The article delves into the unique musical landscape of Los Angeles, noting its rich history in film music and the influence of iconic composers like Stravinsky, Schoenberg, and Cage. While classical and popular music may seem incongruent, the piece explores the interplay between these genres and the city's cultural fabric. An interesting anecdote describes Schoenberg's ambitious proposal to score a Hollywood film, probing the challenges and tantalizing possibilities of artistic expression within the commercial world. Ultimately, it reflects on the potential depth and implications of this intersection between art and entertainment.
Picture Schoenberg, in 1935, in the office of Hollywood's prevailing film producer, Irving Thalberg, offering untenable requirements to score MGM's feature film adaptation of Pearl S. Buck's "The Good Earth." Picture the composer, considered by many the instigator of the most daunting music of all time, asking for $50,000 (more than $1.1 million today adjusted for inflation) and full control of the movie's sound...
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