In this project I aimed to deepen my insight into musical craftsmanship, form conclusions about counterpoint, harmony and melody (both written and improvisational) and how these can intertwine in order to create a larger coherent musical work. Whilst working on the project I used a wide plethora of jazz and classical techniques to create programmatic music molded after the great Swedish novel Doktor Glas. The music was written for a small orchestra with musicians with backgrounds in jazz, classical and folk music, and was performed live at KMH on the 12th of April 2022.

The use of leitmotifs in films has often been critiqued. Theodor Adorno and Hanns Eisler went as far as to claim in 1947 that "The whole form language of current cinema music derives from advertising" and that leitmotifs were in part to blame. While I take a more neutral stance, I argue that Eisler and Adorno's critique is partly correct, especially in regards to film series produced from the 1960s onwards. The analytical work undertaken for this research suggests that multiple franchises use elements of their scores as branding tools. I argue that these melodies, which have often been referred to as leitmotifs in film music scholarship, should be described as something else: title tunes. It seems that over time, they come to represent not just one or two movies, but entire franchises. They also appear to possess a marketing value not necessarily present in leitmotifs. As such, I would argue these title tunes resemble much more sonic logos as described in the sonic branding world than leitmotifs. This thesis is an exploration of title tunes. My thesis focuses primarily on mainstream Hollywood film franchises from the 1960s onwards. Various case studies from different time periods and different movie genres are analysed to describe and understand this new category of promotional film music. This thesis first takes a historical look at the concept of title tunes, explaining how other sonic branding practices used in radio, television and cinema appear to have influenced the creation of title tunes. From the sample of films analysed for this thesis, I argue that title tunes share commonalities, yet the commonalities seem to vary slightly across movie genres. The analyses undertaken also suggest that title tunes are dynamic entities, that some title tunes are more complex than others (featuring multiple components), and that some franchises can feature more than one title tune. My interpretation of the data also suggests that these title tunes are used as emotional and nostalgic tools and that specific orchestrations and arrangements might carry additional emotional power. While the majority of this thesis explores the use of title tunes in films, their use in trailers and other commodities is discussed. Finally, I suggest how title tunes might change in the future and why certain franchises have omitted using such recurring motifs.

This bachelor thesis discusses the way nostalgia correlates with video game music and how the emotion of nostalgia is achieved in the different soundtracks discussed. A large part of the bachelor thesis discusses leitmotifs and their role in video game music when attempting to create a sense of familiarity and an emotionally memorable soundtrack. The study approaches nostalgia from different perspectives to be able to identify what it is exactly in video game music that evokes the emotion.

This thesis analyses Hans Zimmer’s film music in Inception (2010) and Interstellar (2014) that resulted from his collaboration with director Christopher Nolan. The focus lies on the narrative and temporal functions that film music can attain when used in temporal complex narratives. The analysis looks into how time is presented, manipulated, and connected through the music. Three aspects that are examined are: 1) how musical motifs function as a guide for understanding narrative themes, 2) how music gives temporal clarity within a narrative, and 3) how sound design contributes to an understanding of the temporal structure of the narrative. This thesis offers more insight into how music can function temporally, a subject worthy of more academic attention. It concludes that Zimmer’s “minimalistic maximalism” style and his creative process with Nolan are essential to how the music of Inception and Interstellarfunctions.

This submission for the degree of Master of Music at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, University of Adelaide, consists of a portfolio of original compositions supported by an explanatory exegesis. The portfolio consists of six works: The Gingerbread Man, for a sinfonietta ensemble (woodwind quintet, two violins, viola, cello, double bass and percussion); a Jazz Quintet (alto saxophone, fluegel horn, vibraphone, tambourine and double bass); a Horn Quintet and String Quartet (violin, two violas and cello); Alone (for solo horn and 3 female voices – SSA); and Sonata for Horn (or Tuba) and Piano. The supporting exegesis explains the creative and investigative processes that have taken place, exploring the idea of the leitmotif and developing it through the six compositions within the portfolio. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1457750 / Thesis (M.Mus.) -- University of Adelaide, Elder Conservatorium of Music, 2009

This submission for the degree of Master of Music at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, University of Adelaide, consists of a portfolio of original compositions supported by an explanatory exegesis. The portfolio consists of six works: The Gingerbread Man, for a sinfonietta ensemble (woodwind quintet, two violins, viola, cello, double bass and percussion); a Jazz Quintet (alto saxophone, fluegel horn, vibraphone, tambourine and double bass); a Horn Quintet and String Quartet (violin, two violas and cello); Alone (for solo horn and 3 female voices – SSA); and Sonata for Horn (or Tuba) and Piano. The supporting exegesis explains the creative and investigative processes that have taken place, exploring the idea of the leitmotif and developing it through the six compositions within the portfolio. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1457750 / Thesis (M.Mus.) -- University of Adelaide, Elder Conservatorium of Music, 2009