| Description |
| On-screen: |
Stanley talks with Peter |
| Description: |
A sultry waltz-like theme is played as we meet Bette Davis's character, Stanley Timberlake; it features a series of descending chromatic leaps |
| Music annotations: |
[m. 5] lento (expressivo) / a tempo |
| Film annotations: |
[m. 5] Are you afraid? |
| Orchestration annotations: |
[m. 5] all violins (soli) / E.H. or clar / mostly strings / violas + harp / 2 celli / 1 bass; [m. 6] vibra + fl |
| Analysis: |
Stanley's theme is a compound melody of two descending chromatic lines separated by major sixth leaps (sometimes spelled as diminished 7ths); this idea (motive X) is answered by a leaping appoggiatura "sigh gesture" (motive Y); the theme is harmonized by dominant flat-ninth chords in a circle of fifths progression that never resolves to a clear tonic (potentially it could resolve to Bb, but this never occurs); the harmonic instability of this theme matches the instability of Stanley's character in the film |
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| Tags |
9th chord | appoggiatura | car | circle of fifths | conversing | establish character | leading lady | leading man | love interest | sultry
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