Re: Why in The World? (music question)

Date: 03 Feb 2003 16:55:16 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.fan.cecil-adams
Size: 1,304 bytes

In article <b1ktgv$13davf$email-address-deleted>, Alan Hamilton
<email-address-deleted> writes:
>On Sun, 2 Feb 2003 01:04:34 -0500, "Robert Goodman"
><email-address-deleted> wrote:
>
>>"PAVELB1" <email-address-deleted> wrote in message
>>news:email-address-deleted...
>>> Has that doo-doo-doo-doo-doo- Harp sound with violins in the
>>> background music been associated with Underwater movie
>>> music
>>Never mind that -- how did minor fifths (or whatever that chord is, so
>>long since I took piano, hooray) become associated with American
>>Indians?
>And where did that nine-note number come to represent "Chinese"?
A lot of the stereotypical movie music probably originated during the silent
era when pianists accompanied the screen action. According to
http://www.perfessorbill.com/index1.htm: "Some of the more ethnic pieces may sound vaguely familiar, but this is
largely a result of the use of stereotyped chord progressions or intervals
based either in fact or perceptions of such music in regard to its intended
country of origin"
It's an interesting site citing examples of Indian music, Chinese music, cowboy
music, and many other pieces that were used by the movie pianists to provide
the background for the action. Some of them can be clicked to play.
Les