- This thesis is an exploration of the use and effects of public domain music in the films of Woody Allen. It argues that Allen's practice helps to re situate an understanding, not only of music in film, but also of music's location within social and cultural hierarchies; it also offers an exemplification of the slippages between modernism and postmodernism, each of which becomes emblematic of larger cultural issues in Allen's films and his filming methods. A series of case-studies illustrates different aspects of Allen's use of music and each study chooses a different group of films to highlight a particular set of issues: how New York City is shaped and promoted musically; how Allen perceives music's 'status' in terms of social class; how music is involved in parody and critique; how conflicts between the perceived (and constructed) statuses of 'popular' and 'serious' art figure as a controlling force in his films; how the construction of the 'Woody Allen persona' is helped by music. The approach taken in this thesis is to examine key scenes of the films in question as a way of showing the function and effect of the music. In addition, I also engage with existing works on film music, demonstrating their limitations and how their claims often fail to account for the way that music is used in Allen's work. This situation is symptomatic of an approach to film musicology that contextualises, only to a limited extent, its subject of study. By taking a director, rather than a composer, as its 'musical' basis, this thesis aims, to a certain extent, to address this situation by offering a strongly-contextualised consideration of music in film.

The terms 'congruence' and 'incongruence' recur throughout a body of experiments designed to investigate the perception of film music. These studies suggest that congruent film-music relationships result in joint encoding of auditory and visual information. Conversely, incongruent relationships can result in independent encoding processes which direct attention to the component parts of a scene: this may influence the perception of meaning and emotional response. Accordingly, certain incongruent film music combinations can be highly emotive and memorable whilst others may be significantly less so. However, the terms are not explicitly defined within the literature and whilst congruence implies fit, incongruence can connote inappropriate or misfitting elements within a relationship. Similarities can be identified with terms used to describe the film -music relationship, such as 'parallel' and 'counterpoint', which have also become dichotomies that do not reflect the levels on which such combinations can be judged: in reality, these judgements are multidimensional, context-dependent and highly subjective. Multi- and interdisciplinary study provides an effective approach which can facilitate greater understanding of the potential impact of film-music (in)congruence. This thesis seeks to reconcile information that can be obtained when incongruence is studied on perceptual and analytical levels. It is suggested that incongruence can be more holistically represented when (re)defined as 'a lack of shared dimensions' and when the various contextual influences and dimensions on which this audiovisual difference can be judged are considered from a psycho-semiotic perspective. This perspective incorporates: experimental work; analytical case-studies; and conceptual study which draws upon poststructuralist philosophy, semiotic approaches, and the history and aesthetics of film music. The incongruent perspective demonstrates how various methodologies can contextualise and complement each other to provide insight into subjective judgements, exposjng dichotomies and hegemonic influences, in order to reflect the various contextual and subjective influences which can affect a perceiver's interactions with film

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This study investigates the functional relationship between sound and image within a particular generic and historical context - experimental music and the popular horror film, from 1960 to the present day. The study responds to a significant gap in the literature that requires sustained and in-depth academic attention. Despite recent expansion, the field of film music studies has yet to deal with alternative functional models that challenge the overall applicability of the dominant narrative-based theoretical framework. Recent scholarship suggests that a proper theoretical comprehension of horror film music's primary function requires a refocusing of the hermeneutic emphasis upon dimensions of the cinematic (or audio-visual) sign that can be described as `nonrepresentational.' This study applies a relatively new psychoanalytical framework to explain how the post-1960 horror film deploys these non-representational elements, incorporating them into an overall cinematic strategy which indexes the transition towards a post-classical cinematic aesthetics. More specifically, this study assessesju st how efficiently experimental musical styles and techniques aid the reconfiguration of the syntactical components of horror film to these very ends. Using three case study directors, this study focuses upon major developments in musical style and cinematic technology, describing the ways in which these have facilitated this cinematic strategy. A particularly useful contribution to the knowledge is made here via the study's explanation as to how the particular psychoanalytical framework applied can illuminate the functional and theoretical relationships often posited between both the formal and subjective dimensions of the post-1960 horror film experience. The conclusions reached suggest this theoretical explication of post-1960 horror film music's function can now take its place alongside previously dominant narrative frameworks. Given the influential status of the horror genre, the findings of this investigation prove useful for comprehending the increasing heterogeneity of postclassical film music in general, and the functional relationship(s) of sound and image in particular.

Hollywood film composers work within a complex process of film production, with limited control over the final outcome. Certain contextual agents have shaped the developing craft and caused recent Hollywood film music (since 1980) to depart from the symphonic neo-Romantic style that has traditionally and commonly been associated with Hollywood film scores. Developments in storytelling, changing demographics among filmmakers and composers, evolving business models, and the influence of television have altered the content and style of Hollywood films and film music. Furthermore, technological advances in film, soundtrack, and music production have contributed to changes in prevalent composer practice. Film music is always mediated by the films it accompanies and contemporary Hollywood films that speak a progressive language tend not to use conventional music of the classical Hollywood tradition. Film music must bow to commercial pressures that are often at odds with originality. An analysis of the workload distribution among composers in the 50 top-grossing Hollywood films each year between 1980-2009 reveals an uneven distribution skewed towards a select few individuals. These composers exert considerable influence on their field. Further findings summarized in this thesis also show a statistically significant increase in non-melodic minimalist writing as well as strong correlations between non-orchestral instrumentation and non-traditional musical styles over the past three decades. This thesis assesses recent Hollywood film music practice and the opportunities and challenges screen composers face. Acknowledging the role and influence of so-called contextual agents in film music composition means to consider film scores in the spheres of conceptualisation and compositional practice. The key research question addressed in this thesis is: 'What is the context in which Hollywood film composers actually work and how does this affect their creative practice and the musical outcome?'

Fait unique dans l’histoire du cinéma, les partitions du gigantesque cycle dischronique qu’est la saga Star Wars, couvrant une période très étirée de vingt-huit ans, sont toutes de la main de John Williams. Cette constance compositionnelle devrait a priori faire des deux trilogies (1977-1983 et 1999-2005) un tout cohérent et unifié, d’autant que George Lucas envisage les six épisodes comme une seule et même entité. Pourtant, l’unité musicale de l’hexalogie et la signature musicale « starwarsienne » sont loin d’aller de soi, prenant la forme d’un idéal dénué de fondements solides réels.En adoptant une approche comparative transversale et en faisant varier différentes échelles d’analyse (épisode, trilogie, saga), la présente thèse a ainsi pour projet de montrer de quelles manières le matériau musical, les pratiques compositionnelles de Williams, mais aussi le traitement et l’intégration de la partition au sein du complexe audio-visuel font l’objet de profondes transformations entre les deux trilogies. Notre recherche interroge également dans quelle mesure et selon quelles modalités ces changements dans l’écriture musicale et l’utilisation de la partition dans les différents épisodes sont liés aux mutations des techniques cinématographiques, en particulier aux bouleversements dunumérique. Mettant à profit l’exploitation de sources manuscrites inédites et d’entretiens personnels réalisés auprès de l’orchestrateur principal de Williams, Conrad Pope, et de son music editor Kenneth Wannberg, notre travail met en oeuvre une interdisciplinarité affirmée au croisement de l’analyse musicale, de l’histoire du cinéma et des technologies. / The scores of the Star Wars saga, a gigantic dischronic cycle spanning over a long period of twentyeight years, are all composed by John Williams, a unique configuration in cinema history. This compositional consistency should theoretically establish the two trilogies (1977-1983 and 1999-2005) as a coherent and unified whole, especially as George Lucas considers the six episodes as one single entity. Nevertheless, the hexalogy’s musical unity and the existence of a Star Wars musical signature are far from self-evident, instead taking the form of an ideal devoid of real, solid foundations.By adopting a comparative cross-disciplinary approach and by resorting to different scales of analysis (episode, trilogy, saga), this dissertation aims to show in which ways the musical material, Williams’ compositional practice as well as the use and integration of the score within the audiovisual complex are subjected to profound transformations between the two trilogies. This research also questions how and to what extent these changes in Williams’s writing and the score’s treatment in the different episodes are related to the mutations of film techniques, especially those of the digital age.Drawing on unreleased hand-written sources and personal interviews conducted with Williams’ main orchestrator, Conrad Pope, and his music editor, Kenneth Wannberg, this dissertation implements a firm interdisciplinarity at the intersection of musical analysis, cinema and technology history