Epic Sound

Stephen C. Meyer is Associate Professor in the Department of Art and Music Histories at Syracuse University. He is author of Carl Maria von Weber and the Search for a German Opera (IUP, 2003).

"Meyer's clear and articulate study promises to be a welcome addition to the reading list of anyone interested not just in film but in mid-century music history."—Journal of the Society for American Music"Epic Sound is a major contribution to the field of film music studies and ought to be widely read by musicologists with an interest in film. Really, it ought to be read by film scholars as well: although the depth of Meyer's engagement with the music is felt on almost every page, this is also a powerfully sustained exploration of the biblical epic as a film genre."—American Music"This is a well-researched and thorough book examining what the author finds to be a unique facet of film music of the late 1940s and early 1950s – its use, sometimes to glorious excess, in the biblical epics of postwar Hollywood."—Soundtrax"Stephen C. Meyer provides detailed, historically grounded research into the music of post-Second World War biblical epics. 4/1/16"—Music, Sound and the Moving Image"An ambitious and fascinating book."—James Buhler, The University of Texas at Austin

• AcknowledgementsNote to ReadersIntroduction1. A Biblical Story, for the Post-World-War II Generation?: Victor Young's Music for DeMille's Samson and Delilah2. Turning Away from "Concocted Spectacle": Alfred Newman's Score for David and Bathsheba3. Spectacle and Authenticity in Miklós Rózsa's Quo Vadis Score4. Novel and Film, Music and Miracle: Alfred Newman's Score to The Robe5. Spirit and Empire: Elmer Bernstein's Score to The Ten Commandments6. The Law of Genre and the Music for Ben-Hur7. King of Kings and the Problem of Repetition8. Suoni nuovi, suoni antichi: The Soundscapes of Barabbas9. Universality, Transcendence, and Collapse: Music and The Greatest Story Ever ToldEpilogueNotesBibliographyIndex