Leitmotifs in Film Music - Dissertation

Veronika
Davies 11036798
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Veronika Davies
11036798
CP6017 Critical and contextual studies 3: Dissertation
2014/2015

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The use of leitmotifs in film music
Introduction
The aim of this dissertation is to explore and understand the use of the leitmotif (‘leading
motif’) in cinema, in particular Hollywood, and to compare this to the way Richard Wagner
used this technique in his dramas. For this purpose, the music of the romantic era as well as
the music of films from the silent era and later Hollywood films will be analysed and
compared to each other. The scores of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (Das Rheingold),
John Williams’s Star Wars (A New Hope) and Howard Shore’s The Lord of the Rings (The
Two Towers and The Fellowship of the Ring) will be analysed with regard to how motifs are
repeated and developed throughout the work. Further, the literature and music of writers and
composers who criticized the leitmotif will be analysed in order to understand why the latter
avoid using this technique and what compositional techniques they use instead.
The leitmotif in its simplest terms can be described as a recurring compositional motif in an
opera or film, which represents a specific person, idea, or emotion.1 The leitmotif technique,
which has its origins in Romantic music, allowed composers a shorthand method to develop
character and to create emotion.2 The most influential classical composer on the scoring
practices employed in Hollywood film and others, is Richard Wagner, whose works used a
large number of different musical motifs to support the narrative plot.3 However, compared to
Wagner, who used and developed the leitmotif internally to the music, adhering to the
classical rules of composition, the Hollywood composer is faced with the task to establish a
dialogic relationship between the music and the image, linking the music to the visual
elements, to capture a mood or increase the emotional impact of an action.4
By choosing selected leitmotifs in each of the works mentioned above, their appearance are
analysed with respect to their development throughout the work and then compared to one
another. Chapter one will start with a brief overview of the history of the leitmotif and its use
and meanings in Wagner’s work. Examples of his motifs and their recurrences are
demonstrated by score extracts from the Der Ring des Nibelungen. Further, Wagner’s opinion
towards the term ‘Leitmotif’ will be discussed in order to understand and be able to
differentiate the purpose of using this technique in different contexts. The second chapter
looks at the Romantic era and how it has been one of the major influences on Hollywood
music. The idea of using a recurring musical fragment within a bigger piece of work can be
traced back to the idea and emergence of cyclic form, which essentially is an idea that started
in the Romantic era. Chapter three looks at how and when the leitmotif technique started to
become incorporated into film music, by giving a brief summary of the history of film music,
the silent era and the emergence of sound film period, and how the role of music in film

1
Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House
2
Timothy E. Scheurer, Music and Mythmaking in Film: Genre and the Role of the Composer. (UK: Mc Farland,
2008), p.41
3
David Neumeyer, Film Music Studies. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), p.45
Scheurer, 2008, p.42
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Veronika Davies 11036798
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changed throughout time. Further, this chapter will look at another technique often used in
film music, called ‘closed musical number’ technique, and why this technique was favoured
over the leitmotif technique for a short period of time.
The following two chapters focus on the film scores to Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings.
Both films were hugely successful world-wide and have received several awards for their
music. More important though is the fact that both scores were written for a large orchestra
and include a large number of various leitmotifs. Essentially both composers looked back at
the works of Richard Wagner for inspiration. The two chapters both start with a short
paragraph including relevant information about the film and their scores and then give
examples of how motifs are developed throughout the work. The last chapter takes a more
critical approach to the topic of leitmotifs, by looking at the works of some of the harshest
critics of this technique and their reasons for disliking it.
1. Wagner and the evolution of the Leitmotif
The term ‘leitmotif’ (sometimes also spelt leitmotiv) can be defined as the association and
identification of a character, situation, object or idea with a musical motif, which is repeated
and developed narratively throughout the work.5 A musical motif can be described as ‘a short
musical idea’ which can be harmonic, melodic, rhythmic or all three.6 It must be reasonably
stable, in order to remain recognizable every time it is heard; however it may be varied in
orchestration, dynamics, accompanimental texture and have some melodic or rhythmic
variation.7
Leitmotifs have been used in many large symphonic works (e.g. Berlioz’ idées fixes) for
suggesting certain ideas or moods but were mostly associated with Richard Wagner’s
operas.8 However the evolution of the leitmotif reaches back even further, and portrays a
possible source of inspiration for Wagner’s works. It partly manifested itself in the
development of cyclic form, which was first used by Felix Mendelssohn in the early
Romantic era but became more commonly known in the late the romantic era, in which this
form and other musical techniques have been widely explored and developed. The term
‘cyclic form’ can be “used to describe a large-scale instrumental work, normally from the
nineteenth or early twentieth century, in which the same or very similar thematic material is
used in at least two different movements”.9 While some pieces may use a theme only twice
within a piece of work, such as Brahms’s Symphony No. 3, other works such as Berlioz’z
Symphonie Fantastique have one theme occur several times and in every part, but in different

5
Emilio Audissino, John William’s Film Music. (London: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2014), p.34
6
Connect For Education, Inc., OnMusic Dictionary (USA, 2015) <
http://dictionary.onmusic.org/search?utf8=✓&term_search%5Bquery%5D=motif&commit=Search> [accessed
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on 10 December 2014]
7
David Neumeyer, Caryl Flinn, James Buhler, Music and Cinema. (USA: Wesleyab University Press, 2000), p.88
8
Dominique Nasta, Didier Huvelle, Le son en perspective: nouvelles recherches. New Perspectives in Sound
Studies. (Brussels: P.I.E. – Peter Lang S.A., 2004), p.189
9
Benedict Taylor, Mendelssohn, Time and Memory – The Romantic Conception of Cyclic Form. (Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2011), p.3

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variations. This idea of repeating a theme and developing it throughout a piece of work can
be described as the pioneer of the leitmotif.
The term ‘leitmotif’ was made widely known through Wagner’s Wort-Ton-Dramas, however
he did not create the term himself.10 It was adopted during the first Bayreuth festivals in 1876
where Hans von Wolzogen’s Leitfaeden (or explanatory guides) illustrated the motifs of
Wagner’s scores.11 He popularized the concept of these ‘leading motifs’ associated with all
aspects of the cast, symbols and ideas of his Ring cycle.12 In his ‘Oper und Drama’ Wagner
criticised Wolzogen’s presentation of ‘leitmotifs’ by blaming him for focusing on “their
dramatic importance and effect” rather than emphasising “the way in which they are
employed in the musical construction”.13 Wagner himself preferred talking about ‘main
themes’, ‘motifs’ or ‘motifs of reminiscence’ (a technique of using recurring motifs in order
to evoke earlier stages of the narrative).14 He was more concerned about how one achieves
musical unity in an opera and a coherent musical structure as in a classical symphony15 and
regarded motives as core of what he described as “emotionalizing of the intellect”, an
unconscious mode of perception. 16 Using musical motifs was for Wagner a means of
transferring the dramatic motifs of the plot into the nonverbal expression of the music.17
Rather than just fulfilling the purpose of a signpost (by using unrelated short musical
sequences whenever the character concerned appears), the leitmotifs in Wagner’s works form
the building blocks of a symphonic composition, where the dramatic action is decisive for the
structure.18 Wagner himself pointed this out in ‘Ueber die Anwendung der Musik auf das
Drama” (1879) where he wrote ‘…the new form of dramatic music must show the unity of
the symphonic movement, if it still shall constitute an artwork as music. The music will
achieve this if it progresses over the complete dramatic duration and in the closest connection
with this, and not only over shorter, arbitrarily chosen sections. This unity is established by a
penetrating web of basic themes, which are contrasting and complementing each other, which
are formed anew, divided and joined in the same manner as in a symphonic movement….’
(Trans. & comm.K.E.).19 There are many ways in which Wagner demonstrates his dynamic
use of the leitmotif throughout the Ring cycle. Some of these involve a change from one
motif into another (e.g. Valhalla motif), only hinting at motifs which are revealed later on
throughout the drama and associating one motif with another motif, thereby obtaining a
secondary meaning.20
1.2. Examples of Richard Wagner’s use of the leitmotif in Der Ring des Nibelungen

10
Audissino, 2014 p.34
11
Thomas S. Grey, The Cambridge Companion to Wagner. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008), p.87
12
Grey, 2008, p.87
13
Nasta and Huvelle, 2004, pp.195-‐196
14
Nasta and Huvelle, 2004, p.189
15
16
Grey, 2008, p.138
17
Grey, 2008, p.138
18
Kristian Evensen, Leitmotifs in Der Ring des Nibelungen – an Introduction. (2010) <
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http://www.trell.org/wagner/motifs.html> [accessed on 8 December 2014]
19
Evensen, 2010
20
Evensen, 2010
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The most well known example of one motif being transformed into another occurs in the
transition between scene 1 and 2 of Das Rheingold. Here the Ring motif (in a slightly
modified version) transitions through several keys or implied keys (the actual key at any
moment being ambiguous), developing seamlessly into the Valhalla motif.21 The following
score extracts demonstrate this transition.
Figure 122: Ring motif, played by English horns, horns and clarinets, starting with an A minor chord

21
Stephen c. Meyer, ‘”Leitmotif”: On the Application of a Word to Film Music.’, Journal of Film Music, 5.1-‐2
(2012) 101-‐108 (2012), p.103
22
Taken from: International Music Score Library Project, Das Rheingold, WWV 86A (Wagner, Richard) USA:
Agents and Corporations, Inc. < http://imslp.org/wiki/Das_Rheingold,_WWV_86A_(Wagner,_Richard)>
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[accessed on 5 December 2014]

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Figure 223: Ring motif repeated now in C major, this time played by bassoons and violas, followed by a
modulation to new key

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International Music Score Library Project
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Figure 324: Ring motif repeated several time, suggesting a transition to A flat major (dominant 9th on E flat)
played by Horns, end of scene 1
Figure 425: Actual arrival at D flat major, start of scene 2, introduction of the Valhalla motif, played by tubas
and other brass.
When comparing these two motifs, it becomes evident that they are similar in structure. The
intervals between notes are the same, the rhythm is similar and both motifs move in the same
direction, which allows for a clean and logical transformation from one motif to another.26
The following figures demonstrate the two motifs as well as the transition in a simplified
version.

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26
Evensen, 2010

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Figure 527: Comparison of Ring and Valhalla motif
Figure 628: Step-by-step transition from Ring into Valhalla motif
The second example demonstrates how the ring motif is developed throughout the first scene
of Das Rheingold. It is heard when the power to be won by forging the gold into a ring is first

Evensen, 2010
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28
Evensen, 2010
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mentioned and is structured by a succession of thirds progressing by intervals of thirds, first

downwards and then upwards.29 It is an eerie motif that proves to be adaptable to a wide
range of moods, produced by the slightest changes in its harmony and rhythm.30 Wagner
often used this technique to create a sense of foreboding, which occurred when a motif was
stated before its dramatic meaning was clear, as if anticipating its future significance.31 The
perceived mysterious quality of the Ring theme suggests that its first appearance will not be
the only one and the return of it transforms it into a motif.32 Therefore foreboding turns into
dread at the appearance of the theme. The following extract shows the Ring motifs’ first
appearance in the score, together with the declaration of the power of the ring in the sung text.
Figure 733: First appearance of the Ring motif, sung by Wellgunde, played by oboe, English horns and bassoon

29
Robert Donington, Wagner’s Ring and its Symbols. (London: Faber and Faber, 1963), p.63
30
Donington, 1963, p.63
31
Jeongwon Joe, Sander L. Gilman, Wagner and Cinema. (USA: Indiana University Press, 2010), p.34
32
Joe, Gilman, 2010, p.34
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Among the 91 motifs in Wagner’s ring cycle the Ring motif is one of the most frequently
occurring motifs.34 It is repeated in different keys, different orchestration, sometimes in its
entire length and sometimes only in the form of hints. Figure 8 demonstrates one of the
motifs’ reappearance in scene I of Das Rheingold, played in a different orchestration and key.
Figure 835: Reappearance of the Ring motif, this time played by flutes, clarinets and horns in a different key and
register with no voice
The following figures demonstrate two more examples of the Ring motif in Das Rheingold,
this time taken from scene II. Again it is found in various different forms.

Donington, 1963, p.308
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Figure 936: Reappearance of Ring motif in scene II of Das Rheingold, this time played by the Horns only,
creating a soft and intimate atmosphere.
Figure 1037: Reappearance of Ring motif in scene II of Das Rheingold, played by horns and bassoons, this time
played not in its entire length (last two notes left out), instead repeating the motif from the start

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Wagner often used the technique of hinting at a motif, by only playing part of it. An example
of this appears shortly after the first appearance of the Ring motif, while Wellgunde explains
to her sister Flosshild who is meant to forge the gold. Here, the violas and partly the violins
play only the first half of the Ring motif. The instruments then return to the start of it.
Figure 1138: Hint at Ring motif
This technique also occurs in scene II, where at several moments in the score hints to the
Valhalla motif are heard. The figures below demonstrate this.
Figure 1239: Low brass instruments hint at Valhalla motif in bars 3-5, leaving out the first three notes of the
motif

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Figure 1340: Horns hinting at Valhalla motif
Just like the Ring motif, the Valhalla motif also reappears in various different
instrumentations, keys and rhythms. Figure 14 demonstrates its recurrence played in a
different rhythm. Instead of playing a quarter note, followed by a dotted quarter, an eighth
note, a dotted eighths, a sixteenth, two eighths and a quarter, in this example the rhythm is
changed to eighth, quarter, eighth, dotted eighths, sixteenth, and two eighths notes which also
implies a different time signature. Further, the playing method in the example below indicates
that the last two notes are played in staccato.
Figure 1441: Valhalla motif played by clarinets and bassoons in a different rhythm
Throughout the work the motif then occurs in its full length and various forms. One example
of its reappearance is demonstrated in figure 15 below.

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Figure 1542: Valhalla motif in scene II, played in its full length by the horns
These examples demonstrate various techniques of working with and developing a musical
motif throughout a piece of work. It can be seen that even by just changing the
instrumentation or rhythm a completely different mood can be created, sometimes making it
difficult for the listener to identify it as such. The words sung each time a motif is repeated
can be different, however usually relate to the motif; for example every time the Ring motif is
heard and words are sung at the same time, the words usually describe the power of the ring,
the greed that it causes or anything that can be related to it. Wagner’s intention in his use of
Leitmotifs was not their foregrounding as a distinct musical element, but rather their
integration within the music in a more holistic manner.43
2. Classical Hollywood music and its influences from the Late Romantic
era
The previous chapter has already briefly mentioned how the leitmotif technique used by
Wagner, and later on by various film music composers, has been a result of techniques that
were developed in the late romantic era, such as the cyclic form. Yet one could still question
why some of the first successful Hollywood film composers looked at exactly these styles
and techniques used in the late romantic era when searching for inspiration. In order to
understand the connection between this era and film music, the techniques of the late
romantic period are further examined in this chapter.
During the “golden age”, most film music was written for large symphony orchestras,
influenced by the practices of 19th century composers. 44 Typical features of this Late
Romantic music were: experiments with instrumental colours which went along with an
expansion of orchestral instruments (mainly brass) and an increased concern for the qualities
of each instrument, experiments with the harmonic language, recognized by the use of
unprepared and unresolved discords and chords using the higher intervals of the scale (like
major and minor 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th, experiments with form by using freer and more
dynamic forms, and lastly an increase in opera and Lied, which led to a strong emphasis on

42
43
Grey, 2008, p.138
44
Nasta, Huvelle, 2004, p.186
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melodic expressiveness.45 Early operas were based on the aria form, which consisted of
disconnected fragments that did not form a coherent whole.46 Contrary to the aria form was
the idea of ‘cyclic form’, which also arose in the Romantic era (and which separated the
works of Haydn and Mozart from those of the next generation).47 Felix Mendelssohn’s early
instrumental works were pioneering in the use of cyclic form long before the use of this form
became widely used. They took up the idea of thematic recall and on-going development
across separate movements.48 The use of irregular, dramatic forms of Late Romantic music
made it well-suited for film music, as they could be bent and shaped in many directions in
order to fit the changeable narrative developments. 49 Some also argue that because
Romanticism depends upon the subordination of all musical elements to melody (giving the
audience a clear point of focus in the dense sound), it is the most logical complement to the
Hollywood film, which strongly focuses on the narrative.50
The term ‘Classical Hollywood’, with regard to film music, only covers a short period of
time.51 While the narrative nature of Classical Hollywood was already established during the
silent period, the corresponding musical conventions only emerged around the mid-1930s and
lost their power again during the 1950s.52 This period is described as the golden age of
Hollywood music. The differences between the old Hollywood music and the music heard in
most mainstream movies today lies in the length of compositions. While the old classical
scores covered entire narrative sequences, contemporary film music has a more fragmentary
character.53 The idiom of Classical Hollywood music was based on 19th century musical ideas
(Late Romanticism in particular) and with the breakdown of this idiom in classical music
during the 1950s, the Classical Hollywood music almost came to an end.54
There are two factors that can be assumed to have led composers like Max Steiner, Alfred
Newman, Erich Korngold, Dimitri Tiomking and others to choose the Late Romantic idiom
when writing music for films in the mid 1930s. According to the biographical explanation
presented in ‘The New Grove’ (“Film Music”, in St. Sadie (ed.), The New Grove Dictionary
of Music and Musicians, London, Macmillan, 1980), one of the reasons for this is connected
with the composers’ backgrounds, since the majority of the ‘golden years composers’ came
from the theatres or opera houses of Central and Eastern Europe where their musical idiom
was derived from composers such as Tschaikovsky, Rakhmaninov, Wagner and Strauss.55
Another reason that has been suggested, is that film scores of the silent era were already
influenced by practices of Late Romanticism and that therefore the Hollywood composers of
the 30s were themselves trained in this particular idiom.56 Further it can be assumed that
when composers like Steiner and Korngold, whenever confronted with the typical dramatic

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Taylor, 2011, p.18
48
Taylor, 2011, p.1
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problems presented in films, they merely looked to those composers who had already
addressed similar problems in their operas (mainly Wagner, Puccini, Verdi and Strauss).57
The functional similarities between music in opera and music in films therefore became
fundamental and indicated a direct link between the two.
3. The leitmotif and how it found its way into film music
This chapter will look at the introduction of the leitmotif into Hollywood film music of the
1940s to the 1960s, and its decline in film music in the period up to the mid 1970s.
Wagner’s idea of using musical motives to guide the viewer’s attention and interpretation of
narration was recognised as being a useful technique in the Hollywood cinema (since the use
of musical motifs is well suited to an art form whose purpose is story telling).58 In 1910, the
journal ‘Moving Picture World’ published an article that stated: ‘Just as Wagner fitted his
music to the emotions, expressed by words in his operas, so in the course of time, no doubt,
the same thing will be done with regard to the moving picture.’59 Around the same time the
duration of films increased and the integration of narrative (telling a story instead of just
showing short sketches) began to rise in importance, which strengthened the relationship
between cinema and music.60 Further, along with the establishment of continuity editing,
which allowed joining together segments of films into seemingly logical sequences, came the
desire and idea for Wagnerian-style accompaniment.61
Between 1895 and 1905, cinema was considered as a ‘carnival amusement’, showing short
skits and isolated antics rather than telling a story.62 Whenever musical accompaniment
existed (which was rare), it was performed in an improvised form, which brought with it the
danger of it being unsuitable for the depicted picture. Around 1910, with the change in film
duration and narrative integration, these comical forms of musical accompaniment began to
be seen as harmful to the film’s reception, as they could modify the intended effects.63
Instead, the idea of using music only when it had a psychological bearing on the situation as
it was depicted on the screen arose.64
The first Hollywood movie that made use of the technique of supporting the film’s narration
with a musical score was The Birth of a Nation (David Wark Griffith, 1915, music by Joseph
Carl Breil). The movie is known for its infamous racism, created by musical tom-tom beats
that are used to convince the audience that the coloured man (educated as he was) came from

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58
Audissino, 2014, p.34
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61
Jeongwon Joe, S. Gilman, Wagner & Cinema, (USA: Indiana University Press, 2010), p.28
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Africa.65 Even though it became evident how strong film music was in enhancing a depicted
mood and clarifying the narrative, this example also showed how it could be used to
manipulate the viewer by guiding the audience to believe whatever might be desired by the
director/composer.
As it was technically not yet possible to place music on the filmstrip, each performance
varied depending on the musical means available in the venue.66 This meant that while one
might have had the luxury of seeing a film accompanied by a full orchestra, in another venue
the same film might have been accompanied by a drunk pianist playing the piano reduction
only. By 1932, recording technology finally allowed for an integrated soundtrack.67 Even
though sound technology was first introduced with the aim of fixing the film’s musical
aspects (as it made it possible to hear the performance of a pre-recorded orchestra in every
equipped theatre), the musical dimensions rapidly lost in importance.68 While in the silent era,
music compensated for the loss of voice and allowed narrative sense to appear,69 with the
introduction of sound technology; a greater realism without artificial non-diegetic music was
favoured.70 Having the ability to use dialogue and diegetic sound effects made the need for
music less strong than in the silent era. The use of music was now limited to the opening title
and the ends, as well as some bridging passages between two scenes.71 Whenever music was
used otherwise, it had to come from the narrative world and was therefore synchronized with
some kind of on-screen performance (e.g. a singer, the radio etc.).72 It was only in 1933,
when Max Steiner scored the music to King Kong that this musical realism collapsed.73 For
the first time in American film, music was used to explain what was actually happening on
the screen, since the camera was not able to articulate internal feelings.74 In this non-realistic
film, the audience’s feelings towards the rudimentary animated puppet Kong were guided
purely through the music. Without it, the audience could have derided Kong instead of
feeling scared at the beginning and pity for him at the end. This also revealed a general trend
in the use of film music. The genres where music was most present were adventure films,
horror movies, movies about distant places and other genres where the narrative was more in
need of music to suspend the disbelief of the audience.75
3.1. The leitmotif and its international success

In the 1940s, the idea of linking musical ideas to concepts or characters in ways similar to
Wagner’s practice in his operas, started to become a common technique in film music. With
the world situation changing and thereby creating social uneasiness, film music too shifted

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Jeongwon Joe, S. Gilman, 2010, p.112
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Audissino, 2014, pp.14-‐15

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from late nineteenth-century romanticism to twentieth-century modernism.76 This was not

only marked by a decrease in consonance, soothing melodies and heroic fanfares, giving way
to unstable harmonies and greater dissonance, but also by the emergence of new techniques.77
Bernhard Hermann was the most influential composer of this time and the first composer to
make use of short fragments or motifs in film music. Motivic writing became his most
prominent trademark and was soon found in many other scores such as North by Northwest
(Hitchcock, 1959) and Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960), which were based on the repetition and
variation of brief recurring musical motifs.78 One of the most well known examples of a
musical motif in Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ is the murder motif, which appears for the first time
during the shower scene, and is repeated in several other murder scenes (e.g. Arbogast’s
murder).
The leitmotif technique began to be considered as an efficient help to memorize and
recognize characters by reinforcing the film narrative through a parallel musical
storytelling.79 However, in order for the audience to be able to form associations between the
music and the thoughts, the presence of the motifs had to be justified by a former dramatic
situation.80
An example of this can be found in Max Steiner’s score to The Big Sleep (1946). Here the
music at the start of the film’s narrative first appears as being just simple musical material but
as the film continues some of the material is repeated and becomes recognizable as a
leitmotif.81 Three of these motifs that reappear in various kinds of transformations are shown
on the picture below.

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Figure 1082: Three of the main motifs in The Big Sleep.
The first motif can be labelled as the ‘stairs’ motif. It appears for the first time at the start of
the narrative, when Marlowe (the main character) leaves the general Sternwood’s house and
is repeated in association with stairs several times throughout the next two scenes.83 Motif 2
is first heard when Marlowe is reading in a library and is repeated as he pauses outside a
bookshop. It always appears in connection with Marlowe, however it does not really
characterize or symbolise him but serves to articulate his actions and is as such used over and
over again, turning out to be the film’s main theme.84 Motif 3 is associated with Carmen.
Unlike the rest of the music, it is a bluesy theme, which is not only a traditional character

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marker but also characterises Carmen. Its jazzy influence refers to the bars and casinos where
she spends much of her time.85
This example demonstrates how difficult it is to pinpoint the meaning of a leitmotif. As the
musical motifs appear over and over again in changing context, they build up new layers of
meaning and therefore become more and more complex.86 While for example motif 2 in The
Big Sleep is initially associated with Marlowe, it is not maintained as such and as the story
moves on the signpost ‘Marlowe’ withers away until in the end there is nothing left but a
simple recognizable musical theme.87
Even in Wagner’s huge dramas it is difficult to pinpoint the meaning of the leitmotifs, as the
way in which they are used creates ambiguity. 88 The same problem occurs in most
Hollywood scores.
Theodor W. Adorno, one of the most well known critics of the leitmotif, once stated that the
leitmotif is a redundant mere musical signal, which could have been read as an ironical
answer to the composer Max Steiner, who once said that every character should have a
theme.89 An extreme example of this is found in the film The Informer, where Steiner used
melodic phrases that constantly refer to a specific character every time he or she appears on
the screen. In ‘The New York Times’ (Sept29, 1935, quoted from Prendergast, Film Music,
op. cit, p.42) Steiner himself stated “a blind man could have sat in the theatre and known
when Gypo (the main characters) was on screen”.90 However, the leitmotif technique does
more than using music as an aid for the audience differentiate characters in their minds,
which the example of Steiner’s score to The Big Sleep has proven. They can express certain
actions which characterize a person such as Marlowe’s motif does in The Big Sleep, they can
articulate certain character traits, as Carmen’s motif does through the choice of musical genre
and they can change and develop throughout the film, either along with the changing actions /
character traits or independently in which case the initial meaning of the motif can be lost
(such as in the case of Marlowe’s motif). By using the motifs creatively, it can become more
and more difficult to consciously recognise a motif as such or to understand its specific
meaning, and it can often be found as more than just a mere musical signal that lights up
every time the character in question appears on the screen.
3.2.The emergence of the ‘closed musical number’ technique

The use of leitmotifs and other Hollywood film music techniques (such as the Mickey-
Mousing technique, often used in cartoons) only lasted until the 1960s. Around 1958
Hollywood cinema was weakened by a crisis, which emerged from the European influence on
musical style. 91 The European style, which had always been characterized by a lower
adherence between music and visuals, favoured the ‘closed musical number’ technique

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instead of using a continuous stream of music based on interwoven leitmotifs.92 Scores were
structured through a series of isolated pieces closed in themselves with the purpose of binding
incidents of a film together in a common ambience.93 Works that made use of the technique
of creating consistency of tone across the entire span of the film are those of Nino Rota (e.g.
his score for The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)) and Ennio Morricone (e.g. his
score for Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti-Westerns).94 This modern stylistic feature rapidly spread
internationally because of the worldwide success of European films. Morricone’s argument
for these new techniques was that the audience should listen to the music in “the best way”
which according to him cannot work when our brains have to “listen to and understand
sounds of a different nature simultaneously”.95 He not only rejected the leitmotif, but also
insisted on film music being in the foreground rather than in the background of a film. While
the previously used Hollywood style was applied in Hollywood only, the modern style was
internationally adopted.96 With the emergence of the modern style, the musical genres had to
be updated to suit the new audience. The musical language now ranged from jazz to funk-
soul, rhythm’n’blues, rock and pop.97 These new songs and genres were employed both at
diegetic and non-diegetic level. They took over some of the functions previously performed
by orchestral music such as linking together segments and underlining emotional moods.98
However at non-diegetic level these pop songs proved to be less flexible than orchestral
music, as the risk of these songs appearing to be arbitrarily inserted into the film emerged.99
After the success of The Graduate (directed by Mike Nichols, 1967) the ‘compilation score’
(a film music track built out of repertoire pop songs) was widely adopted by the industry.
This went along with a risk of the audience paying more attention to the commercial allure of
a song rather than to the actual functionality of the film.100 However if the purpose of the film
score is to be exploited in a marketable easy-listening album the ‘closed musical number’
technique is more functional than the continuous leitmotivic flow of the classical style. It was
not until Star Wars, that the old style of symphonic orchestral film music appeared to have
something to say again.101 In the 1970s (and throughout the 80s), after the worldwide success
of Star Wars, the use of symphonic scores grew further in importance. The style of film
music after 1978 can be defined as ‘eclecticism’, which is characterized by a freer, hybridized,
and varied wide-range mingling of previous styles, languages, and techniques.102 Cases of
leitmotif (and other common Hollywood techniques), electronic music, rock, pop, jazz and
symphonic sound are not only general paradigm but sometimes also in the same film.103
Many of today’s successful composers seek a balance between traditional orchestral music
and pop music. The success of films such as Batman (1989), The Shawshank Redemption
(1998) and the trilogy Lord of the Rings (2001-2003) suggest that the future of film music lies

92
93
Audissino, 2014, pp 59-‐60
94
95
96
97
98
Audissino, 2014, p. 61
99
100
101
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in a mix of classical, pop, and electronic sounds, by fusing these two musical idioms
together.104
4. Star Wars
John Williams’s score to Star Wars was rooted in the tonal and structural procedures of
orchestral scores from the earlier Golden Age and is often compared to Wagner’s Ring
Cycle.105 It is said that Williams’s music, especially to A New Hope (episode IV of Star
Wars), comes as close as any film music to the tone of Wagner.106 Just as Wagner did in his
operas, Williams provided a symphonic tonal score that is based on a dozen leitmotifs,
covering almost the entire film.107 In an interview about his score to Star Wars Williams said
“The scores are all one thing and a theme that appeared in film two that wasn’t in film one
was probably a very close intervallic, note-by-note relative to a theme that we’d had”.108
Even though Star Wars is a science-fiction film, Williams decided to compose a non-
futuristic score, with the intention to put the audience in touch with familiar emotions and
therefore made it easier to identify with the narrative. However, as each of the Star Wars
episodes starts with ‘A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….distancing the story from the
audiences setting, Williams incorporated musical hints, allusions and quotations into the
score to evoke past musical experiences in the listener and connect him/her with a sort of
musical collective unconscious.109
Williams once stated that in his and possibly also in director George Lucas’s mind, he
thought that Star Wars was going to be a children’s film, therefore he was aiming to make a
clear link between characters and their musical motifs, such that their characters were
memorable and the sound of their motifs immediately affecting.110 Using a large orchestral
score with musical motifs was for Williams a chance of holding the attention of the 10-years-
olds and creating strong emotions.
The opening of each of the Star Wars episodes starts with an overwhelming opening chord,
followed by a canon structured fanfare and finally by the films main theme, the Luke
Skywalker leitmotif. It is a heroic, idealistic and uplifting motif and has within it several
more leitmotifs.111 It sounds big and important, subjecting and representing his idealism
rather than the character itself.112 The opening is then followed by a second theme, a soft
theme played by the strings. The Star Wars saga is based on a musical contrast between a
hard, masculine and a soft, feminine theme, in a way reflecting the narrative of the film.113

104
Craig Wright, Listening to Music.7Edition. (USA: Schirmer, 2013), p.412
105
Mervyn Cooke, The Hollywood Film Music Reader. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010), p.234
106
David Neumeyer, Caryl Flinn, James Buhler, 200, p.44
107
108
Cooke, 2010, p.239
109
110
Audissino, 2014, 73
111
Cooke, 2010, p. 240
112
Cooke, 2010, p.240
113
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As after the success of the first episode, Williams continued to compose music for the
following Star Wars films, he enlarged the orchestra and added more leitmotifs, most notably
for The Empire Strikes Back. The three most memorable leitmotifs in this episode V were a
threatening and militaristic march for Darth Vader, a large love theme for Han Solo and
Princess Leia, and a calm motif for the wise Jedi master Yoda.114
The leitmotif technique is in this case also used to highlight the opposition of the Force and
the dark side. Leitmotifs associated with the Force (Luke, Princess Leia, Yoda, etc.) are in a
flowing process of signification (similar to the way Wagner used leitmotifs in his operas),
where the connection between the leitmotif and what it signifies frequently dissolve as the
leitmotif reverts back to music.115 The leitmotifs of the dark side on the other hand strictly
adhere to the signified.
4.1.Luke Sywalker motif

The Luke Skywalker motif is one of the most frequently appearing leitmotifs in the Star Wars
Saga. It is included in the opening theme and occurs some twenty times throughout A New
Hope in various different orchestrations, keys and tempos. It has the regularity and simplicity
of a song, making it easy to recognize and memorize it. Figure 11 below demonstrates the
melody of the Forces motif in the score. Figure 12 contains various extracts from the
soundtrack of ‘A New Hope’, all of them playing the Forces (or Luke’s) leitmotif.
Figure 11116: The ‘Luke Skywalker’ melody

114
115
116
Film Score Junkie, John Williams Themes, Part 1 of 6: The Force Theme. (2013)
th
<http://www.filmmusicnotes.com/john-‐williams-‐themes-‐part-‐1-‐the-‐force-‐theme/> [accessed on 4 March
2015)

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Figure 12117: Development of the Luke Skywalker motif throughout A New Hope. (track send as zip file,
labelled: Figure 12)
The audio file in Figure 12 demonstrates a number of various different occasions throughout
A New Hope, in which the Luke Skywalker motif occurs. Even though every time it is played
it can clearly be recognised as such, the orchestration, the accompaniment to the motifs’
melody, the tempo and mood changes, allowing the motif to adapt to the situation and mood
seen on the screen. Further, by changing for example orchestration and tempo, the motifs can
be more easily incorporated into the musical unfolding. Further, it changes throughout the
different Star Wars Episodes, along with the changing character of Luke, therefore it can
again be seen that it does not merely function as a signpost, but rather develops along with
the character. While in A New Hope the Luke Skywalker motif is huge and heroic, in The
Empire Strikes Back the theme is often heard in smaller instrumentation, slower tempo and a
minor key, and in Return of the Jedi it illustrates Luke’s sense of growth and understanding
of his role.118
4.2.Princess Leia’s motif

Princess Leia’s theme is another musical motif appearing in association with her. It is first
heard in A New Hope when she is captured by Darth Vader and appears over and over again
throughout the film, often in modified in orchestration and tempo. Figure 13 below
demonstrates her musical motif in the score.

117
Audio taken from: John Williams, Star Wars A New Hope, (USA, 1997)
118
Weebly, The Leitmotif in American Sound Film Music – Star Wars. <http://filmleitmotif.weebly.com/star-‐
wars.html> [accessed on 28 Mrach 2015]
th
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Figure 13119: Princess Leia’s theme
Below in Figure 14 is an audio file containing several occurrences of the Princess Leia theme
throughout A New Hope, mainly played in short fragments rather than as a whole statement of
the motif.
Figure 14120: Audio file with several occurrences of the Princess Leia theme throughout A New Hope (track
send as zip file, labelled: Figure 14)
While Princess Leia’s theme mostly occurs in connection to herself, when she is seen on the
screen, there is one scene in which for many, its occurrence in the film is not clearly justified
and therefore surprising. During the scene in which Kenobi dies, one could expect to hear the
sound of the Force’s theme, or the Imperial theme, however John Williams here decided to
play a modified version of Princess Leia’s theme. This is surprising particularly since Kenobi

119
Wikia Movies, Princess Leia’s Theme. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Princess_Leia's_Theme [accessed on
28th March 2015]
120
John Williams, 1997

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and Princess Leia have never really met.121 There are several different interpretations of the
choice of music in this scene, however Williams himself stated: “…l felt it had the most
sweeping melody of all the themes in the score. This wildly romantic music in this tragic
setting represents Luke's and the Princess's reaction to leaving Ben behind.".122
Again Williams’s choice of music here can be said to create a certain mythic element to the
film and shows similarities to the way Wagner made use of the leitmotif technique, since a
motif is played which does not directly and visually link to the situation shown on the screen.
Figure 25 below contains the audio extract from the ‘Kenobi’s death’ scene.
Figure 15: Music played during Kenobi’s death scene. (track send as zip file, labelled: Figure 15)
Another similarity to Wagner can be found in the idea of using “kinship” themes, such as
Williams did with Princess Leia’s theme. When comparing the Princess Leia theme to the
Force theme it can be seen that Leia’s theme is similar to the Force theme. There are
similarities in form, accompaniment, figures and length. Figure 16 shows both motifs in the
score next to each other as well as their motifs in form of an audio file.

121
Adrian Petrescu, Why do we hear Leia’s Theme during Kenobi’s death? (2011),
<http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/2810/why-‐do-‐we-‐hear-‐leias-‐theme-‐during-‐kenobis-‐death>
th
[accessed on 28 March 2015]
122
Petrescu, 2011
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Figure 16: Princess Leia theme123 (score) and Force theme124 (score) and as audio (Princess Leia125 and Force126)
(track send as zip file, labelled: Figure 16-1 and Figure 16-2)
The score to Star Wars is probably one of the longest film scores of all time. The soundtrack
of A New Hope alone exceeds 90min, which for sound film music is very rare. However this
shows that even in film music there is the potential to create a piece of music that develops
throughout the work, allowing to integrate various leitmotifs in the musical unfolding, similar
to the way Wagnerian techniques.
5. The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is often compared to Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, pointing out
the parallels between the two magic ring sagas.127 Others however argue that story-wise, The
Lord of the Rings has a much greater similarity to Wagner’s Parsifal. While The Lord of the
Rings has a very Roman Catholic world vision, similar to ‘Parsifal’, Wagner’s Niebelungen is

123
Wikia
124 th
Wikia, Binary Sunset, <http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Binary_Sunset> [accessed on 28 March 2015]
125
John Williams, 1997
126 th
MP3Fil, (2014), <http://www.mp3fil.info> [accessed on 28 March 2015]
127
Dough Adams, The Music of The Lord of the Rings Films. (South Korea: Carpentier, 2011), p.8

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about Old Norse Gods.128 Further, parallels can be drawn between Gollum and Wagner’s
Kundry, both being the most complex and fascinating characters of the story. However
musically, Wagner’s Ring is closer to Shore’s score as there are hundreds of motifs while in
Parsifal there are much fewer.129 Both composers responded to complex mythology with
similar compositional choices. In The Lord of the Rings, each racial group has a musical
theme rather than each character, while in Wagner’s dramas, he would assign a motif to
anything that was important to him. When examining the Shire/Hobbit theme, a motif for
Bilbo can be heard, one for Frodo, one for Sam etc., but it is what the hobbits represent in the
bigger picture as a mythic motive that is important.130 Shore has chosen the cultures of
Middle-earth as his mythic motifs. Each of the principle cultures in Tolkien’s world is
accorded a unique musical style: the hobbits are presented in a Celtic tone, the ancient Elves
are equated with chromatic harmonies and Eastern tones, Isengard’s escalating industrialism
is represented by the sound of metal, hammered percussion and low brass, middle-earth’s
men are set to ruminative minor-mode melodies etc..131 Shore used over ninety leitmotifs,
which exist in a constant state of change so that there is no one fixed setting from which
variations are drawn. Even though each theme has a core of permanent musical colour, it is
the rhythmic variations and the alterations in melodies that fuse the themes to the
development of their dramatic meaning.132 These variations are at times subtle and at others
more drastic, sometimes to such an extent that they alter the essence of the material.133
5.1.The Ring Motive

The Ring is the most complex and prominent element in The Lord of the Rings, which Shore
reflects with his score by using four themes to represent the multidimensional nature of it.134
In Fellowship, the Ring’s themes recur in similar orchestrations, keys and styles,
demonstrating the ring in its inactive state. While in The Two Towers its material changes
slightly, using a weightier orchestration at parts.135 The melody is heard whenever the ring
changes hands or marks a significant process in the narrative. If Shore’s score can be said to
have a central motif, then it would be the ‘The History of the Ring’ motif depicted in the
figure below.

128
Adams, 2011, p.8
129
Adams, 2011, p.9
130
Adams, 2011, p.9
Adams, 2011, p.11
131
132
Adams, 2011, p.11
133
Adams, 2011, p.11
134
Adams, 2011, p.14
135
Adams, 2011, p.14
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Figure 17136: History of the Ring motif – main motif of The Lord of the Ring.
The audio file below contains several moments of the Ring motif being played throughout
The Two Towers in different variations. Sometimes only parts of the motif are played and
sometimes the entire motif is stated.
Figure 18137: Development of the History of the Ring motif in The Two Towers. (track send as zip file, labelled:
Figure 18)
While the first two motifs can clearly be identified as the Ring motif, the third and fourth
audio extracts are more alienated from the motif presented in Figure 17. They create a similar
eerie atmosphere, leaving the audience to wait for the Ring’s full statement. The third extract
actually starts with what can be labelled as ‘The Evil of the Ring’ motif, limited to only four
pitches, and later on dissolves to the statement of the full Ring motif. The Evil of the Ring
motif is demonstrated in Figure 19.

Adams, 2011, p.15
136
137
Howard Shore, Music from The Lord of the Rings The Trilogy, (2003)

[Type text]

Figure 19138: The Evil of the Ring - variation of the History of the Ring motif
The fourth extract from the score in the audio file does not actually include a full statement of
the motif but creates a similar eerie atmosphere by the strings and the harp using the same
intervals and pitches as the Ring motif. Whether this extract can still belong to the group of
various Ring motifs is however subjective, as the degree to which they are modified from
their original can vary such that its recognition as a leitmotif may vary from one listener to
another. However it can clearly be seen that similar to Wagner, Shore also made use of
varying the orchestration and length of motifs when repeated within a piece of work.
5.2.The Shire Motif

This motif represents the Shire and the Hobbits and its melody establishes a sense of home
and safety, friendship and loyalty. It is used in the hobbits’ recollective moments and often
appears as a solo whistle or a solo clarinet.139 Figure 20 represents this motif in the score
Figure 20140: The Shire/Hobbit motif
Once the hobbits leave their home the motif settles into a sense of longing. In the The Two
Towers the motif reveals the pain of experience and Frodo’s and Sam’s homesickness.141 The
audio file in Figure 21 represents various extracts from both, the soundtrack of The
Fellowship and The Two Towers, in order to compare the different moods.

138
Adams, 2011, p.16
Adams, 2011, p.23
139
140
Adams, 2011, p.23
141
Adams, 2011, p.23
30

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Figure 21142: Development of The Shire motif from Fellowship to The Two Towers. (track send as zip file,
labelled: Figure 21)
The first two audio extracts are taken from the soundtrack of the Fellowship, both creating a
positive atmosphere through the choice of instruments (solo whistle in the first and fiddle in
the second example) and their upbeat tempo. The second one sounds even more uplifting and
lighter than the motif depicted in Figure 20, yet still belongs to the group of Shire motif and
is labelled as ‘Rural Setting’ motif. It transforms the Shire into a sprightly and Celtic-
influenced melody, creating a feeling as if the hobbits were playing the music. This variation
is scored for a collection of folk instruments and light orchestra representing the hobbits’
gently whimsical life in Hobbiton.143 Figure 22 demonstrates this variation of the Shire theme
in the score.
Figure 22144: The Shire Theme: Rural setting – variation of the motif depicted in Figure 20
The third and fourth extracts are taken from the soundtrack of The Two Towers and are much
slower and more melancholy than in the Fellowship. Here a solo clarinet plays the melody,
accompanied by strings, which changes the mood of the motif. The last extract does not
actually include a full statement of the motif, but changes to new material after playing the
first half of it. This enhances the feeling of longing and could be interpreted as a vanishing of
hope and increased distanced from home as there is not much left of the motif, it is falling
apart and is slowly being forgotten. Again it can be seen how Shore used the leitmotif
technique creatively by changing instrumentation and tempo, according to the change of
situation and mood of the character it stands for. Rather than just saying ‘look - the character
in question is back on the screen’, it adapts to the narrative and subconsciously leads the
audiences’ emotions.

142
Shore, 2003
Adams, 2011, p.26
143
144
Adams, 2011, p.26

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6. Critics
While obviously accepted and widely adopted as a technique in film music and opera, the
leitmotif has also come under attack by some notable theorists.
Two of the most well known leitmotif critics are Eisler and Adorno, whose well known book
Composing for the Films provides a number of arguments against the use of this technique.145
The authors state that when “composing under pressure”, the leitmotif technique enables the
composer to “quote where he otherwise would have to invent” and that therefore this
technique is a means for the musically inexperienced to find their way about.146 While some
argue that the leitmotif, because it is easy to grasp, is particularly suitable for motion pictures
(which must be easily understood), Eisler and Adorno contest this argument on two grounds:
Firstly, they claim that since motion picture production is a “complete montage technique”,
and therefore requires interruption of one element by another, the leitmotif can only take on
the structural meaning of a mere signpost, as without a continuous picture, there is no
freedom for compositional development. 147 Secondly, Eisler and Adorno argue that the
leitmotif was invented for metaphysical and symbolic meaning which has no place in a film
that depicts reality. 148 They claim that the leitmotif now tries to announce important
information to the audience, even though this information, or ‘the eminent personage’ is
clearly recognisable to everyone.149 The critics extend this argument by stating that the
leitmotif technique, which they consider as an effective technique of the past becomes an
ineffective duplication, which due to its lack of development in film, leads to extremely poor
composition.150
In James Buhler’s Music and Cinema the difference between the ways Wagner used the
leitmotif and how current film music composers use it is further discussed. Here it is stated
that the difference lies in its self-conscious relation to myth.151 Buhler explains this by stating
that while film music uses the leitmotif as a signifying function, Wagner uses it to put
signification into play, by letting his music tell a story.152 Unlike for example a symphony,
which can be seen as an isolated piece of music, Wagner’s operas had a very language-like
character, by creating a narrative through the use of leitmotifs. Linking the leitmotif as
signifier with a signified, can however be problematic and often fails in his dramas, as the
motifs revert back to music again so seamlessly, that they are absorbed back into the musical
unfolding. 153 This mythic element however can rarely be found in film music, which
surrenders the most musical aspect of the leitmotif and remains a pure signifier.154 This goes
back to another statement by Adorno, who compares the two by saying that while Wagner’s

145
Neumeyer, 2014, p. 167
146
Neumeyer, 2014, p.167
147
Neumeyer, 2014, pp. 167-‐168
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
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primary purpose of the leitmotif is the production of myth and not signification, film music
has secularized the leitmotif and demythologized it by emphasizing its linguistic quality.155
Therefore the leitmotif in film music can rarely gain the independence that motifs have in
Wagner’s dramas.
Sometimes, in Wagner’s dramas, a motif appears that cannot be directly related to the drama,
sometimes it cannot be fixed to a signified and sometimes the action of the drama is
suspended momentarily to allow the presentation of a musical statement.156 These moments
of musical summary arrest the flow of language in his dramas, giving the music a mythic
character.157 Similar situations can however also be found in Williams’s score to Star Wars.
The ‘Binary Suns’ cue in A New Hope for example, is accompanied by a full statement of the
Force theme even though nothing about the Force has been revealed yet.158 Here again the
link between the signifier and the signified does not occur until Ben explains the Force to
Luke later on in the film. This semiotic failure is what gives the music a mythical character,
pointing to a realm beyond reason, beyond language159 (especially to the Imperial March) and
therefore the music no longer signifies in a mythic manner.160 On the other hand it can be said
that the signifying capabilities of music help mystify the diegetic world of the film, as it
interprets its inner properties apparent to us, whereas in our real world, such properties are
mostly unnecessarily hidden.161 Therefore one could say that the leitmotif in film becomes a
mythic discourse, in which its mythic drive hides behind an apparent demythologization.162
Conclusion
Having reviewed and analysed the use of leitmotifs in Wagner’s Ring des Nibelungen, Star
Wars, and The Lord of the Rings we can conclude that there are similarities as well as
differences between the use of leitmotifs in film and in opera.
Similarities are for example that when comparing Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings to Der
Ring des Nibelungen, it can be seen that both film composers (Williams and Shore) made use
of the leitmotif technique in a similar way to Wagner. Even though the Middle-earth setting
and the powerful visuals of The Lord of the Rings are closer to 19th-century art (similar to
some of Wagner’s works), it can be seen that the leitmotif technique can be just as well
deployed in a futuristic science fiction film. Both films (Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings)
are known for their exceptionally long soundtracks, covering nearly the entire film, which
allowed the composers to incorporate their leitmotifs in a musical unfolding that - just as in
Wagner’s works - leads to an enormous level of creativity when repeating the motifs. Further,
all three works were hugely successful, showing that the leitmotif technique has maintained
its effectiveness more than a hundred years after Wagner. The fact that many people are not

155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162

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aware of the existence of leitmotifs, neither in Wagner’s works, nor in films, can also be seen
as a proof of their effectiveness, as the reappearance of motifs does not detract from the film
but unconsciously guides our understanding of the narrative. Just as adverts, which are
designed such that they enter our unconscious and awaken a ‘need’, leitmotifs can similarly
manipulate the audience without being too obvious.
Differences between the uses of leitmotifs in opera to the use in film are more subjective in
nature. Even though the leitmotif was first used in operas, and hence film composers possibly
looked at these operas for inspiration, I think that an objective comparison of their use in
operas to their use in film music is problematic in terms of making a judgement about which
of the two worked ‘better’. As pointed out in Wagner & Cinema, I believe that it is not
possible to compare the relationship of music to the characters in film with the relationship of
music to the characters in opera, because the music heard in a film is not the medium of a
character’s self-expression, as it is in opera.163 While a film does not offer a character a
means of lyrical expression, this is the central purpose of an opera; therefore the two are
different situations, which in my opinion need to be approached individually. Further, a film
composer is strictly bound to the cuts made between film sequences which forces him to pay
attention to and compose exactly to what is seen on the screen at what second which, in
contrast to opera, leaves less room for autonomous motivic development.
There may be many other techniques that are used to compose music for film and classical
music, such as the closed musical number technique (in film), which I believe would work
well in nature documentaries, where the beauty of picture could be enhanced by an overall
soundscape. But where the narrative is in the foreground, and particularly in those films and
operas where the audience might find it more difficult to identify with the story or characters
seen on the screen, due to time setting or other factors, I believe that the leitmotif technique is
very powerful tool that can enrich a film (or an opera) by its contribution.
A transition from ‘abstract’ to ‘concrete’ can be recognized when looking at the evolution of
the leitmotif. While in fugues for example, where a theme might be developed, there arises no
sense of narrative through the music, when looking at works that use the cyclic form, a
certain organisation of elements can be recognised that can create the feeling of a story being
told. Moving on to opera, where the leitmotif has the purpose of clarifying and leading the
story, which is often complex and might also include a language barrier for some listeners, it
can be seen that here the technique takes on a narrative role. In film however, the narrative up
to this point in our history is dominated by the visuals and dialogue and the musical leitmotif
technique purely supports the narrative.
Word count: 9556

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Adams, Dough, The Music of The Lord of the Rings Films (South Korea: Carpentier, 2011)
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2000)
Cooke, M, The Hollywood Film Music Reader (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010)
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Grey Thomas, S., The Cambridge Companion to Wagner (Cambridge: Cambridge University
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Joe, J. and Gilman, S. L., Wagner and Cinema (USA: Indiana University Press, 2010)
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Taylor, Benedict, Mendelssohn, Time and Memory – The Romantic Conception of Cyclic
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Wright, Craig, Listening to Music.7Edition. (USA: Schirmer, 2013)
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Leitmotifs in Film Music - Dissertation

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Veronika

CP6017 Critical and contextual studies 3: Dissertation

The use of leitmotifs in film music

1. Wagner and the evolution of the Leitmotif

Figure 527: Comparison of Ring and Valhalla motif

Figure 628: Step-by-step transition from Ring into Valhalla motif

mentioned and is structured by a succession of thirds progressing by intervals of thirds, first

Figure 1138: Hint at Ring motif

Figure 1340: Horns hinting at Valhalla motif

3.1. The leitmotif and its international success

from late nineteenth-century romanticism to twentieth-century modernism.76 This was not

Figure 1082: Three of the main motifs in The Big Sleep.

3.2.The emergence of the ‘closed musical number’ technique

4.1.Luke Sywalker motif

Figure 11116: The ‘Luke Skywalker’ melody

4.2.Princess Leia’s motif

Figure 13119: Princess Leia’s theme

5. The Lord of the Rings

5.1.The Ring Motive

5.2.The Shire Motif

Figure 20140: The Shire/Hobbit motif

Word count: 9556

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