General Music Articles

There is a very wide range of sounds and styles which people call music. Many cultures have their traditional music which can often have very restricted conventions, and their popular music which can be very free and improvisational. On mfiles we focus mainly on Western Classical and Film music, but even here there is an enormous range of styles, moods and cultural conventions. As a navigational aid, here we have collected together all the various music articles on mfiles, from reference texts to exploratory articles.

Classical Music Periods

People like to classify things and music is no exception. What we often think of as "Classical" music is traditionally divided into a number of periods, which help to classify music by style, instruments used, the purpose it serves, the compositional techniques used by the composer, and the intended impact on the listener. Our article about Classical Music Periods describes the main periods as follows: Early, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern.

Film Music History

Similarly the Film Music History is a summary of the main trends in film music. We look at the early emergence of Film Music, the classical background of composers first lured into the film industry, the use of newer idioms such as Jazz and Electronic Music, and the way film music has diversified into different film genres. Finally we speculate on where music might be headed today.

Video Game Music History

One of our newer articles is the one looking at the History of Video Game Music. Though Game Music is the new kid on the block compared with Classical or even film music, it has quickly grown into a recognised art form, with its many fans and a number of games soundtracks being released on CD. The "Video Games Live" show which has been touring the world is essentially a concert of Video Game Music.

Electronic Music

Electronic Music has been used by Classical and Film Composers for more than a Century. From its early experimental origins, Electronic Processing by Hardware Devices or Music Software has grown to become an essential part of the music business today. This article looks at some of the key electronic instruments and their usage, primarily in film soundtracks.

James Bond Music

There have been 24 James Bond films as well as a number of similar Spy thrillers on film and television. Music is an essential ingredient in what goes to make a successful Bond film and our article on The Music of James Bond looks at the composers who have helped to define what makes the "James Bond sound" and lists all the James Bond songs.

Star Trek Music

If you include all the Television shows as well as the Feature Films, Star Trek arguably has had an even greater demand for music than James Bond and is correspondingly more diverse. Our Music of Star Trek article looks at all the Star Trek films and TV series and the composer who have worked on them, from the early formation of the "Star Trek" universe to its position now as a major franchise.

What is Music?

The nature of music is something which has puzzled many people over the years. While there are still a lot of unanswered questions about music, our article entitled What is Music? explains some of the basics, and shows why certain aspects of music affect us in different ways. But don't worry: while this involves a number of different scientific disciplines, our explanations use plain English only.

Film Music Cliches

Following on from our Film Music History and the article on "What is Music", we take a tongue-in-cheek look at some of the obvious Film Music Cliches which we all recognise. While we understand that these cliches can be thought of as a useful shortcut to achieve an effect, we also recognise that the skilled composer who is able to avoid them can be seen as original and different.

Church Music

The Church has had a major influence on the historic development of music, from various styles of choral and instrumental music to the way we write music on paper. Even though the church's influence has declined, many well-known classical composers have written religious or church music. On mfiles we have a number of Hymns, Christmas Carols and music associated with the church or religious occasions, and we also provide the sheet music and audio files for these.

Funeral Music

Funerals are a special occasion of remembrance, often but not always associated with the church. Although musical tastes can vary, there are a number of pieces of music frequently used in such ceremonies. We survey a number of composers who have written or referenced funeral music, and provide a number of suggestions in the form of sheet music and audio files.

Bugle Calls

Bugle Calls are short simple pieces of music originally developed to give instructions to soldiers, sailors and cavalry men in the armed forces of a number of countries. Our article on Bugle Calls looks not just at the history of bugle calls, but how they have influenced Classical, Film and Popular music for at least two centuries. The article also provides sheet music, midi and mp3 files for many familiar and interesting bugle calls.

National Anthems and Patriotic Songs

National Anthems are generally played and/or sung at formal State Occasions where the audience expresses its National Identity, and its allegiance to the country. They are also often played at International Sporting Events to help identify the nationality of participants, particularly to salute the nationality of the winner or winning team as they receive their medals or awards. Our article National Anthems and Patriotic Songs looks at the origins of several National Anthems and Patriotic Songs, and includes a variety of examples in the form of sheet music of piano arrangements, with midi files and mp3 files.

Wedding Music

Weddings are another special occasion at the happier end of the scale, and again often associated with religious ceremonies. Again musical tastes can vary widely, but we look at some of the more traditional Wedding Music and again make a number of suggestions for suitable music, providing links where appropriate to our sheet music and audio examples.

Christmas Music

Christmas is another occasion with its origins in the church, though often these days losing much of its original meaning. Nevertheless there are many traditional Christmas Carols which have become established favourites and we hear every Christmas. On mfiles we list our sheet music and audio files for well-known Christmas Carols as well as some beautiful but less well-known examples.

Ragtime Music

Ragtime emerged as a musical form towards the last decades of the 19th Century. In our Ragtime Music article, we look at the key features we make up Ragtime and some of the key composers who made Ragtime an enourmous popular success. In addition we provide sheet music and audio files for a number of Piano Rags by Scott Joplin, who is widely recognised as the king of Ragtime Music.

Reference Music Articles

Film Music Oscars

This is a complete list of the winners and nominees of the various music categories of the Academy Awards (Oscars), from 1934 to the present. Although the categories have changed their names of the years, the main music categories today are "Best Original Score" and "Best Original Song".

Music Awards for 2009 Films

This page looks at the major awards for a single year, specifically the Academy Awards, The Golden Globes and the BAFTAs (the British Academy). Here we list the winners and nominees for the music categories in 2010 for films released in 2009.