BATMAN RETURNS
DANNY ELFMAN (1992)
PERFORMING FORCES
ELFMAN’S STYLE BEARS STRONG RESEMBLANCE TO CLASSIC FILM SCORING.
LARGE ORCHESTRAL SCORE
UNCONVENTIONAL INSTRUMENTAL FORCES: PIPE ORGAN, HARP, CELESTA, ACCORDION, VIBRAPHONE,
TEMPLE BLOCKS, TUBULAR BELLS, SLEIGH NELLS, XYLOPHONE, MARIMBA, FAIRGROUND STREAM ORGAN,
SYNTH CHOIR AND CHOIR
PLAYING TECHNIQUES: CON ARCO, PIZZICATO, TREMOLANDO, GLISSANDO, CON SORDINO, HORNS
STOPPED, TRUMPET EXTREME LIP TRILL, CYMBAL TIMPANO ROLL, FLUTTER TONGUING, PERCUSSION
ROLLS.
STRUCTURE
• ALL THROUGH COMPOSED
HARMONY AND TONALITY
MOSTLY MINOR KEYS
CHROMATIC SHIFTS
UNPREPARED MODULATIONS – SCENE CHANGES
PARALLEL CHORDS
TEXTURE
CONSTANTLY CHANGING
MOSTLY POLYPHONIC
TEMPO, RHYTHM AND METRE
• TEMPOS CHANGE WITH SCENES AND MOODS.
MELODY
LEITMOTIF USE FOR MAIN CHARACTERS.
EACH THEME IS DEVELOPED.
BATMAN – MAINLY BRASS.
PENGUIN – THEATRICAL, USE OF ORGAN
CONTEXT
SELF-TAUGHT
CLOSE WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH TIM BURTON
SCORED AROUND LEITMOTIFS.
BURTON EXPLORES A DARKER FACET OF THE SUPERHERO, DUAL PERSONALITY – HERO AND VILLAIN
POTENTIAL.
BIRTH OF A PENGUIN PART
1
STRUCTURE AND TEMPO
B1-2 = CROTCHET = 60 – VERY START OF FILM WITH WARNER BROTHERS’ LOGO. MUSIC PLAYS BATMAN MOTIF WHICH H
IDENTIFIES FILM.
B3-6 = CROTCHET = 72 – SCENE CHANGES TO COBBLE POT HOME, IN WINTER. PENGUIN MOTIF HEARD.
B7-13 = CROTCHET = 60 – FATHER LOOKING OUT THE WINDER AS WIFE IS GIVING BIRTH. DOCTOR LEAVES ROOM IN
HORROR AS HUSBAND SEES CHILD FOR THE 1ST TIME.
B14-26 = CROTCHET = 108 – PARENTS AT HOME LOOKING OUT OF THE WINDOW. BABY IS UNSEEN BUT CAN TELL BABY IS
KEPT IN CAGE. BABY SEES A CAT, CATCHES IT AND PULLS IT INTO THE CAGE. THE PARENTS LOOK ON WITHOUT A REACTION.
B26-41 – SCENE MOVES TO A ZOO, AND WE SEE PARENTS THROW PRAM OVER BRIDGE AND IT FLOATS AWAY INTO SEWER.
B42-END = CROTCHET = 72 – SCENE CONCLUDES WITH BABY FLOATING AWAY DOWN TO SEWER WITH HIS PARENTS
LOOKING ON
PERFORMING FORCES
PENGUIN MOTIF 1ST HEARD IN THE CHOIR AND VIOLINS.
STRINGS AND CELESTA USED FOR PENGUIN MOTIF – CHILDLIKE SOUND.
FLUTE ‘FLURRY’ (AS BABY CATCHES CAT)
HARP GLISSANDO AND CYMBALS LEAD TO NEXT SCENE.
SLEIGH BELLS SOUND AS PRAM IN RIVER FLOATS AWAY INTO SEWER. CHOIR SINGING ‘LA’ TO PENGUIN MOTIF.
LOW HORNS
CYMBAL ROLL
HORN STOPPING
BRASS GLISSANDI
MELODY
BATMAN MOTIF APPEARS WITH LOGO AT THE BEGINNING OF OPENING CREDITS.
PENGUIN MOTIF DOMINATES – BACKGROUND STORY.
TEXTURE
LOW THICK TEXTURE WITH PIPE ORGAN SUBDOMINANT PEDAL WITH HORNS PLAYING MOTIF.
B5-6 = REPEAT OF 3-4 PLAYED ‘FF’ WITH ADDITION OF STRING COUNTER FIGURE AND RICHER TEXTURE.
HARMONY AND TONALITY
SUBDOMINANT PEDAL LEADS TO PLAGAL CADENCE IN F MINOR
DOMINANT 7TH
TONE CLUSTER
KEY CHANGE TO A MINOR – TERTIARY RELATIONSHIP
UNPREPARED SHIFT OF G MINOR
FALSE RELATION AS FATHER SCREAMS
USE OF OPEN CHORDS/BARE 5THS
TEMPO, RHYTHM AND METRE
AUGMENTATION
CHANGE TO 3/8 FOR ONE BAR.
• CHANGE TO TRIPLE TIME WITH SEMITONE SHIFT IN ACCOMPANYING MUSIC – TYPICAL OF ELFMAN
BIRTH OF A PENGUIN PART
2
STRUCTURE
FOLLOWS MAIN TITLES WITH BABY’S JOURNEY THROUGH SEWERS UNTIL AT END OF CUE PRAM IS FOUND
BY PENGUINS.
B21-51 = CROTCHET = 146 – CLIMAX IS WHEN TITLE OF FILM APPEARS ON THE SCREEN WITH BATS FLYING
TOWARDS THE VIEWER
B85-96 – THE PRAM COMES TO REST, AND WE SEE PENGUINS COMING TO LOOK AT IT
PERFORMING FORCES
FORTISSIMO C MAJOR CHORD STABS, BECOMES LEGATO.
LOW WIND AND STRINGS SWELLING IN DYNAMICS.
FLUTE ‘FLUTTER TONGUE’
OPEN CHORD
TAM-TAM STUCK AS SCREEN STATES ‘GOTHAM CITY – 33 YEARS LATER’.
MELODY
RISING AND FALLING ARPEGGIO MOTIF PLAYED BY CELLOS AND THEN VIOLINS.
HINTS OF BATMAN MOTIF IN B5-6 AND OTHER PLACES – FULL FORM, FRAGMENTS AND VARIATIONS
TEXTURE
• PEDAL IN STRINGS AND WOODWIND.
HARMONY AND TONALITY
D MINOR TONALITY
MODULATED TO BB MINOR.
AS PRAM SLOWS DOWN – DB7 1ST INVERSION AND BASS CHROMATIC SHIFT.
OPEN 5TH CHORD – TONALITY IS OPEN.
B93-96 = MADE UP OF 2-BAR PHRASES. 2ND PLAYING USES FIRST INVERSION CHORDS TO GIVE AN ALMOST
CHROMATIC FEEL TO MUSIC.
TEMPO, RHYTHM AND METRE
AUGMENTED VERSION OF PENGUIN MOTIF IN VIOLINS
OSTINATO
DESCENDING TRIPLET PHRASE PLAYED WITH ACCENTS CREATING A CROSS RHYTHMIC EFFECT AGAINST ACCOMPANIMENT.
DIMINUTION IN BATMAN MOTIF
TIME SIGNATURE CHANGE TO 5/4 FOR 1 BAR = INTERPOLATION
QUAVER TRIPLET OSTINATO.
‘SIGHING’ IDEA
FANFARE FIGURES
• RHYTHMIC VARIATION OF BATMAN MOTIF – PLAYED AND ECHOED BY DIFFERENT INSTRUMENTS FOR NEXT FEW BARS.
BATMAN VS THE CIRCUIS
STRUCTURE
B1-12 = CROTCHET = 66 – BAT SIGNAL BEING LIT AND BRUCE WAYNE SEEING IT
B13-25 = CROTCHET = 104 – COMICAL FEEL TO REPRESENT THE ‘CIRCUS GANG’ CAUSING CHAOS ON THE
STREETS OF GOTHAM. VIA CROSS-RHYTHMS, FREQUENT CHANGES IN TIME SIGNATURES, SYNCOPATION
AND FRAGMENTS OF IDEAS.
PERFORMING FORCES
HIGH GLISSANDO IN VIOLINS
MUTED TRUMPET TRIPLET FIGURE IN TRUMPET
CIRCUS MOTIF PLAYED ON FAIRGROUND STEAM ORGAN.
MELODY
CIRCUS MOTIF
3 NOTE MOTIF IN BASS – FRAGMENTED AND ACCOMPANIED BY A BRASS CHORD = UNSETTLING
HARMONY
FRAGMENTS OF BATMAN MOTIF AS HE APPEARS ON SCREEN, INTERSPERSED WITH CIRCUS MOTIF.
DESCENDING 4 NOTE PHRASE IN LEFT HAND OF PIANO = RETURNS IN STRINGS AND EXTENDED
BATMAN MOTIF AUGMENTED.
4-NOTE OSTINATO = KEEPS SCENE DRIVING FORWARD.
TEXTURE
LOW B PEDAL
BATMAN MOTIF PLAYED IN BRASS THEN LOW WIND THEN HORN BEFORE LOUD TUTTI FULL CHORD.
LAYERING
SUSTAINED NOTE LEADS TO 1Q BAR BATMAN MOTIF ACCOMPANIED BY PERCUSSION ONLY.
FULL ORCHESTRA VERSION OF ‘OM-PAH’ OSTINATO WITH TEMPLE BLOCKS, MUTED BRASS FANFARE
SNIPPET AND HARP GLISSANDO
HARMONY AND TONALITY
COMPLETELY UNRELATED CHORDS – TERTIARY RELATIONSHIP
LONG CRESCENDO
E MINOR
UNPREPARED KEY CHANGE
DIMINISHED 7TH – CHAOS
WHOLE TONE SCALE IN HARP
UNPREPARED MODULATION TO C# MINOR
TRITONE/AUGMENTED 4TH
TEMPO, RHYTHM AND METRE
CROSS RHYTHMS - QUAVER TRIPLETS AGAINST 2 SEMIQUAVERS AND QUAVER
CONSTANT CHANGING OF TIME SIGNATURE.
SYNCOPATION
RHYTHMIC DISPLACEMENT
CROSS TIME SIGNATURE IDEA
RHYTHMIC OSTINATO
SEXTUPLET
AUGMENTED BATMAN MOTIF
THE RISE AND FALL FROM
GRACE
STRUCTURE
B20-39 – MAX SEES PENGUINS ‘CLOWN GANG’. PENGUIN STOPPED HIS WORK AND LOOKS OVER TO MAX.
B47 – END – MUSIC PICKING UP PACE AS MAX LURES OSWALD DOWN STAIRS WITH FISH COVERING HIS
FACE WITH HIS HAT.
PERFORMING FORCES
PIZZICATO ARPEGGIO IN CELLOS AND ANSWERED BY VIOLINS.
SWITCH TO AGGRESSIVE ARCO PHRASE ANSWERED BY DOUBLE BASSES.
ACCENTS AND STACCATO
SWEEPING GLISSANDO
PENGUIN MOTIF PLAYED UNDERNEATH AND COLOURED BY BASS CLARINET.
MAX TEMPTING OSWALD WITH A FISH AS BASS CLARINET TAKES PROMINENCE.
QUICK FLURRY AS OSWALD TIRES TO SNATCH THE FISH.
FLUTE TRILL
MELODY
PENGUIN MOTIF PLAYED BY HARP AND LOW ORGAN.
MOTIF PLAYED IN OCTAVES AND ADDITION OF COUNTERMELODY IN OBOE.
FALLING 3RDS IDEA IN CELESTA AND DESCENDING COUNTERMELODY IN VIOLINS
MUSIC DESCENDS IN PITCH AS THEY GO DOWNSTAIRS.
TEXTURE
• RARE MONOPHONY
HARMONY AND TONALITY
HIGH VIOLINES – CLUSTER CHORD = SENSE OF UNEASE AND DISSONANCE
PENGUIN STOPPED WORK AND LOOKS OVER TO MAX = OPEN 5TH CHORD
STARTS IN C MINOR.
RARE PERFECT CADENCE
AUGMENTED CHORD USED WITH CONTRARY MOTION.
TYPICAL ELFMAN IDEAS – CLUSTER CHORD WITH A CRESCENDO AND TRUMPET ENTERS HALF WAY
THROUGH = TRIUMPHANT CHANGE, FANFARE-LIKE FINISH
TEMPO, RHYTHM AND METRE
PENGUIN MOTIF PLAYED IN TRIPLE TIME AS MAX SEES PENGUINS ‘CLOWN GANG’.
PENGUIN MOTIF AUGMENTED.
