#authenticism

Film scores are, at their core, an extension of the Romantic era. Like Romantic music, the best film scores evoke some kind of emotion: Whether it’s a sense of wonder in The Hobbit with “Feast of Starlight”, the joy of “Jake’s First Flight” in James Cameron’s Avatar, the fear and panic of a stampede from Hans Zimmer, or the longing found in “Across the Stars”, or the simple happiness found in “Married Life” -- It’s undeniable that film music comes from the same vein as the ferocity at the start of Beethoven’s Fifth, the bigness of Dvorak’s New World Symphony, and so on.

Another thing to keep in mind is that some of the earliest film scores were actually composed by Romantic-era composers like Camille Saint-Saens (The Assassination of the Duke of Guise, 1908). So you can’t discredit all film scores without discrediting the accepted classical composers.

And don’t forget that some of the best film scores draw from the Wagnerian leitmotif. Tying a character, object, or idea to a short tune has become a staple in film scores. Again, I refer you to Star Wars: this time with the Force theme.

“But it’s just not the same!” the unbelievers say. “Film music isn’t created with the same rigor as before!”

But remember that, for a long time, people absolutely hated Beethoven. Music teachers would refuse to teach his compositions because his style was so contrary to the deeply-ingrained Classical era. So I’d argue that it’s not a matter of “less artistry” -- it’s just a different kind.

Also understand that, even today, there are composers who are classically-trained specifically so they can compose for film. For example, allow me to introduce you to the up-and-coming Braxton Burks.

And another point I have is that, since film music is still being composed today, we get exposed to the mediocre scores. We hear the less memorable stuff because that’s what’s coming out right now. I’ll admit that there are some underwhelming scores in recent years. Sturgeon’s Law says that “90% of everything is crap.”

But the great thing about bland art is that, over time, it gets filtered out. Nobody remembers the mediocre releases from a few years ago, and even less remember the middling hits of the 1800s. That’s why most of the Truly Great Art we know of is older than your grandmother (or, in Troper speak, “True Art is Ancient”).

So I guess the point is, don’t get discouraged by the apparent lack of quality of today’s music. Or, for that matter, today’s art in general. You’re just seeing the whole picture, warts and all. By the time nostalgia sets in, people are only going to see the great stuff. It doesn’t matter whether that’s in 20 years, or 50, or 100 or more years: eventually, our descendants will look back at us and say “Yep. The 21st Century had some great art.”