Music Theory

The most transformative moments in life cause us to look both backward (reflection) and inward (introspection).  Likewise, reflective and introspective moments in film often align with important plot points.  Separating music and dialogue from the rhythms of the image, these moments suspend time, creating a distinct temporality for the character(s) and the viewer to observe the past and the present in juxtaposition.  The music of film composer Thomas Newman brings to life some of the most beautiful reflective and introspective moments in cinema.  In this thesis, I approach Newman’s understudied, but highly successful film scores from narrative, musical, and audiovisual perspectives.  Recognizing time as a linear common denominator between the multimedia elements of film, I examine case study scenes in Little Women (1994), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), and American Beauty (1999).  Additionally, I present Kofi Agawu’s method of generative analysis as a tool well-suited to Newman’s unique harmonic language.

Course Description:
What is this thing called analysis? This course reflects on the act of analyzing by adopting conventional analytic tools to Jazz and Pop music—the type of music that the tools were not originally designed for. This course pursues two goals: (1) to be an expert at using the conventional analytic tools through possibly challenging application posed by Jazz and Pop genre; (2) to be able to devise a new tool according to the characteristics of the music to show a feature that was not previously possible with the conventional analysis. We will explore such questions as: How do you begin an analysis of jazz and pop music? What are the drawbacks and benefits when applying the conventional analysis to non-classical music? What to do when an analytic tool does not “fit” with the music? In what ways the analysis reflects the society?

http://blogs.uoregon.edu/mus327f2015park/