Music for the Movies [Paperback]

Tony Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1997

"Music for the Movies is the one book that should be in the library of anyone interested in learning about this art of the twentieth century". -- Elmer Bernstein

"A fascinating read for the film music lover". -- Jerry Goldsmith

"Music for the Movies is the best overview of the history of the art I've so far come across". -- David Newman

Film music fans have eagerly awaited this updated and greatly expanded edition of Tony Thomas' popular history of Hollywood film music (from the '30s through the '90s) as viewed through portraits of many of its foremost practitioners.

Includes discussions of the lives, works and influence of
-- Alfred Newman
-- Victor Young
-- Dimitri Tiomkin
-- Franz Waxman
-- Miklos Rosza
-- Max Steiner
-- Erich Wolfgang Korngold
-- Bernard Herrmann
-- Hugo Friedhofer
-- David Raksin
-- Aaron Copland
-- Alex North
-- Elmer Bernstein
-- Henry Mancini
-- Leonard Rosenman
-- Jerry Goldsmith
-- Lalo Schifrin
-- David Shire
-- Bruce Broughton
-- Basil Poledouris ... and others.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tony Thomas

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Silman-James Press; 2 Upd Sub edition (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1879505371
• ISBN-13: 978-1879505377
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,110,789 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Descriptive analysis of works of favorite film composers, January 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Music for the Movies (Paperback)

A popular and thorough overview of the work of the mainstream scoring composers of both today and yesterday. Author Thomas was a contemporary and colleague of many of the veteran composers, and describes them from his insider perspective as a former producer. Roughly from 1977 (publication date of the first edition) to his death in 1998, Thomas tirelessly promoted performances of the work of his favorite composers in any venue that presented itself. Many of today's scoring composers recommend Thomas as a reference overview to anyone studying the art of film composing. It should be used as an adjunct to the more practical how-to-do-it texts such as ON THE TRACK by Fred Karlin.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Required reading for lovers of film music., May 29, 2002

By 

Cowboy Buddha (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Music for the movies (Hardcover)

There was a time when film music was more than an all-purpose instrumental theme and a collection of irrelevant pop songs. This book concentrates on the golden age of film music which coincided, not surprisingly, with the golden age of film. Charting the careers of the most famous composers - most of whom were European and classically trained - Tony Thomas mixes both musical knowledge and an obvious affection for both the men and their creations. Thus figures such as Max Steiner, Miklos Rozsa, Alfred Newman and Erich Korngold emerge as real people rather than just names on the screen. There is no gossip but lots of insight. Essential reading for lovers of classic films and the scores that helped make them great. And especially for those films in which the music more memorable than the movie.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this, January 3, 2007

By 

Sensei (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Music for the Movies (Paperback)

For how cheap this book is, even new, on Amazon, you'd be missing a lot of great information on film scoring. It focuses a lot on older film composers, and is a great historical journey through the masters of the past.