Danny Elfman Batman returns

Context of Danny Elfman

- Danny Elfman (b.1953) a singer and composer who used to be associated with the rock group oingo boingo
-Has a long association with director Tim Burton, providing scores for many of his films, including Edward Scissorhands (1990) and The Nightmare before Christmas (1994)
- He has also written the scores for Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992)
-He has cited Bartok, Glass, Prokofiev, Ravel, Satie, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky as important influences on his overall musical style
- He also acknowledges Bernard Herrman, Korngold and Max Steiner as influences in his film music

Context for film

- the second in a series of batman films produced by Warner Brothers
- B1- played at start of the film, underscores the background of the penguin and how he came to be tossed into the river at the zoo
- B2- the main titles, also accompanies the penguin in his pram as he floats through the sewer system before meeting the penguins
C- a scene in which Batman defeats a gang of circus performers sent by the Penguin to disrupt a meeting
R- a scene where preparations are made to introduce the Penguin into Gotham society

Sonority and instrumentation in B1

-use of pipe organ to play an ominous pedal drone in b.1 as well as to play the p motifs throughout (b.5, b.9 ect.)- less so towards the end of the piece- similar to The beginning of 'The Lair p.II' where the pipe organ low in its tessitura is used to play the penguin B theme. Phillip Glass's 'Koyaanisquasi' uses an ostinato in the lower range of the organ to create an ominous, dark feel.
- use of string-based synthesisers- could compare to the more traditional orchestration of Williams?
- use of different percussion, cymbals, bells, tam-tams, timpani, celeste (in b.18, descending celeste is reminiscent of NbC, Chistmas Eve Montage), use of Sleigh bells ( gives a distinctive christmas feel as representing the reindeer associated with christmas- this is represented in Leyroy Anderson's piece 'Sleigh Ride'), use of snare drums that drive the music (gives a somewhat military feel and drives the music, also does this in 'Children's hour')
- use of children's choir (b.26-31- block chords in close harmony turn theme into a christmas carol)- also does this in The Lair p.1
-use of orchestra, including violins, violas, cellos, double basses horns, trumpets (with (b.21) and without mutes), tuba and woodwind (cor anglais plays a little counter-melody in b.16-17 underneath augmented penguin motif)
-use of harp- provides bright sonority that also builds tension with arpeggiated sections

Use of performance techniques in B1

-tremolo strings (b.11)
-pizz strings (b.14)
-harp glissandi (b.25- gliss in C major)
- muted brass (e.g. trumpets in b.21)
- tam-tam and cymbal rolls (b.6 and b.13)
- the choir vocalises throughout, changing from 'ah' b.3 to 'la' in b.26 to 'oo' in b.34 to then 'ah' again at b.38

Dynamics in B1

-dynamics span from pp (b.42) to ff (b.5), with frequent use of fast acting crescendos and contrasts between f and p when moving from one phrase to another
-the piece starts p and ends p
- contrasts in dynamics frequently coincide with changes in texture e.g. 31-32, where f goes to p, the texture and rhythmic movement both drop, similarly at the end where the heavy f chord built on 5ths then is reduced to a two part texture at p

Texture in B1

mainly homophonic
- pedal drone supporting harmonised melody (batman motif) in b.1- this also happens at the start of batman vs the Circus
- chordal texture in b.7 onwards first in strings then on organ- at b.11, they are overlaid with three note celesta chords
- at b.28, the block chords are decorated with falling broken chord figures in the violin
- b.22- monophonic statement of theme in synth, tuba, woodwind and timp parts, very similar to the penguin B theme- tonal ambiguity
- drop in texture (choir now singing one melody instead of four part in close harmony, no longer lots of use of octaves, rushing violin semiquavers are dropped) in b.32 reflects interaction on screen, then texture increases again with violins returning to play now ascending semiquavers, with the addition of the muted trumpets playing idea 1
- b.38 almost homorhythmic texture with the choir 'ah's

Tempo in B1

slow to moderate tempo, begins 60 bpm, then 72 in b.3, then returns to 60 at b.7, then 108 at b.14, then a tempo at b.26, then 76 at b.38, then 72 at b.42, 60 at b.36 then rit at end.
- lots of rits at the ends of sections, dynamics probably have to be very specific instead of using terminology to match the action on the screen very precisely.

Metre in B1

metre begins in 3/2, then changes to 4/4 in b.3, has one bar of 3/8 at bar 13 (helps scene change and also bridge the two musical sections), cue then remains in 4/4 until one bar of 3/4 in b.44 (helps aid sense of tension and uncertainty)

Rhythm in B1

- explores lots of different rhythms from dotted semi-breves (b.1) to rapid semi-quavers (b.18), but mainly characterised by steady crotchets e.g. b.3, and minims as augmentations of the motif, along with quavers for decoration
- semiquaver arpeggiated patterns in the celeste (b.18) and in the violins (b.28) help build excitement and tension
- the rhythmical feature of idea 1 returns in other cues

Melody in B1

- this piece draw of the motifs of batman and the two penguin motifs a and b
- the batman motif is characterised by it's first three conjunct notes of the minor scale, then the leap of a fourth with a semitone fall to the dominant note
- the penguin motif a first appears in b.3 characterised by its conjunct movement based around 3 notes- motif underpins the whole of this cue and is heard in various forms through use of different instrumentation, rhythmic augmentation and in a folk-like style in b.26 and in b.33
- penguin motif b leap of a minor third, with conjunct movement after and use of a sharpened 7th- is used in harmony with penguin theme a in b.11

Harmony in B1

- Elfman draw on fundamentally functional harmonic language, involving use of cadences. Imperfect cadences occur frequently to aid continuity e.g. b5-6, 12-13, 21, 31 and 37
- the effect of a perfect cadence is heard at the end (b.45-46) as although the chord is built around 5ths, it feels like a V7 chord in D major, then it moves to a D chord in the last two bars, but with no F#, so doesn't really feel like a proper resolution
- lots of dissonant chords are used to create sense of tension and also harmonic richness e.g. b. 34, diminished triad, b.37 diminished 7th and use of other 7th chords such as b.13 dominant 7th and b.36 supertonic 7th chord, the penguin theme A also used an accented passing note e.g. in b 13- 7th chords such as Ab maj 7 are used in "The Big Theme" from 'The Magnificent Seven' (1960) by Elmer Bernstein to create harmonic richness. The use of the diminished 7th is also used in Howard Shore's 'The Gate is Closed', from The Lord of the Rings: The fellowship of the Ring and is used to create a sense of danger within the movie as the characters reach a dangerous gate.
-use of false relation between the F and F# in b.13- gives sense of anguish when cat is eaten on screen- Mickey mousing, technique is used in Charlie Chaplin films, written by Chaplin and Newman
- close harmony/block chords in b.26 give motif a christmas carol feel

Structure and Tonality B1

cue is through composed (a very common structure for film music), with the succession of the material dictated by the action on screen. Keys are generally clearly defined, either by pedal points or functional chords progressions.
- keys sometimes move via a third, tertiary relationships are common in film music (Howard Shore uses this technique constantly in his Lord of the Rings scores, e.g. the middle section of 'The Prophecy')
- use of side-shifting e.g. b.10-11, creates tonal uncertainty
- begins in Bb minor and moves through keys of F minor, A minor, G minor, C minor, D minor, F# minor, G minor, C minor, G minor and ending in D minor.

Sonority and instrumentation in B2

- use of a synth choir, instead of a real-life choir- helps to give it a more sinister, unnatural- James Horner also does this in his Titanic soundtrack and it is especially effective in 'Rose', however gives a more calming and sea-like effect with it's constant ebb and flow of dynamics
- a bigger focus on brass- playing lots of the Batman motif and other rhythmical ideas e.g. idea 1 at b.5 and the batman theme first being played in b.9 by the horns. Brass themes commonly associated with the heroes in film music because of their broad and brilliant sonority e.g. in the themes for 'The Avengers' by Alan Silvestri
- african style drums with the snares off introduce a new timbre to the music at b.85- this could stem from his african influences after he took a 10 monthlong trip to Africa after he finished school, learning about their styles of music and percussion
- use of muted brass e.g. trumpet con sord in b.89
- use of the high tessitura of the violins almost throughout- the piece starts from the violins playing a C6 and then resolving that 7th dissonance to the D above it- creates a very unsettling atmosphere at the tonic pedal and drone in the lower strings is quite low in their tessitura also.

Dynamics in B2

dynamics range from pp to ff
- beginning is pp, with frequent crescs until f is reached at b.10, then back down to mf then gradually cresondos to sfz in b.20 and ff in 21, dynamics then remain quite load until the p in b.46 then crescs to become f in the next bar, then down to mp
- the two sets of p to sfz in b.89 gives a very unsettling and almost nauseous feel, which is very effective in maintaining interest and tension
- no real dynamics given in the last two lines, but as the texture is decreasing, the piece becomes quieter

Texture in B2

- layered texture- Elfman also does this in ' The Cookie factory' from Edward Scissorhands, where layered ostinati are used to help convey the different parts of a cookie cutter maschine.
- bars 1-20, layers of ostinati over pedal notes with drawn-out high notes on the violins, layered texture supports statements of the Batman theme and trumpets fanfares
- 21-24- held chord with added timpani
- 25-26, homorhythmic with driving triplet ostinato
- 27 onwards- melody dominated homophony with driving triplets supporting statements of the batman theme- homophonic triplet rhythms that then turn into mel-dom-hom can also be seen near the end of 'Rebel Blockade Runner' by John William from Star Wars episode IV, where he also uses this fora driving-military like feel to increase excitement and tension
- layered texture gradually decreases in the end and the overall pitch range becomes smaller- compared to the wide pitch range of the beginning
- texture is chordal from b.93, with bassoon plaing continuous quavers and the african-style drum ostinato, drums then cut out with organ plaing a second inversion C# minor chord, the flute playing the falling 3rds 'sigh motif' and the harp playing crotchets than gradually descend
- as this is a cue, the music would move to another cue after this, hence why the tam tam introduction at the end feels very out of place- this is when the scene cuts to saying 'gotham city 33 years later'
- use of tonic and dominant inverted and not inverted pedals e.g. tonic pedal drone of D at the beginning b.1-6, Bb tonic pedal held in b.11-20, F# tonic pedal held i cello and double bass in b,53, with the violins playing dominant C# pedal at the top of the texture.
- contrapuntal ideas at b.42

Tempo in B2

- starts with 130 bpm, which is an unsettling tempo change from the previous cue that ends at 60 bpm
- changes to 136 bmp at b.52- very specific to match what is happening on screen
- ends at 108 bmp in b.97-102 (end)

Metre in B2

in 4/4 throughout, except one bar of 5/4 at b.20- linking bar and builds up anticipation to the film title being shown on screen

Rhythm in B2

- rhythms more distinctive and varied in this piece
- beginning has tied semibreves along with semiquavers in the strings and then added quavers in the harp- muddles the waters of the sound and created tension
- rhythmic ideas like idea 1 are heard throughout and first heard in cello b.5 and then again in thirds with bassoon and bass clarinet in b.7
- ostinati composed of running semi-quavers or short-repeated patterns
- driving offbeat rhythms like in b.12 help to push the music forwards and build excitement
- triplets play an important role in driving the music and creating heavily accented accompaniment to the Batman theme, with itself incorporates triplets e.g. its first statement with triplet figurations at b.27 - Elfman also uses triplets to create excitement in Alice's Theme from Alice in Wonderland as a constant underlying ostinato in the layered texture, which really propels the music forward
- the Batman motif then returns to its original length at b.38 in the middle of the texture and again at b.42- it is properly stated at the main theme at b.65 again

Melody in B2

- Batman motif has a distinctive shape, resulting from the conjunct line, the first three notes of the minor scale, and the succeeding upwards leap of a fourth and a semitone fall to the dominant note
- use of extended Batman theme in b.34- the fourth note rises to the dominant and the up to the sub-mediant, before then falling in an arpeggio-like movement with a flattening of the 5th at the end and then a minor 6th jump.
- the 'sigh motif'- idea 2, it is repetition of falling thirds- usually by the synth choir- this idea is also rhythmically altered to include triplets in b.74, the same rhythmic idea of the original sigh motif (on beat crotchets falling to quavers) is also used in bars like b.67-68 and b.97-99, but with different intervals of a perfect 5th, a major 3rd or a perfect 4th

Harmony in B2

- side shifting of chords e.g. b.20-21, with Bb minor moving to C major
- use of tertiary relation chords e.g. Gb major chord in the horns in b.14, where the key is Bb minor
- use of half-diminished chords e.g. b.59
- use of augmented triads e.g. b.71
- use of false relations e.g. bars 93-96 where the E# moves to the E natural and the G# moves to the G
- cadence avoided at the end, where the second inversion chord of C# minor reduced to the open chord of G# and C#
- use of extended chords such as F# minor with an added 9th in b.34 and Db major with a min 7th in b.51- help add to the richness of tonal colour

Structure and Tonality B2

- again lots of use of tertiary relations e.g. C# minor in b.39 moving to Eb major in b.40- link to Howard Shore's use of moving via the third in LOTR e.g. 'The Prophecy'
- passes through many different keys- especially between bars 25-32, during the statement of the Batman themes with triplet-driving march-like accompaniment e.g. from Bb minor to Ab minor to F# minor to C# minor ect. - these keys either move to the dominant, move via a third (typical in film music) or side-shift to an unrelated key next to it e.g. moving from Bb minor to Ab minor

Sonority and instrumentation in C

additional sonorities include:
- xylophone, temple blocks and a low percussive piano line with snare drum, especially prominent starting at b.26
- xylophone, piano bass, timpani and muted trumpet b.30
- use of fairground steam organ b.45- really gives a circus-like feel and sounds more breathy and sinister than the other organs that we have had before, especially with the moto perpetuo quavers
- use of whistle in b.47

performance techniques in C

addition performance techniques include:
- violin glissandi (also quite high in their tessitura- an Ab 4 ledger lines above the stave) b.25
- horn glissandi b.42
- trumpet extreme lip tril b.50
- oboe extreme lip vibrato b.57-58

Dynamics in C

dynamics rapidly change throughout, with lots of quick contrasts
- piece begins pp, with a crescendo to ff in b.7- use of sfzpp in b,12 in the timpani
- lots of use of fast acting crescendos e.g. b.36, where the horn goes from mf to p then crescendo to f in three beats
- lots of use of sforzandos e.g. in b25 to emphasise the dramatic effect of the glisses in the violin
- lots of statement of the batman motif are played forte in the middle sections e.g. b.52-53- helps emphasise the richness of the brass

Texture in C

- begins monophonic with pedal drone and inverted string tonic pedal in b.4, then the batman motif is layered in different forms/ with different rhythmical values in different parts above, also with cluster chords which are the batman motif vertically e.g. flute oboe and clarinet chord in b.5- then bold statement of the C#major chord with additional percussion and added string movement
- cello pedal drone at beginning could link to Portman's Mistake of your Life from the Duchess, which also provides tonal ambiguity
- from b.13, Circus-inspired music with comic accompanying trombone and brass figures and fragmentary texture made up of short rapidly contrasted interjections from different sections of the orchestra and also from new sonorities
- prominant percussive elements from b.26 with moto perpetuo mini ostinati in the xylophone and the bass of the piano and also the use of idea one in the snare drum and the temple blocks- there is a discernable melody, but as there is so much chromaticism the focus may be on sonority and texture- link to John Cage's dances for two prepared pianos?
- use of cross-rhythms in b.13- could link to Elfman's African influences as crossrhythms are a prominent feature of african drum music?

Tempo in C

- after the slow introduction at 66 bpm, the tempo moves to 104 at b.7 and 136 at b.10- it finally settles at 170 at b.18

Metre in C

- although mainly in quadruple time, there are frequent changes in metre (to 3/4 in b12, to 2/4/ in b.17 to 5/4 in b.48 ect.) to reflect the zany nature of the action on screen

Rhythm in C

- the high energy in B v C is created through the near-constant quaver movement and burst of idea one (semiquaver, semiquaver, quaver figure) on temple blocks from b.26
- motifs are often breathless, with frequent rests and placing of the same motif on different beats of the bar e.g. b18-22, where the three note motif in the bass strings is placed unpredictably throughout different beats of the bars
- use of many different types of rhythm from tied semibreves b.1 to sextuplet semiquavers e.g. b.77- the hectic feel of the music is intensified by these sudden sextuplet semiquavers at b.69 and 70

Melody in C

- wide use of different rhythmical and fragmented varieties of the batman motif that is first heard as a syncopated version with a quaver as s second note in b.3 and then is syncopated in a different way in b4, where the tied dotted crotchets and crotchets do not fall of beats of the bar- it is also seen in a triplet figuration in b.47- perhaps referencing the triplet development in boapp2. It is fragmented, with the first half of the original form in b.53. This fragment is also augmented in b.82-84.
- chromatic oboe solo in b. 57-58- contrasts with the other melancholy oboe solo in rise and fall from grace in b.16
- penguin a theme is hidden in the xylophone and piano motopertpetuo quaver lines at b.26
- the penguin b theme from poapp1 is also referenced in the fairground steam organ in b.62-63
- there also seems to be a melodic idea that is also repeated a few times throughout from b.13 in the trombone- this is also heard later in the fairground organ and in the strings
- use of the whole tone scale in the harp in b.43 and b77

harmony in C

- often chromatic
- notes 1 3 4 and 5 of the Batman motif are verticalised in b.5 to form an added 6th chord in the upper woodwind
- use of cluster chords to build tension e.g. b62
- ends on a held E- no harmony so no satisfying cadence at the end, just a cymbal role and a cresc from p to fff.

structure and tonality in C

- though composed
- key changes are not to relative keys- either side shifting up or down a tone or semitone e.g. B minor to C# major in b.6-7 or via the mediant e.g. switching between C# major to E minor from b.7-12- a prominent feature of Film music e.g. in Howard Shore score for the Lord of the Rings e.g. The Prophecy, in which the middle section constant alternates between two keys a 3rd apart
- the use of C minor in b.26-44 is weakened by whole-tone figures
- overall unexpected key changes and chromaticism create a very exciting and unpredictable atmosphere to the piece
- difficult to discern the tonality of the piece at b.18-25, with chromaticism and the changing nature between the use of the minor and major third- creates the feel of a crazed, uncertain atmosphere.

sonority and instrumentation in R

- high string dissonant cluster chords- WL- Takemitsu uses high dissonant strings in his Funeral Music e.g. in No.2 Black Rain- he also uses a waltz-like figuration like in this piece, however his is very unsettling because of the dissonance in the melody and harmony and also the unpredictability of rhythms
- use of accordion in b.20, which is similar in timbre to the fairground organ used in B v C, and creates a waltz feel because of the emphasis on the first beat of the bear in 3/4, with the flute and harp playing the melody in three 8ves, with the flute ascending for the last chord rather than descending like the harp. - this is when Max sees the penguin's clown gang on screen and so helps the audience to remember who they are
- use of expressive oboe countermelody in b.17-19- reminiscent of the cor anglais used as a counter-melody in William's theme from Schindler's List, which also uses syncopation. Oboes and cor anglais are often used in film and instrumental music to convey melancholy and beautiful themes because of their lyrical and expressive sonorities. Elfman also uses the cor anglais in the lair p.II in the middle of the piece as a melancholy solo on top of the texture.
- use of the marimba e.g. b.17
- interesting instrument combinations e.g. contrabass clarinet with celesta, trumpet and string tremolo in b.37

performance techniques in R

- use of pizz. strings at beginning in a question and answer style
use of tremolo in strings e.g. in b.14
- use of a tutti gliss in b.53

dynamics in R

- dynamics start p and then have occasional crescendos and descrescs. the last few bars crescendo to a fanfare that is forte, then has a sforzando, then a piano marking before crescendo to ff to the last chord

tempo in R

starts 120- quite quick doesn't change

metre in R

- starts in 4/4, has a 2/4 b.15 bar back to 4/4 to help create a sense of uncertainty, then moves to a 5/4 bar b.19 before going to a waltz like section in 3/4 at b.20
- moves back to 4/4/ at b26, then moves back to 3/4/ at b.31
- finally moves back to 4/4 at b.40 and stays there for rest of piece- use playing on weak beats especially in b.42 seems to blur metre as well as well as long held chords- Takemitsu also does this in 'Funeral Music' from Black Rain

texture in R

- beginning monophonic single cello pizz line that turns into a question and answer with the violins and then the double bass
- violins and harp playing very high in their tessitura- creates unsettling feel
- high strings cluster with widely spaced octaves and sustained dominant pedal underneath b.8
- accordion waltz-like accompanying figure and long sustained augmented version of penguin b theme for flutes and harp in octaves
-mainly homophonic, with different accompanying features supporting the different variations of the motifs

melody in R

- motifs embedded in the texture e.g. a syncopated version of the penguin a theme in cello in b.4-7, penguin b theme heard in the harp and organ in octaves in b.8 underneath the dissonant cluster chords of the violins
- penguin a theme heard in b. 17 in the marimba in broken octaves with a counter-melody from the oboe above
- penguin b theme augmented in b.20 in the accordion, flute and harp parts
- cor anglais and cello playing penguin a theme in b.26
- use of the falling thirds sigh motif pattern in the celeste from b.30-35, which is reminiscent of the choir from previous cues
- b.44 rapid ascending melody towards the end of the bar is when the penguin tries to eat a fish- this is very similar to the same pattern in Boapp1, where the penguin as a baby tries to eat the cat and there is a violin and woodwind flourish before a quaver rest, in this piece there is a violin flourish and then a crotchet rest
- overall melody and pitch range descends at b.49-50, as they walk down the stairs- Mickey mousing, also found in Chaplin's city of lights

harmony in R

- use of cluster chords in the beginning- similar to the beginning of 'Eye to Eye' by John Williams where high cluster chords in the strings create a sense of tension and anticipation
- neopolitan harmony in b. 45, where a Db major 7 chord is created in the key of C minor
- an augmented triad is created in b.51 with an Ab, a C and an E natural
- false relations to create tension e.g. b.38 with the F# to the F natural and the Ab against the A natural
- lots of open sounding octaves used, which also sometimes give an unsettling gap with no real filler of harmony in the middle e.g. b.16
- cluster chord by the brass in b.52, with Ab, G, C, D and Eb all in one chord- builds tension

structure and tonality in R

- through-composed, based on motifs
- generally in C minor throughout, but with lots of added chromaticism- especially with the use of added F#s e.g. bar 2 or b.13 and Gbs e.g. bar 40
- b. 40-46 uses broken chord melodic patterns often based around a diminished 7th
- b.49-52 use whole-tone harmony
- b.53-54 are in the tonic major, like a tierce de picardie- and feels like a fanfare and the brass are quite prominent in the chord, brass are commonly associated with the hero or with triumphant moments because of their broad brilliant sonority e.g. in the Avengers main theme by Alan SIlvestri- this is also mickey mousing as at this moment P is greeted by his supporters on screen.