Birth of a Penguin Part 1

Context (Intro paragraph)

• American blockbuster film released in 1992, directed by Tim Burton

• About a comic book superhero who takes crime-fighting into his own hands

• Elfman is an untrained composer but an avid film goer

• Typically writes dark, large, dramatic orchestral scores, often in minor keys

Structure

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• Through Composed - The structure of the music is determined by the narrative of the film - ET: Flying theme by John Williams or Planet of the Apes: The Hunt by Goldsmith

Tonality

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• Starts in F minor - Lots of frequent changes = unstable. Follows structure of fast changing scenes in the film. - Dark tonality is typical of Elfman’s style e.g. Corpse Bride or Charlie & The Chocolate Factory

• A minor (Tertiary relationship)

• G minor, C minor, D minor - Minor keys = Dramatic

• Brief D major chord - Moment of hope as baby is thrown over bridge

• C# minor - Semitone shift from key of D minor = Unstable

Harmony

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• Plagal cadence end of bar 2 - Sounds religious / dramatic. Compliments the organ instrumentation. - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest by Badelt

• Subdominant pedal at very start - Sounds menacing

• Dominant 7th chord at end of bar 4 - More colourful and atmospheric

• False relation dissonance - Creates tension as doctor leaves birthing room in horror - Prelude from Psycho by Herrmann

• Bare 5th chord near the very end - Sounds ambiguous / allows the story to continue… (what will happen to the baby) - Six years later from the Duchess by Portman

Melody

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• Batman leitmotif in first two bars - Leitmotifs represent characters. Allos unity across the entire film score. Before the film starts, this motif is clearly presented to the audience - Dracula by Kilar uses similar leitmotif with rising 4th and falling semitone

• Multiple varied repititions of the Penguin leitmotif - Unifies the cue. Typical of film music

• Augmentation of leitmotif - Creates unity but sustains interest by varying the repetition

Rhythm, Tempo & Metre

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• Frequent metre / tempo changes - To help sync the score to the visuals - The Hunt from Planet of the Apes by Goldsmith

• Moments of continuous semiquavers - Represents the characters walking on screen - ET: Flying Theme by John Williams

• Semiquaver triplet flurry - Represents the cat being caught

Texture

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• Broken chord contrary motion between celesta and harp - Creates a sense of conflict / instability as teh parents look on at their crazed baby - Never see you children again from The Duchess by Portman

• Unison texture over 4 octaves - Draws attention to significant moment where the parents look at each other in despair - Take her to Sea Mr Murdoch from titanic

Sonority

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• Very large orchestra with unusual additions - Can create an ‘epic’ feel! - Similar overall orchestration to Edward Scissorhands by Elfman

• Theatrical church organ at the start - Drama and tension before the film has started

• Harp glissando with cymbal roll - Sounds magical (helps transition from one scene to another

• Celesta and children’s choir - Sounds of ‘innocence’ / children (irony), also sounds Christmassy

• Pizzicato lower strings - Striking sound - The hunt from Planet of the Apes by Goldsmith uses pizzicato