John Dalmas writes in response to my words about music written for films:

>>Most of it can't stand on its own...
>
>IMO it's a specious argument to deny movie music any legitimacy.

Are dictionaries becoming a scarce commodity? "Most" does not mean "all";
it means "in the majority of instances".  In terms of percentages, "most"
covers the range which is over 50% and under 100%.  Therefore, John is on
faulty ground indicating that my statement has the effect of denying any
legitimacy to music written for the silver screen.  Further, I never said
anything about "legitimacy".

Also, John trots out a list of fine composers who wrote movie music.  What
he doesn't seem to consider is that most movie music does not come from
that high quality source.

Although I'm not a big fan of Rap music, I find that it works very well in
the movie medium.  The Rap music in Warren Beatty's "Bulworth" was perfect
for the film's plot and flow.  But even here, the music tends toward the
ordinary when divorced from the movie.  A film's themes and the way the
movie flows can give the music supplied an extra element of impact to the
listener.

I would be interested to know what others thought of the music to Bulworth.
My wife didn't like the movie or the music; she had great difficulty in
identifying with any of the characters in the film.  I easily identified
with every one of them, even the lobbyist who eventually had Bulworth
assasinated.

Don Satz
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