Táhirih Motazedian, Assistant Professor of Music Theory, Publishes Key Constellations: Interpreting Tonality in Film
Published by the University of California Press, Key Constellations: Interpreting Tonality in Film “is the first book to investigate film soundtracks—including original scoring, preexisting music, and sound effects—through the lens of large-scale tonality.”
“groundbreaking achievement in film-music scholarship” guarantees readers “won’t listen to a movie soundtrack the same."
—University of California Press
“Key is one of the simplest building blocks of music and is among the foundational properties of a work’s musical identity—so why isn’t it a standard parameter in discussing film music? Exploring compelling analytical examples from numerous popular films, Táhirih Motazedian shows how key and pitch analysis of film music can reveal hidden layers of narrative meaning, giving readers exciting new ways to engage with their favorite films and soundtracks.”
This “groundbreaking achievement in film-music scholarship” guarantees readers “won’t listen to a movie soundtrack the same."
Táhirih has prior experience with groundbreaking achievements; before her career in music theory and academia, she made an important discovery about water on Mars when she was studying geophysics at the University of Oregon. She went on to work as a planetary scientist for NASA, working with lunar samples, solar samples, and serving as a Downlink Operations Lead for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
