Movie soundtracks "inspired" by classical works

[Tommy10]

I listen to a variety of podcasts at work, one of which focuses on classical music. A few years ago I noticed I was listening to Dvorak's 9th, particularly the 4th movement. The opening notes are completely obvious as to which aquatic-themed movie's score composer "sampled" it. From the same symphony's 1st movement, there is a strong reference to basically every western from the mid-20th century. The same composer definitely borrowed from Holst's Planets: Mars, albeit in a different movie franchise (Star Wars.) And yet again, the same composer was "inspired" by a 1942 movie score by Korngold for the main Star Wars theme. And from a different composer, one who has done incredible works like Inception, there is again Holst's "Mars," resurrected during a fight scene in Gladiator.

I realize there are YouTube vids that cover this, but I'm rather happy I drew these conclusions on my own while listening to a ton of music The question is: when is something "inspired" by a previous work, and when is it flat-out copying? I also acknowledge some of these works are in the public domain and thus fair game for basically anything. Lastly, I find myself disappointed in John Williams and his lack of originality when it comes to these core motif's and themes. Granted, what I'm referring to is only a few notes, or a pair of bars at most, but dang those themes are so famous!

Thoughts? Have you noticed any other works that served as a basis for movie scores/soundtracks?

-Tommy

 

[LilHotRod]

As a classical musician, this is certainly something that fascinates me. I play percussion/drums, piano, violin, viola, and a bit of ukulele.

 

[Tommy10]

Cool! I played percussion in high school, specifically quads in marching band and tympani in concert. By no means and I'm even close to a professional musician, but I had lots of fun playing

Viola is always a mystery to me. Rarely is it "front and center" and honestly unless someone points them out, or its a viola concerto, they always seem to get buried by the violins and cellos.

Lately I've been enjoying late 19th and early 20th century composers, hence the connections I've been making to movie soundtracks of the last 45 years or so. It seems this era is a strong influence for Hollywood, but I'm not well versed enough to explain why. Perhaps it was the shift away from things like Chopin (one of my faves!), Beethoven and the like towards a more broad expressions Smetana, Rachmaninoff, etc. gave us...? At least thats one of my guesses

 

[LilHotRod]

That’s great! I’ve marched cymbals and bass. Don’t do field shows anymore; when I do get to march now, it’s parades and I march snare.

Don’t play as many timp parts these days, as the bands I play in consist of musicians who only play those parts. Since they get more experience, they’re more skilled so if it came to challenging them for a timp part, chances are the section leader and/or conductor would prefer they play them. It’s fine though. I typically get (stuck with) keyboard percussion parts anyway but have embraced them.

In beginner level school bands, all the percussionists get equal exposure to keyboard, battery, and auxiliary parts. Depending on the program and especially if the teacher is assigning parts, there may still be equal distribution as the players advance to higher levels whereas some consistently pick or are assigned the same type of parts.

At the community band level, percussionists are generally set in their ways and gravitate towards one type of part. I try to mix it up though, as I was trained to play all types and feel comfortable doing so. As mentioned previously, most of what I play are keyboard parts along with the elderly ladies.

When women were allowed to join school bands, the female percussionists were often only given keyboard parts and didn’t really learn or have much experience with battery. So, now at the community band level, keyboards are just about all they’re comfortable playing. Because of the other instruments I play, I can read rhythm and pitch simultaneously with no problem, hence the plethora of keyboard parts I wind up with. By playing battery parts, I take away the opportunity for others in my section to play. Even if there are keyboard parts, they would go unplayed because their skill at those instruments is lacking.

Not a professional either. I get paid for some gigs but most I do not. I am very passionate about music and do it for the enjoyment. I teach private lessons as well.

I encourage you to start playing again. Might be community bands in your area. The idea is to give people who don’t do music for a living to have that outlet without making a big commitment. Most rehearse once a week and give 2-4 concerts a season. Some take a summer break; some meet only in the summer. Don’t let your talent go to waste. I know after a frustrating day at work, one of the best things is being able to beat it out on some drums.

True: violas often are overlooked. Because of their rarity, playing it can get you scholarships to college and into professional orchestras more easily. That and oboe. Viola I picked up later in life. I was asked to play a show that was mainly violin but required some parts be played on viola. Never having touched one before, I agreed to, figuring it would be easy enough to teach myself as the technique is similar to violin, it’s just a matter of learning to read alto clef. This was the same attitude I had when asked to start teaching viola lessons. Can’t play it as confidently as violin, but I can hold a tune.

Regarding Hollywood’s alignment with 19th and 20th century composers, it probably has to do with the accessibility of it. Use more modern music and chances are royalties will have to be paid. Hire someone like John Williams, Alan Menken, or Hans Zimmer to compose a score for your film and you’re paying even more.