Film Music in Concert
The Pioneering Role of the Boston Pops Orchestra

Explores film music's role in the concert repertoire, highlighting how the Boston Pops under John Williams pioneered its inclusion.

Emilio Audissino (Author)

9781009009096, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 16 December 2021

75 pages
22.8 x 15.1 x 0.5 cm, 0.14 kg

The Boston Pops Orchestra was the first orchestra of its kind in the USA: founded in 1885 from the ranks of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, its remit was to offer concerts of light symphonic music. Over the years, and in particular during the fifty-year tenure of its most famous conductor, Arthur Fiedler, the Pops established itself as the premier US orchestra specialising in bridging the fields of 'art music' and 'popular music'. When the Hollywood composer John Williams was assigned the conductorship of the orchestra in 1980, he energetically advocated for the inclusion of film-music repertoire, changing Fiedler's approach significantly. This Element offers a historical survey of the pioneering agency that the Boston Pops had under Williams's tenure in the legitimisation of film music as a viable repertoire for concert programmes. The case study is complemented with more general discussions on the aesthetic of film music in concert.

1. Introduction
2. Film Music And Aesthetic Prejudice
3. Film Music, From The Screens To The Concert Stages
4. The Boston Pops And Popular Music
5. The Boston Pops And Film Music
6. The Popsgate Of '84
7. The Boston Pops And Multimedia
8. Film Music After Williams's Tenure
9. Closing Remarks.

Subject Areas: Music [AV]