Post-Copland Commercial Music

The post on Instrumental Hits was successful, so I thought I’d do a considerably more obscure follow-up.  Hit this one, music geeks!

Query:  What are the TV themes that utilized the “wide open spaces” quality associated with Aaron Copland and many other mid-century American classical composers? 

Fanfare for the Common Man, Billy the Kid, Appalachian Spring, and all sorts of less-familiar bits and pieces from Copland’s work have these easily emulated elements:

1)  An orchestral palette, especially horns;  french horn A+ 

2) Melody and harmony in fourths and fifths; Stravinskyian cross relations A+

3) Driving rhythms, usually either martial or galloping; mixed meter A+

There were many great TV themes that used these elements, but I nominate Elmer Bernstein’s fanfare for National Geographic as the greatest.

This style was particularly good for western, sci-fi, and military shows. 

Wild Wild West

Battlestar Galactica

The A-Team

Sometimes the style was diluted with beats, synths, and outright pop.  In the theme to Dallas,  there’s a Copland fanfare before the disco beat kicks in, but the tune is still played by a french horn.   Similar examples of Copland + drum beat are demonstrated by the synthesizer music to V (god, are those some outdated patches) and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.   I would include all these themes, with reservations.

The first Star Trek's opening music had 30 seconds of pure Copland before the non-Copland space-boogaloo started.  In a refreshing act of retro, Star Trek: The Next Generation,  Star Trek:  Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager all did away with boogaloos or other beats and gave us what I suspect is the last collection of authentic Copland homages for commercial television purposes. In these three themes, the Star Wars movie music by John Williams - which had a serious helping of Korngold and Gustav Holst stirred into Copland - is perhaps the dominant influence.

Despite use in innumerable shows from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s, this category of TV music seems to be gone. (See the new National Geographic and Battlestar Galactica themes for common current tropes.)  That the style has had its day is suggested by the how most recent series Star Trek Enterprise used a pop song instead of the traditional orchestral music. (I cannot believe that this move was popular with the fans - indeed Wikipedia claims that "Online petitions were signed demanding its removal from the titles."  I never have followed Star Trek, but I would have signed in a heartbeat.)

I admit that it is occasionally hard to decide whether a theme is in this style or not.  For me, the opening of Gunsmoke just barely makes the cut but the brilliant Blake’s 7 music (by my main man Dudley Simpson of Doctor Who lore) does not.

So:  In the comments, add other tunes. If you think you've got one that is greater than the National Geographic theme, better let me know.  Major bonus points for finding one that exists today.  Failing that, what was the last one?

(Also, was this style ever used for a series featuring cops or private detectives?  I think not, but it's possible.)

Comments

[daves561]

How about "ChiPs"? Those ascending fourths, and the soaring strings? Pretty smokin'. (Minus points for the hackneyed Univibe guitar sound, but that's just "production values" for the period.)

[John Guari]

these two also aren't shoo-ins to be included, but might be considered borderline.

As far as cop shows go, the first few seconds of T.J. Hooker has that sort of feeling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIX7UWIsNXM

the Dynasty theme doesn't have a driving rhythm, but to me has a Firebird Finale sort of taste.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGixhU6mAaQ

I'm racking my brain trying to think of/find a more current example. Nothing is coming to mind.

[lj]

These make me think of network TV news themes:

NBC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqwhF6vcylg ("The Mission," by John Williams)
ABC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXfkGM7QKFc
CBS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keA7vfK_Wbk
..etc.

[0re0]

Oh man! One theme came to mind even before I finished reading. Mike Post's amazing theme to Quantum Leap...the part where the horns burst through the texture--set to a horse, no less--is so heroic as to inspire time travel...

[Red Colm O'Sullivan]

Here's a good one: theme to "The Walton's" by Jerry Goldsmith (and I'm glad you referenced Holst in your introduction... the English pastoralists are an important ingrediant here, even if we really are contemplating Americana at, perhaps its most quintessentially American).

Hey - how about genius Robert Farnon (everybody's No. 1 string writer - it' s official) and his theme for "Colditz" - a great, great march...???

[M.MALLOY]

You know whats funny i was downloading a tv tunes disc several weeks ago, and the first thing that came to my mind with the original star trek was Copland. funny, check this out,
In the movie Hang Em High, with Clint Eastwood, the music, is well movie music, check out the picnic scene somewheres around there, i
i could of swore i heard some composer i wont name, i was wondering if he had seen it when he was a kid, i mean it was uncanny.

[Joseph Sheedy]

Every episode of series one of the modern Battlestar Galactica had me replaying the theme song several times.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0VYl8K2qvI
I think it was composed by Bear McCreary
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_mccreary
It is extremely spacious, a beautiful composition with a wonderful sense of time. I heard that the lead instrument is a duduk, so I got one and am learning to play it now.

[Mark T]

I see Percy Faith's Theme from "The Virginian" as the best of this genre.

[Bill]

Would Post's "Magnum PI" theme count?

[Mark T]

As for cop shows with Coplandesque theme songs, the "F.B.I. Theme" fits the bill, reminiscent of Fanfare.

[pc]

not exactly a "show" but they keep trotting it out every few years with the same basic theme music: the olympics, with john williams' familiar fanfare. seems like its in the ballpark.

[Mark T]

The theme to "CBS Reports" in the early '60's sounds very Copland-like. Oh, wait, that *was* Copland.

[Red Colm O'Sullivan]

Wasn't Patrick Williams' great theme to "The Streets of San Francisco" something for consideration?

(And if I could edit, and take the extraneous apostrophe out of my "The Walton's" - above - I would).

[Steve]

What about the 30 Rock theme? It certainly has a driving rhythm, a healthy amount of bombast, and a good horn section.

[Matt Eilar]

You're missing a big one: the theme to "The West Wing"

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[Liam Owen]

A more recent take on the Copland-esque theme? It certainly goes for those patriotic stirrings...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a23ibUHxlNY

[Dan Gaynor]

This interview with Mike Post about Ray Charles talks about Copland style orchestration in passing. I found it interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CY4q6oIFyg

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