The Sound Of Music Analysis

Introduction Roger’s and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music is arguably one of the most well known films that many can admit to watching at least once in their lifetime. People all around the world have found this musical inspiring, as it documents growth and hope amidst the horrors of World War II. This incredibly well written film is based on the story of the Von Trapp family who escaped Austria when the Nazis invaded it during the war. Part of what made this movie so interesting on so many different accounts was the music that accompanied the vivid and exciting scenes. Without music, many could agree that our world would be a sad, quiet, dull and depressing place. In John Harrington Edward’s book God and Music, he states, “In simplest definition,

In The Sound of Music, Rodgers and Hammerstein created fourteen pieces tailored to the various scenes: The Hills Are Alive - The Sound of Music, Overture, Morning Hymn, Maria, I Have Confidence, Sixteen Going on Seventeen, My Favorite Things, The Lonely Goatherd, Do-Re-Mi, Something Good, Processional, Edelweiss, So Long Farwell, and Climb Every Mountain. While I won’t deal with each of these individually, as it could take years to properly analyze each piece of music in the movie, my point of focus will be directed towards the opening piece, “The Hills Are Alive – The Sound of Music”. The movie’s opening visual, which happens to be one of the most iconic scenes, sets a positive and carefree mood showing Maria Von Trapp (Julie Andrews) innocently dancing on top of a majestic mountaintop with breathtaking views behind her, and the sun glowing on her face. The song, which happens to be named after the film, compliments this image well, as it too, sounds innocent, positive and playful. The piece has a high pitch and a strong melody, setting an upbeat and positive mood, creating excitement and intrigue to continue watching. The contour also appears to be very wide, as the highest note and the lowest note span over just one note short of an octave. The music starts on a high “C” and gradually makes its way to the lowest note – a “D” just

I’d like to take it a step further, however, and say that the opening song in The Sound of Music does a fantastic job of matching the imagery and communicates the drama in a clear manner. The beginning lyrics are as follows: “The hills are alive with the sound of music…with songs they have sung for a thousand years. The hills fill my heart with the sound of music…my heart wants to sing every song it hears.” What beautiful words! As Julie Andrews uses her sweet voice to bring words written on paper to life, she sings, “the hills are alive with the sound of music”, and the imagery indeed shows that they have sung for a thousand years. The music sung is effective in its support of her actions as she then takes a breath, puts her hand near her heart, and beautifully sings once more, “the hills fill my heart with the sound of music; my heart wants to sing every song it hears.” You can tell by the end of the piece that she means every word she