Choral Quarrels - where composers and directors may have different views... In his latest article, John Caps investigates the dangers of choral music in films with many historic examples of the successes, near misses and potential failures. More...
With Doctor Who Series 12 due to screen on New Year's Day, we look back at Segun Akinola's music for Series 11. This showcases his first series as composer for the Doctor Who Music, with a distinct new approach to the show's long-standing Theme and incidental music. More...
The Dolly Suite by French composer Gabriel Fauré is one of his best known works. It was originally composed for piano duet, but is frequently played in other arrangements. On mfiles we present the 1st movement of the Dolly Suite, named Berceuse (or Lullaby), in 3 different versions with sheet music scores and parts, plus videos, midi and mp3 files:
The article Two Striking Films includes reviews of two recent film scores - "Under the Silver Lake" by Disasterpeace (Rich Vreeland) and "King Charles III" by Jocelyn Pook. The article's author John Caps asks Is This Post-Millennial Scoring? More...
The TV Series of Good Omens has a lot to live up to in terms of fan expectation. However David Arnold's music turns out to be an essential part of the result, delivering superb musical humour and characterisation. More...
This month (June 2019) it will be 25 years since the passing of composer Henry Mancini. To mark this Henry Mancini anniversary, his biographer John Caps examines his considerable legacy and identifies the 3 key ingredients of his fame and success. More...
Everything about the God of War game score is gorgeous, enthralling choral elements with a wonderful soloist, well-chosen instrumentation, and an exquisite set of melodies. Somehow Bear McCreary's music turns a mythical world into something totally believable. More...
"Flowers of the Forest" is an old Scottish Folk Song, found in an early 17th Century manuscript. Here we have the original melody which can be played on a variety of instruments. There is also a slightly newer version (often played as a Lament on bagpipes) arranged for Piano Solo, and an arrangement for solo instrument plus optional piano accompaniment. All versions have sheet music parts, midi, mp3 and video:
Continuing our exploration of early music notation, here is a lively dance tune called "Saltarello 2" from a Medieval Tuscan collection from the late 14th Century. It is the 2nd of 3 Saltarellos in the collection, and the music clearly shows a characteristic jumping figure which gives the dance its name. Using modern notation we present the Saltarello 2 melody for different instruments, and a simple arrangement of Saltarello 2.
That Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is doing so well at the box-office and animation awards, is at least partly down to the film score by Daniel Pemberton. This brings the DJ turntable into film music like never before - highly recommended. More...
Christopher Willis has concocted a sumptuous score for Iannucci's The Personal History of David Copperfield. Its splendidly neoclassical music pays homage to the styles of a range of British composers, while also celebrating the richness of Dickens' novel. More...
Brahms composed 2 versions of his "Variations on the St. Anthony Chorale" (previously thought to be by Haydn), for Two Pianos and for Orchestra. For the Theme only, we include these and 2 further versions - for Piano Solo and for Trio (with parts allowing various instruments to participate in the Trio):
Tim Burton's Nightmare before Christmas: Live in Concert is now touring the UK. It features the music, songs and voice of Danny Elfman with many of the original cast and special guests. If you're a fan of the film or the composer, this show is not to be missed and comes highly recommended. More...
The Ribbon is an animated short which has done incredibly well on the festival circuit. The score by composer Jonathan Galland has also garnered a string of awards and deservedly so, taking the film through an emotional roller-coaster in the space of a few minutes. More...
Edvard Grieg composed his Holberg Suite to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Ludvig Holberg, a Norwegian writer, and chose the style of his Suite to reflect period music "From Holberg's Time". Although Grieg later arranged the Holberg Suite for string orchestra we present the 3rd movement "Gavotte" from the original version for piano solo. On mfiles the Gavotte is available to download as piano sheet music (with illustrating video), a midi file or an mp3 file:
For Tim Burton's reimaging of Disney classic Dumbo, the soundtrack has predictably remained true to the original songs, but composer Danny Elfman's film score is thoroughly well crafted giving many musical moments to enjoy. More...
John Caps takes a look at the music of Max Richter and finds some commonalities among his music for different media, which includes film scores, music for stage and ballet, and a number of unusual concert pieces. More...
Mary Poppins Returns ticks all the right boxes in this vibrant sequel to the 1964 film. Composer Marc Shaiman delivers on the Score and Songs, with lyrics co-written by Scott Wittman. His musical extravaganza delivers all the fun and magic with a large Spoonful of Sugar. More...
Franz Schubert composed more than 600 songs in total, though "Ständchen" (or Serenade) was published after his death as part of a collection called "Swan Song" by the publisher. We include the original song and various instrumental arrangements:
Mary Queen of Scots tells the story of the power struggle between the Scottish Queen and her cousin, England's Queen Elizabeth I. The film score by Max Richter speaks not only of regal majesty but also of love and violence set amidst troubling times. More...
Ralph Breaks the Internet continues the adventures of Ralph and Vanellope, as they leap from their arcade world into the Internet. Returning composer Henry Jackman delivers a great score, blending his solid orchestral foundation with game music electronica and some further music treats! More...
