Understanding the Leitmotif: From Wagner to Hollywood Film Music

by Matthew Bribitzer-Stull

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.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

356 pages, Hardcover

First published June 24, 2015

Reviews

[Rae V · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I know is a good book, yet did not enjoy it as much. It is by no means the fault of the author who I would say wrote it extremely well!

Logically and factually this is a good book, however my ptsd from textbooks similar to this in college gave me the stressed feeling of a report due or presentation or arrangement assignment… you get the picture. (I guess my review here IS my homework? Oh gosh!)

But overall I think the content is both fascinating and helpful for either understanding and/or creation of your own. Especially loving the later portion as he dives into several modern examples!

3⭐️ enjoyed it, might read again
Happy reading ♥️📚

[Samantha Kitson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good read for those well-versed in musical theory and terminology. However, it is a little long and his focus on Wagner over the Hollywood film scores/examples (I would say 75/25 in terms of the time he gives each one) made me slightly frustrated, and caused me to take longer than usual to finish. Overall, a decent book if you enjoy musical history and film scores.