactions from you.

Looking at the abbreviated transcription below, in which the ‘power intervals’ (root-5th , root-4th ) and the evocative descriptive 3 rd interval are highlighted we can see how different sections of the piece exist structurally, in relation to each other. The 5 th interval is used in hundreds of films, perhaps notably Star Wars and Superman , to evoke drama, strength, valour, fearlessness and courage. To exaggerate the use of bare 5 th intervals and the more descriptive romantic 3 rd interval, I have placed ‘heart’ icons over the 3 rd and an ‘explosion’ clipart image to accompany the 5 th /4 th intervals.

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Fig.16

Audio – Theme from Black Beauty Power, strength, drama Emotion, romance

In order for intervals to maximize their potential they have to be contextualised properly rhythmically. In this context the first group of quavers (bar four) begins and ends with a maj3 rd (this pattern is repeated in bar thirteen) whereas the much more powerful and dynamic fifths have longer note values to accentuate their meaning and maximize their impact. As we can see from the transcription the dramatic root-to-5th intervals come at crucial points; chiefly at the beginning of phrases (bar three and bar twelve after the key change).

CORONATION STREET Eric Spear

Coronation Street is a long-running British soap. It serves to illustrate the cultural importance of TV in the past half-century and more specifically the use and function of music in television. For many people TV replaced books, magazines and newspapers; for many it was a form of cultural democratization. Coronation Street is still the prism through which many people view ‘the north’. The theme and instrumentation of the music reflects the northern working-class; the use of the Cornet and clarinet counterpoint links it both to Brass Bands and Dance Bands of the 50s and 60s, as does the slightly slow swing foxtrot rhythm, which was big in the 1950s dancehalls.

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The theme is comforting and local. It is one of only a handful of themes which have lasted, relatively untouched, for over half a century. Although it has been rerecorded over the years the arrangement has never significantly changed .

Fig.17 Audio – Theme from Coronation Street

We understand how the orchestration encapsulates the ‘northern’ aspect of the show but how do the chords, melody, counterpoint and voicing allude to this? The sounds are nothing if what they play doesn’t also suggest a northern feel. Each of the first two phrases begins with maj7th , 7 th and 6 th chord sequence (highlighted with perforated boxes). These are traditional sequences which to some degree speak of a past generation, especially when contextualised with sounds from the 50s and 60s. Major7 chords create a ‘jazzy’ sound, as do softly voiced maj6 th chords. The use of maj7, 7 and maj6 represent several mini harmonic journeys within one short piece. Each of the first two 2-bar sequences works alone so the piece can be easily distilled and remembered. You could conceivably start listening at almost any part of the piece and still ‘get it’. The trombone closed-style voicing and rhythmic articulation also encapsulates the same dance band aesthetic. The players are ‘pulling back’ on the beat significantly, resulting in a laid-back, relaxed performance; again, this is symptomatic of the style and era alluded to.

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THE AVENGERS Laurie Johnson

The theme from The Avengers is another one of a select few pieces which can be quickly recognized; perhaps not as readily as Coronation Street but then The Avengers never had the constant exposure of Coronation Street . The music and the orchestration are heavily symptomatic of the lavish ‘swinging 60s’ era. For its time the music was sophisticated, stylish, classy and chic. The high strings, written in closed- part voicing, encapsulate the rich sophistication found in the Bond scores of the era. The melody and instrumentation in many ways reflects the glitzy sexual revolution of the 60s through music. In the same way The Simpsons tapped into nostalgia in the 90s and Dallas & Dynasty tapped into the greed of the 80s, The Avengers encapsulate the swinging 60s.

The distinctly decadent international sound is helped by the bluesy harpsichord riff which runs throughout. Many theme tunes of the 60s and 70s used a wide variety of instrumentation to achieve a certain aesthetic. We looked earlier at The Persuaders theme, which made brilliant use of the harpsichord. The Avengers was written by the consummately talented master of character and style, Laurie Johnson, who would go on to create, amongst others, the theme from The Professionals. There is a playful exuberance which runs through many of his themes, which has helped them become part of the fabric of 60s, 70s and 80s pop culture. Like The Sweeney and others, part of the theme (the intro, in fact) can be sung to the name of the show. The Avengers spanned the post-war austerity and gloom of the early 60s right through to the psychedelic transatlantic exuberance of the late 60s. TV shows which, unlike one-off films, run for a number of years can represent a fairly accurate reflection of societal change.

Fig.18 Audio – Theme from The Avengers

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One of the most notable aspects of this theme is that the melody is the chords . Although listeners might rationalise the top note of the chord as the melody, it is only so recognised and iconic because of the grouping it belongs to. This classic lush string writing, where the top note is duplicated at the bottom of the voicing, instantly communicates the type of chord it is but also gives it strength and character. The instrumentation embodies the glitzy culture 60s culture and is very Bond-like; trumpets, low brass and lush strings. The chords are jazz-orientated and the potentially dissonant passing chord of A/C is not heard as dissonant because of the context (e.g. its briefness, what comes before it and after it and the 60s ‘slide up’ to the chord). Instead it is heard as stimulating, suggestive and sexy.

Other subtle harmonic signifiers are the various slight dissonances which subvert the harmonic flavour, seen below (fig. 19, boxed) in a continuation of the theme from fig 18: firstly we have the B natural against the C7 chord, then E against a Bb/C chord and the A against the Ab/C chord

Fig.19 Audio – Theme from The Avengers (cont.) 00.23

These subtle harmonic distortions and nuances, small though they are, juxtaposed by the soft orchestration, give the piece subtle but real distinction. The descending harp line in bar sixteen of the transcription is particularly effective but played in isolation is simply an arpegiated Db chord. What gives it its effectiveness is the hangover of the G bass from the previous bar; thus the effect is created not by the one particular bar but by the memory of what happened in the bar before.

th 5 rd Fig.20 features bar eight of fig.19; we see the Fig.20 3 st 1 th harmony is horizontal, not vertical. Because of 5 rd 3 st this the effect is slightly more gradual and 1 5th 3rd cumulative. The top row of intervals contextualises the notes as belonging to a Db b9 7 chord but the bottom row of intervals placed #11 b9 underneath the notes is written in context of a 7 #11 b920 7 G chord. The complexity and colour of the intervals reflects how we hear them. How Film & TV Music Communicate – Vol.1 Text © Brian Morrell 2013

This is an important observation; it shows how music is rationalised cumulatively; it is the sum of its parts, not just something we can contextualise and rationalise in terms of one bar in isolation. Its delivery is linear but the effect is cumulative. If we were to fuse together the notes in fig.20 over a G bass we would suggest, rather than state, the chord of G (b9/#11) . The transcription below, abbreviating the sequence from one to six of fig.19 shows the drama of the chords: the movement of the chords is downwards whilst the bass note remains on C. But what the C constitutes as an interval rises creating an insatiable feeling of ‘contracting harmony’ which in turn causes a kind of inexorable inevitability.

The Avengers Fig.21 depends heavily on the concept of the consistent pedal note. The dramatic effect Chord movement of ‘pedal notes’ can be heard on hundreds Bass movement of TV shows. (3) (2) (1) Bass interval

American composer Mike Post said “I use pedal points a lot”, adding that they were “one of the three or four great tricks of all time”.

HILL STREET BLUES Mike Post

The music for Hill Street Blues was laidback and understated; unassuming and unobtrusive. The show itself was a major departure from the type of cop shows that had gone before. Gone were the heroes and anecdotal stereotypes. Some of the camera action was rapid and handheld. In fact it was the first mainstream TV drama to use handheld cameras; something that lent the show a documentary-style gritty realism. Each episode featured a number of intertwined storylines. Much was made of the conflicts between the work lives and private lives of the individual characters. The show dealt with real-life issues much more than previous shows in the TV Cop genre.

Fig.22 Audio – Theme from Hill Street Blues

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The key question is, how does the style of the music in terms of harmony, melody and instrumentation, effect and engage with the narrative of the show? Why and how do we associate the show with the music? The pedal note is prominent throughout. Few bars have entirely root-position chords; the piece is built around either slash chords or inversions. The first few bars are entirely worked around the pedal note. The transition and interplay throughout the piece centres around the concept of the right-hand chord movement whilst the left hand remains on one note. The exchanges are not dissonant but contain soft harmonic tensions. This is delivered through the soft textures of piano, Larry Carlton’s distinctive guitar plus bass and drums with a small string section also.

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The pushed rhythmical colour is created by a sequence which contains a dotted quaver followed by a semiquaver tied to a dotted minim. Were it not for this rhythmical sequence the slash chords and pedal notes would not have the same effect. One works with the other. They work together to deliver the context. This is the hallmark of good writing; different elements of the compositional process work together because they are normally conceived together. From bar thirteen to fifteen inversions play a crucial role in building drama in this piece by virtue of the ascending bass line, which creates emotion and a sense of growing, impending momentum.

KOJAK Billy Goldenberg

Fig.23 Audio – Theme from Kojak

Billy Goldberg’s iconic theme tune to this successful American TV detective show makes expert use of the pedal note too, in the opening of the theme; especially the penultimate bar of the phrase, which displays considerable but flirting dissonance. The modern jazz orchestration, dissonances and pedal notes which act as a harmonic gelling agent for the phrase, combine to create a memorable intro. The intro creates a specific, identifiable and definable harmonic flavour which is exciting, unsettling and dramatic. These types and styles of themes were the hallmark of 70s American cop shows.

IRONSIDE Quincy Jones

The jazz orchestra and dissonance were regular features in a host of successful detective dramas in the 70s. The opening theme for Ironside was written by Quincy Jones and was one of the first synthesizer-based television theme tunes. In the transcription below we can see how the composer has used dissonance to convey the urgency and gritty drama of the show. The piercing trumpets and soft horn counterpoint works well in articulating the dissonance. There is subtle harmonic tension on bar two of the excerpt between the top trumpet on Eb (min 3 rd ) and the D (2 nd ). In the same bar we have the (Gb) flattened 5 th horn note. This trend of added 2nd and flattened 5 th continues throughout with the trumpet melody stating the 2 nd on bar four and the flattened 5 th appearing in bars four, five and eight. If we look closely at the rhythmical elements of melody and counter melody we can see a consistency and similarity (highlight) in the direction of the movement

Fig.24 Audio – Theme from Ironside Trumpets

Horns

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STARSKY & HUTCH Tom Scott

Starsky & Hutch was a successful American cop thriller television series. The hugely successful theme tune ‘Gotcha’ was composed by iconic jazz saxophonist and composer Tom Scott. It capitalized on the success of jazz-funk and its energy and rhythmic vitality captured the time and narrative of the show perfectly. The show was ‘cool’ and so was the music. Nowadays the show seems dated and so does the music, because it is so much a product of its time. Music from shows of this era locked into the spirit of the time just as much as they did the narrative.

Fig.25 Audio - Starsky & Hutch theme 0.30

From an instrumental perspective the Jazz-Funk aspect is immersed in the rhythm section, distinctive percussive piano, synth and Tom Scott’s Alto sax.

From a rhythmical perspective there are interesting characteristics which help us identify how Funk works.

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Funk depends on syncopation; specifically it relies on the interplay between syncopation and what we might call non-syncopation (on the beat and in front / behind the beat). If we look at the bass line in the opening 12 bars of fig.25 (boxed) it is entirely pushed. This is one of the distinctive hallmarks of Funk. However, if we look at the sax part, ( ) one of the specific identifiable and memorable points is that the phrase arrives on the beat for nearly the entirety of bar one. It is the interplay between syncopation and non-syncopation that creates the groove. You can’t have one without the other. The ordered way syncopation and non-syncopation thread together is something that defines Funk and it is the central to the success of this theme. Even with Jazz-Funk fusion there is a plan, an order, something we can rationalise, understand and emulate. The Alto sax line is strengthened and exaggerated by the clever use of parallel 4 th intervals between it and the line underneath. This gives the section a clinical, mechanical, square, chromatic edge.

THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO Patrick Williams

Truly one of the original ‘American cop shows’, this show revolved around two cops and centred around crime in San Francisco area. In keeping with almost every cop show theme tune from the 70s, the music encapsulated elements of progressive jazz and rock, fused together in a way which brought originality and urgency to the TV cop genre. Jazz, Blues, Rock and Funk were fused together in the theme from The Streets of San Francisco.

The ‘stabbing’ bass (on bass guitar, baritone sax and bass trombone) displays two important points: firstly the syncopated nature of the second and third note is implicit of the Funk element; secondly it shows attention to detail when it comes to overall architecture and placement. The bass and harpsichord lines are effective phrases but the reason they sound great is because of where they sit in relation to their counterpart. The two phrases are the introductory tune; without the bass motif the harpsichord line would be rhythmically lost. The harpsichord line is delivered in a rhythmically cross-beat, anticipatory way which lends it a tremendous sense of urgency. But it needs the initial ‘on the nose’ bass figure in order for it to work. In bar six to the harpsichord Bluesy phrase is delivered over two-bar time scale; from bar seven to eight the phrase is shorter before returning to the initial two-bar phrase in bar nine to introduce the main theme at bar eleven.

The intro therefore is a ten-bar phrase, which, being a little odd, injects more urgency into the phrase and the inexorable inevitability of the theme which follows

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Fig.26 Audio - Theme from ‘The Streets of San Francisco’

1 m3 #4 5 #4 4 #4 4 m3

Em

.

5 #4 4

The effective but brief clash between th the 5 and #4 is probably the most memorable dissonance in the piece,

Am9 and again it displays the Jazz influence Double time

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The change to double-time swing at bar fifteen is an excellent piece of Big Band jazz writing; the horns / melophoniums are playing a cross-rhythmical anticipated line which is harmonically as diverse as it is rhythmically.

As we can see from the isolated example transcribed in fig.27, we see the horns / melophoniums as quavers grouped in 2s and 4s. However, we ‘feel’ them is in groups of 3, which creates a wonderful anticipated pushed feel, added to by the trumpets, whose second anticipated chord falls on 2 nd beat of bar two.

Fig.27 Am9

We see and read the horns as quavers grouped in 2s and 4s but (because the high trumpets accent and italicise specific beats) we ‘feel’ and hear the horns in groups of 3

The ‘crunchy’ dissonance of the 2 nd , 3 rd & 5 th

THE PROFESSIONALS Laurie Johnson

The Professionals was created by TV drama legend Brian Clemens, one of the driving forces behind The Avengers, whose composer, Laurie Johnson, was asked to provide a theme for the new venture. The show featured three main characters; Bodie, Doyle and Cowley and centred round the activities of government department CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5).

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Audio – Theme from The Professionals Fig.28

Just like other iconic TV themes, The Professionals was a product of its time and its culture. Arriving in 1977 it encompassed elements of 70s pop music, including Disco. The music is perhaps notable for two other things; firstly although it had Disco characteristics (wah-wah guitar, high hat 16s) it also added blue notes into the melody line. Also there were no accompanying chords for the most famous section of the piece (fig.27, above). The piece was entirely dependent on the archetypal ‘bulletproof melody line’ – e.g. one which was strong, simple and suggestive of supportive chords which didn’t need to be stated because they were inferred. From a rhythmical perspective the piece is reliant on syncopation; arguably the most crucial notes are the third ones in bars one and four, which are syncopated.

HARRY’S GAME Ciarán Brennan and Pól Brennan

Harry's Game was a British television drama made by Yorkshire Television in 1982. It is based on a book by TV journalist-turned thriller writer Gerald Seymour, which was published in 1975. The TV series wasn’t an enormous success but the music lived on and has been used on numerous projects. It was written by the main composers from the vocal group Clannad, which featured the then unknown Enya. The music has been used in movies too; most notably Patriot Games. In addition, and more recently, it has been sampled and used in dance music (Chicane – Saltwater). Fig.29 Audio – Theme from Harry’s Game

add9 A/C#

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Again, many people remember the music before they remember the film that it was written for. Why? What sounds, textures, harmony, melody, orchestration and voicings are instrumental in making this music sound so evocative and emotive? From a ‘sound’ context the mixture of the warm 70s analogue synth sounds filling the bottom register, together with the atmospheric textural qualities of the voices is crucial. One cannot imagine this music being played by any other instruments such is the degree to which the sound matches the music. Play these harmonies on a piano and they lose most of their meaning. This of course is not to deny the power of harmony and voicing, without which the music would not exist in the first place. The solo voice section right at the beginning is effective to be sure, but only in contrast to what comes on bar seven. Music is built on a series of actions and reactions. Listening is a reactionary pursuit. All roads in this piece lead either to or from bars seven to ten. This is the section of the piece that comes again and again and to which people gravitate when listening. If a few seconds of this song is used for a film or other project such as dance music, it will be bars seven to ten. Everything is heard in context of this short section. In terms of analysis the first thing is to look at is the subtle difference in voicing between the synth and vocals. The subtly different voicings and inversions mean that both sounds don’t occupy exactly the same harmonic and sonic territory all the time, which means their various textural qualities still penetrate individually. The sounds are similar but not identical, complimentary but not indistinguishable.

Fig.30

st nd nd st Root 1 inv Root 2 inv 2 inv Root 1 inv Root

Root Root 1st inv Root

Given that bars seven-ten are the song it’s interesting to note that, in all probability, bar eight (boxed) is the epicenter of this section. It displays the most extravagant harmonies and is the longest and most exposed chord; vocals state an inverted major chord with an added 9 th whilst the synth plays a low-voiced min7. The two chords are similar versions of each other and work beautifully together. The top B vocal note represents the highest note in this small section. The top vocal line following the long B, are B, A and G#. This maneuver has inherent warmth because it ends on the major 3 rd of the E chord. The vocal hasn’t hit the major 3 rd up until that point.

This might seem like spectacularly indulgent analysis but these are the reasons music manage to create a sense of emotion and meaning. We all respond in different ways to music but there are inherent similarities in the way we all react to certain things and the way we experience some elements of music. To understand these is to understand how music communicates.

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EMMERDALE FARM Tony Hatch

The original theme was beautifully and expertly arranged to capitalize on the rural feel of the music. Unfortunately various reinterpretations over the years have brutalised the original theme to the point where essentially they represent different experiences. Music is a product of its sound and what it is – e.g. the music itself. The theme from Emmerdale Farm (later to become simply Emmerdale ) has been rearranged to the point where the original intricacies and nuances which defined the music have been all-but lost. The show is a popular and critically acclaimed long-running British soap drama broadcast since 1972. It is set in a fictional village in West Yorkshire, England. Music for the show was written by prolific composer Tony Hatch. Key to the success of the music is the way it reflects the rural nature of the show. How does it do this? Once again it’s a combination of sound and music. The ‘rural instrumentation’ lay in the use of strings, piano and oboe as the lead instrument. This accords the piece a Pastoral air. The gentle lilting pedestrian nature of the orchestration also helps. But if this is the case, what gives the piece its dramatic edge? This is, after all, a drama, not a farming documentary. Tony Hatch carefully weaves a collection of lines and contours that hit specific intervals which have subtle but definite characteristics. A surface level analysis reveals a two-bar motif which basically drops a tone each time, excepting a couple of note changes. The oboe melody effectively takes off where the distinctive arpegiated piano intro leaves off at the end of bar one. On beat three of bar two the accompanying chords raise to a 1 st inversion, which they do again in bar four. This heightens the drama.

Fig.31 Audio - Original theme from Emmerdale Farm

However, a more thorough analysis reveals that the theme features some unconventional intervals. Over a Dm chord (bar two) the lead line settles for the longest amount of time on the 4th (the G). It could be argued that this is not conventional and represents one of the ingredients which create a slight and almost imperceptible drama. Then over a C chord (in bar four) the melody settles briefly on the 4th again , which this time is the note of F. This is particularly interesting because it is not a sus4 but an add4; the 3 rd exists in the accompaniment. This is theoretically the most dissonant aspect but shrouded as it is in cotton-wool orchestration, this slight and brief ambiguity adds to the overall drama and romance of the music without creating real dissonance.

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The 4 th appears again in bar six as an Eb. This great chord change from a root positioned Bb to a 2 nd inversion D chord is exquisite, more so because the Eb melody line bleeds over into the D chord, functioning eventually as a romantic b9. The descending bass line (root of the Bb down a semitone to the A of the D chord) works well too, creating its own journey. The bar after each statement of a 4 th the melody line resolves to a major 3 rd to highlight and consolidate the romance of the theme. So not only is there rhythmical consistency in the melody; there is also harmonic consistency; the 4ths are highlighted below by circles and connecting lines. The equally prominent major 3rds are highlighted by triangles and perforated connecting lines.

Fig.32

The arpegiated piano intro is dramatic and provoking, bleeding into the melody itself in bar two. Indeed the arpegiated line works in a similar way to the drums at the beginning of EastEnders in that it functions as an ear-catching sonic logo. Whenever you dig deep into a theme or a song that has captured the imagination and attention of millions of people, there is always something there which you wouldn’t expect. It is usually this that gives the piece distinction. This is not to say that something that gives a piece specific distinction is always odd or weird or ‘off the page’. It could merely be a particular group of intervals used in certain way; it might be slightly odd intervals juxtaposed by soft orchestration and pedestrian delivery, which is essentially one of the endearing aspects of Emmerdale .

As I said earlier various re-arrangements and re-imaginings of this theme have been commissioned over the years, so much so that it has lost much of its initial impact. Some of the internal harmonies and counterpoint have been lost to history in the remakes, as has the distinctive Pastoral orchestration. Worse still newer versions have increased in speed. Diversely different figures in music, Bob Marley and Beethoven, both said that ‘music dictates its own speed’, meaning that there is an ideal, almost natural equilibrium in music – a speed at which a piece will ‘work’ and ‘sit’. This is usually the speed it has been conceived at. The arpegiated piano intro is one aspect which has been retained in the newer versions.

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THE X FILES Mark Snow

The X-Files is an American science fiction television series created by screenwriter Chris Carter. Seen as a defining series of its era, The X-Files tapped into popular culture and on a different level to a general public mistrust of governments and large institutions. It was perhaps the ultimate conspiracy theory TV drama, the central tenant of which was the crusade to uncover the existence of Alien life. Mark Snow composed the music for all the X-Files television series and films and has been nominated with over twenty awards and nominations. Why? This music is perhaps one of the most widely recognised television themes of the 1990s. It is utterly distinctive and instantly recognised. What aspects of the music make it so potent?

Fig.33 Audio – The X Files theme

“Whistling Joe”

Synth

Strings

Snow created some arpeggios through an echo device. A melody line was quickly generated, whistled by Snow’s wife and doubled up with the ‘whistling Joe’ sound patch from the Ensoniq Proteus synth module. The resulting piece of music, received at first with great uncertainty at Fox, became iconic and one of the key selling points of the show. Why? Melody is how we ‘hear’ music; it is how we engage on a peripheral level. But what we listen to , what affects us deeply, is often something we’re not aware of, can’t rationalise and therefore presume isn’t important. With this in mind forget the whistling melody, effective though it is. Counterpoint is everything in this theme. Let’s look at the arpegiated sections below. The reoccurring counterpoint melodic pattern is a classic example of the effectiveness of horizontal harmony. It is delivered in a linear sequential way but we listen to the cumulative effect – the implied chord.

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Fig.34

To the left we have what the sequence would look like if the top interval of the arpeggio was the octave. It’s dull, traditional-sounding and obvious.

The major 7 th on top of the minor arpeggio is arguably too jarring; too dissonant for thematic material. It overstates the case.

The implied m7 chord is too loose, jazzy and casual.

The maj6 th in context of a minor arpeggio is perhaps to too filmic and overcooked.

The min6 does something different - it exists in the middle of the extremes. There is a dissonance at the top between the 5 th and minor 6 th but it is not extreme and grating. The semitone between the 5 th and m6 th sounds strange and, given the texture of the sound, almost dreamlike.

It is faintly discomforting, which works to create suspense and intrigue. These two intervals would normally not be found occupying the same chord. If they were it would normally create rather obvious tension. If, however, they appear side by side in quick succession, a slightly different context and dynamic has been forged. You have gotten inside the cracks of harmony. The great thing about how arpegiated horizontal harmony functions is that its effects are graduated, subtle and understated; inferred rather than stated. Normally all the notes in a chord are stated at the same time. However, ask yourself which bar below (fig.35) you think works.

Fig.35 Obvious Less obvious and more subtle

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Comedy

When creating music for comedy TV shows composers are usually attempting to italicize and exaggerate the comedic elements or are instead ‘playing it straight’; juxtaposing the visual and narrative comedy by writing music which plays the drama and ignores the comedy. There is obvious comic potential in certain instrumental characteristics. For example, earlier we looked at Mr Benn, which makes excellent use of the Bass Clarinet. Also some instruments assume a comedic quality when used out of their natural environment. Thus it is the context which is funny, not the instrument per se.

There are some harmonic sequences, characteristics or situations which display natural comic potential because their oddness is more ‘quirky’ than unsettling. In the next few examples we will look at instances where the harmony, melody and/or instrumentation have created comic effect and we will analyse why and how this is achieved.

SOAP George Aliceson Tipton

Soap was an American sitcom, created as a parody of daytime soap operas, presented as a weekly half-hour prime time comedy. Openly controversial and addressing a number of taboo subjects, it poked fun at the whole Soap Opera genre but ‘played it straight’. The music wasn’t overtly comic from an instrumental perspective but with the chord sequences created a kind of playful sardonic humour. How can harmony do this?

Audio - Theme from ‘Soap’ Fig.36

Bb

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Seen in the correct harmonic environment with Bb as the key centre, below (fig.37) we can see the chord possibilities in this key. As described in much greater detail in the chapter entitled Music Theory in Action , the perforated circle contains the ‘usual suspects’; the chords usually found in the majority of music relative to the key centre. Chords outside the perforated circle to the left or right represent those which work in a less obvious way.

Fig.37

G C F Bb Eb Ab Db

Em Am Dm Gm Cm Fm Bbm

With this in mind, look again at the chord sequence in the theme from Soap . The first chord change from Bb to G takes the song outside its key centre. This in itself is not odd or particularly noteworthy, except that this chord change is the first one in a cyclical series (the whole sequence is Bb, G7, C7, F7 - Bb) which delivers the chords in a seesaw motion, (a 4 th apart each time) as it travels back to the centre chord. There is a light-hearted unavoidable inevitability to the sequence. It is a colourful and unsubtle sequence but one which finds its way into jazz, blues and Gospel music. The semitone movements (highlighted in the perforated boxes) capitalise on the jazzy / bluesy feel.

RED DWARF Howard Goodall

If we look at Howard Goodall’s theme to Red Dwarf , below, the relationship and effect of the C to A7 (via Gm/Bb) has a similar effect to the Bb – G sequence in Soap.

Fig.38 Audio – Theme from Red Dwarf

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KEEPING UP APPEARANCES Nick Ingham

The following sequence is from British comedy Keeping up Appearances . The show centres round social- climbing snob Hyacinth Bucket (who insists her surname is pronounced Bouquet ). Bucket is an insufferable name-dropping bragger who likes to pretend she is better than everyone else. Over and above the obvious slightly comic woodwind (including the ascending bassoon line at the start) and the jaunty rhythmic nature of the melody, harmony and counterpoint, are there any other ‘comic’ signifiers in this piece, part of which is transcribed below?

Fig.39 Audio – Theme from Keeping up Appearances

Fig.38 Audio – Theme from ‘Keeping up Appearances’

Think back to the areas where we have discussed how ‘the denial of expectation’ affects the listener. We have previously looked at this concept in connection with dramatic music for big films, but one of the ways comic music communicates is by replacing something we expected with something we didn’t; catching us unaware. You might ask how can replacing something with something less expected work well in straight drama and TV comedy? The answer lies in the overall context in which the ‘denial of expectation’ is delivered. Music that might be somber and heavily textured which suddenly does something odd or abstract will create surprise. Whereas if we have something jaunty and traditional and very British, which suddenly does something a little out of harmonic character, the surprise we experience will be different; the context will make it lighter, more open to comedic interpretation.

Consider the piece below, which is a transcription of what the Keeping up Appearances theme might have been like if the composer was ‘playing it straight’. If the composer had been trying to evoke authentic pomp and ceremony and not illicit irony or comic effect, this is how he might have written it. The delicate quaver melody is not interrupted by a 2/4 bar. Also, other than the passing chords, the harmonic structure is rooted to the C chord.

Fig.40

THE ODD COUPLE Neil Hefti

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The actual theme, below, is skewed in the third bar of the melody by the chord of G7 (made more obvious by the prominent B note*) and by the fact that most of the quaver woodwind parts don’t correspond to the G chord underneath. It is the harmonies in this bar which illicit some of the comedic effect of the piece because they represent a skewed, almost silly version. Fig.41

*

THE ODD COUPLE Neil Hefti *

The Odd Couple was a film and TV comedy based upon the play of the same name written by Neil Simon. Felix and Oscar are two divorced men with opposing lifestyles who live together in an apartment. The theme is a curious melancholic mix of humour and sad resignation, which is a spectacular success because that’s an exact copy of the Odd Couple narrative. But how does music achieve this? Can music really create within listeners feelings such as ‘sad resignation’?

Fig.42 Audi – The Odd Couple theme Brass

Woodwind

Saxes

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First let’s look at the light-hearted elements, which are essentially created by the playful, jaunty animated theme, played in octaves the first time round and playing a 4 th apart the second time round. The dotted quaver/semiquaver rhythm of the melody is easily digestible, creating a ‘happy, bouncy’ feel. Bars eleven, thirteen and fifteen have the gorgeous empty beat at the beginning. I say gorgeous because a piece like this proves the old notion that empty space is music if it exists in a musical context. This is probably the best example out there of an empty beat being so poignant and important (the other one might be the end of the iconic brass fill in Rosanna by the band Toto). On bar eleven / thirteen / fifteen the first beat is ‘empty’ with the emphasis on the second beat; this is made more effective by the fact that the preceding phrase leaves nearly two bars melody-free prior to the ‘empty beat’ thus making it more pronounced and exquisite. Looking toward the harmonic accompaniment, below, we observe what may account for the melancholic poignancy of the harmonies. The Fm7 to Bb9 chords (bars three to ten) lay a 4 th apart but in the specific tight sax voicing of bars one-eight, only one note physically changes . Fig.43

3

What is without doubt is that the Bb9 is an ‘extension heavy’ chord; it has a higher than normal number of extensions in ratio to primary intervals. When extensions begin to outnumber primary intervals chords can sometimes lose tiny elements of their basic identity which can create a slightly entrancing and absorbing sound. Most of the five notes of each chord do not move physically but move in terms of what we perceive to be their intervallic context. On surface level we hear static notes which appear to work as two completely different chords. This sometimes creates a slightly mesmerizing feeling. The Bb9 is, effectively, in terms of voicing at least, simply an Fm6 over a Bb bass played by the bass guitar. So in essence we can hear the Bb9 as a Bb9 or an Fm6, which means it slightly blurs the usual harmonic certainties which pervade music.

Fig.45 Fig.44 7 Fig.44 shows the intervals 3

belonging to a Bb9 chord, 1 5 whereas the self-same notes 6 3 9 in fig.45 now belong to an 5

Fm6 chord. 7 3

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Fig.46 shows how the intervals in the chord change of Fm7 to Bb9 evolve independently of the notes themselves, most of which remain physically static.

Fig.46

Ab (3 rd ) to Ab (7 th ) F (root) to Ab (5 th )

C (5 th ) to Ab (9 th ) Ab (3 rd ) to Ab (7 th ) The contours underneath displays the notes as The contours underneath displays the intervals relative to the chord the chord individual note movement from the saxes produced. 7th during the Fm7 – Bb9 manoeuvre 5th Ab Ab rd F F 3 Eb 1st

th 7 D

3rd C C Ab Ab 9th 7th

5th 3rd

Similar movements happen in the second half of the piece although the chords are more varied this time. Bar nine (of fig.42) enjoys some spectacularly effective voicings with minimal movement; although the chord and intervallic qualities of the notes change significantly, the notes are absolutely static. In other words, what forces the intervallic context of the notes to change is the bass underneath that moves from Ab to Db.

Fig.47 The sound The note movement The interval movement

th th th th F (13 ) to F (b10 ) F (13 ) to F (b10 ) rd th rd th C (3 ) to C (7 ) C (3 ) to C (7 ) th rd th rd Gb (7 ) to F# (3 ) Gb (7 ) to F# (3 ) 13 th

F F b10 th C C 7th Gb F# rd 3 th 7

3rd 39

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BROOKSIDE Dave Roylance

Brookside became notable for its tackling of realistic, controversial and socially challenging storylines and was most popular in the 1980s and the early 1990s. It is especially well-known for broadcasting the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss on British mainstream TV, as well as a domestic abuse storyline resulting in the abuser being murdered an buried under the patio. The theme music was dramatic and powerful. The harmonised melodic figure in particular carried the main thrust of the musical drama by implying Ab and Gb chords over an Ab chord in the first two bars. This brief, almost imperceptible tension nevertheless creates a real identity. The same characteristic is used in reverse in bars five and six, where the Ab is implied by the harmonised melody, this time over a Gb chord. The overarching net harmonic result is a slight blurring of Ab and Gb chords.

Fig.48 Audio – Theme from Brookside

If ever we needed proof that TV music is a product of its time we can see the uncanny likeness between Roylance’s theme and a Jean Michelle Jarre’s tune from his internationally famous Equinox album. I do not for a moment suggest plagiarism, but I do suggest influence in order to draw on dramatic instrumental popular music of the time.

Audio – Equinox (part five) Fig.49

G

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EASTENDERS Simon May

EastEnders is a long-running British television soap which began in 1985. It has always drawn millions of viewers and is one of the most watched shows in the UK. Storylines chronicle the domestic and professional antics of people who live in a fictitious Albert Square, in the equally fictitious London Borough of Walford. The theme tune is heavily based on a synth / piano melody with percussion elements too. A 2008 poll by the PRS said the theme was one of the most recognised tunes in Britain, beating the National Anthem. It was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award in 1985 for Best TV Theme.

Fig.50 Audio – EastEnders theme Piano/synth/strings/percussion

Drums

Easily the most distinctive elements are the famous drums in the bar before the melody starts. These are practically iconic and have become immersed into popular culture. Similar but more dramatic, the function of the drums is to prepare the listener for the ‘tune’ in the same way the arpegiated piano prepared listeners for Emmerdale Farm . The drums are dramatic obviously because of their sound but also for another reason: the pace quickens through the bar – the first two notes are worth a 1 ½ quavers, the next three are worth a quaver each and the last four notes are semiquavers. The ‘size’ the notes get progressively less as the bar progresses (see fig.51).

Fig.51

Many commentators have derided the theme for its simplicity, as if simplicity is demeaning or in some way not worthy. But don’t be fooled: this piece comes from the pen of one of Britain’s foremost composers, Simon May, for whom there are no accidents, no mistakes and no coincidences. Everything is there for a reason. The melody itself is stark, scalic and ascending which means it communicates instantly. Audience perception and rationalisation is instantaneous. However, if the piece remained this simple throughout it would not sustain people’s interest or work as a musical mirror for the visual drama. The melody contains two 9 th intervals in bar five. This harmonic element acts to soften the melody up, shave the edges off and make it more appealing. The major 7 th in bar 9 does the same job, creating an almost relaxed feel.

The final piece of the dramatic jigsaw that makes the piece exciting is the inversions ( ) which work to allow a distinctive steppingstone-like dramatic ascending bass line.

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There is nothing quite like an ascending bass line to add drama. It gives the bass its own narrative function; its own journey. It’s almost like an alternative melodic arc which fits under the actual melody.

THRILLER Laurie Johnson

An important British television drama from the 1970s was Thriller. Stories were usually set in the affluent English ‘home counties’ and most episodes featured at least one American character so as to appeal to the American market. The original introduction featured a sequence of shots through a fisheye lens, bordered in bright red. A trademark of director Brian Clemens work was to hook the viewer with a simple yet totally baffling situation, something later done to some degree in Jonathan Creek . Clemens cited Hitchcock as a major influence and the shows definitely possess an eerie strangeness.

Fig.52 Audio - Theme from Thriller

Harpsichord / Synth / Woodwind

The music, by Avengers composer Laurie Johnson, featured an array of percussive instruments which gave the music a sound which took it outside the boundaries of most conventional TV drama themes. The instrumentation made it cold, quirky and abstract but the harmonies also contributed. The first chord of each bar was the classic minor chord with a major 7th . This unique chord tends to create tension because two distinct and normally separate elements fuse together.

Traditionally a major 7 th interval normally creates a slightly ‘easy listening’ feeling. This is because of the relationship between the major 3 rd and the major 7 th . If you replace the major 3 rd with a minor 3rd , the interval between that and the major 7 th is an augmented 5 th . To add to this Johnson has placed a 9 th at the top, ‘octaved’ by a 2 nd at the bottom. This creates extra tension between the low D and the note a semitone up, the minor 3 rd Eb. (maj7) Also there is more than a whiff of polytonality; the top stave in bar two features the Cm9 chord but without the Eb the chord would be an inverted G chord. Thus we have a chord which sounds slightly like a completely different chord.

BOUQUET OF BARBED WIRE Dennis Farnon

Based on the successful Andrea Newman book of the same name, this is another classic British middle- class television thriller, this time set around the uber-dysfunctional Manson family, which is torn apart by daughter Prue, who becomes pregnant at University. Prue’s worryingly unhinged father has an obsessive, unhealthy and ultimately destructive love for his daughter which creates tensions which lead to violence and tragedy. As if that were not enough Prue’s lover begins an equally steamy affair with Prue’s own mother. The critic Clive James famously wrote “by the end, everybody had been to bed with everybody else except the baby”.

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Fig.53 Audio – Theme from Bouquet of Barbed Wire

On surface level the theme reflects the sensual, sexually charged narrative of the drama perfectly by virtue of the Fender Rhodes piano, electric bass and major 7 th chords everywhere. But, as always, if we are to probe how and why this music was so fitting for Bouquet of Barbed Wire , we have to penetrate the harmonies beyond surface level analysis. The major 7 th chord is voiced slightly dissonantly with a semitone between the low C# and D of the piano chords. Bar three also contains the same style voicing, this time with the semitone interval between the F# (major 7) and G (8) of the Gmaj7 chord. The point is that it is slightly unusual to score the major 7 th a semitone apart from the octave. Normally, but by no means always, we would try and score it a little more sensitively to capitalise on the warmth of the maj7 th .

In addition to all this we have the continuous, unbroken and incessant bass riff. The bass riff is interesting not just because it creates a slightly mesmerising quality in the sound but because it also creates a little harmonic ambiguity in bars three and seven. The chord of Gmaj7/D is punctuated by the D bass riff moving upward from the D to the A.

Normally inversions sound sonically compact because one chord is played over one bass note from the chord. By playing a root-and-5th bass riff we effectively hear a Gmaj7 over not just a D bass note but the root and 5 th of what would be a D chord.

Thus there are almost ‘too many notes’. This means the chords in bars three and seven are not absolute or completely defined, but temporary, transient and to a degree, ephemeral and evanescent.

OWEN MD Johnny Pearson

Owen M.D. was a spin-off of The Doctors series and ran for two years from 1971 to 1973. The music was by Johnny Pearson recorded as library music for KPM.

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Fig.54 Audio – ‘Sleepy Shores’ - Theme from Owen MD

Piano

Ac. Gtr

Bass 1

1

3 2

3 4 4

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There are a few aspects, characteristics and features which make the heavily romantic theme from Owen MD so effective. Post intro, the melody essentially breaks down into four motifs which together constitute the theme. Within this the melody explores a regular lilting triplet feel and a more extravagant semiquaver feel. As I have stated elsewhere, we tend to assume that the most important aspect of a piece of music is the aspect we can most easily rationalise. The melody in this piece is easily the most visible and audible aspect; it has an intoxicating lyrical structure which ebbs and flows; but it is by no means the only reason this piece works as well as it does. Leaving aside the leaps in the bass part, the harmonic direction of each 4-bar phrase is distinctly downwards. It is this harmonic characteristic, this momentum, inertia and inevitability which creates a major captivating element.

The bass line from Owen MD Fig.55

This captivating element (the downward trajectory of the bass) allows for the kind of indulgent melody that wouldn’t be possible with a more static or uneventful bass line. The same type of upward or downward bass movement has effected hundreds of theme tunes over the years, because it remains a great way to create drama, independent of, and as well as, the actual melody. We can see this characteristic at work in the following, rather different, theme.

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BLAKE’S 7 Dudley Simpson

Blake’s 7 was an iconic and popular BBC science fiction drama series, chronicling the exploits of a group of political renegades, consisting of characters Blake, Vila, Gan, Stannis and Avon. They occupy an abandoned spacecraft called the Liberator with, perhaps inevitably, a computer called Zen. The series never quite achieved the iconic status of Dr Who or Star Trek but ran for a number of years, generating a loyal fan base in the process.

Fig.56 Audio – Theme from Blake’s Seven

Although we rationalise the dramatic and majestic trumpet melody, what creates a sense of inevitability and structure, and therefore what contextualises the trumpet solo so well, is the ascending bass momentum.

If we look at the melody line itself we can see how it generates feelings of romance and drama. The rhythm of the melody on bars two to nine is dotted quaver followed by semiquaver, giving the theme a clipped, militaristic air. The melody line goes from F to E in bars two, three, four and six, but each time the accompanying chords give a different intervallic meaning to the notes, as detailed below.

th th th rd th th 7 maj 6 Fig.57 4 3 b9 Oct min6 5

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DYNASTY Bill Conti

Legendary TV Producer Aaron Spelling, who also produced Starsky and Hutch , Charlie’s Angels, The Love Boat , Fantasy Island , Hart to Hart and many, many others, brought substance to Esther Shapiro’s original idea of the complicated life and times of a rich and powerful American oil family. Shapiro claimed that an inspiration for the show was I, Claudius , a fictionalized depiction of Roman emperors. The iconic music made the series even more glamorous and intriguing; the music encapsulated the ostentatious, extravagant exuberance of the 80s.

Fig.58 Audio – Theme from Dynasty 0.05

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How does the music capture the glitz and excesses of the rich and powerful in this American television drama? Certainly the instrumentation and orchestration answer part of the question. The main fanfare-style opening trumpet theme creates a feeling of reverence and tradition. The trumpet line is copied, almost fugue-like in the opening bars; the trumpet intervals (root to 5 th ) convey power, authority, gravitas and heroism. The 5 th interval appears again in bar two by virtue of the F to Bb. The opening is softened up a little by virtue of the counterpoint horns which feature the 2 nd (bar one) and the maj 3 rd in bar two (see figure 59).

Fig.59 1st 5th 9th 5th

3rd 2nd 2nd 1st

The majesty and splendor of Dynasty is captured by the graceful and sweeping melodic arc (detailed below, fig.60).

Fig.60

Perhaps one of the most captivating and emotionally communicative elements of the piece is its Baroque influence. Conti is well-known for his love for Baroque, something he integrated into his score for the film Rocky , which put him firmly on the map as a composer. The effortless and emotionally encapsulating harmonic beauty of Baroque music is captured most obviously in the middle section

Fig.61 Audio – Theme from Dynasty 0.47

The inherent beauty of this style of delicate and complex writing is that the listener almost hears two melodies, not one. The transcription below in fig.62 is a simplified version of the line in fig.61. In fig.62 the melodic lines and contours are a lot easier to see and rationalise.

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What we listen to when we hear the real version (fig.61) is the melody below (fig.62) but with embellishments. The only way the complex version above would or could be understood is if listeners rationalised it in a different way to how it actually looks and reads. In other words we prioritise the salient points; the obvious contours, and the rest is elaborate filler. This is an important point generally for composers; that they understand which bits of their music communicate and which are flourishes and trimmings. Composers often write one thing to illicit the illusion of another. If Conti had written the line ala fig.62 it would have had the feeling of having no flourishes. Fig.62

People often cite the elaborate complexity of Bach’s composing as being its most enduring characteristic, but what defines Bach’s music is that it communicates on several levels. Behind the complex artistry lies an ‘easy listening’ version. This forms an important message to composers. If your music only has one way of being understood and rationalised, you only have one shot at it.

DALLAS Jerrold Immel

No study of music for television would be complete without mention of the theme from Dallas , one of the most iconic and remembered television shows in TV history. The Dallas theme encapsulates and mimics the ‘Western’ aesthetic perfectly. How does it do this? One of the ways this piece communicates so vividly and so quickly is the complete lack of 3rds – an issue we have looked at elsewhere. The stark, barren harmonies feature a sequence of sus4 chords, all heavily orchestrated with brass and strings. The chords of Absus4 to Bsus4 to Gsus4 to Esus4 offer no real emotional resting place. The high string semiquaver lines which punctuate the sus chords are suggestive and implicit of a hundred Western themes but it is the ‘sus’ sequence which really establishes the drama.

Fig.63 Audio – Theme from Dallas

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ZEN Adrian Johnston

Zen is a British BBC drama series filmed in Italy and based on the Aurelio Zen detective novels by Michael Dibdin (Vendetta , Cabal and Ratking). The music has a distinctly European feel and there is definitely a nod to The Persuaders. It has an intoxicating whiff of the kind of lush, romantic themes prevalent in much older films and TV series. It fits effortlessly into the 60s/70s European TV crime vibe and accords the series a sense of history, culture and rich context through music. There is a mixture of playful exuberance, dark mystery and tension clearly present in the music. Just like The Persuaders the ‘Europeanness’ exudes from a mixture of time signature, instrumentation and harmony. The haunting and mildly sensual voice takes the music back forty years in time and the chords are filled by Hammond Organ towards the end of the excerpt transcribed.

Fig.64 Audio – Theme from Zen

The success of the 3/4 rhythm is complimented beautifully by the use of brushes to give the drums a light, jazz lounge feel. The descending bass line over the first seven bars, along with the distinctive dreamy textures of the instrumentation, helps ‘date’ the piece.

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Just like The Persuaders the piece features the distinctly filmic and mildly European major 7 th over a minor chord. The perma-high string line lends the piece a real feel of the type of lush sensual orchestration so prevalent forty years ago.

ER James Newton Howard

ER is an American television series created by novelist Michael Crichton which follows the emergency room of fictional ‘County General Hospital’ in Chicago. It became the longest-running medical drama in American television history. Composer James Newton Howard wrote the distinctive theme tune and the first two-hour pilot episode with weekly scores by Martin Davich. Listening and looking, we ask the usual questions to help us gain insight into why the music worked so well and how it was written: Which bits work? How do they communicate? What do they communicate? Why do they communicate?

Fig.65 Audio – Theme from E.R.

What are the central dominating characteristics of this piece? For a start, when listening we have some difficulty in rationalising the precise timing and rhythm of the melody and chords at the beginning; the 51

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absence of drums/percussion (until bar eight) makes it hard to gauge where ‘1’ is. This makes it less inclined to be ‘obvious’ and more inclined to be a little ambiguous and ‘dreamy’. The syncopated piano and off-beat slapped bass add more rhythmic uncertainty. There is harmonic ambiguity too via the interplay between the Bm and A chords; the addition of the 4 th (E) and 7 th (A) into the main body of the Bm synth pad chord gives the chord real colour but also references obliquely the A chord. Effectively we almost hear two chords (A and Bm) which adds to the dream-like ephemeral characteristics. To juxtapose this we have two strong characteristics; the frantic semiquaver synth line and the top synth line which has slight connotations to a police siren. Both of these fundamental lines have an element of urgency which work brilliantly with the softer, ambiguous tendencies.

POIROT Christopher Gunning

Christopher Gunning’s music for the TV drama Poirot is arguably one of the most instantly recognisable themes in UK television history. This is partly due to the way in which the character Poirot himself seems to be embedded in the music. By this I mean that the music manages to reference so many of the show’s cultural, historical and geographic characteristics that it literally becomes undistinguishable from the show itself. When a theme so personifies the show and its main character we realise the full power and potential of a good theme tune and of truly great writing. More than most television themes, when you hear the music you are instantly able to recollect the show. How? What distinctiveness, what uniqueness, what personalities from the show are present in the music – what are they, how do they function and why do they function musicall y? The music, just like the character, has an air of cheeky melodrama. It’s easy for us to rationalise how the show’s narrative achieves this but perhaps less easy for us to understand how specifically and strategically the music works.

Fig.66 Audio – Theme from Poirot

F

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Fig.67 The ‘add2’ interval

The ‘add2’ interval creates drama in the Gm chord rd (clashing subtly but distinctively with the minor 3 in * * the chord). But the way the interval is delivered and * * contextualised via rapid piano quavers lurching up and down into different octaves accords the piece a sense of quasi urgent melodrama. * * * *

The quirky sax and the use of the 4 th and #4 th

The distinctive alto saxophone is a key element, as is the precise style of its performance. The instrument itself is synonymous with jazz of the 1920s and 30s – the period in which Poirot is set. Imagine the theme if all quavers were ’straight’ and not ‘swung’; it would completely redefine the piece stylistically. It would not have the distinctive ‘dainty’ and ‘cheeky’ feel. It is the dotted quaver followed by the short, clipped semiquaver which gives the melody its distinctive ‘bouncy’ feel. This characteristic buys into the ‘cheeky melodrama’ narrative. On a deeper level the theme makes repeated use of the 4 th and #4 th intervals. These are too often to be irrelevant; if we’re looking to analyse the harmonic character of the piece the 4 th and #4 th play a big part for subtly different reasons.

The #4 is denoted by circles above the note whilst the 4 th is denoted by squares. The #4 is more obvious in terms of the way it communicates. It creates palpable tension. As we’ve deduced before in numerous examples and excerpts, the #4 th communicates a slightly strange harmonic characteristic, whose specific colour is, in the final analysis, defined by the context in which it is used. You can find pieces as varied as epic sci-fi scores and television comedies making good use of the unique characteristic and colour of the #4.

Fig.68

F

The 4 th is interesting because although it’s a perfectly valid interval to use, it’s not usually an interval which is dwelt upon, melodically. Although in a minor chord the use of the 4 th is slightly easier than it would be in a major chord (a 4 th melody note used on a major chord would clash with the maj 3 rd , a semitone lower, but against a minor the chord the clash is lessened because the interval between min 3 rd and 4 th is a tone instead of a semitone) resting on the 4 th is always going to be a little odd. The G note (3 rd beat of bar three) is stated over a Dm inverted over the F, so the link and relationship between the G note and the bass note (F) two octaves lower slightly offsets the strangeness.

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The underlying fact, however, is that the usual absoluteness of the Dm is challenged and tweaked and made effective by a combination of the 4 th interval melody and the inverted bass. Therefore we are not responding to a melody note, but to the relationship the melody note has with the chord and its bass note.

In music when we think we’re responding to a note or a chord or an instrument or some other kind of specific musical event, we’re usually responding to how that event reacts with something else. We react to the context; we respond to the combination of events and how they exist, rarely just to one event.

Inversions and the bass directions

In reference to the previous point about music usually being a dynamic of reactions of relating events, it’s interesting to note how many themes are viewed, rationalised and understood purely in terms of their melody line. This is understandable but can sometimes hide the real reasons music communicates. It would be easy to contextualise the success of Poirot purely in terms of its melody, especially since it is so distinctive and strong. However, when we listen to Poirot we hear the melody, but because the melody is quite busy we listen to something a lot simpler – the descending bass line. The things we listen to or are attracted to don’t always have to be simple; in some situations what captivates us is something more complicated but more interesting. Effectively we are given a choice of contexts and narratives from which to choose.

Although we don’t ‘hum’ it or appear to be focused on it, the descending bass line is the binding context that stops this piece becoming far too complicated to rationalise. It binds the piece’s various characteristics together. Each of the main 4-bar phrases are linked by a falling bass; these do not happen automatically – they have to be conceptualized and written in, often at the arrangement stage to offer more drama and colour. As we have discussed elsewhere in this book, inversions are one of the great composing tools; they dramatise, italicise, exaggerate and embellish chords, but they also enable smooth downward or upward bass contours, which in turn serve to mediate chord sequences which might otherwise be difficult or stale. In the edited excerpt below look at how the chords and voicings enable a smooth transition.

Fig.69

F

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The pedal note is, again, another harmonic device which creates a real sense of drama and gravity in music because once again we’re slightly distorting a listener’s expectation. Fig.70

The pedal note of F comes toward the end of the original phrase. Highlighted (left, fig.70) this section is particularly effective because it contains inversions and ‘slash’ chords side by side. Again, we hear the melody line but the real gravity, the real drama, the thing that affects us, is the context of the F note – a note which seems static but only seems that way; the rapid intervallic direction between 3 rd and 7 th represents the movement we don’t always hear but listen to F F F F 7th 7th

3rd 3rd

Harmonic dissonance and the flat 9 th

The dissonance created by the Ab/G chord is hard to sustain without becoming uncomfortable to listen to. In Poirot is alleviated by the arrival of the b9 chord – a rather distinctive and ‘obvious’ chord synonymous with dance band music of the 30s.

Fig.71

The emotional contour (left) displays the chords in terms of how ‘normal’ or ‘expected’ they might have been. The Ab/G is a massive surprise which is why it heightens the tension in the piece. Both times it is used the b9 delivers the sequence back to the ‘normal’ safe territory of a minor chord we might conceivably ‘expected’.

In music everything can be explained

If we understand how music communicates a sense of meaning we understand how some television themes manage to be so vivid and so effective. Specific harmonic devices create responses within us which convert to feelings and ultimately meanings . With Poirot we have found that ‘signifiers’ embedded within the music are just as able to be understood and rationalised as the perhaps more obvious characteristics of the drama itself.

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The ‘add2’ in context of a minor chord offers substantial drama and is used right at the outset to establish a sense of urgency and importance. The alto sax gives Poirot its history with the specific ‘bouncy’ rhythm of the sax being responsible for a sense of cheeky melodrama within the music. The inversion and slash chords give Poirot a sense of drama and gravity whilst the 4 th and #4 th offer identity and colour which are added to by the specific context of their delivery. The dissonance and subsequent b9 chords offer a timely distraction from what preceded them.

MATCH OF THE DAY Barry Stoller

In 2010 the PRS revealed that Match of the Day was the most recognised theme tune in Britain so it seems fitting to end this chapter with such a monumentally successful piece of instantly recognisable music. Millions of people grew up to this tune. It was, and still is, the ultimate fanfare of football. There is, as you might imagine, more than one reason why this tune communicates so well. Obviously it is a tune which is short, to the point and easily digestible. But beyond that, most of the success is because of the sound . The success is a product of the mix and the arrangement, not so much the harmonies. You only have to hear the tune being ‘covered’ or hear the many different recordings which don’t match the original. The triumph of the sound is everything. Firstly everyone always assumes the main melody is carried by trumpets alone. Listen carefully and you will hear a fairly dated string synth sound doubling the melody. Both the string synth and trumpets have lots of reverb, which makes the two sounds ‘swim’ into each other. It is this specific and identifiable sound which everyone knows and responds to. The Latin-style heavily percussive rhythm section is also heavily reverbed.

And then there’s the weird ending. How many pieces of music do you know that last 40 seconds (or 36 bars) which - just when you think it’s all over - change key for the last 4 bars? The quirky weird ending is an enormous emotional signifier. If the tune had ended where we expect it to, on the last A chord (*), it’s actually quite a dull anticlimax because the melody is ascending. It would end on a whimper. The tag on the end changes the key and lifts the tune; the trumpets signal their Haydn Horn Progression motif (*) and that’s that.

Fig.72 Audio – Theme from Match of the Day

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How Film & TV Music Communicate – Vol.1 Text © Brian Morrell 2013

They think it’\s all over………….. ………It is now

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