Case History of a Film Score: "The Thorn Birds" Cover Image

Case History of a Film Score: "The Thorn Birds": Book & CD

$42.95 USD
$42.95 USD
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Case History of a Film Score: "The Thorn Birds" Cover Image
Case History of a Film Score: "The Thorn Birds": Book & CD

Case History of a Film Score: "The Thorn Birds": Book & CD

By Henry Mancini / ed. Roy Phillippe

Item: 00-ELM04007CD
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Description
This text, designed as a tool for the college classroom, gives the reader insight into the creative process used by master film composer Henry Mancini. Edited by Roy Phillippe, the book provides 16 musical examples and includes a CD with recordings from the original soundtrack. The text provides detailed analysis of the ideology and technique behind Mancini's creation of music to be paired with the film's storyline and its images. A must for any aspiring film composer, film music buff, or Mancini fan!

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Additional Details
Publisher: Alfred Music
ISBN10: 0-7579-2266-X
ISBN13: 978-0-7579-2266-4
UPC: 654979079231
SKU: 00-ELM04007CD

More about this title

About the Author: Henry Mancini

Henry Mancini (1924-1994) was one of the most prolific and celebrated film composers in cinema history. His work spanning five decades established the modern language of film scoring, blending classical training with jazz sophistication and an intuitive understanding of how music shapes emotional narrative. Mancini won four Academy Awards and eighteen Grammy Awards, making him one of the most decorated composers in entertainment history.

Beyond his iconic themes and instrumental scores, Mancini was a thoughtful mentor who believed in demystifying the creative process. His willingness to document his compositional choices and explain the reasoning behind specific orchestration decisions makes this case study particularly valuable for students seeking to understand not just what he composed, but why each musical decision served the story.

Why we love this

Mancini pulls back the curtain on decision-making that students rarely see in published scores. Rather than studying a finished composition in isolation, you're reading the composer's own rationale for harmonic choices, orchestration, and thematic development as they relate to specific scenes and emotional arcs. The included soundtrack recordings let you hear how the music functions in context, bridging the gap between academic analysis and lived cinema experience.

What to expect

Intimate and instructive, this book reads like a master class between composer and student. The original soundtrack recordings create a vivid backdrop, allowing you to hear Mancini's orchestral choices unfold exactly as he conceived them for the screen.

Who it's for

Film music courses, composition seminars, and students preparing for careers in media scoring will find this indispensable. It's equally valuable for anyone studying how narrative and music interact, whether your focus is on pedagogy, composition, or critical listening.

How to get the most out of it

  • Use the CD recordings as listening references before diving into the written analysis; let students hear the emotional arc first, then examine how Mancini achieved it
  • Assign specific musical examples to small groups and have them present their findings to the class, turning passive reading into active discussion
  • Connect Mancini's orchestration choices to pieces your ensemble is currently rehearsing to make the principles immediately applicable

How to use it

Assign this as the primary text for a film music composition unit or undergraduate seminar on media scoring. The book works particularly well as a case study model that students can reference when analyzing other composers' approaches to similar dramatic challenges.

Skills your students will build

  • Analyzing orchestration choices in relation to narrative function
  • Understanding harmonic and thematic development in film contexts
  • Connecting compositional decisions to emotional pacing and visual storytelling
  • Recognizing the relationship between leitmotif, character development, and dramatic structure

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