If someone asked your favorite movie, what would your answer be? Even if you aren’t a film critic, chances are you’ve seen at least one movie in the past few months. Maybe your kids dragged you to the theaters to see the latest Disney release, or you met someone for a first date to watch the latest A24 film.
Regardless of the occasion, have you ever noticed how much classical music is in the theaters? It’s probably more than you think. Many iconic films feature recognizable pieces of classical music, from Gioachino Rossini's cavatina "Una voce poco fa” in "Citizen Kane" to Claude Debussy’s “Claire de lune” in "Everything Everywhere All at Once."
Music has been around since the creation of film. In the Silent Era of cinema, filmmakers often hired pianists or organists to play alongside the pictures. Sometimes, fancier theaters would employ entire orchestras to play alongside movies. They would play from cue sheets or select pieces of classical tunes.
American composer Aaron Copland wrote five film scores for Hollywood that shaped the industry’s sound. In his article “Second Thoughts On Hollywood,” he mentioned that “music is like a small flame put under the screen to help warm it… [and it is] an art which exists in time [that] can subtly hold disparate scenes together."
Film composer and Lee's Summit native Samantha Sack is passionate about telling stories through music. A graduate of the Dublin Institute of Technology with a Master of Arts in Scoring for Film and Visual Media, her works are featured in several short films and orchestras.
Sack believes that classical music connects filmgoers to a story. Inspired by the works of Claude Debussy and Dmitri Shostakovich, she strives to paint color into each scene through her instrumentation. The composer said her work has a rhythm, and every scene has its own tempo.
“You have to learn two different languages to be a film composer,” she said. “You have to understand the language of music, and you have to understand the language of film. You’re speaking bilingually, in a way.” Sack acknowledged the importance of classical music knowledge in her music writing.
Many films have included pieces of classical music in their soundtracks. "2001: A Space Odyssey" features Johann Strauss II’s "Blue Danube Waltz" and György Ligeti’s "Atmospheres." "King’s Speech" has the second movement of Beethoven's seventh symphony, and "Somewhere in Time" includes "Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini." Even modern-day electronic music in films draws inspiration from classical melodies, such as in Grammy-winner Christopher Chiyan Tin’s classical crossover scores.
The cinematic experience relies on classical music to evoke emotions and deepen the range of feelings in the film. From moments of great suspense to a magical romance, classical music offers the perfect accompaniment for every scenario.
University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Film Larson Powell has taught film, literature, and musicology worldwide. In combination with the UMKC Conservatory, he started a music and film class that he taught in Kansas City and later in Germany. He believes classical music can bring a story to life and immerse audiences.
Powell also emphasized the influence of jazz on media and film. With the rise of jazz music in the 1950s and 60s, classical influence ramped up even more in cinema. He mentioned the French crime/noir film "Elevator to the Gallows," in which American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis improvised the entire score.
If want to add more films to your “watched” list this year, the local, independent theaters Screenland Amour and Stray Cat Film Center are great places to visit. Stray Cat also hosts live film score events where local musicians perform their interpretations of mostly silent films.
Cassandra Gillig, a volunteer at the Stray Cat Film Center in Kansas City, grew up a classically trained pianist, writer, and avid film enjoyer. She noted how music — and the lack of music — can make or break a scene.
“In some of my favorite movies,” she said, “[music] directs the entire course of the experience. If there was no music, you might not know how you were supposed to be feeling.” Gillig mentioned Wendy Carlos’ heavily-inspired classical works in "The Shining" and "A Clockwork Orange."
Gillig added that, for those who haven’t seen a movie in a while, “there’s nothing as deeply soothing and reinvigorating as sitting in a completely dark room and giving all of your attention to a movie for a minute.”
Film soundtracks aren’t just limited to the theaters either. In the past, the Kansas City Symphony has performed soundtracks from hit films such as "Harry Potter," Disney’s "Coco," "Star Wars," and the 1929 version of "Phantom of the Opera."
If you missed those previous KC Symphony film concerts, you can still attend their future performances of "Jurassic Park" in September, "Home Alone" in November, and "Frozen" in December. In October, the Symphony will perform music from horror films such as "Psycho," "Nosferatu," and Disney’s "Hocus Pocus."
