Hitting the Right Notes: Film Directors and Composers in Harmony

Hitting the Right Notes: Film Directors and Composers in Harmony is a unique, multi-disciplinary volume co-authored by scholars from both media studies and music theory. The book features a chronological and systematic approach that concentrates on analyzing representative scenes from a broad spectrum of mainstream movies as exemplars. With a distinctive focus on versatile analytical tools from film studies, music cognition, and music theory, each chapter supplies background on the time period, director, composer, and their working relationship, then a close reading incorporates both visual analysis and musical elements beyond pitch and harmony. Robust yet accessible, Hitting the Right Notes highlights up-to-date ways of understanding film music, directly demonstrates their application across eras and genres, and displays the artistic magic directors and composers create together. It is essential reading for those interested in film and music.

LESTER D. FRIEDMAN is an emeritus professor and former chair of the Media and Society Program at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. He is the author, co-author, and editor of over 20 books including most recently Sports Movies (Rutgers University Press, 2020) and Citizen Spielberg, 2nd Edition. 

CHARITY LOFTHOUSE is an associate professor of music at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.