"Bella's Lullaby", the death sentence for classical music in Hollywood?

The trend in Hollywood film music is to be about 20 years behind the times. Just look at Raymond Scott, or Korngold film scores, they completely ripped off Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Wagner, Mahler and Strauss. 20 years later the next crop of film composers were ripping off Pendereski, the neo-classical Stravinsky, and the beginnings of electronic music. and current film composers are doing the same thing today.

By the time Hollywood catches up to the tastes of the regulars on this forum, we'll either be dead, or moved on to the next thing.

While I've met many young composition students who started to compose because of John Williams or Danny Elfman, these same students tend to never have bothered to get past the Hollywood glitz. They have no idea that the film composer is borrowing musical ideas (sometimes quite literally) from earlier composers. At least Williams and Elfman can craft a piece, these young imitators rarely put in the time to study scores to learn the craft.

While there may be some exceptions I see the trend being that audiences tend to buy into the superficiality of these "filler" sound tracks. With any luck they'll have the same endurance as the fad for Theremins after they were used in every 50s sci-fi movie.

There are some film composers who actually do something interesting, like Angelo Badalamenti who scored a number of David Lynch films. But part of the problem is also with the directors and producers of films who often tell composers "I want the score to sound like this bit from Mahler 2." And then what can a film composer do? either quit the film and lose out on future work or cave in. Though lately directors haven't had any trouble finding composers to write the music they want.

Back in the 1930's Ravels Bolero was used in "One in a Million" and "Sunny" which led to the piece making the charts. Fortunately that piece had more substance and craft than some of the stuff we get today.

After "Chocolat" there was a brief fad for the Satie Gnossiennes.

Not an answer really, but I'd like to thank you for finally voicing the outrage that actual classical music connoisseurs feel towards that instrumental drivel known as Bella's Lullaby.

Yes, especially because most youth seem to think it is classical music... Aby for example. It is diffidently fostering (more like festering if you ask me) a love of instrumental music, but bad instrumental music...

"Soft soundtracks?" Some soundtracks are okay, but just okay. I can tolerate them, but I wouldn't buy them and listen to them. For example, (first thing that comes to mind) Pirates of the Caribbean... It's tolerable, but not that great. I don't think incidental music is that great either, I don't particularity think it is the best quality. For example, the Peer Gynt suite is the best quality music...

I guarantee when music was going from the Baroque period to the Classical period people were critical of it, same with from the Baroque to Classical and the Classical to Romantic. Of course people are going to complain now that instrumental music is going through another change, because it's human nature to be resistant to change. It's different, not trash.

ok,first of all modern music is'nt garbage.I have played piano 7 years and my piano teacher has played at least 40.we both agree modern or as it is corectly called,new age,piano music is the most soulful there is.

I personaly love bellla's lullabye and wonder if you have ever heard the entire song.but another wonderful song that is soft and soulfull is river flows in you by yiruma or realy any other song by him..

and if you paid attention to all the twilight fans Bella's Lullabye was one of the most anticpated songs for the entire movie because it shows edwards love for bella.