Danny Elfman The Dark Composer By Jessica Bustamante
Danny Elfman: The Dark Composer By Jessica Bustamante
Who is Danny Elfman? �Well recognized musician and composer �Best known for film scores with Tim Burton is a film director who has almost exclusively used Danny Elfman for the music of his films In Tim’s films, the tone is the most important thing that the score can do. - Danny Elfman
Danny Elfman’s scores for Tim Burton: • • 1985 1988 1989 1990 1992 1993 1996 1999 • • 2001 2003 2005 2010 2012 2013 Charlie The Nightmare and Cholcolate Before Christmas Factory Pee-Wee’s Edward Alice Planet Batman Frankenweenie Dark Sleepy Pinocchio Mars Corpse Beetlejuice inthe Big Batman of Scissorhands Wonderland Big Shadows Attacks Hollow Fish Returns the Bride Adventure ? ? ? Apes
Where does he come from? �Born in Amarillo, Texas on May 29 th, 1953 �Raised in Los Angeles, California �Mother: “Blossom” Elfman �Father: Milton Elfman �Brother (older): Richard Elfman (I) grew up in a multiethnic neighborhood where I was the only white Jewish kid. - Danny Elfman 2001
Who was he influenced by? �Sergei Prokofiev �Igor Stravinsky �Dmitri Shostakovich �Maurice Ravel �Bela Bartok �Bernard Herrmann – film score for The Day the Earth Stood Still �Monsters magazines
Musical Resume �Self-taught violinist �“Grand Magic Circus” performer �Traveled from West to East Africa �“Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo” performer and composer �“Oingo Boingo” singer songwriter �“Boingo” singer songwriter �Retired in 1995 to become a full time composer (self-taught)
Not Impressed? He also composed: • • 1989 1990 1994 2005 2008 2011 Theme American song for Ballet for Cirque Du Soleil’s Seranada Schizoprhenia Desperate Tales Rabbit The Weird from Simpsons and Housewives Science the. Rogue Crypt Iris Point Pleasant
From his first marriage, Danny Elfman has two daughters, Lola (27) and Mali (32) In 2003, he remarried to American film actress Bridget Fonda and had a son, Oliver (7)
Batman – Theme/Flowers/Love Theme/The Joker’s Poem/Up the Cathedral/Waltz to the Death/The Final Confrontation � 7: 15 0: 00 2: 53 � 11: 05 The violins play an arch where they then descend. The trumpets are playing theirthe sound softer, come in strong withand a single noteto before woodwinds resolve the song Brass There plays is only the silence, minor amelody beautiful of break theme that and lets injust, homophony youand know the at asong slow will tempo now transition Cymbals crash, creating the visual ofascend contact then the music backs down, opening measure forbut thethen violins to hold the beat the brass buildthe tension once more into a very minor melody that climaxes to a very tense state � 0: 12 2: 56 � 11: 16 7: 40 inand Violins join enter withthe thetimpani brass, but playdo a beat so in in a polyphonic the background, manner and there is a hint of a triangle or some other chime in the background. The tempo is slow and the melody is minor; it feels sad The mood is now very dark; thefrom brass 10: 56 is playing in homophony a very brood melody. The percussion introduces cymbals every quarter note and the timpani holds the beat same scenario is repeated � 0: 19 3: 18 � melody 7: 59 joins Xylophone The frominthe with beginning, a high pitched whichversion is the movie’s of the same theme, melody is reintroduced in a faster by tempo. a single Theviolin music begins to build in volume, particularly the brass and the violins. � melody 11: 40 comes back to theme of the movie for only a moment, only to trail back into the softer melody of the “Love Theme” and then back to “the Joker’s Poem” that then tapers The begin pulse thirds, which really creates dissonance as the song approaches its climax down slowly intoto“Up thein. Cathedral” � brass 0: 45 3: 28 Xylophone Another chime doubles is introduced the tempo, as creating the musictension drifts into and the suspense. “Flowers” portion of the medley, but theme continues to be intertwined into the still minor melody � 8: 15 � 11: 45 Snare drum � 0: 53 begins a march beat with the timpani at this point while the music is building tension and climax. A triangle enters to emphasize an alarming feeling as the climax persists with the 3: 49 The play quarter notes alone changing for timbre theand whole orchestra pulse inand homophony just before thebut brass begin toare play a background supera heroic majorinand melody echoed by the strings addition of ascend the brass instruments The timpani height violins of the climactic towards build a little leads tension to ain crash thethe music of tempo the as cymbals the is high volume pitched ofto the and brass eerie. There the violin is little have dissonance, doubled now isthat resolved they by the playing single music note homophy chimes and woodwinds � 8: 37 1: 00 4: 19 The violins then the melody into more romantic of lost love, perhaps Batman remembering hisplaying parentsthe same minor melody from before only in a faster In A duple set meter, ofascend violins theand song ascend changes indescend beautiful tone to harmony the style still ofin a marching dissonance band. withmood The the other snare set drum of keeps violins the beat andisthe brass are now �new 12: 09 tempo. The � whole 8: 55 4: 33 orchestra plays this melody in homophony as they approach the climactic ending that returns the whole song to the beginning theme song The now become louder create a pulse dramatic moving back thecomes themeinofwith thean movie that is urge played morelead escalated toneand � music tempo 1: 07 slows even more as and you stronger can hear as bythe theflutes chimes, which seemthat to beis tuning youand to sleep and thentowards the brass ascending to with stay vigor awaketoasa they to tension and Flutes then resolve join in with a higher pitched version of the same melody, emphasizing the dramatic feel of the music as is ascends and then descends with the brass. � timbre 12: 39 The song ends on a single note from the brass � 9: 22 1: 15 4: 50 The brass this section on a high minor note that leaves you a resolution in thedescend music, at which point snare drum and timpani another marching tempoend chimes returns play a major to themelody slowness with of the violins beginning thatfor feel only hopeful onewanting measure and happy, before but returning as they to the duple they make meter their of the way march back which to that descends minor chord inbegin contrast in homophony to the melody beat thus that far. trails into silence � 1: 22 5: 25 � 9: 41 Flutes There is join only in again silence, playing a beautiful a flutter break of athat descending lets you know melody theinsong the break will now of silence transition from the brass section which comes in stronger after they have finished. The snare drum has never stopped The music playing thebegins beat. a waltz in major melody with all the instruments playing in harmony keeping a simple rhythm we are all familiar with. I believe it is in triple meter because the cymbals emphasize � 5: 29 every third beat. Chimes � 1: 33 keep the beat and a woodwind enters with a minor melody in a moderate tempo. This is the “Love Theme, ” and feels a little more upbeat than what we have heard before. There is not � 10: 12 After tension, some justdissonance, a feeling of the lightness music and is resolved swayingonce the brass, violins and flutes play the in harmony the same melody from the beginning of the song. The continues, but changes tone and volume to create a more relaxed emotion � waltz 5: 45 Here � an 2: 03 interesting use of silence and sound is used to create what sounds like someone sneaking around and spying. It has a theatrical sound that is almost humorous � 10: 19 Xylophone can be heard softly in the background as the tension of the music builds and the volume becomes louder building towards another climax Dissonance � 5: 54 arises suddenly with a minor note from the trumpets, but is resolved as soon as the waltz continues and the orchestra is playing in harmony once more ending with brass pulse Tuba � enters 2: 18 with a soft note that becomes increasingly dynamic, and once again the use of silence and sound is used on the piano, violins, woodwinds and some odd percussion like a clapper, �snare 10: 38 A cymbal and drum snare solodrum leads to thecreate musicaback musical to avisual dupleof meter sneaking with the added touch of a high pitched, what sounds like a marimba that is energetically building suspense with the brass emphasizing There is only silence, a astrong beautiful break that lets you know the song will now transition the beat by playing pulse � 6: 24 � 10: 40 Flutes add 2: 28 in a high pitched flutter as the sneaking continues. No instrument is playing in time together, but all the instruments begin to come in and out of the context of the music The violins enter with a minor pulse that and feelsthen scary and thenplaying the brass join in to create more tension a minor melody the band introduces thewith lastthe song “The Final music tapers off into just the violins the brass in polyphony. The violins create awith different timbre thanasbefore, creating tension vibrations of Confrontation” their strings while the Also the snare drum comes down in every fourth beat creating a sense of preparing for battle rest � of the 6: 52 music is calming There is silence just before the timpani settles the score with a single note from what sounds like the clarinets and oboes. The trumpets join with a sounding call that feels alarming � 10: 56 2: 45 The becomes noticeable andthe themusic woodwinds are down fluttering in and out of sections. The music is communicative of a battle as the instruments go back and forth between sound Xylophone � percussion 7: 04 enters for onemore measure resolving as it slows in homophony and silence from eachand other. A harp is introduced the violins ascend toward the reentrance of the trumpets. All together they are creating the mystery of “The Joker’s Poem”
Bibliography Thank you for listening 1. "Elfman, Danny 1953–. " Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2013 from Encyclopedia. com <<http: //www. encyclopedia. com/doc/1 G 2 -3444300086. html>> 2. “About Danny Elfman. ” Retrieved February 10, 2013 from mtv. com << http: //www. mtv. com/artists/danny-elfman/biography/>> 3. “Interview: Danny Elfmann. ” Last updated March 4, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2013 from thejc. com << http: //www. thejc. com/node/28977>> 4. “The Danny Elfman & Tim Burton 25 th Anniversary Music Box. ” Retrieved February 10, 2013 from burtonelfman. com << http: //burtonelfman. com/>> 5. “Danny Elfman Life and Times interview part 1. ” Retrieved February 10, 2013 from youtube. com << http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=c. Zc 5 EKWYZp. Y >> 6. Elfman, Richard. “Oingo Boingo: The Complete History. ” Last updated November 11, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2013 from buzzinemusic. com << http: //www. buzzinemusic. com/article/music-oingo-boingo-05072009>> 7. “Oingo Boingo Songs. ” Retrieved February 10, 2013 from musicvf. com << http: //www. musicvf. com/Oingo+Boingo. art>> 8. “Danny Elfman. ” Last updated June 16, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2013 from filmtracks. com << http: //www. filmtracks. com/composers/elfman. shtml>> 9. Schweiger, Daniel. “Tim Burton’s Favorite Composer Leaps Down The Rabbit Hole for ‘Alice in Wonderland’. ” March 9, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2013 from buzzinemusic. com << http: //www. buzzinemusic. com/interviews/music-interview-danny-elfman-alice-in-wonderland-03102010>> 10. “Batman – Theme/Flowers/Love Theme/The Joker’s Poem/Up the Cathedral/Waltz to the Death/The Final Confrontation” Retrieved February 10, 2013 from rhapsody. com << http: //www. rhapsody. com/artist/danny-elfman/album/batman-original-motion-picture-score>>
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