composition commentary

7/25/2019 Composition Commentary

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Composition Commentary

Brief:

I have been asked to compose a piece of music to accompany an edited film clip from

Disney's "Maleficent" for a local film festival. I am writin for !lute #boe Clarinet Bassoon

and $iano.

Influence:

%ame of &hrones in ()

*arry $otter the face of +oldemort , use of min -rd)

#riinal Disney !ilm , leepin Beauty and Maleficent

&im Burton films: Beetle/uice

Dark Musicals e.. weeney &odd

$aperwork Chord $roression

0lan Menken Beauty and the Beast

$oulenc e1tet minus *orn)

&he film 2Maleficent3 tells the story of sleepin beauty from the 2evil3 fairy4s Maleficent4s)

point of view. 0t the start of the film before the clip4s position) Maleficent has her wins cut

off from her body so she is feelin anry and depressed because she has lost somethin

valuable to her.

0t the start if the clip we see Maleficent walkin into castle ruins which is the point where we

hear the main theme 5 Maleficent4s theme. he then meets Diaval a crow who was

captured by a farmer 5 this is where we hear Diaval4s theme a variation of the main theme.

Maleficent chanes the crow into a human and he becomes her servant. &he scene chanes



to the kin4s coronation which is where a new theme and te1ture enters to represent the

kin. &he crow spies on the ceremony and reports back to Maleficent who becomes full of

rae and an e1plosion of maic comes from her staff and she is anry 5 her theme becomes

more rhythmic and the te1ture becomes fuller at this point representin the emotions of

Maleficent. 6e then see Maleficent walkin to her throne which is where the kin4s theme

and her theme come toether to depict the rivalry between the two characters as well as theemotion that Maleficent is feelin.

I have composed a main theme which you can hear at the start of the clip introducin the

main character: Maleficent. &his theme ets transformed throuhout the piece and as the

film clip proresses. I have incorporated uni7ue motifs for the different characters in the clip

which are entwined with the main theme4s developments and transformations. Many film

composers adopt this techni7ue of writin for film for e1ample: 8ohn 6illiams tar 6ars

*arry $otter) and *oward hore 9ord of the ins).

I took inspiration from a chord se7uence in a son that I heard in a musical called

2$aperwork3 the son was depictin sadness and rief which is why I used it to portray the

main character as she is feelin hurt and she is anry. I then wrote a tune over the top of the

chord se7uence which helped depict sadness and rief from the character.

I used the 2%ame of &hrones3 theme composed by amin D/awadi to create the ne1t

section. &he oriinal theme is in a ; time sinature so I created a tune inspired by the

oriinal theme but in (<(. I then added te1ture by imitatin the tune on other instruments

creatin a canonic te1tutre in the music. I then created a melody to o over the top of the

canon which is a variation of the main theme heard at the start. &his section is used to

represent the conversation between Maleficent and Diaval after he has been transformed

into a man. &he imitation between the instruments depicts that both characters are areein

on what needs to be done.

I was influenced by a piece composed for the first *arry $otter film called 2the face of

+oldemort3. &his piece uses lots of minor thirds and diminished intervals to create a dark

tone and the sense of forebodin doom. I used the first few notes of the move theme and

then developed and wrote my own theme from that harmonisin the melody with diminished

chords which added to the dark tone of the film. I used this to lead up to the clima1 of

Maleficent4s aner and outrae which leads to a burst of reen maic burstin out of her

staff. I used the piano in this section to add rhythmic contrast as it builds up to the clima1 of

the clip.

I also took inspiration from 0lan Menken4s proloue for the stae adaptation of 2Beauty and

&he Beast3. 0t the start of the proloue there is a motif played by the piano which I have

used to create a section for my composition. I have taken the melody from the productionand adapted it for the mood and themes of my composition and I have taken the hih



accompaniment and added it to my adapted melody. I then wrote a variation of 2Maleficent4s

&heme3 and added it to this section. I did this as a reminder that this clip is made by Disney

because 0lan Menken is a well,known composer who writes for many Disney shows and

films includin 0laddin *ercules and &he 9ittle Mermaid.

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