Silent Films/Loud Music: New Ways of Listening to and Thinking about Silent Film Music

Silent Films/Loud Music explores the relationship between music, image, and narrative in contemporary scores for silent films, featuring an overview of the early history and an analysis of creative works. It challenges long-held assumptions about silent film music and has implications for historical and contemporary film music.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 23 March 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Silent Films/Loud Music delves into the realm of contemporary scores for silent films, presenting them as a fertile ground for exploring the intricate interplay between music, image, and narrative. Author Johnston provides a comprehensive overview of the early history of music for silent films, coupled with his firsthand experience in crafting new original scores for historical silent films. This unique genre blurs the boundaries between classical, jazz, rock, electronic, and folk, offering a rich tapestry of musical styles. As the first dedicated book to the study of contemporary scores for silent films, it chronicles the historical and creative evolution of this art form, featuring an in-depth discussion and analysis of some of the most innovative works of contemporary silent film scoring. Johnston draws upon his extensive career in both contemporary film music, collaborating with renowned directors such as Paul Mazursky, Henry Bean, Philip Haas, and Doris Dörrie, as well as his expertise in creating new scores for silent films by renowned artists like Browning, Méliès, Kinugasa, Murnau, and Reiniger. Through this comprehensive work, Johnston challenges long-standing assumptions about silent film music, offering thought-provoking insights into both historical and contemporary film music.

Weight: 360g
Dimension: 228 x 152 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501369582