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psycho - Coggle Diagram
psycho
context
one of the first slasher films - horror, thriller
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used only strings for the entire score- modernist, avant-garde approach to film music composing
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created a new sound world for the film- different to score for The Birds in which he used electronics
modernist approach- influenced by modernist composers such as Bartók, Stravinsky
uses short ostinati for his cues- deviating from the more typical idea of central, dominating melodies
generally avoids use of conventional harmonic/ tonal ideas- atonality, dissonance, lack of cadences
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finale
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sonority
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ends with low, dissonant, fortissimo chords
melody
reflects character of Norman Bates- angular, dangerous
example of angular melodic lines in marion but feels more soothing and romantic- here it feels eerie and creepy, unsettling
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rhythm
frequent time sig changes in middle- irregular, unnerving
directionless rhythms, no real pulse
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heavy, slow off-beat chords in last two bars
the cellar
structure
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opening octaves- chordal, homorhythmic
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sonority
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exploits texture, sound world etc
marion
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harmony
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descending chromatic scale in viola b.1-4- inflicted harmony- some chords are dissonant, some aren't
Herrmann refuses to let the audience feel secure, lack of conventionality
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sonority
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played with mutes- same sound-world as the other cues although very different to prelude, murder, cellar
mid-range, straightforward parts
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melody
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middle (B) section keeps rising and falling idea but the interval changes to diminished 5ths and perfect 4ths
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descending lines feel melancholic, plaintive- the city
opens with long, descending sequence
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texture
layering of parts- 3, then 5, then 7 for last chord
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the city
tonality
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sets the tone for the film, new sound world, foreboding
rhythm, metre, tempo
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slow tempo- contrasts with murder, prelude, faster tempo cues
feeling of pulse rather than a feeling of rhythm, mundane, repetitive
harmony
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first chord is a diminished 7th- the rest of the chords are inversions of the same chords with the d changed to an e-flat- becomes half-diminished
uncomfortable, inescapable, feeling of oppressive, inescapable heat
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texture
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lack of energy, intense, claustrophobic
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sonority
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romantic in style, lush strings
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melody
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sighing motif- intense heat, mundane
the toys
rhythm
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slow tempo- contrasts with other cues- murder, prelude
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texture
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contrasts such as the chordal texture vs the pedal and the polarised texture create an uneasy, tense, sinister atmosphere
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harmony
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b.6, b.11- half-diminished 7th
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sonority
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divisi violin chords- exploits resources, thickens texture
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discovery
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sonority
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long, sustained lines in the lower string parts
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melody
descending parallel chords from b.26- top note moves up and down by step- quotes idea 4 from the prelude
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the murder
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harmony
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cluster chords- high pitch, close dissonance
shocking, brutal atmosphere
tonality
unsettling, chaotic, new sound world, modernism, pushes away from traditional use of tonality and traditional film music
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melody
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new sound of film music, chaotic, aggressive, unpredictable
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prelude
rhythm, tempo, metre
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idea 4- longer note values- more romantic in feel, more typical, traditional, conventional
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fast tempo, energetic, capturing attention of audience, introducing the atmosphere of the film, aggressive, shocking
structure
b.3-20- busy, obsessive ideas made up of short ostinati layers
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b.37-48- more conventional, arco melodic line, moves stepwise
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harmony
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unstable sound, doesn't resolve, unsettling dissonance
Hitchcock chord used as accompaniment in b.47-48, 126-130
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juxtaposition of chords a semitone apart- b.37-40 e-flat minor, b. 41-44 e minor
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melody
rising semitone idea- bar 3- used regularly throughout the film and some people connect it with the 'duality' of Norman Bates' mind
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idea 2- (violin 1-bar 5) made up of two interlocking major 3rds E/G# and F/A- this idea is used to create the accompaniment from bar 29- similar to idea used in Stravinsky's Rite of Spring
semitone is doubled in thirds and inverted- b.9-10, 15-16 also used as a sighing motif and is inverted in b.45-46
Herrmann favours the idea of motifs and builds longer melodic structures by repetition, sequence and development of these ideas
creates tension, hints at tragedy to come, obsessive, psychotic
sonority
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pizzicato cello and bass notes-sometimes as pulse, sometimes as syncopated punctuations
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Herrmann exploits strings- uses many different playing techniques, microphones close to the strings