Max Steiner: Composing, Casablanca, and the Golden Age of Film Music

(Hardback)

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Max Steiner is one of the greatestnot to mention most prolificcomposers of the Golden Age of Hollywood. The winner of three Academy Awards, Steiners credits include King Kong, The Informer, Gone with the Wind, Now, Voyager, Since You Went Away, Johnny Belinda, and The Caine Mutiny. Though known for timeless melodies that symbolize the glamor of Hollywoods Golden Age, Steiner has also been hailed as a film scoring pioneer. In Max Steiner: Composing, Casablanca, and the Golden Age of Film Music, Peter Wegele unveils the man behind dozens of memorable scores, offering a portrait of the composer from a personal and professional point of view. Beginning with background on the history and techniques of film music, Wegele then examines Steiners musical innovations, some of which are still used today. This is followed by a thorough analysis of one of Steiners legendary scoresthe music to Casablanca. More than eighty transcribed musical examples demonstrate how efficient, musically clever, and tremendously skilled the composer was when he wrote this score. Drawing on quotes, notes from production files, and excerpts from the original script for Casablanca, Wegele provides insight not only into the production history of the film, but also into the workings of Hollywood during the Golden Age. Including an appendix that compares Steiner with four other composers of his ageErich Wolfgang Korngold, Alfred Newman, Franz Waxman, and Hugo Friedhoferand a complete filmography of Steiners work, this book is an invaluable examination of the composers life and career. Film music composers, music scholars and students, directors, and anyone interested in film and music history will enjoy this detailed portrait of a musical genius.

Reviews

The composer for such epic films as Gone with the Wind, Casablanca, and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Max Steiner is a major figure in film music history. His scoring techniques have been covered often; for example, Laurence MacDonald, in The Invisible Art of Film Music: A Comprehensive History, identifies Steiner as a 'godfather of film music' and treats the composer as a continual focal point throughout the text. Wegele provides a biographical study of the composer along with a detailed analysis of his score for Casablanca. In the analysis, Wegele coordinates musical examples, script excerpts (noting prerecord and score events), film reel contents, and archival documentation. He also gathers interview materials and includes photographs and a useful appendix that compares Steiner to other prominent film composers. Though some of the analysis is geared toward music scholars and musicians, the biographical material and aspects of the analysis will engage all who are interested in Steiner, regardless of their previous knowledge. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. * CHOICE *

Author Bio

Peter Wegele is a pianist, arranger, and composer. He lectures about film music at the University of Salzburg, Austria, and other universities in Europe.