Dvořák, Martinů and Gershwin as a source of inspiration for Vladimír Sís's music films

Abstract

Music film is a genre that largely follows its own rules. These rules are determined mainly by the conception of musical content and also by the degree of interaction between music and image. The presented study summarizes the results of analyzes of music films by Vladimír Sís created on instrumental and vocal-instrumental compositions by Dvořák, Gershwin, and Martinů. The used method of two-phase analysis is based on the musical and film analysis of selected works and their mutual comparison with emphasis on functional changes of the originally autonomous musical pieces and their content-forming potential. It also seeks to capture a common analytical basis for different types of music films, creating a universal method for basic research. The results of the analysis point to both the typical features of the music and its specific use in Sís's films, including the director's intended popularization and didactic intentions.