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Tone Parallels in Music for Film: The Compositional Works of Terence Blanchard in the Diegetic Universe and a New Work for Studio Orchestra by Brian Horton

This research investigates the culturally programmatic symbolism of jazz music in film. I explore this concept through critical analysis of composer Terence Blanchard's original score for Malcolm X directed by Spike Lee (1992). I view Blanchard's music as representing a non-diegetic tone parallel that musically narrates several authentic characteristics of African-American life, culture, and the human condition as depicted in Lee's film. Blanchard's score embodies a broad spectrum of musical influences that reshape Hollywood's historically limited, and often misappropiated perceptions of jazz music within African-American culture. By combining stylistic traits of jazz and classical idioms, Blanchard reinvents the sonic soundscape in which musical expression and the black experience are represented on the big screen. My new work––Black Magic––is a musical response to the research found within this study. The through-composed piece is written in three movements for a studio orchestra. It is an homage to the musical, cultural, and entertainment contributions of African-Americans in the magical realm of Hollywood cinema.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc1011761
Date08 1900
CreatorsHorton, Brian (Saxophonist)
ContributorsDeRosa, Rich, Corporon, Eugene, Murphy, John P. (John Patrick)
PublisherUniversity of North Texas
Source SetsUniversity of North Texas
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis or Dissertation
Formatvi, 46 pages : illustrations, music, Text
RightsPublic, Horton, Brian (Saxophonist), Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.
RelationRecital: February 16, 2015, ark:/67531/metadc983774, Recital: April 4, 2016, ark:/67531/metadc <not yet digitized>, Recital: November 29, 2016, ark:/67531/metadc <not yet digitized>, Recital: March 20, 2017, ark:/67531/metadc977006

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