Foreword
This is a piece of orchestral film music I wrote in 2022 and submitted to a Music Extension class. It is inspired by Joe Hisaishi’s music (Studio Ghibli). Please see below a description of my intent.
Statement
To write my composition Ascension in the style of a film score I used the interactive model of apprenticeship to identify common elements of the genre through listening to other pieces and applied them to my work. I chose instrumentation common to the style, including an orchestra and piano inspired by Joe Hisaishi.
Ascension begins with a piano solo (bar 1) as this is a common way to introduce the main theme. The chordal string accompaniment is introduced in bar 4 in a crescendo from pianissimo to forte. This creates a thicker texture and develops the harmony to an E major chord rather than an arpeggio.
In bar 9 I used an ascending scalic figure on the harp to build up to the entry of the flute in bar 10 – an effective technique common in film music. The main theme is then repeated on flute (bar 10) to solidify it in the ears of the listener. In bar 19 I used a G# diminished 7 chord to create tension and foreshadow conflict in the film narrative before resolving to back to an A minor chord (bar 20). Then in bar 21 the oboe plays a dissonant motif to show complication in the film. This is then repeated in canon by pizzicato strings (bar 25) to create tension. In bar 29 I used an A minor major 7 chord to create an eerie atmosphere followed by an F minor chord. This leap down of a third is often used in film music to create a sense of darkness. In bar 29 I also reduced the tempo to 80bpm to create a feeling of brooding.
In bar 35 I modulated up from A minor to D major to create a resolution in the narrative. The flute again has the melody in this section to create unity. In bar 39 there is an ascending sextuplet figure to climb higher into the register and create a triumphant atmosphere. This section also returns to the original tempo of 100bpm to represent moving out of the darkness back into the light.
Using the cognitive model of apprenticeship to reflect, I decided to use a third repeat of the main theme (bar 43) but in the new key of G# minor. This is a step back down and illustrates an atmosphere of disorientation, creating contrast but also unity in that it is the main theme.