Flowing Shadows, Echoing Sounds (A Global Appreciation of Movie Music Classics)

Author: Tian Yimei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: The development of Chinese cinema over a century vividly records the significant contributions of contemporary Chinese composers. This book selects representative film music works from the historical trajectory of film music, presenting them in a lively and well-structured manner, blending professionalism with entertainment. These unforgettable film scores evoke shared memories of a generation. The time when the author wrote this book was exceptionally busy—completing a doctoral dissertation, finishing graduation projects, teaching classes, and searching for suitable new job opportunities, among other things. Frantically juggling responsibilities, the author made bewildered and helpless efforts. Yet, the author readily agreed to write the book and, in the following months, devoted himself to watching films day and night, losing sleep and even experiencing stomachaches, living a seemingly blissful life. Music, writing, and film—these detached aspects of life were almost the entirety of the author's existence and work, making the author always feel like an incredibly fortunate person.
As a musician, the author can no longer recall how long he has been studying music. All he remembers is that during his school days, he often felt inexplicably uncomfortable, until he entered the conservatory, where he began to transform into a happier and more confident person. Watching films was also an innate passion. As a child, whenever the author accompanied adults to the cinema, he would sing every line of the movie's songs back to his father afterward. It was from that time that his father decided to enroll the author in music studies. For the author's small-town childhood and financially struggling parents, pursuing this aristocratic art was not well-understood.
The content of this book is concise, vivid, and well-organized. The author provides a comprehensive overview of film music, with each chapter's title serving as a brilliant distillation of its fundamental characteristics. For every piece of film music, the author attempts to approach it from an appropriate angle, using minimal words yet delivering fresh and clever insights.