Year 10 - Music
Using leitmotif in film music
Introduction to film music
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Unit Summary
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Lesson Summary
You will learn to create a leitmotif to represent a film character.
Key Notes
- Leitmotif is a technique that developed from opera and programme music in the 19th century.
- Leitmotifs are used to represent characters, places or ideas.
- They often change to match changes in the story.
- We must carefully consider the musical elements to make sure that the leitmotif suits the character or idea.
- This includes harmony, tonality (major and minor), rhythm, timbre, articulation and dynamics.
Vocabulary To Learn
- leitmotif: a musical idea that represents a specific character, place or idea
- major: a key based on the notes of the major scale, sounding generally positive and bright
- minor: a key based on the notes of the minor scale; it creates a darker mood than a major key
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- A leimotif is just a musical theme.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Leitmotif is a technique that developed from opera and programme music in the 19th century. Leitmotifs are used to represent characters, places or ideas.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'leitmotif'
a musical idea that represents a specific character, place or idea.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: A leimotif is just a musical theme. Correction: Not quite. A leitmotif is a musical idea that must represent something else. This is usually a character, place or idea. A musical theme can exist without representing anything at all.
More Lessons In This Unit
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