Trailblazers, trumpets and the theremin: 10 soundtracks that changed the way we listen to movies
Why it matters: These innovations established the foundational principles and technologies for film music, impacting how audiences globally experience cinema.
- Early cinema relied on live musicians, but Warner Bros.' Vitaphone system in films like Don Juan (1926) and The Jazz Singer (1927) introduced synchronized sound via discs, though it was unreliable.
- Fox's Movietone system for Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) marked a breakthrough by optically printing sound directly onto film, guaranteeing a consistent musical experience for audiences.
- Max Steiner's score for King Kong (1933) is credited with refining the symphonic film score, establishing a framework for musical narrative and emotional nuance that influenced subsequent Hollywood music.
- Bernard Herrmann's debut score for Citizen Kane (1941) showcased a distinct, dramatic sound-world, eschewing the prevalent "Hollywood" symphonic style of his contemporaries.
From the live pianists of silent films to the optical printing of sound directly onto celluloid, the evolution of movie soundtracks has dramatically shaped cinematic experiences. Pioneering composers like Max Steiner and Bernard Herrmann, alongside innovative technologies such as Vitaphone and Movietone, fundamentally transformed how music functions in film, establishing the bedrock for nearly a century of Hollywood scoring.
