| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 106.1

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| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 106.1 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Canada and the United States

Jeff Smith. The Sounds of Commerce: Marketing Popular Film Music. (Film and Culture.) New York: Columbia University Press. 1998. Pp. x, 288. Cloth $49.50, paper $16.50.

The study of film music is an especially challenging field of historical inquiry, one that requires an analysis of two sectors of the entertainment business and two art forms. The literature on film music is limited, and questions about the importance of music in film history abound. Jeff Smith's book is thus a welcome addition to literature, offering as it does new perspectives on this neglected subject. The book speaks primarily to matters of culture and critical analysis, but readers more concerned with the business side of film and music will find it valuable, too. 1

This book begins by explaining that Hollywood has long relied on popular music to market films. The author takes a close look at the structure and form of contemporary film music. In doing so, he shows how "pop scores" of the past few decades differ from their Romantic, Baroque, and classical predecessors. The scores, Smith explains, have a unique sense of rhythm and melody and a tonal distinctiveness. Smith's analysis reflects a good understanding of music itself. He has written the book for a broad audience, however, and readers without musical training should find it enlightening. . . .

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