Explain what is meant by “slithery”—in this case, legato music with a melody that twists and turns, like a snake.

Music 246-FY: First Paper

This assignment is due Oct. 4. In this assignment you will first prepare a cue sheet for a portion of King Kong or Citizen Kane. You will then write a commentary on the music for that portion of the film, explaining in greater detail the entries on your cue sheet.

The cue sheet should occupy no more than half of a single-spaced page. The commentary should begin on a new page and should be at least one and a half and not more than two single-spaced pages in length (750–1000 words). As stated above, it must explain in greater detail and in continuous, well-written prose the brief entries or ntoes listed in the cue sheet. Please submit your cue sheet and paper as a single email attachment in Microsoft Word format with the filename Yourlastname_246_paper_1.

Since this paper is based on your own viewing of the film, there is no need to refer to other sources. But any borrowed material must be properly credited. You may do this through a parenthetical comment within the paper or through a conventional footnote. Please go to http://faculty.wagner.edu/david-schulenberg/format/ for further instructions on style and format!

Before writing: creating the cue sheet. Your cue sheet is a list of the most important musical events in a portion of the film. If you choose to write on King Kong, please cover the portion from 46:30, when Kong first appears, to 1:02:00, when Kong fights the Tyrannosaurus. If you choose to write on Citizen Kane, you may select any 10- to 15-minute portion of the film that contains more or less continuous music after the initial 12:30.

Your cue sheet should consist of a list of time points, with notes at each point about the music at that moment in the film. In general, time points should correspond with the beginnings and endings of scenes, or with particularly important events within certain scenes. Be careful not to get too detailed; if you find yourself making entries every few seconds, you are probably going into greater detail than is necessary. The aim here is to indicate the most important cues as well as major changes or transitions in the music. Such transitions usually correspond to new characters entering or leaving, or to important developments in the plot. Here is a sample cue sheet for a later portion of Kong:

1:08:41. Ominous music as Jack follows Kong into cave: low brass sustained, then clarinet, “Kong” motive in brass as he enters cave about 1:09:25

1:09:50. Legato strings as Kong places Ann in “nest”—contrasts with chromatic slithery music for snake-like giant lizard, this time Kong fights it to fight music (includes Kong motive in bass, very contrapuntal and dissonant)

1:11:40. Kong takes her to ledge, then Wagnerian unison low strings, higher strings again for Ann as she faints, quiet sustained strings and harp as Kong holds her, undresses her: romantic “Ann” motive

1:13:35. “Funny” music including woodwind trills and bassoon riffs as he tickles her

1:14:02. Back to loud ominous dissonant music as idiot knocks over rock and Kong goes after him

1:14:45. Pterodactyl, more danger music as they escape down vine over ledge (descending string music, reverses to ascend as Kong pulls them back up, descending as they fall into lake; romantic “Ann” motive in strings as they swim away 1:16:40 (finally major mode)

Writing the commentary. Your commentary should begin on a new page. The first paragraph should identify the film and the composer of its music, as well as any other significant people involved with the music (for instance, a singer if one is involved prominently in your scene). Your introductory paragraph should also mention the date of the film and give some idea of the general character of the music—its overall style, instrumentation, and any other prominent features. It is not necessary to explain the plot or to describe the characters in general. Mention only what is necessary for understanding how the music functions in general during your chosen portion of the film.

The main part of your commentary should consist of several paragraphs that flesh out and explain the notes in your cue sheet. For instance, a commentary on the sample cue sheet shown above would explain what is meant by “ominous” music: which instruments play it, what is its tempo, its mode, meter, and general style. A good commentary would also explain what is meant by “slithery”—in this case, legato music with a melody that twists and turns, like a snake. The “romantic” motive for Ann Darrow would be explained as an expressive melody played by the strings, piano and legato, in a style reminiscent of Richard Wagner. Explaining each entry in your cue sheet might require several sentences, even an entire paragraph. But it is not necessary to discuss every entry in your cue sheet. Just be sure that you provide a clear and complete account of the music at the most important points or transitions in your scene. Also be sure to refer to the time points themselves in parentheses, like this (1:14:02), to make clear which moments in the film you are describing.

As a conclusion, you should write a closing paragraph that sums up your evaluation of the music as a whole. You might consider whether the music effectively conveys the action or emotional arc of the scene or film as a whole. Or you might identify one or two particularly memorable moments or passages in the music that demonstrate the composer’s craft or originality.

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