Understanding the Leitmotif: From Wagner to Hollywood Film Music (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781107098398)

The musical leitmotif, having reached a point of particular forcefulness in the music of Richard Wagner, has remained a popular compositional device up to the present day. In this book, Matthew Bribitzer-Stull explores the background and development of the leitmotif, from Wagner to the Hollywood adaptations of The Lord of The Rings and the Harry Potter series. Analyzing both concert music and film music, Bribitzer-Stull explains what the leitmotif is and establishes it as the union of two aspects: the thematic and the associative. He goes on to show that Wagner's Ring cycle provides a leitmotivic paradigm, a model from which we can learn to better understand the leitmotif across style periods. Arguing for a renewed interest in the artistic merit of the leitmotif, Bribitzer-Stull reveals how uniting meaning, memory, and emotion in music can lead to a richer listening experience and a better understanding of dramatic music's enduring appeal.

Author: Matthew Bribitzer-Stull
ISBN-10: 1107098394
ISBN-13: 9781107098398
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 05/14/2015
Pages: 356
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.90lbs
Size: 9.80h x 7.10w x 0.80d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 02/01/2016