Question

To effectively raise the level of tension and emotional involvement of the audience in films, Henry Mancini used —those lying halfway between the half steps of the major or minor scale—in Wait Until Dark (1967).

a) Tritones
b) Semitones
c) Octaves
d) Harmonics

Answer 1

Henry Mancini used semitones in the film Wait Until Dark to raise the level of tension and emotional involvement, utilizing their dissonant qualities to signal danger and keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

Step-by-step explanation:

Henry Mancini effectively raised the level of tension and emotional involvement of the audience in films like Wait Until Dark (1967) by using semitones—those lying halfway between the half steps of the major or minor scale. Semitones create a sense of discomfort and dissonance which is ideal for building suspense and signaling impending danger. This technique leverages the way discordant sounds affect the audience, thereby enhancing the emotional impact of cinematic moments.

Semitones are frequently used in film scoring to evoke specific emotions. For example, as a melody played in a minor key gets louder and incorporates dissonant semitones, the viewers can feel of fear signaling that the character is in potential danger. Conversely, harmonious intervals like octaves or thirds would elicit a completely different emotional response, potentially indicating harmony or resolution.

The use of dissonance, and specifically semitones, aligns with the principles of tension and release that are fundamental to musical expression. It's a tool that composers use to guide the emotions of the audience in line with the narrative arc of the film.