Guide to Film Music Resources

This is an introductory guide to locating information and materials related to film music. It is not a complete bibliography, but rather indicates key resources and types of materials that one may find useful when seeking information in this area. All listed items are available in the University of Michigan Music Library.


Browsing Areas

The following are selected call number ranges where film music materials may be found. For more specific call numbers, consult Mirlyn.

M 1527.2	film music scores
ML 102 .M75	dictionaries of film music
ML 410 .A-.Z	biographies of individual composers
ML 2075	film music history & criticism
MT 64 .M65	film music instruction & study
MT 737	film music instruction & study
PN 1995.9 .M86	musical films
Z 6814 .M7	film music bibliographies

Subject Headings

The following are a few examples of subject headings related to film music which you may find useful when searching or browsing in Mirlyn. For a complete list, consult the Library of Congress Subject Headings located on top of the New Book Shelf.

• motion picture music
• motion picture music--bibliography
• motion picture music--excerpts
• motion picture music--history and criticism
• motion pictures and music
• musical films
• musical films--history and criticism
• musical films--united states--history and criticism
• silent film music

Reference Guides

Anderson, Gillian B. Music for Silent Films, 1894-1929: A Guide. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1988.
Z 6814 .M7 A54 1988

A guide to locating the scores and musical cue sheets for films of the silent era. The entries are arranged alphabetically by film title and provide basic information about the film, as well as the location of the material. There is also an introductory essay on the nature, history, and presentation of the musical accompaniments for silent films.

Benjamin, Ruth, and Arthur Rosenblatt. Movie Song Catalog: Performers and Supporting Crew for the Songs Sung in 1460 Musical and Nonmusical Films, 1928-1988. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1993.
Reference: Z 6814 .M7 B46 1993

An alphabetical listing of 1460 films, with each entry including the film's songs and their singers and songwriters. Separate indices provide access to the performers, songwriters, and songs.

Burlingame, Jon. Sound and Vision: Sixty Years of Motion Picture Soundtracks. New York: Billboard Books, 2000.
Reference: ML 2075 .B876 2000

Consists primarily of a listing of film composers with brief biographical sketches and discussions of their most significant work. The book also includes a section on musicals and song-compilation scores as well as a brief history of film music.

Craggs, Stewart R. Soundtracks: An International Dictionary of Composers for Film. Aldershot, England: Ashgate, 1998.
Reference: ML 102 .M75 C73 1998

An alphabetical listing of film composers including brief biographical details and film credits for each entry. Also includes a selective list of films with music by classical composers.

Green, Stanley. Hollywood Musicals: Year by Year. 2d ed. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard, 1999.
Reference: PN 1995.9 .M86 G74 1999

A year by year guide to musicals from 1927 through 1989. Each entry contains basic facts including the film's composer, producer, director, screenplay writer, cast, songs, and date, along with a brief discussion of the work.

Hischak, Thomas. The American Musical Film Song Encyclopedia. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999.
Reference: ML 102 .M75 H57 1999

An encyclopedia of songs written for and originally heard in movie musicals. Each entry includes the song's source, authors, original performers, and an explanation of the song.

Hischak, Thomas. Film It With Music: An Encyclopedic Guide to the American Movie Musical. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2001.
Reference: PN 1995.9 .M86 H571 2001

Contains entries for songwriters, performers, directors, choreographers, producers, studios, and designers who have participated in film musicals since 1927. Includes a chronological list of all the movies given entries in the encyclopedia, along with a list of the Academy Awards that have been given to musicals.

Limbacher, James. Keeping Score: Film Music, 1972-1979. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1981.
Reference: Z 6814 .M7 L73
Limbacher, James, and H. Stephen Wright. Keeping Score: Film and Television Music, 1980-1988: With Additional Coverage of 1921-1979. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1991.
Reference: Z 6814 .M7 L74 1991
Marill, Alvin H. Keeping Score: Film and Television Music, 1988-1997. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1998.
Reference: Z 6814 .M7 L742 1998

These three guides provide an alphabetical listing of movies and their composers for each year covered within the volume, as well as an alphabetical list of composers and their films.

McCarty, Clifford. Film Composers in America: A Filmography, 1911-1970. 2d ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Reference: Z 6814 .M7 M12 2000

Perhaps the most comprehensive attempt to identify all composers of film scores in the United States through 1970, as the author has sought to determine the authorship of as many American film scores as possible. The book is an inventory of film music composers, with each entry providing a chronological list of the composer's film credits.

Parish, James Robert, and Michael R. Pitts. The Great Hollywood Musical Pictures. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1991.
PN 1995.9 .M86 P371 1992

An encyclopedia of nearly 350 Hollywood musicals, including credits, song titles, and background information for each entry.

Wescott, Steven D. A Comprehensive Bibliography of Music for Film and Television. Detroit Studies in Music Bibliography, 54. Detroit: Information Coordinators, 1985.
Reference: Z 6813 .D48 no. 54

A thorough, though outdated, bibliography of film music sources, organized into categories such as history, composers, and aesthetics.

Wright, H. Stephen. Film Music at the Piano: An Index to Piano Arrangements of Instrumental Film and Television Music in Anthologies and Collections. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2003.
Reference: ML 128 .M7 W751 2003

Arranged alphabetically by movie or television series title, this guide provides source information for piano arrangements of instrumental music that appears in collections.

Wright, H. Stephen, and Stephen M. Fry, eds. Film Music Collections in the United States: A Guide. Hollywood, CA: Society for the Preservation of Film Music, 1996.
Reference: ML 19 .W74 1996

A directory of collections of film music source materials in the United States. These resources include unpublished materials (such as manuscript music, studio recordings, correspondence, and the personal papers of film composers) and rare published materials.

Critical & Historical Studies

Bruce, Graham. Bernard Herrmann: Film Music and Narrative. Studies in Cinema, no. 38. Ann Arbor: UMI Research Press, 1985.
ML 410 .H566 B89

Burt, George. The Art of Film Music. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1994.
MT 64 .M65 B871 1994

Cooper, David. Bernard Herrmann's Vertigo: A Film Score Handbook. Film Score Guides, no. 2. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2001.
ML 410 .H566 C66 2001

Darby, William, and Jack Du Bois. American Film Music: Major Composers, Techniques, Trends, 1915-1990. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1999.
ML 2075 .D331 1999

Daubney, Kate. Max Steiner's Now, Voyager: A Film Score Guide. Film Score Guides, no. 1. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000.
ML 410 .S8163 D381 2000

Dickinson, Kay. Movie Music, the Film Reader. London: Routledge, 2003.
ML 2075 .M8771 2003

Goldmark, Daniel. Tunes for ÕToons: Music and the Hollywood Cartoon. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005.
ML 2075 .G651 2005

Kalinak, Kathryn. Settling the Score: Music and the Classical Hollywood Film. Wisconsin Studies in Film. Madison: Wisconsin University Press, 1992.
ML 2075 .K341 1992

Karlin, Fred. Listening to Movies: The Film Lover's Guide to Film Music. New York: Schirmer, 1994.
ML 2075 .K371 1994

MacDonald, Laurence R. The Invisible Art of Film Music: A Comprehensive History. New York: Ardsley House, 1998.
ML 2075 .M17 1998

Marmorstein, Gary. Hollywood Rhapsody: Movie Music and Its Makers 1900 to 1975. New York: Schirmer, 1997.
ML 2075 .M2461 1997

Prendergast, Roy M. Film Music: A Neglected Art: A Critical Study of Music in Films. 2d ed. New York: Norton, 1992.
ML 2075 .P93 1992


Biographies

Carroll, Brendan G. The Last Prodigy: A Biography of Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Portland: Amadeus Press, 1997.
ML 410 .K84 C34 1997

Danly, Linda, ed. Hugo Friedhofer: The Best Years of His Life: A Hollywood Master of Music for the Movies. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 1999.
ML 410 .F925 H84 1999

Palmer, Christopher. Dimitri Tiomkin: A Portrait. London: T. E. Books, 1984.
ML 410 .T59 P17

Rózsa, Miklós. Double Life. New York: Wynwood Press, 1989.
ML 410 .R876 A3 1989

Smith, Steven C. A Heart at Fire's Center: The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002.
ML 410 .H566 S64 2002


Compositional Guides

Hagen, Earle. Scoring for Films. Los Angeles: Alfred, 1989.
MT 737 .H3 1989

Karlin, Fred, and Rayburn Wright. On the Track: A Guide to Contemporary Film Scoring. 2d ed. New York: Routledge, 2004.
MT 737 .K371 2004

Kompanek, Sonny. From Score to Screen: Sequencers, Scores, & Second Thoughts: The New Film Scoring Process. New York: Schirmer, 2004.
MT 64 .M65 K651 2004

Rona, Jeff. The Reel World: Scoring for Pictures. San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books, 2000.
MT 64 .M65 R661 2000


Internet Sites

SoundtrackNet: The Art of Film and Television Music
Provides news features, an extensive listing of film composers (including up-to-date filmographies), reviews of soundtracks, and information regarding the availability of soundtrack recordings.

Film Score Monthly: The Online Magazine of Motion Picture and Television Music Appreciation
Contains articles, answers to frequently-asked questions, and links to many other film and film music sites.

Soundtrack Collector
Provides industry news, links to other film music sites, and a soundtrack database that can be browsed by title or composer.

Music from the Movies
Provides news, reviews, composer information, and links to related sites.

FilmTracks: Modern Soundtrack Reviews
Provides reviews of contemporary film soundtracks.

Silent Film Resources FAQ
Provides links to silent film resources on the internet.

FILMUS-L
An online discussion list devoted to film and television music. A searchable archive of the list is also available.

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University of Michigan Music Library
Last updated 6/07