Mark Shanks wrote:

>Don't care for opera, either?

Opera is often a collaborative effort.  These days it is rare to find a
producer or director willing to extend a shot to allow for the end of a
musical phrase.

>However, in films, the score (I believe) makes some attempt at overcoming
>the limitations of the literal interpretation by connecting to an emotional
>level purely visual imagery can't reach.

I wonder how many visual artists would agree with that?

>What would "Psycho" be without Hermann's score?

That is a very interesting question.  I would love to see it that way.
Herrmann usually was part of the process when working on a film.  I don't
in any way slight his enormous contribution to any film he worked on, nor
am I suggesting that the use of music in a film diminishes its impact,
but I do believe that a play, without any music, well done, can keep our
attention.  I wonder why this is so and why film seems to "need" music.

>If you are "too aware" of the effect the music has on your perception of
>the image, you have disassembled the goose while looking for golden eggs.
>Unfortunately, you may never make it back into fairy-land.

Which explains why I have a collection of over 1,000 soundtracks and
almost never go to the movies!

Karl